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This Year It Will Be Different: And Other Stories
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, 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 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.
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 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.
267 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1995
371 people are currently reading
2770 people want to read
About the author
Maeve Binchy
252 books4,966 followersAnne Maeve Binchy Snell was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, columnist, and speaker. Her novels were characterised by a sympathetic and often humorous portrayal of small-town life in Ireland, and surprise endings. Her novels, which were translated into 37 languages, sold more than 40 million copies worldwide. Her death at age 73, announced by Vincent Browne on Irish television late on 30 July 2012, was mourned as the death of one of Ireland's best-loved and most recognisable writers.
She appeared in the US market, featuring on The New York Times Best Seller list and in Oprah's Book Club. Recognised for her "total absence of malice" and generosity to other writers, she finished third in a 2000 poll for World Book Day, ahead of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Stephen King.
She appeared in the US market, featuring on The New York Times Best Seller list and in Oprah's Book Club. Recognised for her "total absence of malice" and generosity to other writers, she finished third in a 2000 poll for World Book Day, ahead of Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, and Stephen King.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 609 reviews
March 20, 2016
I honestly just love Maeve. I know I will love all of her books as I lift them off my shelf. This book of short stories suited me perfectly, as I have little reading time at the moment. These factors are very important to my reading experience this year. I could read a whole story in the bath, before bed, or not feel too guilty if I should’ve been studying as they were little.
They all did remind me of times gone by, ‘real’ life problems like divorce, kids splitting their time between mum and dad, and issues before this damn era of 24/7 iphone ipad android laptop garbage we see these days. The first two stories even featured broody and sullen 14 year old girls. I feel she wrote it for me!
My favourite would be ‘The Feast of Stephen’ and my least ‘The Christmas Barramundi’. A funny tid-bit was that she spelt Pyrmont (for my non Aussie friends this is a suburb in the heart of Sydney) incorrectly, and I didn’t realise it was based in Sydney for a wee while due to that.
A very funny offering is this: "They didn't know what 'Falling in Love' was going to be about, but if it had Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro there could be a lot of groping involved, and nobody knew how the grannies might respond to screen fondling."
Passing my copy onto my Ma now, yet another Maeve tradition I love. So sad she’s still not walking this earth. Love her!
They all did remind me of times gone by, ‘real’ life problems like divorce, kids splitting their time between mum and dad, and issues before this damn era of 24/7 iphone ipad android laptop garbage we see these days. The first two stories even featured broody and sullen 14 year old girls. I feel she wrote it for me!
My favourite would be ‘The Feast of Stephen’ and my least ‘The Christmas Barramundi’. A funny tid-bit was that she spelt Pyrmont (for my non Aussie friends this is a suburb in the heart of Sydney) incorrectly, and I didn’t realise it was based in Sydney for a wee while due to that.
A very funny offering is this: "They didn't know what 'Falling in Love' was going to be about, but if it had Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro there could be a lot of groping involved, and nobody knew how the grannies might respond to screen fondling."
Passing my copy onto my Ma now, yet another Maeve tradition I love. So sad she’s still not walking this earth. Love her!
December 7, 2020
Binchy's memorable stories touch on all the joys, and stress that Christmas brings about as family gathers together, sometimes reluctantly, to celebrate. We meet lonely middle-aged women, sullen teenagers, women involved with married men, women worn out from doing all the work involved with holiday preparations, and a man spending his first Christmas alone after the death of a beloved spouse. You'll recognize a lot of the people in these tales.
A fine collection - highly recommended.
A fine collection - highly recommended.
July 31, 2023
I wanted to love this book as Maeve Binchy has a fantastic fan base, but it was an 'ok' book for me.
Lots of short stories which were fairly similar and after a few they all started to merge into one. I do fully admit I'm not the biggest fan of short stories so perhaps I should try a full-length novel someday.
Two stars.
Lots of short stories which were fairly similar and after a few they all started to merge into one. I do fully admit I'm not the biggest fan of short stories so perhaps I should try a full-length novel someday.
Two stars.
November 3, 2022
This is a lovely volume of 15 Christmas short stories by the wonderful Irish author Maeve Binchy. Despite the fact that the vast majority ended too abruptly for my taste, I enjoyed my time with these stories and recommend them to all.
December 22, 2020
Rounded up from about 2.5 ⭐️
This year it will be different is comprised of 22 short Christmas stories. Focusing on various people, relationships and difficulties.
I often find short-story collections difficult to get stuck into, and unfortunately I had the same issue with this book. It was enjoyable enough but none of the stories stood at to me. I didn’t particularly like or dislike any of the characters or plots. It just felt rather average, and isn’t memorable for me.
However, It was nice to be able to quickly pick up and put down during the busy Christmas period. I will definitely try more by this author as I liked the writing. I just don’t think this book was really for me.
This year it will be different is comprised of 22 short Christmas stories. Focusing on various people, relationships and difficulties.
I often find short-story collections difficult to get stuck into, and unfortunately I had the same issue with this book. It was enjoyable enough but none of the stories stood at to me. I didn’t particularly like or dislike any of the characters or plots. It just felt rather average, and isn’t memorable for me.
However, It was nice to be able to quickly pick up and put down during the busy Christmas period. I will definitely try more by this author as I liked the writing. I just don’t think this book was really for me.
December 18, 2014
1996 Nov 1
2004 Dec 14
Big soft-spot in my heart for short stories about Christmas. Maybe it was all those Good Housekeeping magazines? I don't know. One of my favorite Christmas books. As in real life, people trying to make things better, and mostly much doesn't change, but they made the effort, and that counts, doesn't it? The title story slays me, and makes me stabby, too. Binchy has an underlying thread of feminism that is grounded in the real lives of modern women. It's not so much an idealistic stance as a pragmatic grounding.
***
2012 Dec 15
This time what really jumps out at me is how many stories feature characters having affairs with married men. Apparently I just don't hang with the crowd that has mistresses. It seems so old-fashioned to me.
***
2014 Feb 9
2014 Dec 15
Read it twice in one year. I just don't think there's any better way to express just how much I love these stories.
2004 Dec 14
Big soft-spot in my heart for short stories about Christmas. Maybe it was all those Good Housekeeping magazines? I don't know. One of my favorite Christmas books. As in real life, people trying to make things better, and mostly much doesn't change, but they made the effort, and that counts, doesn't it? The title story slays me, and makes me stabby, too. Binchy has an underlying thread of feminism that is grounded in the real lives of modern women. It's not so much an idealistic stance as a pragmatic grounding.
***
2012 Dec 15
This time what really jumps out at me is how many stories feature characters having affairs with married men. Apparently I just don't hang with the crowd that has mistresses. It seems so old-fashioned to me.
***
2014 Feb 9
2014 Dec 15
Read it twice in one year. I just don't think there's any better way to express just how much I love these stories.
August 28, 2018
I love Maeve Binchy, and still need to add all the novels I've read of her's on GR. When my mom gave me this book for Xmas 1997, I thought what could possible be more appropriate....MB and Xmas! Well, the 15 short stories were fun, interesting, and always entertaining. Maeve Binchy doesn't sugarcoat everything, so don't expect only happy-go-lucky. Her cast of characters ranged from young and old, kind and happy to ego-centric and negative, with some disappointments. Kind of like life. She does a great job helping us learn about Ireland, the Irish, and visitors. There's a sweetness and quaintness that is always present in her books.
December 30, 2024
I wouldn’t call these stories light hearted holiday fare although a few have (sorta) happy endings, or maybe more of a gotcha ending. I found them very entertaining. I’ve only read a couple of books by Maeve Binchy and I should really read more.
January 20, 2013
Maeve Binchy stories are often sniffed at by literary snobs, but they remind me of a cup of tea on a cold day; one of life's small pleasures. This particular book is a collection of short Christmas stories, some of them entertaining, like the story of a boy who breaks his granny's glasses and feeds his dog his grandpa's hearing aid in order to prevent them from complaining. Some are a bit bleak with the normal Binchy inclusion of wandering husbands and unappreciated wives, but all end with a nice hopeful note. Written in the simple unembellished Binchy style and focusing on everyday struggles around Christmas, the book is well worth the read.
