This Year It Will Be Different
by Maeve Binchy
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From the New York Times bestselling author of Circle of Friends and The Glass Lake comes This Year It Will Be Different, a stunning new work that brings us the magic and spirit of Christmas in fifteen stories filled with Maeve Binchy's trademark wit, charm, and sheer storytelling genius. Instead of nostalgia, Binchy evokes contemporary life; instead of Christmas homilies, she offers truth; and instead of sugarplums, she brings us the nourishment of holidays that precipitate change, growth, show more and new beginnings. In "A Typical Irish Christmas," a grieving New York widower heads for a holiday in Ireland and finds an unexpected destination not just for himself, but for a father and daughter at odds. The title story "This Year It Will Be Different" also delves into the emotions of a person at mid-life--a woman with a complacent husband and grown children who are entering a season that can forever alter her life, and theirs. In "Pulling Together," a teacher not yet out of her twenties sees her affair with a married man at a turning point as Christmas Eve approaches--and she may be off on a new direction with some unusual friends. And in the delightful tale "The Hard Core," the four most recalcitrant residents of a nursing home are left alone at Christmas with the owner's daughter in charge: the result is sure to be disaster--or the kind of life-affirming renewal that only the spirit of the season can bring. The stories in This Year It Will Be Different powerfully evoke many lives--step-families grappling with ex's, long-married couples faced with in-law problems, a wandering husband choosing between "the other woman" and his wife, a child caught in grown-up tugs-of-war--during the one holiday when feelings cannot be easily hidden. The time of year may be magical, imbued with meaning. But the situations are universal. And Maeve Binchy makes us care about them all. As the Philadelphia Inquirer noted, "Maeve Binchy's people come to life fully. They make you laugh and cry and disturb your sleep." They do precisely that in this extraordinary collection, on the night before Christmas when we are snug in our beds, or anywhere, any time of the year. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I’m such a sucker for Binchy’s books. I tend to like her novels more than her short story collections, but this one was perfect for December. There are 15 stories, all with some Christmas theme. That being said, they aren’t sweet cheerful stories, that’s not really her style. There’s the tension of a blended family, a broken heart, a newly married son, an unexpected trip to New York, and so much more. Each one gives us a quick glimpse into the lives of someone new.
The way the Binchy writes is just perfect for this medium. You don’t need 300 pages to get to know the characters. In the matter of a few paragraphs she’s given you the flavor of their lives and that’s all you need. I will always return to her books as comfort show more reads.
“It was so easy to be wise about other people's business.” show less
The way the Binchy writes is just perfect for this medium. You don’t need 300 pages to get to know the characters. In the matter of a few paragraphs she’s given you the flavor of their lives and that’s all you need. I will always return to her books as comfort show more reads.
“It was so easy to be wise about other people's business.” show less
I have loved several of Maeve Binchy's novels which is why I am always looking for more, although there have been some that I did not enjoy that much. I still expected to like this book of short stories, but frankly, I did not. There are fifteen short stories in the collection and I liked two, found one to be ok, and disliked the others to various degrees.
The reason is that the stories are full of people who loathe each other and are mean to each other. There are lots of men who cheat on their wives, women who put up with it (both the wives and the lovers), elderly people who bossy around their adult children, characters who give up hope,... Just why are these Christmas stories? It is certainly not what I expected from Maeve Binchy. show more
While of course it does not all have to be candlelight and sugarcoating, I was not up for the degree of despair, negativity and also misogyny in these stories.
Of course Maeve Binchy was a good writer and she managed to say a lot within a few pages, so it might have been a different reading experience if my expectations had been different.
Just to point them out:
My favourite story was "A Typical Irish Christmas" about a widower who travels to Ireland for the first Christmas after his wife passed away. I liked this a lot, but it was much too short.
