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nattyg's review against another edition
5.0
I adore Maeve - which makes this book right up my alley.
Bittersweet, sentimental, holiday focused, but without all the 'fakeness'
Real people, living real lives. Good, bad, and in between
Bittersweet, sentimental, holiday focused, but without all the 'fakeness'
Real people, living real lives. Good, bad, and in between
savmhunter's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book but there were way to many stories about unfaithful men. It seemed like that was almost the underlying theme of the book. Most of the stories were about a couple dealing with affairs.
collierkeithj's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
novelesque_life's review against another edition
3.0
3 STARS
"In "A Typical Irish Christmas," a grieving widower heads for a holiday in Ireland and finds an unexpected destination not just for himself, but for a father and daughter in crisis. . . . 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 in the title story, "This Year It Will Be Different," a woman with a complacent husband and grown children enters a season that will forever alter her life, and theirs. . . These stories, and a dozen more, powerfully evoke many lives--from step-families grappling with exes to children 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." (From Amazon)
Another great collection of cozy short stories from Binchy.
"In "A Typical Irish Christmas," a grieving widower heads for a holiday in Ireland and finds an unexpected destination not just for himself, but for a father and daughter in crisis. . . . 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 in the title story, "This Year It Will Be Different," a woman with a complacent husband and grown children enters a season that will forever alter her life, and theirs. . . These stories, and a dozen more, powerfully evoke many lives--from step-families grappling with exes to children 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." (From Amazon)
Another great collection of cozy short stories from Binchy.
ecclescake's review against another edition
2.0
I hadn't realised until I started reading it that this was a book of short stories, so it was a bit disappointing. MB's short stories just aren't a patch on her novels.
The extract from her upcoming novel at the end looks promising, though.
The extract from her upcoming novel at the end looks promising, though.
gilljames's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Maeve Binchy never fails to delight. Most of the stories in this collection are excellent. A handful are just very good. She creates believable characters that are easy to love. The stories work. This makes a great read for Christmas . All of the stories are set at this time of year.
nancidrum's review against another edition
3.0
This is a lovely collection of short stories by Maeve Binchy. If you've never read any of her books, this would be a good way to see if you like her style of writing. Even in these short little vignettes, Maeve has a way of personalizing and bringing to life each character. Typical of Binchy style, most of the stories have a happy ending. Although it's called "A Christmas Treasury" and the stories have something about Christmas in them, it's a book that can be enjoyed year round. I always have said, "Binchy writes the kind of books you can give to your grandmother without hesitation." This book follow suit with that sentiment. There are some stories of affairs, but no graphic details or curse words. Just good, almost old-fashioned, stories with struggling characters who, in the end, make the right decisions.
deborah_ann's review against another edition
4.0
Christmas short stories. My favorite in this collection of Christmas themed short stories was the title story, ‘This Year It Will Be Different’ in which the matriarch of the family is just worn out from the effort of many too Christmases past. She does the majority of the work getting ready for Christmas. This year she lets her family take over planning Christmas with interesting results. I also liked ‘Season of Fuss’, where sometimes the joy of the season is in all the fuss.