December 25, 2017
This collection of fifteen short stories which all take place at Christmas is the most disappointing Christmas-themed book I have ever read. The few funny or heartwarming tales are sadly overshadowed by the multitude of whining, bitter, resentful, and self-centred characters whose notion of Christmas has been corrupted by the commercialised “me-centred” culture of the 20th century. This is the first work by Maeve Binchy that I have read. It will definitely be the last!
December 3, 2012
Maeve Binchy’s short story anthology, “This Year It Will Be Different”, is fantastic from the first sentence! A mystery fan who seldom reads general fiction, I was blown away by how immediately her other compilations sucked me in: “The Lilac Bus”, 1982 and “Dublin 4”, 1984. It’s clear why this lovely lady is Ireland’s pride and famous the world over. Her passing this 2012 is too soon, my solace being I’ve only begun to experience her work. It remains, for all to enjoy.
I’m amazed to find I’m even more entranced by this 1996 collection of Christmas short stories! Maeve’s inexplicable ability to captivate with commonplace chitchat has led me to declare time and again, that set parameters cannot judge the quality of books. Activity doesn’t have to be fast-paced, there needn’t be glorious scenery, one doesn’t require a dynamic plot, likeable protagonist, and it needn’t even be one’s chosen genre. If you find yourself losing track of the pages and engrossed in what comes next, you love the book.
This author’s skill for sympathizing with any character is legendary. I imagine her success at drawing us in comes from her one-to-one narration style, illuminating us about the protagonist’s inner thoughts or making us privy to very natural dialogue. Plots are based entirely on the everyday nuisances and delights of regular people, which most of us relate to with ease. A reader of more exotic adventures, bears external witness to them. Maeve’s home life settings have you wincing about completely believable situations, pondering how you would handle them. Since the protagonist’s feelings drive the stories almost entirely, you are on their wavelength. You ride along in their mind, invested in whatever they’re doing: from a jilted schoolteacher who fulfills a trip to New York, to welcoming home an uneasy stepdaughter.
I’m amazed to find I’m even more entranced by this 1996 collection of Christmas short stories! Maeve’s inexplicable ability to captivate with commonplace chitchat has led me to declare time and again, that set parameters cannot judge the quality of books. Activity doesn’t have to be fast-paced, there needn’t be glorious scenery, one doesn’t require a dynamic plot, likeable protagonist, and it needn’t even be one’s chosen genre. If you find yourself losing track of the pages and engrossed in what comes next, you love the book.
This author’s skill for sympathizing with any character is legendary. I imagine her success at drawing us in comes from her one-to-one narration style, illuminating us about the protagonist’s inner thoughts or making us privy to very natural dialogue. Plots are based entirely on the everyday nuisances and delights of regular people, which most of us relate to with ease. A reader of more exotic adventures, bears external witness to them. Maeve’s home life settings have you wincing about completely believable situations, pondering how you would handle them. Since the protagonist’s feelings drive the stories almost entirely, you are on their wavelength. You ride along in their mind, invested in whatever they’re doing: from a jilted schoolteacher who fulfills a trip to New York, to welcoming home an uneasy stepdaughter.
December 7, 2019
This Year it Will Be Different was my first holiday read. I hadn't read anything by this author for decades and what a disappointment. It was a collection of short stories including women having affairs with married men, men spending time with their families yet having affairs on the side and ending with a family having to deal with difficult grannies.
It was not a book for feminist women, that is for sure! Despite the fact that the stories were cheesy, i carried on and finished it. Why? perhaps because each story was short and i was hoping that there would be one that might redeem the sexist stories of women cooking the meals, accepting their spouse's philandering ways and women needing a man to be happy.
It was not a book for feminist women, that is for sure! Despite the fact that the stories were cheesy, i carried on and finished it. Why? perhaps because each story was short and i was hoping that there would be one that might redeem the sexist stories of women cooking the meals, accepting their spouse's philandering ways and women needing a man to be happy.
December 23, 2014
I only read 6 of the 15 stories in this book. They were all about sad families, not really very cozy Christmasy and just not enjoyable in any way. The writing itself was seriously lacking.
December 19, 2020
Update as 12/19/20 at 12:01 AM: 15/15 stories reviewed! I don't actually expect anyone to read these. I just told myself I was going to finish reviewing all 15 stories and I'm practicing following through XD
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A collection of fifteen of Maeve Binchy's short stories, all with the theme of Christmas being a time for change -- hopefully for the better. This is not a favorite of mine as I think Binchy is at her best when working with at least fifty pages. A mini-synopsis/-review and star rating for each story are below with the overall book rating reflecting the average number of stars awarded (which turned out to be just over 2 out of 5).
**Story 1/15: The First Step of Christmas**
2/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: A broken and blended family tries to cope with each other and their disappointed expectations. A chance misunderstanding at Christmas creates an opportunity to heal their relationships and have a more positive future.
What I think: I can't relate to any of the characters. They're all spoiled and blinded by their own privilege and... I just don't have much sympathy. I'm not sure if Binchy is intending us to feel sympathy for the adults, though. The kids are the real victims and I do feel something for them, though they're not in the story enough for the reader to become truly invested.
**Story 2/15: The Ten Snaps of Christmas**
4/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: A dysfunctional family, including a repressed mother who genuinely loves Christmas, lives in denial about their issues. Someone takes matters into their own hands after receiving a present that turns out to be the perfect tool for turning the tables on their toxic family members.
What I think: This is probably my favorite story of the collection. Binchy conveys clearly in just a few pages how messy relationships can be between couples, parents and children, and friends. It has a very clever ending featuring an unexpected hero. I wish this story had been expanded into a novel.
**Story 3/15: Miss Martin's Wish**
1.5/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Miss Martin, a London schoolteacher, experiences a romantic tragedy that overshadows the next several years of her life. She finds unexpected peace while spontaneously visiting NYC.
What I think: This story has odd pacing. The narration begins with a lot of detail and then suddenly skips five years, after which we're back to lots of detail. Miss Martin herself is annoying and self-indulgent in her fragility. What she needs for Christmas are coping skills. The ending is supposed to be inspiring and instead I painfully rolled my eyes. It is just so unbelievable even by a feel-good book's standards.
**Story 4/15: The Hard Core**
3/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: A lonely divorcée runs an only-just successful retirement home, the staff of which is harassed by a nightmarish group of residents known as "The Hard Core." Can these geriatric whingers scrape together enough Christmas spirit to help save their final earthly home?
What I think: At least the first half of the story is meh. None of the characters are particularly interesting on their own and there are a lot of details about unhappy love lives that get wearying. As soon as the story did get interesting, The End. I'm pretty annoyed and think the story needed at least another two pages to fully wrap up. Sigh.
**Story 5/15: Christmas Timing**
2.5/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: A smug couple who have been engaging in an affair for five Christmases now have their outlook challenged by a quiz in the newspaper. Who will maintain that the grass is always greener and who will admit that sometimes the greenness is helped along by a hefty dose ofbullshit fertilizer.
What I think: This story was just okay. I don't have a lot of patience with characters involved in affairs and rarely do I feel emotionally invested in them. Cheating is such a crappy thing to do that I'm much more interested in their victims and how they're coping with being shunted to the side. The ironic ending is humorous and quite possibly this story's saving grace.
**Story 6/15: The Civilized Christmas**
2/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: This will be Martin and Jen's first Christmas as a married couple, and Jen is determined she is going to make it perfect for Martin and his son, Stevie-- especially since Tina, Martin's ex-wife and Stevie's mother, has made life miserable for them and is about as stable as a chihuahua on a jet ski. But it all depends on her new husband: will Martin stand up for his new-found happiness or continue to enable Tina's terrible priorities?
