This Year It Will Be Different Unknown - 1996

From the publisher

From the "New York Times" bestselling author of "Circle of Friends" and "The Glass Lake" comes a stunning new collection of fifteen Christmas stories with all the magic and spirit of Christmas, and filled with Maeve Binchy's trademark wit, charm, and sheer storytelling genius. In all fifteen stories, 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.
The stories in this completely unabridged production powerfully portray many lives--step-families grappling with exes, long-married couples faced with in-law problems, a wandering husband choosing between " the other women" 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, but the situations she describes are universal. And Maeve Binchy's writing. combined with Fionnula Flanagan's storytelling ability, makes us care about each one in this extraordinary collection--on the night before Christmas, or anywhere, any time of the year.

Fionnula Flanagan received an Emmy for her leading role in "Rich Man, Poor Man," and a second nomination for her role in "How the West Was Won." She also appears on the BDD Audio productions of Maeve Binchy's "The Glass Lake, Circle of Friends," and "The Copper Beech."