Product Description

Filled with Maeve Binchy's trademark wit and true storytelling genius, THIS YEAR IT WILL BE DIFFERENT powerfully evokes the lives of of wives, husbands, children, friends and lovers, all set during the one holiday when feelings cannot easily be hidden. There are step-families grappling with exes; long-married couples faced with in-law problems; a wandering husband choosing between the other woman and his wife; a child caught up in a grown-up tug-of-war... The festive season may be magical, but it can also be a time of family difficulties, a time to reflect on relationships; a time of change.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9041 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-20
• Released on: 2007-09-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Review
'There's nobody like Binchy for warming the cockles, and this collection of Christmas stories warms them to white heat.' -- Kate Saunders THE TIMES 'with her gift for effortless characterisation and homely detail, she evokes power shifts in families, unwelcome discoveries, conspiracies, affairs, forgiveness, sorrow and the rebirth of optimism with her usual warmth and sympathy.' -- Elizabeth Buchan SUNDAY TIMES 'Brilliant, family-oriented short stories ... Binchy fans will love it - i did! 5/5' WOMAN'S OWN

Review
'There's nobody like Binchy for warming the cockles, and this collection of Christmas stories warms them to white heat.' (Kate Saunders THE TIMES )

'with her gift for effortless characterisation and homely detail, she evokes power shifts in families, unwelcome discoveries, conspiracies, affairs, forgiveness, sorrow and the rebirth of optimism with her usual warmth and sympathy.' (Elizabeth Buchan SUNDAY TIMES )

'Brilliant, family-oriented short stories ... Binchy fans will love it - i did! 5/5' (WOMAN'S OWN )

Synopsis
Filled with Maeve Binchy's trademark wit and true storytelling genius, THIS YEAR IT WILL BE DIFFERENT powerfully evokes the lives of of wives, husbands, children, friends and lovers, all set during the one holiday when feelings cannot easily be hidden. There are step-families grappling with exes; long-married couples faced with in-law problems; a wandering husband choosing between the other woman and his wife; a child caught up in a grown-up tug-of-war...The festive season may be magical, but it can also be a time of family difficulties, a time to reflect on relationships; a time of change.

Customer Reviews

A must read for all maeve binchy fans
I didn't expect to enjoy this book, as I am not an avid lover of short stories. Howeve, each litle tome is relevant to Christmas, and each has a point to make, which ultimately leaves one with a "feel good" factor

Unfair to Maeve -- not a rip-off!
It really isn't fair to accuse Maeve Binchy of 'ripping people off' and she'd be very upset to hear people thought that. I happen to know the history of this book: no, absolutely, the stories aren't new, but yes, it is a new publication in this country.

Maeve has always written short stories for newspapers and magazines in the UK and Ireland; some years ago her Australian publisher asked to see some of her Christmas stories with a view to putting together a collection. Maeve agreed; and a collection of summer stories [The Return Journey followed]. Soon after, the American publishers asked for them and then one after another other languages and other territories published their own versions. The collection was never published in the UK precisely because Maeve didn't want to 'rip people off'; these stories had appeared in the press in the Ireland and the UK. The UK publishers were only allowed to publish the collections in their overseas territories despite the numberous requests from UK and Irish readers for the book. So anyone who has already read these stories has either bought them in another country's edition or airside in an airport advertised as 'not available in UK/Irish shops'. It has taken this long to persuade Maeve to allow the Christmas collection to be published in the UK; the summer collection will follow in a year or so.

So not a rip-off; just the first UK/Irish publication catching up with the rest of the world.

no review
Having read the other reviews i will not be purchasing Return Journey. I have bought ms Bincheys short stories before and found the same stories under a different title. It is all very disappointing, but you can't expect a person to go on for ever having new ideas. Maybe its time the pen was retired.