What I think: Jen is nice and I identify with her insecurities. I'd like to say that I wouldn't let anyone use me as a doormat like basically everyone uses her but... I've never been in her situation soooo..... I can say with confidence, however, that Martin's namby-pamby lack of spirit really annoys me. I get that Tina is hell on wheels but COME ON, he doesn't have to take a let's-wait-and-see approach to everything. Geez Louise, stand up for your kid at least if you can't stand up for your new wife.
**Story 7/15: Pulling Together**
1.5/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Another affair. This time a schoolteacher, Penny, and adouchebag businessman, Jack. The purpose of Penny's existence is for his pleasure and she's expected to be ready to accept his calls anytime he's able to slip away from the fam. This meant all of fifteen minutes last Christmas. When she suggests that maybe she'd like to visit somewhere warm this year and have a little holiday by herself, he throws a hissy and accuses her of not caring about him and belittling him, blahblahblah. Penny decides to open her home to a couple of people in need and must confront the fact that Jack will be resentful.
What I think: This story is a case study in emotional abuse and manipulation. Jack is despicable, but so typical, and Penny has to decide whether the few minutes at a time they get together is worth it (and whether she is really "the problem"). I'm all, "Well, obviously not." But I understand things can feel much more complicated on the inside of a relationship, especially when dealing with someone like Jack. This story frustrated me more than anything else.
**Story 8/15: A Hundred Milligrams**
3/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Nick and Helen have been married for ten years and spend every Christmas with Helen's mother, a harridan by all accounts. They plan on leaving as soon as possible, planning everything out themselves to reduce the chances of quarreling with the miserable old bat. The final morning of their visit Helen and her mother have an honest conversation that bond Nick and Helen together stronger than ever before.
What I think: This is an interesting story, the reader being led to certain conclusions at the beginning that are gradually but firmly challenged. If I had to cast myself in one of the roles, it would be the cranky old lady, ha. I can't really say much else without giving away spoilers, though I do think this is one of the best stories in the collection.
**Story 9/15: The Christmas Baramundi**
2/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: A couple living in Australia meet in a fish market and discover they're a match made in heaven. Liam is courteous and handsome, genuinely interested in speaking to Janet, who has become accustomed to being talked down to by men instead. Their second date is scheduled for just after Christmas and Janet is on pins and needles the entire wait. Will their fancy dinner meet her expectations or is Liam simply wearing a more attractive mask than most?
What I think: This story starts out promising and the reader is hoping everything, for once, works out. For being a collection of stories all about Christmas, legitimately happy endings are scarce. I wasn't surprised when trouble arises, but the ending was very anti-climactic and I was more bored than indignant. Meh.
**Story 10/15: This Year It Will Be Different**
2/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Ethel is a model wife and mother. She readily admits that she has experienced good opportunities but has grown to resent her "lifetime of becoming a drudge" (read: her husband and children, ages 23, 22, and 19, never lift a finger around the house or holidays). She decides to teach them a gentle lesson with unexpected results.
What I think: I was hoping for a less gentle lesson, to be honest, and slightly more dramatic results. Her family are adults, not young children learning the ropes of household management for the first time. On the other hand, Ethel doesn't want to be accused of the oh-so-stereotypical crime of middle-aged female hysteria, so she doesn't have much of a choice but to be as subtle as possible. Godspeed, Ethel, because I don't know how you're going to manage for another year without murdering one of your kin.
**Story 11/15: Season of Fuss**
2/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Mrs. Doyle is the fussiest matriarch imaginable. Holidays require a full two months of preparatory uproar every year and her children have had enough. Adults themselves, they decide to take matters into their own hands and reduce everyone's stress by not allowing Mrs. Doyle to help with Christmas at all. However, it doesn't have the magical effect they expect.
What I think: I'm of two minds about this story. I get that the adult children are tired of having their holidays ruined by a complete fuss-budget, but I also don't think Mrs. Doyle enjoys being one in the first place. Being in a constant turmoil helps her cope with her issues but doesn't mean it makes her happy. I was very dissatisfied with the ending.
**Story 12/15: "A Typical Irish Christmas..."**
2/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Ben and Ellen were wonderfully happy just last Christmas. A few short months later she was dead, and Ben is barely making it through his first round of holidays as a widower. A chance meeting with a young woman sends him on a healing journey from his hometown, New York City, to her home country, Ireland.
What I think: This story is a stretch even for Binchy's remarkable talents. I think it's my main issue with the short story format: for most authors it doesn't leave room for enough gradual, subtle development. Instead, the reader gets whacked over the head with quick, unbelievable, fortuitous coincidences. That's exactly what happens with Ben and his miracle trip and what should be a moving ending had me rolling my eyes instead.
**Story 13/15: Traveling Hopefully**
3.5/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Meg is a middle-aged woman from London. Tom is a middle-aged man from Ireland. They're seatmates on a flight to Australia to visit their son and daughter, respectively, who have historically been pains in the neck. They wonder if their visits will be successes? Will the parent/child relationships survive? And are they, perhaps, ready to embark on a more mature relationship of their own, together?
What I think: I like the tone of this story. Meg and Tom fret about the "strange" but, hopefully, manageable choices their children have made, not fully understanding that the issues between the generations have much more to do with prejudice than any actual moral or ethical dilemmas. They whinge together for a bit and get it out of their system. It's a testament to how effective a simple bending of the ear can be, and how connections can be made when we're willing to stop and listen for just a little while.
**Story 14/15: What Is Happiness?**
1.5/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Alright, this was a weird one. Parnell (Parny for short, and oh, how I hate it) is a ten-year-old rich, American kid whose dad is a cheating jerkwad and mom a namby-pamby priss. The dad's mistress/co-worker, Esther, was buttered up and promised marriage, etc., and now that the dad has "bravely" repented, she's stalking them across national lines all the way to Dublin.
What I think: I couldn't find anything charming about a single one of the characters. Zilch. Zero. Nada. Not even the kid. I mean, I feel sorry for "Parny" (my god, what a nickname) but that doesn't mean I like him. His conclusion, which he's intentionally led to by theassholes adults around him, is that everything will be fine once they have enough dirt on Esther and can get her locked up. I mean, I'm glad the kid isn't totally traumatized by the drama? I think?? But yikes, like I said, it was pretty weird.
**Story 15/15: The Best Inn in Town**
0/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Granny Dunne and Granny Byrne have hated each other since their son and daughter, Noel and Avril, were married almost twenty years ago. Now there are three grandchildren whose prime focus on Christmas Day is keeping The Grannies happy-- which they know is impossible, but they perform contortionist tricks anyway because Family.
What I think: Listen, as someone who has removed toxic family members from my and my children's lives with the precision of a surgeon, I am not here for feel-good stories about emotional abuse especially when the victims are primarily children. Fuck that. I was truly hoping Binchy would come through and the Grannies would be told to go ruin their own Christmas someplace else and not come back until they could behave like decent human beings. I was sorely disappointed both in the story and in Binchy, which I am distinctly uncomfortable with! But here we are, so this story gets zero stars even if it skews the rest of the ratings. I don't care. What a terrible story anyway, but to end the book with it?! Ugh.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A collection of fifteen of Maeve Binchy's short stories, all with the theme of Christmas being a time for change -- hopefully for the better. This is not a favorite of mine as I think Binchy is at her best when working with at least fifty pages. A mini-synopsis/-review and star rating for each story are below with the overall book rating reflecting the average number of stars awarded (which turned out to be just over 2 out of 5).
**Story 1/15: The First Step of Christmas**
2/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: A broken and blended family tries to cope with each other and their disappointed expectations. A chance misunderstanding at Christmas creates an opportunity to heal their relationships and have a more positive future.
What I think: I can't relate to any of the characters. They're all spoiled and blinded by their own privilege and... I just don't have much sympathy. I'm not sure if Binchy is intending us to feel sympathy for the adults, though. The kids are the real victims and I do feel something for them, though they're not in the story enough for the reader to become truly invested.
**Story 2/15: The Ten Snaps of Christmas**
4/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: A dysfunctional family, including a repressed mother who genuinely loves Christmas, lives in denial about their issues. Someone takes matters into their own hands after receiving a present that turns out to be the perfect tool for turning the tables on their toxic family members.
