Rating: 
Summary: Good Read, but I hoped for a better ending
Review: This is the first book I have read by this author! I couldn't wait to finish the story. It was great the way she developed all the characters in this story. I was truly captivated! Altough, I was disappointed in the ending! I guess you just have to use your imagination!!!
Rating:
Summary: Charming tale from a master's pen
Review: Although SCARLET FEATHER isn't my favorite of Maeve Binchy's books (and I've read them all), it's still pretty darned good. I love her quirky characters and the way she always manages to get to the heart of what's important in life. It's obvious that Binchy understands people. She also likes people. And these two traits come across in her writing. I only wish she wrote faster, because it's far too long between books. And I heard a nasty rumor that SCARLET FEATHER might be her last book. Say it isn't so!
Rating: 
Summary: A Little Epic of Life, of Families, and Ireland
Review: Sigh, it's over and I feel like I've just had a hectic and tumultuous year in Dublin. A peek into people's lives as well as the catering industry (and I KNOW I never want that career, all that washing up nearly left me with dishpan hands!) The characters are so startling alive, warts and all and the dialogue is simply perfect - this is the storytelling Maeve Binchy does best. With marvelous glimpses into the lives and homes and events, and the most precocious set of twins you will ever meet. A plot that meanders in the same way life does, with breathless pain, red faced embarrassment, hard choices and simple wonder. Binchy's books are like little epics of life, and I think she's breathtakingly brilliant and mature enough to know of what she writes. I can see most of this happening, and love the tone and the Irish cadence - and the issue of families - sometimes we love 'em - sometimes it's harder - and occasionally impossible. I already MISS these folks.This is a rough and tumble and exceedingly clever read, very true to life, and I'm recommending it.
Rating:
Summary: MAEVE'S SWAN SONG SINGS
Review: I am a new fan of Maeve Binchy having started with "Tara Road." Since, I have read other of her works and find her to be like a good friend; there for you when life is wearying. Her books are intelligent, charming, witty, character driven rather than issue, and guarenteed to leave you feeling good. Unlike most of her books, and like "Tara Road," "Scarlet Feather," is set in modern day Dublin. The contemporary style works, though I prefer her older settings in quaint villages. However, this one flows quite nicely. Read it under a beach umbrella, or in your back yard swing while a cool breeze wafts over you and be wisked away to Ireland for a very entertaining romp with the Feathers, the Mitchell's, the Scarlets and many other colorful characters. Ms. Binchy never fails to deliver relaxation and joy. Your life can be on the back burner and your troubles staid by this enchanting read. What more can you ask of a good friend? Maeve Binchy, I will miss you, but thanks for all the books I have yet to read......you have earned your retirement, and I plan to be reading you well into mine.
Rating: 
Summary: Amazon, Ye Scarcely Know Me
Review: I'm only writing this review because some electronic wizard decided that I would rate it a 3 1/2! Actually, I found the book to be not very well written and boring, the heroine(?)an unlikable prig with a chip on her shoulder and the required best-seller happy ending based on a deus ex machina. Notice, however, that I do not give it a "1". There are some redeeming features; a pair of enchanting though not very believable twins, and some catering stories that are quite fun. The amazing thing is that you based your judgement of my reading likes and dislikes based on the fact that I read Barbara Kinnsolver and P. D. James. Duh? Binchey can spin a tale, but is hardly in the same league.
Rating: 
Summary: Please Maeve don't end it here!
Review: As an devoted reader of Meave Binchy I was left somewhat disappointed by this her *last* novel. As with some of the other reviewers, I noticed a definate departure from her usual vivid character development. Muttie, Simon and Maud were probably the most in depth in the book and they aren't the central characters! I did however, like the reference to characters from other novels. Dispite it's somewhat flat characters, I did enjoy the book just not as much as The Glass Lake. So if you've not read Meave Binchy before, don't start here, check out some of her older novels like The Glass Lake, Light a Penny Candle or The Copper Beech. I truly hope this is not Maeve last novel. I can understand the need for a rest, but with a gift like her's it seems almost a sin not to share it with the world.
