Customer Reviews

This Year It Will Be Different: A Christmas Treasury

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This book was such a waste of my time. It was a series of little Christmas stories, most of which left you hanging as to the outcome. I kept waiting for it to go back to the story with the resolution, but it never happened. It's the worst book I've read in a very long time!