Quentins

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as her others
Review: Maeve Binchy yet does it again with her masterful storytelling. However, I found this book a bit harder to follow than her last two. There were MANY characters to introduce and re-introduce, and this was very confusing. I also felt that she decided to just end the book, instead of develop two of the character's relationship better. That was also a little disappointing to me. I would recommend it but just keep in mind of all of the characters you have to keep track of.

Rating:
Summary: A classic Binchy!
Review: I have been a Binchy fan ever since my grandmother put a copy of "Light a Penny Candle" in my hands when I was a teenager. I was sad to hear that she retired. And was really excited to see that this book was available in the library when I went to get it. I've noticed that a lot of the reviews here are negative towards this book ~~ and I have to disagree. This is not Binchy's best book. But it's not her worst book either.

This book is mainly about Ella Brady and her friends. Ella Brady had everything come easy to her in her life till she fell in love with a married man. Then when her life started to spiral out of control, Brenda and Patrick, the co-managers of Quentins, took her under their wings. To get her mind off her problems and to make extra money, Ella agreed to help a college friend to make a documentary about the famed Dublin restaurant, Quentins. And yes, the story skips about. It's like a combination of short stories in the middle ~~ short stories about the restaurant patrons and their lives and how it changed because of something that happened at Quentins. It's a fascinating glimpse into ordinary lives ~~ just like our lives. These people have nothing in common other than their love for good food and good wine. And Ella and her friends wanted to capture the history of the restaurant and its people.

Binchy had said she was going to stick to writing short stories. She ended up combining short stories within a novel ~~ a neat approach to getting the reader interested. Maybe she didn't go into details about the characters, but she did make them seem real ~~ and you felt like you knew them. She did combine other characters from previous novels ~~ so it was like a homecoming of old friends mingling with new friends. It's a fun read.

Just because this book isn't like Binchy's previous novels doesn't mean that it's a horrible novel ~~ it's great. I loved it ~~ and was sad to have turned the last page. It was about ordinary people in ordinary times making the best of their lives ~~ so what's wrong with writing about that? Binchy writes best about people ~~ and this book is another example of that.

2-25-03

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Story
Review: I can't really say which one of Maeve Binchy's books I like the best, because I love them all, and this one is no exception. I loved the fact that the twins were in this book so much. I always hate when her books end because sometimes I feel like I would just like to jump in the book and be part of it. I certainly hope she continues writing - please say this isn't the end!!

Rating:
Summary: Even if you are a Binchy fan, this is one to skip
Review: I've been a Maeve Binchy fan for years and was really looking forward to revisiting some old friends in her latest book. Unfortunately, "Quentins" does not measure up to Binchy's previous work. We meet our heroine Ella, raised by doting parents, and follow her as she strikes out on her own and into the arms of a married man, who - big surprise only to Ella - turns out to be a con artist. Meanwhile, Ella and her friends are making a documentary film about Dublin restaurant Quentins and the people who eat there. The main characters are poorly developed and the more engaging minor characters aren't given enough to do. Apparently Binchy couldn't decide whether to write a collection of short stories or a novel and instead has published an incoherent mixture of both. "Quentins" careens between syrupy vignettes of Irish life and a clumsy thriller subplot, all not-quite held together by the documentary theme. A real disappointment.

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: What happened?
Review: My aunt introduced me to Maeve Binchy with her book Evening Class. I hated to put it down! I felt as if I knew the characters and really cared about them; the story was delicious. Now I have read Quentins and I wonder'what happened'? While I understand (and enjoy) that I am not reading Binchy as if reading the Classics, this book is written on a 5th grade level. Character development was almost non-existant and if the author wanted to get from Point A to Point B, she rushed through the character's story to get there. I am very disappointed in this book.

Rating:
Summary: Some old friends...some new
Review: As usual...I loved every word from beginning to end. Binchy has a way of bringing the reader into her characters' lives that I truly enjoy. Each character is unique. She can really "spin a good yarn"..

Rating:
Summary: Maeve as always is wonderful!
Review: Yes, I am a staunch Maeve Binchy fan! I have read almost all of her books and found this one as delightful as the others. This would not be the book to recommend to a first time reader of Maeve's as part of the fun is turning the pages and finding old friends from past Maeve stories mingled within the plot of Quentin's.

As always, charming Maeve, write another one please!

Rating:
Summary: Uh? What?
Review: Let me first say, I love Maeve Binchy. I have not read all of her books, but I have read a lot of them. No matter how much I enjoy her work, I must say that a book should not be able to squeak by on the author's name alone. Maybe it would have been better had Binchy retired. This book is weak. I could go into a detailed discussion of the plot as others have done, but how many plot synopses do you readers need? The plot is weak. The characters, though familiar for the most part, are unlikable. And the ending is REALLY predictable. If you must read it, wait for the paperback or buy it used. There are far better books available. And for all of you reviewers who gave the book extra stars just because it is a Binchy book, you're messing up the star system. Stars are for books that shine.

Rating:
Summary: not worth reading
Review: This is a waste of time to read. It is scattered and boring. The characters are undeveloped. She brings in characters from her other more interesting and better written books. This is a cop out from someone who should have stayed retired.