Rating: 
Summary: One of my favorite Maeve Binchy novels
Review: Oh, how long I have waited for another Circle of Friends or Evening Class. With Scarlet Feather, I have been rewarded for my wait. Maeve Binchy's retirement novel may be my absolute favorite Binchy. The novel begins when Tom and Cathy, bestfriends and former schoolmates, open up their own catering business, the Scarlet Feather. The novel covers the first year of this struggling business, each month taking up a chapter. You follow Cathy's marriage to a harried, distracted Neil. You watch Tom's long-term girlfriend, Marcella, as her modeling career takes off, in a way. And you follow the tale of two young siblings, whose parents are too devoted to money and drink to take care of them. Not wanting to spoil a single page for the reader, I must cut this short. But I should not finish this review without restating how much I loved this book; it is well worth your time and money. I am so sad that Maeve won't publish another novel!
Rating:
Summary: A great Irish tale from a beloved author!
Review: Okay, so I'm a bit of a softie, but I love stories about Ireland and her people, and I'm also a big fan of Maeve Binchy's. I was able to get UK edition of this book, and was enthralled by the rich characters, the warm story, and the overall pleasure derived from reading a favorite author. I was said to hear that Binchy is retiring from writing, but I'm also heartened by the fact that she has left so many wonderful books for her fans to remember her by. If you like a good, old-fashioned, gossipy read, give Scarlet Feather a try. I guarantee the luck of the Irish will smile upon ya!
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Summary: More Modern than usual for Maeve, Definite Classic Potential
Review: Scarlet Feather may well be one of Binchy's best works yet. Unlike her other full length novels, this one has a feel that it is completely set in current times - which may be more a statement about the character's moral standing, than about the time that the story takes place. In this work, nearly all the characters have just a bit of a darker human side, that makes them more believable, and in some cases more endearing. Though the Irish flavor is evident in the dialect, and the setting is her standard - Doublin or thereabouts, it was easy for me to imagine this story taking place in any U.S. City as easily. As usual, Maeve tickles the readers curiousity about what those secondary characters are REALLY up to behind the scenes. Is Neil having an affair with Sara already, behind sweet Cathy's back? What was it that happened at the premises that makes the McGuires so willing to sell quickly, and are they lurking somewhere to come back onto the scene? All the mystery makes one very delightful read that is terribly hard to put down. The only disappointment is that when you're at the end... there is no more. Please Maeve... write the sequel!! AND HURRY!!
Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming!
Review: Maeve Binchy has done it again - written a book that wraps you right up into her characters lives, loves, problems and possibilities. When I first read the summary (a year in the life of a catering business) I found myself wondering what could possibly be entertaining and interesting about that? I went ahead and bought it anyway, based on the many good books of hers that I had read in the past. Am I ever glad that I did! I was caught up in the story from chapter one and was hard pressed to put the book down - even finding myself wishing that there was a Book Two for their second year in business. I seldom read a book a second time, but this is one that I know I'll want to revisit. So, how entertaining could it be? Delightfully entertaining!
Rating: 
Summary: Who are all these people?
Review: If in fact this is Maeve's last book, I understand why she included a cast of hundred ( or so it seems). I think that "Evening Class" is one of the best books written and I own all of her books, but this one missed the mark in so many ways. Why did they not include a page of the "cast of characters" is beyond me. I could not keep up with the people coming and going . Why did we never hear about the daughter who only phoned home? Is she somewhere out there in literary land waiting for someone else to write a book about her? I knew in 200 pages what the ending of this book would be, I just did not know how LONG it could take to get to it. There were at least 3 books in this one to be written. Maeve, did you just lump them all together and hope we could figure it all out? If this is indeed your last book, and I certainly hope it is not, it is a sad ending to a wonderful career. All of your readers I am sure wish you the best, but like Rosamunde Pitcher's farewell, this book does not deserve to reflect a great career.
Rating:
Summary: Entirely absorbing and delightful
Review: Despite the varied, well-developed cast of characters and the multiplicity of themes ranging from class warfare, youthful ambition, Ireland's economic miracle and emigrants, to neglected children, world hunger and adultery, Maeve Binchy's latest is unlikely to earn her a second representation in Oprah's Book Club ("Tara Road"). It's too cheerful, too heartwarming, too delightfully feel-good.