What I think: This is probably my favorite story of the collection. Binchy conveys clearly in just a few pages how messy relationships can be between couples, parents and children, and friends. It has a very clever ending featuring an unexpected hero. I wish this story had been expanded into a novel.
**Story 3/15: Miss Martin's Wish**
1.5/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Miss Martin, a London schoolteacher, experiences a romantic tragedy that overshadows the next several years of her life. She finds unexpected peace while spontaneously visiting NYC.
What I think: This story has odd pacing. The narration begins with a lot of detail and then suddenly skips five years, after which we're back to lots of detail. Miss Martin herself is annoying and self-indulgent in her fragility. What she needs for Christmas are coping skills. The ending is supposed to be inspiring and instead I painfully rolled my eyes. It is just so unbelievable even by a feel-good book's standards.
**Story 4/15: The Hard Core**
3/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: A lonely divorcée runs an only-just successful retirement home, the staff of which is harassed by a nightmarish group of residents known as "The Hard Core." Can these geriatric whingers scrape together enough Christmas spirit to help save their final earthly home?
What I think: At least the first half of the story is meh. None of the characters are particularly interesting on their own and there are a lot of details about unhappy love lives that get wearying. As soon as the story did get interesting, The End. I'm pretty annoyed and think the story needed at least another two pages to fully wrap up. Sigh.
**Story 5/15: Christmas Timing**
2.5/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: A smug couple who have been engaging in an affair for five Christmases now have their outlook challenged by a quiz in the newspaper. Who will maintain that the grass is always greener and who will admit that sometimes the greenness is helped along by a hefty dose of
What I think: This story was just okay. I don't have a lot of patience with characters involved in affairs and rarely do I feel emotionally invested in them. Cheating is such a crappy thing to do that I'm much more interested in their victims and how they're coping with being shunted to the side. The ironic ending is humorous and quite possibly this story's saving grace.
**Story 6/15: The Civilized Christmas**
2/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: This will be Martin and Jen's first Christmas as a married couple, and Jen is determined she is going to make it perfect for Martin and his son, Stevie-- especially since Tina, Martin's ex-wife and Stevie's mother, has made life miserable for them and is about as stable as a chihuahua on a jet ski. But it all depends on her new husband: will Martin stand up for his new-found happiness or continue to enable Tina's terrible priorities?
What I think: Jen is nice and I identify with her insecurities. I'd like to say that I wouldn't let anyone use me as a doormat like basically everyone uses her but... I've never been in her situation soooo..... I can say with confidence, however, that Martin's namby-pamby lack of spirit really annoys me. I get that Tina is hell on wheels but COME ON, he doesn't have to take a let's-wait-and-see approach to everything. Geez Louise, stand up for your kid at least if you can't stand up for your new wife.
**Story 7/15: Pulling Together**
1.5/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Another affair. This time a schoolteacher, Penny, and a
What I think: This story is a case study in emotional abuse and manipulation. Jack is despicable, but so typical, and Penny has to decide whether the few minutes at a time they get together is worth it (and whether she is really "the problem"). I'm all, "Well, obviously not." But I understand things can feel much more complicated on the inside of a relationship, especially when dealing with someone like Jack. This story frustrated me more than anything else.
**Story 8/15: A Hundred Milligrams**
3/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Nick and Helen have been married for ten years and spend every Christmas with Helen's mother, a harridan by all accounts. They plan on leaving as soon as possible, planning everything out themselves to reduce the chances of quarreling with the miserable old bat. The final morning of their visit Helen and her mother have an honest conversation that bond Nick and Helen together stronger than ever before.
What I think: This is an interesting story, the reader being led to certain conclusions at the beginning that are gradually but firmly challenged. If I had to cast myself in one of the roles, it would be the cranky old lady, ha. I can't really say much else without giving away spoilers, though I do think this is one of the best stories in the collection.
**Story 9/15: The Christmas Baramundi**
2/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: A couple living in Australia meet in a fish market and discover they're a match made in heaven. Liam is courteous and handsome, genuinely interested in speaking to Janet, who has become accustomed to being talked down to by men instead. Their second date is scheduled for just after Christmas and Janet is on pins and needles the entire wait. Will their fancy dinner meet her expectations or is Liam simply wearing a more attractive mask than most?
What I think: This story starts out promising and the reader is hoping everything, for once, works out. For being a collection of stories all about Christmas, legitimately happy endings are scarce. I wasn't surprised when trouble arises, but the ending was very anti-climactic and I was more bored than indignant. Meh.
**Story 10/15: This Year It Will Be Different**
2/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Ethel is a model wife and mother. She readily admits that she has experienced good opportunities but has grown to resent her "lifetime of becoming a drudge" (read: her husband and children, ages 23, 22, and 19, never lift a finger around the house or holidays). She decides to teach them a gentle lesson with unexpected results.
What I think: I was hoping for a less gentle lesson, to be honest, and slightly more dramatic results. Her family are adults, not young children learning the ropes of household management for the first time. On the other hand, Ethel doesn't want to be accused of the oh-so-stereotypical crime of middle-aged female hysteria, so she doesn't have much of a choice but to be as subtle as possible. Godspeed, Ethel, because I don't know how you're going to manage for another year without murdering one of your kin.
**Story 11/15: Season of Fuss**
2/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Mrs. Doyle is the fussiest matriarch imaginable. Holidays require a full two months of preparatory uproar every year and her children have had enough. Adults themselves, they decide to take matters into their own hands and reduce everyone's stress by not allowing Mrs. Doyle to help with Christmas at all. However, it doesn't have the magical effect they expect.
What I think: I'm of two minds about this story. I get that the adult children are tired of having their holidays ruined by a complete fuss-budget, but I also don't think Mrs. Doyle enjoys being one in the first place. Being in a constant turmoil helps her cope with her issues but doesn't mean it makes her happy. I was very dissatisfied with the ending.
**Story 12/15: "A Typical Irish Christmas..."**
2/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Ben and Ellen were wonderfully happy just last Christmas. A few short months later she was dead, and Ben is barely making it through his first round of holidays as a widower. A chance meeting with a young woman sends him on a healing journey from his hometown, New York City, to her home country, Ireland.
What I think: This story is a stretch even for Binchy's remarkable talents. I think it's my main issue with the short story format: for most authors it doesn't leave room for enough gradual, subtle development. Instead, the reader gets whacked over the head with quick, unbelievable, fortuitous coincidences. That's exactly what happens with Ben and his miracle trip and what should be a moving ending had me rolling my eyes instead.
**Story 13/15: Traveling Hopefully**
3.5/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Meg is a middle-aged woman from London. Tom is a middle-aged man from Ireland. They're seatmates on a flight to Australia to visit their son and daughter, respectively, who have historically been pains in the neck. They wonder if their visits will be successes? Will the parent/child relationships survive? And are they, perhaps, ready to embark on a more mature relationship of their own, together?
What I think: I like the tone of this story. Meg and Tom fret about the "strange" but, hopefully, manageable choices their children have made, not fully understanding that the issues between the generations have much more to do with prejudice than any actual moral or ethical dilemmas. They whinge together for a bit and get it out of their system. It's a testament to how effective a simple bending of the ear can be, and how connections can be made when we're willing to stop and listen for just a little while.
**Story 14/15: What Is Happiness?**
1.5/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Alright, this was a weird one. Parnell (Parny for short, and oh, how I hate it) is a ten-year-old rich, American kid whose dad is a cheating jerkwad and mom a namby-pamby priss. The dad's mistress/co-worker, Esther, was buttered up and promised marriage, etc., and now that the dad has "bravely" repented, she's stalking them across national lines all the way to Dublin.
