Rating: 
Summary: what a bore
Review: I have been a fan of Maeve Binchy since "Light a Penny Candle", but I have found this title to be so disjointed and predictable, I can't finish it. And of course the worst problem is that it is simply boring.
Rating: 
Summary: I was disappointed
Review: This book lacked the rich characterizations found in Binchy's previous works like TARA ROAD and EVENING CLASS. I didn't much care for any of these people -- they were just too self-absorbed for me. I did like Cathy Scarlet's parents, but found the Tom's young niece and nephew irritating and not one bit cute. Honest and forthright, but irritating nonetheless. I also found the constant changing of plot line distracting rather than engaging and I was surprised that Binchy kept the descriptions of the Scarlet Feather's food to such a bare minimum. Some Irish recipes would have been nice. Binchy's one of my favorite writers and she is capable of so much better than this...and I hope the rumors of her retirement are false and that this isn't the way she chooses to 'go out.'
Rating: 
Summary: A LILTING, PLEASURE-PACED READING
Review: With a lilt to her voice and astutely paced phrasing Caroline Winterson reads the latest from popular Irish author Maeve Binchy, "Scarlet Feather."
Once again Ms. Binchy has chosen historic Dublin as her setting. Against this backdrop she introduces cooking school compadres Tom Feather and Cathy Scarlet. Young, gifted, and ambitious the pair begin to build what they hope will be the premier catering business. As she so often does, Ms. Binchy has devised a series of sub-plots to season the story and keep interest high. Cathy's attorney husband, Neil, is dedicated to saving the world, acting as champion for refugees, the homeless. His society influenced mother is disdainful of Cathy whose mother is a cleaning woman. Hence, mother-in-law woes abound. Tom's gorgeous girlfriend has modeling dreams which begin to occupy her more than Tom. His parents are disappointed in his career choice. Add to the mix troublesome 9-year-old twin cousins on Neil's side, Cathy's Chicago based sister who returns to Dublin for an honest-to-goodness Irish wedding complete with leprechauns, and an impoverished relative who is bent on getting the money he needs. Now, you have a real Irish stew.
Rating:
Summary: Another Wonderful Book Journey with Binchey
Review: I read "Scarlet Feather" last summer when a friend brought it from England. I thought it was a marvelous book, and the characters have stayed with me for months now, a sure sign that a writer has done a good job. Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather have finally realized their long-time dream of starting a catering business in Dublin. They have some initial success but several setbacks, while discovering that their business is about much more than food! It is also about publicity, placating customers, dealing with vendors, being in the right place at the right time, and knowing the right people. The reader feels for them when their agonizingly hard work does not bring about a proportional reward, and when their personal lives seem to be unravelling. Binchey gives us a wonderful picture of the problems of starting up a small business and all of its attendant details. She must have done a great deal of research. She sure does know how to tell an appealing story, one that leaves the reader wanting more even after 500+ pages. All of her characters and their situations seem so real. Character development is one of Binchey's strongest points. I found myself getting angered at the neglectful, self-important attitude of Neil, Cathy's lawyer-husband; feeling so sorry for the beautiful Marcella, that her life's dreams were so shallow and precluded love; and absolutely loving poor, neglected little Maud and Simon. These children steal the show in many scenes and the things they say are absolutely wonderful. I wish I had taken notes. The secondary characters are also very sharply drawn and realistic: Cathy's working-class parents with their hearts of gold and Neil's upper-class parents -his mother is such a pill! Binchey has given us a wonderful and enteraining story about regular people in everyday situations, but makes it seem like so much more. She weaves their lives, loves, highs, lows, joys, sorrows, problems, and triumphs into a compete story that will captivate readers from the first page.
Rating:
Summary: These are the best-written children in years!
Review: I bought this book last year at Heathrow Airport. It has been read by so many friends I've lost count. One even gave me a gift to thank me for loaning such a wonderful book! The adult relationships are, as usual, wonderful, but the children! You will alternately hate them and love them, but, in the end, you will want to embrace them and their entire adopted Scarlet family. Having spent a great deal of time in England during the last 25 years, I've found this book to ring true in its depiction of the sometimes silly class struggle in that country.
Rating:
Summary: She's done it again.
Review: Maeve Binchy has the great talent of developing her characters so that you feel you know these people. You care about them; you want to know what happens to them after you've read that last page in her book. You keep thinking about the characters as if they are real people who live in Ireland. I saw similarities in some of the characters in TARA ROAD. If you haven't read it, it's a great read, too. (Although my favorite was EVENING CLASS; what a GREAT book!) If you enjoy a book with fully fleshed-out characters, Maeve Binchy is the author for you. I'm going to miss her. Maybe I'll just go back and reread all the others. Read this book!
Rating:
Summary: Just Lovely !
Review: This is another lovely Maeve Binchy story of real people. I wish Maeve good luck in her retirement and I am so sorry that this will be the last novel. Look forward to lots of short stories instead!
Rating:
Summary: Maeve Binchey at her best
Review: Scarlet Feather is Maeve Binchey at her best. Following the lives of several residents in modern day Dublin and their various involvement with the Scarlet Feather catering business. Friends from school days, Tom and Cathy have invested their all in the catering business.....but friends, family, lovers, and the odd abandoned child or two, have a way of getting involved. This is Maeve Binchey at her best, weaving the everyday lives of various people of all classes and interest, into a seamless story. The language and the dialog ring true and carry the story along. The characters are allowed to be themselves,their good and bad characteristics and all their human frailties included. The story is character driven, and moves along at a good clip. Even though it is over 500 pages, it is a fast read, one you don't want to put down. Sadly, Ms. Binchey has announced this is her last novel. I, for one will miss her, and have added this book to my collection to read and reread. It was worth figuring out the monetary conversion to order this from amazon,uk.
Rating:
Summary: A great read, as one would expect
Review: Once again with "Scarlet Feather" we see all of Maeve Binchy's trademark techniques. We have the canvass of lovely Ireland, particularly bustling modern Dublin; we have well drawn characters whom we love, hate or merely sympathise with; and we have all the ups and downs of our heroes' day to day existence. This book will be of course be compared to Binchy's other books, but I have found that it is difficult to say which of her books are the best. They are all different, all lovely to read, and you miss them all when they are over. It will be very appealing to old fans (which unashamedly I am), and hopefully win her some more.
Rating: 
Summary: Wont' disappoint Maeve Binchy fans
Review: Scarlet Feather centres around Cathy and Tom - two friends who meet at catering college and their endeavours to set up their own catering business. As with other Maeve Binchy's novels, the story of the main characters is supported by a host of supporting friends, lovers, and family (some of which are familiar from Tara Road), with little subplot storylines based around the various characters. These include an indifferent husband, beautiful girlfriend with dreams of being a model, two homeless children (the children's statements are a delight) and the well off and not so well off family, all intertwined. Cathy's father, Muttie, is a great character, relying solely on his winnings from the horses as a means of income. And of course there is the imperious mother in law... but I won't spoil the characters by relaying any further information. As the early reviewer has said the story is predictable but it is an entertaining read and Ms Binchy once again draws you into a web of everyday people, their ups and downs, their fortunes and misfortunes, in her entertaining and straightforward style. Although not her greatest novel, if you are a fan of Maeve Binchy I am sure you will enjoy the book. As a footnote I was saddened to read that this will be Ms Binchy's last novel (from her interview on Amazon.co.uk) and that she will only be writing short stories from now on, so it fortunate that all her stories are a joy to read over and over.
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