I also enjoyed "Miss Martin's Wish" about a young teacher who finally realizes her dream of traveling to New York years after the cancellation of her wedding. show less
The reason is that the stories are full of people who loathe each other and are mean to each other. There are lots of men who cheat on their wives, women who put up with it (both the wives and the lovers), elderly people who bossy around their adult children, characters who give up hope,... Just why are these Christmas stories? It is certainly not what I expected from Maeve Binchy. show more
While of course it does not all have to be candlelight and sugarcoating, I was not up for the degree of despair, negativity and also misogyny in these stories.
Of course Maeve Binchy was a good writer and she managed to say a lot within a few pages, so it might have been a different reading experience if my expectations had been different.
Just to point them out:
My favourite story was "A Typical Irish Christmas" about a widower who travels to Ireland for the first Christmas after his wife passed away. I liked this a lot, but it was much too short.
I also enjoyed "Miss Martin's Wish" about a young teacher who finally realizes her dream of traveling to New York years after the cancellation of her wedding. show less
An entirely unseasonable read, but then a lot of these stories are not exactly filled with Christmas spiriti in a positve manner, so I'm not sure that's such a bad thing to be reading it in February. In each story, there is someone (usually a woman) who is either looking at how this Christmas will compare (for better or worse) with previous Christmases, or is wishing that it were different. A number of them revolve around marriages, or single women engaged in affairs with married men and how they are either content (or otherwise) with their lot. Some of them are hopeful, some of them less so. In only a few of them did I feel that the character was in a better place at the end of the story than at the beginning.
The one strange thing I show more did note was that this was published in 1996, but it felt to be older than that, I'd have said late 1980s. there's little in the way of technology that we see as part of our every day lives, and so it felt to be from an older world and felt dated because of that lack. Not the people, people are pretty much the same, but the way they carry on their lives has changed - the married man no longer needs to sneak up to the second phone on the bedroom to phone his mistress while the wife does Christmas with the children. show less
The one strange thing I show more did note was that this was published in 1996, but it felt to be older than that, I'd have said late 1980s. there's little in the way of technology that we see as part of our every day lives, and so it felt to be from an older world and felt dated because of that lack. Not the people, people are pretty much the same, but the way they carry on their lives has changed - the married man no longer needs to sneak up to the second phone on the bedroom to phone his mistress while the wife does Christmas with the children. show less
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories which are all on the theme of Christmas. I sometimes find Maeve Binchy's short stories a bit abrupt, wondering why they ended so suddenly with little resolution. There were one or two like that in this book; but the majority were delightful, well-rounded and satisfying.
Binchy has a gift for characterisation and for creating realistic scenarios; this book was warm and inviting. I read just one short story per night for a couple of weeks, and was sorry when I reached the end.
Highly recommended. Four and a half stars, really.
Binchy has a gift for characterisation and for creating realistic scenarios; this book was warm and inviting. I read just one short story per night for a couple of weeks, and was sorry when I reached the end.
Highly recommended. Four and a half stars, really.
Great Christmas book! Composed of short stories following the lives of different people but in the end they all sort of tie together and with a Christmas theme. It was a quick read and I wanted more when I was done! Loved this Christmas book!
13 Jun 2009 - Oxfam, Birmingham
I fell on this newer Binchy excitedly in the Oxfam shop (I remember this trip; it was just after Hay and I really shouldn't have been buying MORE books, esp not the massive Ted Heath bio that is next to read after the current crop!) but I'm afraid it disappointed slightly. Short stories, fine. About Christmas - also fine. Binchy writes a good family and a good story. But these were *very* short, often almost vignettes, and I missed the depth and mix of pathos and humour which she is so good at. Don't get me wrong - a good few of these were excellent - but it wasn't as marvellous as I'd hoped.
Will retain to register and BookCross on Christmas Day in the park.
I fell on this newer Binchy excitedly in the Oxfam shop (I remember this trip; it was just after Hay and I really shouldn't have been buying MORE books, esp not the massive Ted Heath bio that is next to read after the current crop!) but I'm afraid it disappointed slightly. Short stories, fine. About Christmas - also fine. Binchy writes a good family and a good story. But these were *very* short, often almost vignettes, and I missed the depth and mix of pathos and humour which she is so good at. Don't get me wrong - a good few of these were excellent - but it wasn't as marvellous as I'd hoped.