What I think: I couldn't find anything charming about a single one of the characters. Zilch. Zero. Nada. Not even the kid. I mean, I feel sorry for "Parny" (my god, what a nickname) but that doesn't mean I like him. His conclusion, which he's intentionally led to by the
**Story 15/15: The Best Inn in Town**
0/5 stars
Mini-synopsis: Granny Dunne and Granny Byrne have hated each other since their son and daughter, Noel and Avril, were married almost twenty years ago. Now there are three grandchildren whose prime focus on Christmas Day is keeping The Grannies happy-- which they know is impossible, but they perform contortionist tricks anyway because Family.
What I think: Listen, as someone who has removed toxic family members from my and my children's lives with the precision of a surgeon, I am not here for feel-good stories about emotional abuse especially when the victims are primarily children. Fuck that. I was truly hoping Binchy would come through and the Grannies would be told to go ruin their own Christmas someplace else and not come back until they could behave like decent human beings. I was sorely disappointed both in the story and in Binchy, which I am distinctly uncomfortable with! But here we are, so this story gets zero stars even if it skews the rest of the ratings. I don't care. What a terrible story anyway, but to end the book with it?! Ugh.
May 4, 2024
This book is comprised of fifteen Christmas themed short stories.
Here is a brief review and rating for each of the stories.
The First Step of Christmas - Jenny goes out of her way to make Christmas extra special for both David, her husband, and Timmy their son, especially, since Diana, David's first wife, was too lazy and selfish to bother. Unfortunately, after Diana dies, both David and Jenny now have full custody of Alison, David's fourteen year old, wild, and uncontrollable daughter. - 4 stars
The Ten Snaps of Christmas - Maura loves Christmas and wants to make the holiday special for her husband, Jimmy, and their four children. Maura wants to give Orla, her oldest daughter, a voucher for clothes in one of those fashionable shops. But Jimmy wants to get her a typewriter instead. Both of them finally agree to give her a Polaroid camera. On Christmas day, Orla unenthusiasticly thanks her parents for the camera. Nevertheless, Orla spends the day taking embarrassing pictures of everyone in order to use as blackmail for a later date. - 5 stars
Miss Martin's Wish - Elsa Martin was planning to go to Florida for her honeymoon before Jack broke off their engagement. Thus, she decides for the fifth Christmas after the break up she is going to New York to make a wish for her students from the Statue of Liberty. - 4 stars
The Hard Core - Four residents of Woodlands, a retirement facility, have nowhere to go during the Christmas holiday and will be staying on. Kate Harris, the owner, refers to them as the hard core due to their cantankerous personalities. - 3 stars
Christmas Timing - Chris and Noel were going to be spending their fifth Christmas together (or not together). Noel always has difficulty getting away from his wife and two children. This year, Noel finally realizes that he and his wife have grown apart, and he is excited to tell Chris the good news. Sadly, both Chris and a friend of the family, who just happens to be single, are playing a game of ice hockey, and both agree that only annoying people call on Christmas day. - 4 stars
The Civilized Christmas - Jen is Martin's second wife and stepmother to Stevie. Every Saturday Jen has to take Stevie to his mother's house and at the end of his visit Tina, Stevie's mother, would put him in a taxi and send him back to Jen and Martin's house. Since Tina is a casino crouper for big functions in the country, her unreliability as a wife and mother led to her divorce from Martin. For this reason, Jen planned on giving both Martin and Stevie the perfect first Christmas as a family. - 4 stars
Pulling Together - At twenty-seven, Penny is facing her fifth Christmas teaching at the same school. Her boyfriend, Jack, is married, so she will only see him for a short period on Christmas Day. While Penny is in the staff room at school, she learns that Miss Hall, fifty-five-ish, has been living in a hostel because her home has to be sold to pay her gambling debts. Furthermore, Lassie, a troublesome student, is dealing with divorcing parents. Penny makes the decision to invite both Miss Hall and Lassie to spend the Christmas holiday with her. - 4 stars
A Hundred Milligrams - Helen's husband, Nick, was in a car accident driving home from an office Christmas party. Since, he has been drinking, his driving license has been revoked for three years. In addition, he totaled the company car and his mistress, Virginia, lost two teeth, broke her shoulder, and cracked two ribs. For some strange reason, his wife forgives him. - 1 star
The Christmas Baramundi - Janet meets Liam at the fish market the day before Christmas. Both of them have an instant chemistry and decide to have coffee together and become better acquainted. Before they leave, they exchange phone numbers and decide to get together for lunch three days later. After lunch, he asks her if she would spend the afternoon with him. She quickly agrees, so he takes her to a motel that you rent by the hour. Janet is quite disappointed because it is quite obvious to her that Liam is indeed married with children, but she still has sex with him. - 1 star
This Year It Will Be Different - Ethel decides that this Christmas she is not going to come home from work and singlehandedly clean the house, decorate the house, mail the Christmas cards, and do all the cooking. Therefore, she holds a silent protest via watching tv until her husband and three children notice. As a result, they decide to help out Ethel by getting the tree, washing up after Christmas dinner, and clearing away the wrapping paper. Additionally, they ask her to go get a drink with a friend after work the next day. Well, she comes home and the big surprise is a new tv in the kitchen so she can watch her shows while cooking. - 1 star
Season of Fuss - Every year Mrs. Doyle begins fussing over Christmas around October. But this year, Brenda, Cathy, and Michael (her three children) decide to pitch in and cook the Christmas meal, and buy the Christmas cards, stamps, and tree. However, Mrs. Doyle ends up being quiet and pensive on Christmas day because she doesn't have anything to keep her mind from thinking about Jim, her late husband. - 2 stars
"A Typical Irish Christmas..." - Ben's wife Ellen had passed away this past year, and he did not want to spend Christmas with friends. Thus, he decides to go to Ireland. So he meets with Fionnula, the travel agent, who is originally from Ireland. She books him a flight to Ireland and arranges for him to stay with her father in a big stone farmhouse with two border collies. - 5 stars
Traveling Hopefully - Meg is planning on traveling to Australia for a month during the Christmas holiday to see her son, Robert, and his Greek wife, Rosa. While on the plane, she meets Tom, who is traveling to Australia to see his daughter and daughter's boyfriend. After they land, Tom gives Meg his address and phone number. - 5 stars
What Is Happiness? - Parny's father has a short-lived affair with his receptionist, Esther. Regrettably, Esther is still in love with him long after the affair has ended. For that reason, she shows up at Parny's parents' house crying about her undying love for Parny's father on all the major holidays (i.e. Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas ...) - 1 star
The Best Inn in Town - Both Granny Dunne, Noel's mother, and Granny Byrne, Avril's mother, strongly dislike each other. Regrettably, both Noel and Avril are stuck having their mothers' over for Christmas every year because their other siblings flat out refuse. Consequently, Ann, their oldest child, makes it her responsibility for the entertainment on Christmas day. - 3 stars
Overall = 3.13333 stars
Here is a brief review and rating for each of the stories.
