Quentins

Rating:
Summary: My First Binchy Read..
Review: ... and it has all been downhill from here. If you are only going to read one, it may as well be this one, though so far, there is a distressingly appalling repetition of themes in her many books... Also, in this one, there are confusing references to previous tales, a trick which does not endear an author to her readers.

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: 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: Another disappointment
Review: Like Scarlet Feathers, this book really let me down. As an avid Binchy reader I expected more. Scarlet Feathers, as her last book before retirement, had extremely unlikable characters and was not up to her previous books. Quentins is even worse as it is so boring and unbelievable. Where is the warmth and intelligence that marked Binchy's previous books? Ella is unlikable, naive and stupid. If she was so beloved as a child, why did she grow up to be so utterly lacking in self-esteem that she spends two years with a married man and still can't make up her mind about him after he leaves her and bankrupts her father? This is not the Maeve Binchy I love. For those of you who are first time readers of her books, please read Circle of Friends, a hundred times better than the movie, Copper Beech, Tara Road, Glass Lake to name a few. Her books of short stories are great too. Don't judge Maeve Binchy's storytelling ability by this book. I guess everyone is entitled to a couple of clunkers. If she came out of retirement to write this book, I'm afraid it was a mistake.

Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Story-Teller
Review: Maeve Binchy is a wonderful story-teller who can sketch out characters' lives in a few short sentences which cause the reader to really care about them. She does not disappoint in her latest novel, centered around the restaurant Quentins. Her heroine is Ella Brady, a woman who has been the delight of her parents in her early years. Later, however, they become concerned about her when she begins an affair with a married man. He charms everyone around him, and Ella decides that a part-time relationship with him is better than none at all. Later in the book, Ellas decides to make a documentary film which centers around Quentins and which will describe the changes in Irish society which have occurred over the years. Several characters from Binchy's previous books, such as Tom and Cathy Feather, and Nora, reappear to delight faithful readers. Short stories of Quentins' patrons are interspersed with the main story and each is a little Binchy masterpiece. There is love, betrayal, suspense, and drama, and it all adds up to a pleasing package for readers.

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: Sappy and Thrown Together
Review: Quentins, my first Maeve Binchy experience, was a big disappointment. Quentins is too long, with too many characters, and too many silly, insignificant story lines. The main character, Ella, is flat and utterly boring. Her dilemma is ridiculously far-fetched and in no way fits with the other bland story line, that of the restaurant Quentins and the film about it. Even the names of the characters are inane, not to mention their dull, insipid conversations. Very little about the real city of Dublin comes through in this novel. I am amazed that this book was even published.