Quentins

Rating:
Summary: Binchy draws the reader in
Review: As a long time fan of Maeve Binchy's detailed writing, I eagerly awaited the arrival of the newest novel. Her latest did not disappoint me. I loved re-visiting the characters from past novels, as well as getting to know the new characters. My favorites are the twins from Scarlett Feather. Maud and Simon are probably among the most "real" charaters in the book; I can almost see their eager little faces and their earnest attempts to entertain with song and dance. In this book, you root for Ella, but never quite understand Don. In Tara Road, we knew Danny Lynch was faithless and had no ties to his parents, so his leaving of Ria was expected. It seemed that Don gave no hint to Ella about his departure and betrayal. I also liked getting to know Brenda and Patrick from the restaurant. I couldn't help but cheer for Blouse's happy life in Dublin. If you love a good story, as I do, you will want to read Quentin's.

Rating:
Summary: Tedious and unconvincing
Review: Easy to put down, this is a far cry from what we are used to in a Maeve Binchy novel. Perhaps before again putting fingers to the keyboard, she ought remember what the doormouse said, "feed your head."

Rating:
Summary: Nice Read
Review: I've read a few of Maive Binchy's books and have always enjoyed them. My favourite was Tara Road, but I really enjoyed Quentins. A lot of the same characters from Binchy's previous books showed up in this one, which I enjoyed. Binchy has a way of telling fairly ordinary stories about fairly ordinary individuals that makes you fall in love with the people and the way they live. Plain and simple: it's a nice, relaxing read.

Rating:
Summary: Intimate Glimpses into Stressed Families
Review: If you have been reading Maeve Binchy's recent books, undoubtedly you remember power confrontations at the elegant restaurant, Quentins, in Dublin. Somehow, Brenda Brennan swoops in to save the day . . . and make everyone who has been harmed feel better. Naturally, there was bound to be a book that delves behind those scenes to tell us more about Brenda and her husband, Patrick, and how Quentins came to be the poshest choice in Dublin. Quentins is that book.

When the story touches on those who are dining or working in Quentins, the book has the magic of the scenes you have enjoyed in books like Tara Road and Scarlet Feather. When the book moves away from that core, the story and fun are vastly diluted.

The structure of the book is to have the story of Quentins, the Brennans and those involved with Quentins be wrapped by a story concerning a young woman, Ella Brady, who is victimized by the classic married cheater. Finding herself facing hard times, she takes on every source of income she can find . . . and becomes involved in a proposal to create a documentary of Quentins. That overstory then becomes the excuse to dive into Quentins.

While telling the story of Quentins to sell the documentary, Ms. Brady finds herself telling some of the best tales about Quentins. These appear as short stories that stand alone in the book. Each one is a classic Quentins scene that will delight you like those you have read before. If Ms. Binchy had either focused solely on Quentins or had solely provided such short stories, she would have had a brilliant book. Alas, she did not. Perhaps in a future book, she will provide us with such stunning entertainment in a book-length series of short stories.

If you don't mind going through a dozy overstory, dive into this book so you can read and enjoy the nuggets. If you want to read an engrossing novel from beginning to end, skip this one.

How can your work be more rewarding to those you serve . . . and your own soul?

Rating:
Summary: Intimate Glimpses into Stressed Families
Review: If you have been reading Maeve Binchy's recent books, undoubtedly you remember power confrontations at the elegant restaurant, Quentins, in Dublin. Somehow, Brenda Brennan swoops in to save the day . . . and make everyone who has been harmed feel better. Naturally, there was bound to be a book that delves behind those scenes to tell us more about Brenda and her husband, Patrick, and how Quentins came to be the poshest choice in Dublin. Quentins is that book.

When the story touches on those who are dining or working in Quentins, the book has the magic of the scenes you have enjoyed in books like Tara Road and Scarlet Feather. When the book moves away from that core, the story and fun are vastly diluted.

The structure of the book is to have the story of Quentins, the Brennans and those involved with Quentins be wrapped by a story concerning a young woman, Ella Brady, who is victimized by the classic married cheater. Finding herself facing hard times, she takes on every source of income she can find . . . and becomes involved in a proposal to create a documentary of Quentins. That overstory then becomes the excuse to dive into Quentins.