The First Step of Christmas - Jenny goes out of her way to make Christmas extra special for both David, her husband, and Timmy their son, especially, since Diana, David's first wife, was too lazy and selfish to bother. Unfortunately, after Diana dies, both David and Jenny now have full custody of Alison, David's fourteen year old, wild, and uncontrollable daughter. - 4 stars
The Ten Snaps of Christmas - Maura loves Christmas and wants to make the holiday special for her husband, Jimmy, and their four children. Maura wants to give Orla, her oldest daughter, a voucher for clothes in one of those fashionable shops. But Jimmy wants to get her a typewriter instead. Both of them finally agree to give her a Polaroid camera. On Christmas day, Orla unenthusiasticly thanks her parents for the camera. Nevertheless, Orla spends the day taking embarrassing pictures of everyone in order to use as blackmail for a later date. - 5 stars
Miss Martin's Wish - Elsa Martin was planning to go to Florida for her honeymoon before Jack broke off their engagement. Thus, she decides for the fifth Christmas after the break up she is going to New York to make a wish for her students from the Statue of Liberty. - 4 stars
The Hard Core - Four residents of Woodlands, a retirement facility, have nowhere to go during the Christmas holiday and will be staying on. Kate Harris, the owner, refers to them as the hard core due to their cantankerous personalities. - 3 stars
Christmas Timing - Chris and Noel were going to be spending their fifth Christmas together (or not together). Noel always has difficulty getting away from his wife and two children. This year, Noel finally realizes that he and his wife have grown apart, and he is excited to tell Chris the good news. Sadly, both Chris and a friend of the family, who just happens to be single, are playing a game of ice hockey, and both agree that only annoying people call on Christmas day. - 4 stars
The Civilized Christmas - Jen is Martin's second wife and stepmother to Stevie. Every Saturday Jen has to take Stevie to his mother's house and at the end of his visit Tina, Stevie's mother, would put him in a taxi and send him back to Jen and Martin's house. Since Tina is a casino crouper for big functions in the country, her unreliability as a wife and mother led to her divorce from Martin. For this reason, Jen planned on giving both Martin and Stevie the perfect first Christmas as a family. - 4 stars
Pulling Together - At twenty-seven, Penny is facing her fifth Christmas teaching at the same school. Her boyfriend, Jack, is married, so she will only see him for a short period on Christmas Day. While Penny is in the staff room at school, she learns that Miss Hall, fifty-five-ish, has been living in a hostel because her home has to be sold to pay her gambling debts. Furthermore, Lassie, a troublesome student, is dealing with divorcing parents. Penny makes the decision to invite both Miss Hall and Lassie to spend the Christmas holiday with her. - 4 stars
A Hundred Milligrams - Helen's husband, Nick, was in a car accident driving home from an office Christmas party. Since, he has been drinking, his driving license has been revoked for three years. In addition, he totaled the company car and his mistress, Virginia, lost two teeth, broke her shoulder, and cracked two ribs. For some strange reason, his wife forgives him. - 1 star
The Christmas Baramundi - Janet meets Liam at the fish market the day before Christmas. Both of them have an instant chemistry and decide to have coffee together and become better acquainted. Before they leave, they exchange phone numbers and decide to get together for lunch three days later. After lunch, he asks her if she would spend the afternoon with him. She quickly agrees, so he takes her to a motel that you rent by the hour. Janet is quite disappointed because it is quite obvious to her that Liam is indeed married with children, but she still has sex with him. - 1 star
This Year It Will Be Different - Ethel decides that this Christmas she is not going to come home from work and singlehandedly clean the house, decorate the house, mail the Christmas cards, and do all the cooking. Therefore, she holds a silent protest via watching tv until her husband and three children notice. As a result, they decide to help out Ethel by getting the tree, washing up after Christmas dinner, and clearing away the wrapping paper. Additionally, they ask her to go get a drink with a friend after work the next day. Well, she comes home and the big surprise is a new tv in the kitchen so she can watch her shows while cooking. - 1 star
Season of Fuss - Every year Mrs. Doyle begins fussing over Christmas around October. But this year, Brenda, Cathy, and Michael (her three children) decide to pitch in and cook the Christmas meal, and buy the Christmas cards, stamps, and tree. However, Mrs. Doyle ends up being quiet and pensive on Christmas day because she doesn't have anything to keep her mind from thinking about Jim, her late husband. - 2 stars
"A Typical Irish Christmas..." - Ben's wife Ellen had passed away this past year, and he did not want to spend Christmas with friends. Thus, he decides to go to Ireland. So he meets with Fionnula, the travel agent, who is originally from Ireland. She books him a flight to Ireland and arranges for him to stay with her father in a big stone farmhouse with two border collies. - 5 stars
Traveling Hopefully - Meg is planning on traveling to Australia for a month during the Christmas holiday to see her son, Robert, and his Greek wife, Rosa. While on the plane, she meets Tom, who is traveling to Australia to see his daughter and daughter's boyfriend. After they land, Tom gives Meg his address and phone number. - 5 stars
What Is Happiness? - Parny's father has a short-lived affair with his receptionist, Esther. Regrettably, Esther is still in love with him long after the affair has ended. For that reason, she shows up at Parny's parents' house crying about her undying love for Parny's father on all the major holidays (i.e. Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas ...) - 1 star
The Best Inn in Town - Both Granny Dunne, Noel's mother, and Granny Byrne, Avril's mother, strongly dislike each other. Regrettably, both Noel and Avril are stuck having their mothers' over for Christmas every year because their other siblings flat out refuse. Consequently, Ann, their oldest child, makes it her responsibility for the entertainment on Christmas day. - 3 stars
Overall = 3.13333 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2016
Maeve Binchy at her best! This is a collection of short stories all set at Christmastime! Each story has a different set of Christmas problems and, of course, the famous Maeve Binchy twist at the end. I would highly recommend reading this book, especially during Christmas :)
November 26, 2018
Going to have this count towards Melbourne Cup Day! Some of the stories take place in Australia! Lucky me! I will make sure that I identify them below.
You all know that I love Maeve Binchy. She wrote some fantastic short story collections that I always recommend to people. I hit a nasty reading slump and started reading some of her collections/books that I have been meaning to get around to some day.
The First Step of Christmas (5 stars)-revolves around a stepmother who is trying to deal with throwing her and her husband's annual Christmas party. We find out that Jenny (the stepmother) has not been able to get through to her husband's daughter (Alison). The story sets it up as if Alison has been a pain throughout her courtship and marriage. I honestly just felt badly for her especially when you find out that her mother died. I did like how this story ends though with Binchy showing that Alison is a lonely girl who misses her mother.
The Ten Snaps of Christmas (5 stars)-Yikes. This one made me think of The Family Stone movie. Pretty much everyone is awful and you want it to be over. The mother (Maura) in this one pushes for her daughter (Orla) to get a voucher for clothes. The dad ix-nays that whole thing and they buy her a Polaroid camera. Why you would by a teen this is beyond me. Eventually Orla takes 10 pictures that shows what her family is really like when not pretending to be perfect for the holidays.
Miss Martin's Wish (5 stars)-This one takes place mainly in New York though the story begins with Miss Martin as a teacher in Ireland. We eventually find out that she has left practically at the altar and the plan was for her and her ex-fiancee to go to New York together on their honeymoon. She eventually travels there and meets someone (not in a romantic sense!) and I liked how this story ended.
The Hard Core (4 stars)-This one takes place in Melbourne, Australia. The main part of this story is that the owner of an old age home (Kate) is taken away during the holidays after her mother suffers an accident. The Hard Core refers to a group of elderly residents who cause no end of suffering by the staff cause they are pretty much jerks. Kate has to ask a staff member about staying behind to watch The Hard Core. I don't know if I found this one very realistic, but I still enjoyed it all the same.
Christmas Timing (5 stars)-I maybe laughed through this whole story. We have two people, Chris and Noel (guess which is the woman and which is the man) who are engaging in an affair. They think that the other one is the love of their lives, but Noel is not ready to leave his wife and children, because the children are too small. Sure Jan. These two fools love to take magazine quizzes that affirm their love for each other. This Christmas is different though when they both take a quiz that forces you to fill out answers. I maybe laughed hysterically about what the answers revealed.
The Civilized Christmas (3 stars)-I really didn't like this one. The stepmother in this one (Jen) is just a martyr through and through and I got tired of it. She has a stepson (Stevie) who she is constantly taking back and forth to her husband's first wife's home. Jen is jealous of Tina and thinks that Martin and Stevie are comparing their lives at the home they share with Tina. I mostly felt pity for Stevie cause I can see in future stories Jen being angry if Martin shows more affection and love for Stevie than for her.
Pulling Together (5 stars)-It doesn't take place in Australia, but the main character Penny writes a weekly air mail to her friend Maggie in Australia. Kangaroos are mentioned. This is another short story about adultery though. Penny never goes away to see her family or friends since she wants to be on "call" in case her married lover can come and see her. When she pushes back about being there for the holidays he makes her feel guilty about leaving him to his family. Yeah. He sounds like a jerk. Penny eventually ends up finding out surprising things about a student of her's (called Lassie) and a fellow teacher (Ms. Hall). I liked how the three of them end up needing each other for the holidays.