Rating:
Summary: Latest Novel Not A Feather in Maeve Binchy's Cap
Review: A long time fan of Maeve Binchy will often state that it is her richly detailed character development that sets her apart from her peers. In fact the plot of her stories are often secondary to her characters. The reader is often so endeared to a character and the individual persona created that one feels a kinship build with each chapter. Scarlet Feather seems to abandon this successful formula. The story centers around Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather who own a catering business. Although we learn early on how the business affects their personal relationships their individual character development is so vague that it is hard to care for these two. For example little is revealed about Cathy and husband Neils relationship except various examples of how work keeps them apart. Therefore news of their failed marriage in the final chapters is just another page to turn rather than something to ponder over. While Scarlet Feather begins as an enjoyable read it failed to grab and keep this reader's interest. Upon finishing previous books by Binchy this reader often missed the characters so finely woven into the story but Scarlet Feather leaves one feeling you never really got to know them.
Rating:
Summary: Unexpected disappointment
Review: Maeve Binchy really is a wonderful writer, and I've enjoyed her novels for years. I'm not sure what happened here, but as much as I hate to say it, _Scarlet Feather_ was a major let-down. The plot struggled to unfold, but was hampered at every turn by overwrought descriptions, confusing locales, and a cast of characters who were neither well-defined nor likeable. I was able to predict several events in the story several chapters before they occurred. As a married career woman who has no interest in having children, my expectations were high -- I expected this to be one of the rare novels that portray independent women who don't necessarily see motherhood as an inevitable progression of life. However, Cathy was one of the flattest and least likeable characters I've encountered in a while. Without giving away too many details, I'll just say that she applied her principles selectively only when it suited her, and while Neil was no box of chocolates himself, I was able to understand his frustration with her. The author's bias against nontraditional families was evident throughout and only made a clumsily written story more annoying. With the exception of Maud and Simon, all of the other characters were just as one-dimensional as Cathy and Neil and devoid of appeal. PLEASE, if you've never read Binchy before, do NOT start with this book. We're all entitled to a bad day, and she obviously was having a few while writing this dud. Her earlier works are captivating, and well worth checking out. But as big of a fan as I am, I can't say much more about this one except that it's not worth picking up.
Rating:
Summary: pleasant summer reading.....
Review: Scarlet Feather is the story of two couples and their extended families. Cathy Scarlet and Neil marry against all odds. Cathy, the maid's daughter marries into a wealthy family. Neil is a successful lawyer. Tom Feather and Marcella live together. Tom is in the food business and Marcella wants to be a world class model. Cathy and Tom join together to form a catering business. Nearly everyone is single-focused on what their own personal goals are, to the detriment of their relationships. Neil's wealthy parents seem to yearn for a close, loving family, but not enough to make it happen. Cathy's working class family is full of love and seems willing to make sacrifices for each other. Cathy's Aunt Geraldine leads a life that is far different from what the family believes it to be. Tom's family is a bit disjointed. They can't seem to understand how to draw themselves closer. Into the middle of this are thrown a set of children, twins, whose parents are unable to care for them in any semblance of normal. The mother is a non-functioning alcoholic and the father is always "wandering off" for extended periods of time. The children are the niece and nephew of Neil's father. The childrens' problems appear to slowly evoke a focus on where everyone's priorities lay. For some this is a good experience leading to a reordering of life's priorities. For others it merely leads to entrenched thinking. The ending was "too good to be true", but then this is a story, not reality. This was a gentle, pleasant read. The characters were a bit one-sided and underdeveloped, which made the story more simple, not simplistic however. The mystery surrounding the building that they purchased was odd, in that the whole story could have been complete without the secret!
Rating:
Summary: A long read
Review: In my opinion, the book was charming as are most all of her books. I always love the way the characters eventually inter-mingle. I found Neil to be a complete "jerk!" Cathy and Tom were adorable. Marcella-- you always knew-- was headed in the wrong direction. As for the setting for the story-- one could easily gain 10 lbs. just by imagining all that fine cuisine. Cathy's parents were such loving people-- and the twins added lots of chaos to the story. A happy ending for them. As always-- the book-jacket of the book (so like "Tara Road") is just beautiful! Nice to look at on the coffee table for a long while after you're finished with the reading of the book. All in all, a nice way to spend some leisurely time. And-- lots of pages for your money.
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