While telling the story of Quentins to sell the documentary, Ms. Brady finds herself telling some of the best tales about Quentins. These appear as short stories that stand alone in the book. Each one is a classic Quentins scene that will delight you like those you have read before. If Ms. Binchy had either focused solely on Quentins or had solely provided such short stories, she would have had a brilliant book. Alas, she did not. Perhaps in a future book, she will provide us with such stunning entertainment in a book-length series of short stories.

If you don't mind going through a dozy overstory, dive into this book so you can read and enjoy the nuggets. If you want to read an engrossing novel from beginning to end, skip this one.

How can your work be more rewarding to those you serve . . . and your own soul?

Rating:
Summary: Quentins, the heart of Binchy's universe
Review: If you're a fan of Maeve Binchy, you've already visited Quentins. This restaurant, run by the cool efficient Brenda Brennan and her husband Patrick, is a place that characters in other Binchy novels always seem to be visiting at crucial points in their lives. It's the sort of place where you'd think "If these walls could talk..."

Ella Brady, the main character of this novel, thinks the same thing. After an affair with a married man goes bad, she throws herself into producing a documentary about Quentins to get her mind off her heartbreak. Along with Ella, we learn about Brenda and Patrick, hear the stories of many Quentins patrons over the years, and even meet Quentin himself. As you'd expect from Binchy, the stories are funny, sad, and heartwarming.

As a bonus to fans of Maeve Binchy, you also get to revisit some of your favorite characters from other novels. Ever wonder what happens to Signora and Aidan from Evening Class? Tom, Cathy, Simon, and Maud from Scarlett Feather? Ria from Tara Road? Pick up this book. You won't be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Not the best, if you're a Binchy fan - worth the read
Review: Like many, I loved Circle of Friends, Glass Lake and even Scarlet Feather. I was delighted to see Ms.Binchy continued her saga of Dublin characters with Quentins. Not her best effort...rather dull and boring at times with a shallow predictable plot. But the characters and the stories of Dubliners and Quentins are wonderful. Previous favorite characters resurface, but only in a minor way which was frustrating. Some of the main threads did not get resolved in a satisfactory way. The ending is the sappiest ever. I still enjoyed it.

Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable read but not Binchy's best
Review: Maeve Binchy excels at creating casts of lovable and eccentric characters in charming yet realistic situations set in her native Ireland. In "Quentins" she does so once again, successfully for the most part.

The people who work and eat in Quentins restaurant are a widely varied and likable bunch and the glimpses we get into their lives are engaging and entertaining. The book succeeds best in these slices of life, which often overlap with one another or with some of Binchy's previous books ("Evening Class," "Tara Road" and "Scarlet Feather").

I was not as enchanted with the main storyline. Before getting into the story of Quentins we are introduced to Ella, who has had an idyllic childhood and is a happy young woman until she gets involved with a married man. Ella's willingness to become this man's doormat is irritating, especially since she appears fully conscious of what she is doing, and her persistence in believing her lover even after he has wreaked havoc in the lives of people she knows and loves is unbelievable.

The structure of the novel is somewhat muddled. Ella's story takes up the first part; then follows a series of brief tales about the customers and staff of Quentins; then we return to Ella. It is as if Binchy had two stories to tell and decided to put them both in the same book. Given the problems with Ella's story, I felt it might have been better if it had simply been one of the many vignettes rather than the main story.

Overall I found this to be an enjoyable read, but Binchy can and has done better. For her many fans, it is a joy to visit Binchy's Dublin once again. For someone just starting to read her books, I'd recommend "Scarlet Feather," "Tara Road" or her first and my favorite "Circle of Friends."

Rating:
Summary: Quentins
Review: Mauve Binchy is not at her best in this novel. It is interesting in the beginning, but becomes confusing as she introduces new characters in the middle to the end of the book. Ella Brady is the main character. She is a struggling school teacher who gets tangled into an affair with a married man. He is not just an ordinary married man, but one who is rich and powerful. She soon realizes that despite his good nature and intelligence, he is involved in a scam to cheat all of his clients out of millions of dollars. As the scam unfolds, Ella realizes what she needs to do...


Rating:
Summary: It was a good, shallow beach read
Review: This offers a lot of the typical warmhearted Binchy charm, but you've got to put up with the endless pining and whining of the lead character who has built her life around a cheating womanizing crook. By the halfway point, when Ella Brady repeatedly puts off revealing important information (which would benefit everyone she knows) because her lover entrusted it to her, I wanted to step in, give her a hard shake and slap some sense into her. I got the impression that Binchy was drawing things out because if Ella did the right thing she'd wrap up the plot to quickly.