A Hundred Milligrams (5 stars)-This short story shows the aftermath of an affair on a couple and the woman's mother. Having this mess go on during the holidays makes me yearn to hide from people.
The Christmas Baramundi (4 stars)- This one takes place in Pyremont, New South Wales, Australia. Apparently this has a fish market that sets the stage for another tale of adultery around the Christmas season. I felt pity for the main character in this one (Janet). She seems to have a lot of dreams left unfilled and decides to rest them all on a dude she meets (Liam) when they were both trying to buy a baramundi. I would be off fish for life.
This Year it Will be Different (5 stars)-A mother finally gets fed up for doing everything around the holidays for her lazy husband and two sons and daughter. She doesn't get the exact result she wanted, but you are left with the ending of how she plans on changing things in the future.
Season of Fuss (5 stars)- About the Doyle family and them getting their mother who loves to fuss to settle in and enjoy Christmas. I did love that Binchy shows that once the mother is left with nothing to do, how her personality changes and starts to dwell on her dead husband.
A Typical Irish Christmas (5 stars)- This one takes place in the New York, but eventually moves to Ireland. A man (Ben) who wants to be left to his own devices for the holiday after the death of his wife. Ben decides to go to Ireland to leave behind all of the well being people who want him to come to their homes instead.
Traveling Hopefully (5 stars)- Meg is traveling to Australia for the holidays to meet her son and his new wife. She is apprehensive since she feels like she doesn't know her son much these days. She ends up striking up a friendship with Tom who is also traveling to Australia to meet up with his daughter. I thought this one was so cute and I liked the ending.
What is Happiness? (3 stars)-Another aftermath of an affair with the other woman hell-bent on wrecking her ex-lover's life. Told from the POV of the young son.
The Best Inn in Town (5 stars)-This was a good way to end the book. Avril and Noel both have mothers who are bossy and nasty towards the other. For some reason both grandmothers come to them during Christmas which causes no end of making sure that nothing is done to upset them. They eventually get fed up with it and hard shrug about making Christmas preparations for them. I loved how the kids were portrayed in this one. I also laughed at the reference to The Empire Strikes Back.
You all know that I love Maeve Binchy. She wrote some fantastic short story collections that I always recommend to people. I hit a nasty reading slump and started reading some of her collections/books that I have been meaning to get around to some day.
The First Step of Christmas (5 stars)-revolves around a stepmother who is trying to deal with throwing her and her husband's annual Christmas party. We find out that Jenny (the stepmother) has not been able to get through to her husband's daughter (Alison). The story sets it up as if Alison has been a pain throughout her courtship and marriage. I honestly just felt badly for her especially when you find out that her mother died. I did like how this story ends though with Binchy showing that Alison is a lonely girl who misses her mother.
The Ten Snaps of Christmas (5 stars)-Yikes. This one made me think of The Family Stone movie. Pretty much everyone is awful and you want it to be over. The mother (Maura) in this one pushes for her daughter (Orla) to get a voucher for clothes. The dad ix-nays that whole thing and they buy her a Polaroid camera. Why you would by a teen this is beyond me. Eventually Orla takes 10 pictures that shows what her family is really like when not pretending to be perfect for the holidays.
Miss Martin's Wish (5 stars)-This one takes place mainly in New York though the story begins with Miss Martin as a teacher in Ireland. We eventually find out that she has left practically at the altar and the plan was for her and her ex-fiancee to go to New York together on their honeymoon. She eventually travels there and meets someone (not in a romantic sense!) and I liked how this story ended.
The Hard Core (4 stars)-This one takes place in Melbourne, Australia. The main part of this story is that the owner of an old age home (Kate) is taken away during the holidays after her mother suffers an accident. The Hard Core refers to a group of elderly residents who cause no end of suffering by the staff cause they are pretty much jerks. Kate has to ask a staff member about staying behind to watch The Hard Core. I don't know if I found this one very realistic, but I still enjoyed it all the same.
Christmas Timing (5 stars)-I maybe laughed through this whole story. We have two people, Chris and Noel (guess which is the woman and which is the man) who are engaging in an affair. They think that the other one is the love of their lives, but Noel is not ready to leave his wife and children, because the children are too small. Sure Jan. These two fools love to take magazine quizzes that affirm their love for each other. This Christmas is different though when they both take a quiz that forces you to fill out answers. I maybe laughed hysterically about what the answers revealed.
The Civilized Christmas (3 stars)-I really didn't like this one. The stepmother in this one (Jen) is just a martyr through and through and I got tired of it. She has a stepson (Stevie) who she is constantly taking back and forth to her husband's first wife's home. Jen is jealous of Tina and thinks that Martin and Stevie are comparing their lives at the home they share with Tina. I mostly felt pity for Stevie cause I can see in future stories Jen being angry if Martin shows more affection and love for Stevie than for her.
Pulling Together (5 stars)-It doesn't take place in Australia, but the main character Penny writes a weekly air mail to her friend Maggie in Australia. Kangaroos are mentioned. This is another short story about adultery though. Penny never goes away to see her family or friends since she wants to be on "call" in case her married lover can come and see her. When she pushes back about being there for the holidays he makes her feel guilty about leaving him to his family. Yeah. He sounds like a jerk. Penny eventually ends up finding out surprising things about a student of her's (called Lassie) and a fellow teacher (Ms. Hall). I liked how the three of them end up needing each other for the holidays.
A Hundred Milligrams (5 stars)-This short story shows the aftermath of an affair on a couple and the woman's mother. Having this mess go on during the holidays makes me yearn to hide from people.
The Christmas Baramundi (4 stars)- This one takes place in Pyremont, New South Wales, Australia. Apparently this has a fish market that sets the stage for another tale of adultery around the Christmas season. I felt pity for the main character in this one (Janet). She seems to have a lot of dreams left unfilled and decides to rest them all on a dude she meets (Liam) when they were both trying to buy a baramundi. I would be off fish for life.
This Year it Will be Different (5 stars)-A mother finally gets fed up for doing everything around the holidays for her lazy husband and two sons and daughter. She doesn't get the exact result she wanted, but you are left with the ending of how she plans on changing things in the future.
Season of Fuss (5 stars)- About the Doyle family and them getting their mother who loves to fuss to settle in and enjoy Christmas. I did love that Binchy shows that once the mother is left with nothing to do, how her personality changes and starts to dwell on her dead husband.
A Typical Irish Christmas (5 stars)- This one takes place in the New York, but eventually moves to Ireland. A man (Ben) who wants to be left to his own devices for the holiday after the death of his wife. Ben decides to go to Ireland to leave behind all of the well being people who want him to come to their homes instead.
Traveling Hopefully (5 stars)- Meg is traveling to Australia for the holidays to meet her son and his new wife. She is apprehensive since she feels like she doesn't know her son much these days. She ends up striking up a friendship with Tom who is also traveling to Australia to meet up with his daughter. I thought this one was so cute and I liked the ending.
What is Happiness? (3 stars)-Another aftermath of an affair with the other woman hell-bent on wrecking her ex-lover's life. Told from the POV of the young son.
The Best Inn in Town (5 stars)-This was a good way to end the book. Avril and Noel both have mothers who are bossy and nasty towards the other. For some reason both grandmothers come to them during Christmas which causes no end of making sure that nothing is done to upset them. They eventually get fed up with it and hard shrug about making Christmas preparations for them. I loved how the kids were portrayed in this one. I also laughed at the reference to The Empire Strikes Back.
August 8, 2011
This is the current choice of my local reading group. Short stories all with a Christmas theme, I suspect a lot of them will be quite sentimental. Not really my sort of book at all - but I'm giving it a bash. Read two of the stories so far - one flat and unengaging, one quite amusing.
Update 8 August: I'm not going to waste any more time on this book, either reading it, or writing about it. So I'm going to be lazy and just copy and paste what I said about it on my blog yesterday.