Not that life is smooth sailing for any of her characters - there are setbacks, tears and regrets for everyone. But the central characters, Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather, the founders of Dublin's newest posh catering service, Scarlet Feather, are so full of irrepressible optimism, and relentless drive and determination that everyone - the other characters as well you, the reader - is rooting for them. Cathy and Tom have been friends since cooking school. Once they were almost lovers but fate intervened; Cathy went off to Greece on a cooking job and fell in love with Neil Mitchell, an idealistic lawyer and soulmate, despite his upper-class background. Neil is the son of the wealthy, snobbish Hannah Mitchell and her golf-lazy husband Jock, who employed Cathy's mother, Lizzie, as a cleaner for many years. Everything about Hannah pushes Cathy's buttons; the woman terrifies and enrages her. Almost immediately Scarlet Feather takes off - the food is terrific and the proprietors are tireless. Cathy's Neil and Tom's gorgeous girlfriend, would-be model Lucella, are wonderfully supportive and helpful. But Tom and Cathy haven't left room for anything to go wrong. The book opens on New Year's eve. Tom, unhappy with Lucella's flirtatious behavior at a party, wanders off and discovers the prefect premises for Scarlet Feather. Two 9-year-old Mitchell twins are abandoned by their parents at Hannah's party, which Cathy is catering. These two events, the fulfillment of her dream and the shouldering of an obligation, change the course of Cathy's life. The twins, social illiterates, ill-mannered, literal minded, endlessly curious and terrified of abandonment, arouse Cathy's sympathy and she takes them into her home before Hannah throws them into the street. Neil, on the verge of making a difference, and a name for himself, has no patience with the pair. Though Cathy points out the irony of sympathizing with homeless strangers and not homeless kin, she too would just as soon be shed of the twins, who end up with her parents, long suffering Lizzie (did she but see it) and her gentle gambler husband Muttie. The kids almost steal the show but Cathy is up to the competition. Other fully engaging cast members include her self-made aunt, who's traded love for success; Cathy's sister, long emigrated to Chicago, now longing for a traditional Irish wedding, complete with corned beef and Leprechauns; a lonely dignified old man who lost his one chance of happiness through a misguided sense of duty; a venal, debt-ridden cousin and various denizens of the upper classes and betting shops. The novel follows a traditional structure, with everything crashing to bits in the middle and the characters picking up the pieces thereafter to come out wiser at the end. The characters, every one of them, even Hannah Mitchell, are complex people who inspire affection and sympathy and the story grips and engages the reader from first page to last. A book to make friends with.
Rating:
Summary: Another easy reading hit!
Review: I am going to keep this review to a short note. Maeve does it again. I know her recipe and I know that her characters always win, but there is something about the easy way her words flow! I couldn't put this book down. Her character development is her gift. After reading her works, I often find myself HOPING that people like these really exist somewhere. That way I can be assured that GOOD, loving, and kind people are alive and out there in this big confused world. Thank god for Maeve Binchy!
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Summary: What a way to bow out
Review: I had heard that Scarlet Feather would be Maeve Binchy's "swan song." I then saw the title, you know, with the feathers? Not so. The title comes from a combination of the two main character's names, Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather. Cathy and Tom, friends not lovers, form a cartering business. A story about a cartering business...how delicious I thought. Again I was wrong. Like all Binchy novels Scarlet Feather is a saga with characters and villians--and a mystery to be solved. As a fiction author I read for more than to just entertain myself but to appreciate writing style and to learn. Over the years I have come to know that Ms. Binchy has a gift for characterization and dialog. Come on Maeve just one more book...please!
Rating:
Summary: a touching book!
Review: Maeve Binchy did wonders with this book!! It was enjoyable to read all the way through. The characters, Cathy and Tom, were very inspiring. They had such courage and strength that amazed me. Even through difficulties they seemed to have the strength to get through. Binchy created these strong characters which made this book very well written and enjoyable to read. I have read some of Binchy's other books, but this is my favourite. She is an excellent author, writing about small things but making them seem so big. If you have not read this book, please do. It will warm your heart.
Rating: 
Summary: a good but predictable read
Review: This book is written in the Maeve Binchy style that her readers have grown to love, but it is by no means her best work. The story of Tom and Cathy is interesting, but Binchy writes too many side stories that distract from the main plot. Also, while her last book, Tara Road, was unpredictable and contained a few surprises, this book was far too predictable. So overall it is worth reading, but don't expect to be enamored.
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