Will retain to register and BookCross on Christmas Day in the park.
The first story had me HOOKED. I've read this book probably five times. She has such a way of writing about people and making you really feel for them.
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Author Information
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Maeve Binchy was born in Dublin, Ireland on May 28, 1940. She received a B.A. from University College in Dublin in 1960. After teaching at a school for girls, she became a journalist, columnist and editor at the Irish Times. By 1979, she was writing plays, a successful television script, and several short story collections. Her first novel, Light show more a Penny Candle, was published in 1982. During her lifetime, she wrote more than 20 books including Silver Wedding, Scarlet Feather, Heart and Soul, Minding Frankie, and A Week in Winter. The Lilac Bus and Echoes were made into TV movies, while Circle of Friends, Tara Road and How About You were made into feature films. Her title Chestnut Street is a New York Times Best Seller. She died after a brief illness on July 30, 2012 at the age of 72. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Dit jaar zal het anders zijn
- Original title
- This year it will be different
- Original publication date
- 1996
- Important places
- Ireland
- Important events
- Christmas
- Dedication
- To dearest Gordon with all my love and thanks
- First words
- The first step of Christmas: Jenny and David gave wonderful Christmas parties.
The ten snaps of Christmas: Maura loved Christmas.
Miss Martin's wish: Elsa Martin had never been to New York.
The hard core: Ellie liked them mainly.
Christmas timing: This would be their fifth Christmas together, or not together.
The civilized Christmas: It had been a civilized divorce, people said. (show all 15)
Pulling together: Penny wrote an air letter to her friend Maggie in Australia every week.
A hundred milligrams: If you stayed with Helen's mother until Easter, she'd still complain that you were leaving too early after Christmas.
The Christmas Baramundi: She had met him first at the fish market on Christmas Eve.
This year it will be different: Ethel wondered had it anything to do with her name.
Season of fuss: Mrs. Doyle used to begin fussing around October.
A typical Irish Christmas...: Everyone in the office wanted to ask Ben for Christmas.
Traveling hopefully: They were full of envy at the office when Meg told them she was going to Australia for a month on December 11.
What is happiness?: They had called him Parnell to show how Irish he was.
The best inn in town: They should have liked each other, the two mothers. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The first step of Christmas: "Happy Christmas, little brother," she said.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The ten snaps of Christmas: A person not to be taken lightly anymore.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Miss Martin's wish: And Stefan could be honored in another great city until the time was right for him to be acknowledged in New York, his own hometown.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The hard core: "I think there's hope for this place yet."
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Christmas timing: Only very irritating people rang on Christmas day.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The civilized Christmas: "Glorious Technicolor," he said again.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Pulling together: Just a sign that she was indeed cured and well on the way to recovery.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)A hundred milligrams: The kinds of smiles a million other people were putting on their faces like children's masks over Christmas.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The Christmas Baramundi: The man who was saying goodbye at the gate was someone who might have understood, had things been different.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)This year it will be different: They had no idea just how different things were indeed going to be from now on.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Season of fuss: ... she had cut out during the year about things that would be good value if they were reduced by a third, Brenda sighed and realized that the Season of Fuss had returned and all was well again despite the setback of the perfect Christmas.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)A typical Irish Christmas...: He took a deep breath that was more deep and free than any he had taken since the springtime.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Traveling hopefully: And anyway they could always meet back on the other side of the world in a time and a place where there wouldn't be so much to do.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)What is happiness?: He wondered could he tell the people at the cinema that he was from the States and more mature than other kids of his age.
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)The best inn in town: "And there really couldn't be much room for them in any other inn or they would have gone there, so they're lucky this is the best inn in town." - Original language*
- Englisch
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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