THIS YEAR IT WILL BE DIFFERENT: [Import] [Hardcover]

MAEVE BINCHY (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: ORION; New Ed edition (2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1407208225
• ISBN-13: 978-1407208220
• ASIN: 0752876287
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,712,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maeve Binchy is the author of numerous best-selling books, including Nights of Rain and Stars, Quentins, Scarlet Feather, Circle of Friends, and Tara Road, which was an Oprah's Book Club selection. She has written for Gourmet; O, The Oprah Magazine; Modern Maturity; and Good Housekeeping, among other publications. She and her husband, Gordon Snell, live in Dalkey, Ireland, and London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the few people that can write short stories that I like, December 13, 2010

By 

Holly Kincaid "Book addict" (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: This Year It Will Be Different (Kindle Edition)

Maeve Binchy is one of my all-time favorite authors. There is nothing of hers that I haven't liked and most of her work, I have loved. A while back, I was looking at everything she has written to see if I had missed something and came across this book. Since Christmas was coming up I bought it for my Kindle but waited until December to begin reading.

This is a collection of short stories (which I typically don't like as well as novels) but the author manages to write them so well. The characters are developed in each one and I was totally engrossed in each story quickly so I hardly noticed they weren't full-length stories. In typical Binchy style, the stories are a mixture of good and bad, personal hurt and growth. Unlike most books published geared around the holidays of fluffy stories with happy endings, there is "meat on those bones" with this collection. There are probably more heart-wrenching stories than uplifting ones, but after multiple novels of light and airy narratives, I was actually quite ready for some grittier story lines and this delivered. I think Maeve Binchy is probably one of the few authors that can get away with writing about bad stuff happening during the holidays and still have me loving it.

A wonderful collection of well-written stories. For those looking for the Normal Rockwell version of holiday stories, this definitely isn't for you. For people looking for the stories of things not always going well and families not always getting along (realistic but without being over-the-top), this might be just the ticket. I loved it and plan on re-reading it over the coming years.

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it, October 28, 2011

By 

Helga "helga0909" - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Year It Will Be Different (Paperback)

She never disappoints. Have read all of her books and always look forward to the next one. She makes me feel as if I am part of the book and that I know the people in the story. Love this author.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book of Christmas stories, December 17, 2011

By 

Ricky James "Ricky" (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Year It Will Be Different: A Christmas Treasury (Kindle Edition)

I loved this book of Christmas short stories. Binchy is a great storyteller and is especially good with family-orientated tales. I highly recommend this collection.