Quentins

Rating:
Summary: Short stories
Review: Quentins by Maeve Binchy

Not one of Maeve Binchy's better works, QUENTINS is comprised of two main stories, with a number of smaller stories in-between. As many fans will know, Quentin is the name of a restaurant that appears in several of Binchy's previous books, including TARA ROAD and SCARLET FEATHER. Along with the restaurant appear many characters that have appeared in other Binchy books. We have the twins Maud and Simon from SCARLET FEATHER, who are always so much fun. We have Tom Feather and Cathy Scarlet, also from SCARLET FEATHER. And a number of other characters from other books as well.

What is the point of this? Mainly, Binchy decided to write a book comprised mostly of short snippets of life - stories of people that had something to do with the restaurant and how the restaurant came to be. We have the story of the man called Quentin who founded the restaurant. We have the story of the family that doesn't appreciate their mother enough to take her out to Quentins on Mother's Day. And so forth, and so on.

And where do these stories come from? A young woman named Ella is researching them. QUENTINS is partly the story of Ella and how she is researching the history of the restaurant, in order to create a film about it. At the same time, QUENTINS is the story of Ella and how she becomes involved with a married man, the love of her life, only to find out that he has taken the money of many people that she knows and loves and has left the country. To get over her misery, her friends ask her to help with the filming of a movie about Quentins.

I love Maeve Binchy's style, but I cannot give this book a 5 star rating. It was very uneven, and I felt that the book was only a vehicle for her short stories. I enjoyed the story about Ella, and I enjoyed the story of how Quentins came to be, but other than that, I think there was no real reason to write this book. I suggest reading any of her other books, and get a taste of what Maeve Binchy is really all about.

Rating:
Summary: Not a bad read, but could've been better
Review: "Quentin" is written as several short stories embedded in the main story (of Ella). The short stories are warm, and quite sweet. Some people might think them a bit sappy, but I found them quite touching actually. However, the main plot is weak and has less substance than the short stories: Ella had everythinhg going her way until she met the wrong men and lost everything. I felt bad for her at first, but the longer she lingered on his memories holding onto his computer, the less I liked her. The ending felt rushed and irrational. I think "Quentin" would have been better as a collection of short stories about the people of the restaurant Quentin.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as her others
Review: Being a big Maeve Binchy fan it pains me to write that Quentins is not her best work by a long shot. Her characters are generally too good to be true, and it's hard to follow a narrative thread or get invested in these sappy characters. Overally, this was a descent read, but pretty cheaply written.

Rating:
Summary: Blech!!!
Review: This is the fourth Binchy book I've read, and I was soooo disappointed. Evening Class was the first, and it was so charming. I then read Tara Road, which I just loved. Silver Wedding was next, which was pretty boring. Then Quentins. I was looking so forward to this book, but it was almost awful. Ella, the main character, didn't have a brain in her head. She was so stupid and sickeningly sweet. I couldn't stand how her married lover kept calling her "angel". Yuck. And then when Nick & Sandy, who were working like dogs in their film studio, sent Ella to Manhatten to stay in a great hotel and be wined and dined by the film's potential financier - puhleeze! They do all the work, but then they send "poor Ella" to have all the fun! The story line was poor, and the characters, except for Deirdre were not very likeable. I'll wait before reading another Bincy. Too bad. I thought I had found a wonderful author.

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: A far cry from Binchy's best
Review: Maeve Binchy is capable of much better work.

Quentins' plot is formulaic at best. The characters are shallow and poorly developed. I have read all of Binchy's books, and have been dismayed to see the downhill progression in the quality of her recent output. Both Quentins and Scarlet Feather have been entirely disappointing. Fans of her earlier novels such as Circle of Friends and The Glass Lake should not expect too much of Quentins.

Buck up, Ms. Binchy, you can do better than this!

Rating:
Summary: Not a bad read, but could've been better
Review: "Quentin" is written as several short stories embedded in the main story (of Ella). The short stories are warm, and quite sweet. Some people might think them a bit sappy, but I found them quite touching actually. However, the main plot is weak and has less substance than the short stories: Ella had everythinhg going her way until she met the wrong men and lost everything. I felt bad for her at first, but the longer she lingered on his memories holding onto his computer, the less I liked her. The ending felt rushed and irrational. I think "Quentin" would have been better as a collection of short stories about the people of the restaurant Quentin.

Rating:
Summary: Indecisive Heroine
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.

Rating:
Summary: Becoming a Binchy Fan
Review: I just finished reading Scarlet Feather and just had to read Quentins! I knew that there would be mention of characters from Scarlet Feather, so I was anxious to continue these stories.

There are a lot of characters in the novel and a lot of story that takes place, so it would be rather confusing to try and explain the plot. However, it is such a wonderful character novel and you can't help but care about the people in the book. Maeve Binchy has such a wonderful way of telling her stories, and I recommend this book.

I think I have a new favorite author!

Rating:
Summary: Continue a Binchy journey in today's Dublin
Review: To settle in with a Maeve Binchy title is to settle in with a friend, yea a set of friends, the familiar folks of Dublin whose lives have become intertwined in business and personal living. Woven around the patronage of Dublin's fine restaurant, Quentin's, one gets to know its managers even more closely, as well as the character of would-be documentarian, Ella Brady. In fact, this tale tells more about Ella and her parents and their part in the scandalous investment schemes of a dodgy investment whiz, an adultrous man with a wife and a continental flair, and a duplicitous nature, all used for self gain.

The reacquaintance with folks from Binchy's earlier reads, "Tara Road", "Scarlet Feather", "Evening Class", imparts a good neighbor feeling about characters who reappear in yet another modern Binchy tome.

Reading a Binchy novel is a bit over the shoulder nosey, as the reader becomes privy to pieces of many lives other than the main character, and the threads of all the lives add to the richness of a feeling of community in the greater story. This is typical Maeve Binchy, whose books I have enjoyed since reading "The Copper Beech", "A Circle of Friends", "The Lilac Bus", and "Light a Penny Candle". Binchy brings her stories into an up-to-date focus, yet flavors them with plenty of Irish panache. These are not books with earth-shaking consequences, but they are enjoyable, escapist reads. Quite satisfying for a time away from the very disjointed and noisy world of technology that occupies so much of our lives today.