Good and bad short stories
I don’t often give up on a book, but for the collection of Christmas-themed short stories by Irish romantic novelist Maeve Binchy, which is this month’s selection for my local reading group, I’ve made a rare exception. I’ve read about half of them, and I know that I don’t need to read any more; I get it - Christmas is a special family time, and sometimes people can get a bit miserable, sulky kids, squabbling parents, straying spouses, but all usually works out well in the end….and that’s about it. For each “story” it’s this same lazy, facile, sentimental formula (and anyway, I only like Christmas stories with ghosts).
Maybe Maeve Binchy is better at writing novels – maybe she can find the space there for a bit of invention, a few nuances, or some splashes of colour and variations in tone – but she hasn’t mastered the art of the short story - and appears to not even know that there is one. But there is an art to this genre, which I think James Joyce captured very well in his introduction to Dubliners (one of the best ever short story collections): it’s about the epiphany - a small moment of insight or revelation that suddenly animates the text. Other short story writers who mastered this beguiling art are Sean O’Faolain, William Trevor, Elizabeth Bowen, Willa Cather, with Hoffmann, Sheridan Le Fanu and Angela Carter possibly unrivalled for the gothic stuff. (And for really sick stuff Jonathan Meades and Poppy Z Brite).
With the exception of just one piece which had a mildly wicked twist, I didn't find the pleasure of coming across any epiphanies in this collection of lifeless anecdotes about one-dimensional characters. It was like being on a train and stuck next to a stupefyingly boring person, who spends the entire journey talking to you in a droning monotone about people you don’t know, expecting you to be amused.
Update 8 August: I'm not going to waste any more time on this book, either reading it, or writing about it. So I'm going to be lazy and just copy and paste what I said about it on my blog yesterday.
Good and bad short stories
I don’t often give up on a book, but for the collection of Christmas-themed short stories by Irish romantic novelist Maeve Binchy, which is this month’s selection for my local reading group, I’ve made a rare exception. I’ve read about half of them, and I know that I don’t need to read any more; I get it - Christmas is a special family time, and sometimes people can get a bit miserable, sulky kids, squabbling parents, straying spouses, but all usually works out well in the end….and that’s about it. For each “story” it’s this same lazy, facile, sentimental formula (and anyway, I only like Christmas stories with ghosts).
Maybe Maeve Binchy is better at writing novels – maybe she can find the space there for a bit of invention, a few nuances, or some splashes of colour and variations in tone – but she hasn’t mastered the art of the short story - and appears to not even know that there is one. But there is an art to this genre, which I think James Joyce captured very well in his introduction to Dubliners (one of the best ever short story collections): it’s about the epiphany - a small moment of insight or revelation that suddenly animates the text. Other short story writers who mastered this beguiling art are Sean O’Faolain, William Trevor, Elizabeth Bowen, Willa Cather, with Hoffmann, Sheridan Le Fanu and Angela Carter possibly unrivalled for the gothic stuff. (And for really sick stuff Jonathan Meades and Poppy Z Brite).
With the exception of just one piece which had a mildly wicked twist, I didn't find the pleasure of coming across any epiphanies in this collection of lifeless anecdotes about one-dimensional characters. It was like being on a train and stuck next to a stupefyingly boring person, who spends the entire journey talking to you in a droning monotone about people you don’t know, expecting you to be amused.
December 29, 2009
What a great collection of stories. I have never read any other Maeve Binchy books, but this one was recommended to me because, well, Christmas has not always been my fav. The stories are all around the idea that the build up does not equal the end result and that sometimes the holidays are just yucky. Some characters have experiences that are better than their usual, just not the picture perfect ideal. I thought they were well written with great characters and interesting situations. It wasn't depressing, just real. A few stories were actually inspirational to a person like me who knows that perfection does not happen just because you wish for it. Sometimes there is just movement towards better. Really, a nice collection.
September 13, 2020
Reading a Christmas themed book in September may seem a bit odd to some, but I chose it now because a) I needed something a bit lighter to read and b) the title seemed very appropriate in describing 2020!
The delightful Maeve Binchy brings us a collection of short stories, all centering on celebrating Christmas. For the characters in the fifteen stories, they are all approaching a holiday that they know will be different. Among the stories I found most endearing: The Hard Core, A Typical Irish Christmas, and The Ten Snaps of Christmas
A sweet, light read!
My reviews can also be found on IG: www.instagram.com/quietimtryingtoread
The delightful Maeve Binchy brings us a collection of short stories, all centering on celebrating Christmas. For the characters in the fifteen stories, they are all approaching a holiday that they know will be different. Among the stories I found most endearing: The Hard Core, A Typical Irish Christmas, and The Ten Snaps of Christmas
A sweet, light read!
My reviews can also be found on IG: www.instagram.com/quietimtryingtoread
April 15, 2018
I love Maeve Binchy books but this collection of Christmas short stories did nothing for me. I am not a big fan of short stories in the first place but these were full of whining, bitter, resentful characters.
December 16, 2015
Although I love Maeve Binchy's books, if you're looking for a book of cheerful Christmas stories to put you in a festive holiday mood, this isn't it.
December 29, 2021
I'm always convinced, after reading a Maeve Binchy story, that the people I just encountered are sitting in their homes and pubs in Dublin, and I'll meet them someday.
January 20, 2024
I am not normally a short story person, but these were delightful! The characters were very relatable and left me wanting to know them more. My favorite was Parny Quinn and his pigeons.
December 9, 2024
3/4 done... and I already know that I will be rereading this. But really, so many of the women are hooking up with married men. Was there a shortage of men in Binchy's day?? At least they usually realize it's best to break things off by the end of the story.
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Done. Yes, lovely little bits that don't shy away from how messy life can be, but that also give the reader comfort & hope.
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Done. Yes, lovely little bits that don't shy away from how messy life can be, but that also give the reader comfort & hope.
December 2, 2019
This book of short stories were interesting and each touched lightly on morals but did not take too close a look at those morals. For example, one story featured a married man and a single woman both born on Christmas day and found love... or did they. The stories were not all full of cheer, everyone is happy, and nothing is wrong. They were the opposite, normal people struggling with their problems and making the best of the holidays with people they loved or tolerated.
Some of the characters were two dimensional and they lacked even a hint at maturing. I know this is a series of short stories but there were only a few of the stories I would want to know the characters more and see where the story line goes. For the others, meh, I didn't care about them.
The one story I would have liked see more of was the teacher asking her co-worker and troubled ward over for the Christmas break.
For the most part, this was an entertaining set of stories that were fun to read, with real-life issues but didn't really offer that many multiple dimensional characters.
Some of the characters were two dimensional and they lacked even a hint at maturing. I know this is a series of short stories but there were only a few of the stories I would want to know the characters more and see where the story line goes. For the others, meh, I didn't care about them.
The one story I would have liked see more of was the teacher asking her co-worker and troubled ward over for the Christmas break.
For the most part, this was an entertaining set of stories that were fun to read, with real-life issues but didn't really offer that many multiple dimensional characters.
August 10, 2017
Read for Christmas in July during the High Summer Readathon, part of Seasons of Reading!
Yeah, I wasn't wild about this collection. Why are almost all of the women in the stories either second wives or mistresses? I did enjoy the one where her family takes advantage of her and they end up regretting it. That was amusing. But most of them were very blah. Jane can't be with her man on Christmas because he's with his wife and children. Beatrice has to overachieve because previous wife, Diane, threw amazing parties. Meh.
Yeah, I wasn't wild about this collection. Why are almost all of the women in the stories either second wives or mistresses? I did enjoy the one where her family takes advantage of her and they end up regretting it. That was amusing. But most of them were very blah. Jane can't be with her man on Christmas because he's with his wife and children. Beatrice has to overachieve because previous wife, Diane, threw amazing parties. Meh.
December 19, 2014
I read this book years ago and remembering being somewhat dissatisfied with it... However, rereading it this year was a pleasure! Not sure if I've just become more cynical as I age, but I loved how realistic the stories were - not your typical "Christmas miracles" read! I appreciated that. And I always love a good dose of Maeve Binchy!
February 21, 2008
She is a good author. I like that the stories are set in England and Ireland. I liked this touching story.
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