Rating: Summary: A Tremendously Satisfying Read Review: I believe that Scarlet Feather is Maeve Binchy's best full-length novel...to date! This novel takes the reader from point A to point B in a credible progression unlike those of many of the more "formulaic" authors who just drag you along and dump you off at page 400! I do not confuse realism with obvious. Maeve Binchy writes real-life stories that are so seamless that when you put down the book it takes you awhile to figure out why you're not sitting at Quentin's! What on earth do I mean? Well, you'd need to read the book to find out but I'll warn you, you will grieve for the characters when the book is through and YEARN for a sequel. No, they don't all die at the end, they're just so loveable you'll wish they lived next door! In particular: Muttie (oh-my-gosh, yes!), and those horrific twins! No, it's not neatly tied up with a bow at the end, but whose life is? Scarlet Feather is a tremendously satisfying read!
Rating: Summary: disappointing and inaccurate Review: I was SOOOO disappointed in this book. The relationship between Neil, and his wife, Cathy's with two charming nine-year-old twins is incorrect in over half the book...they're cousins, not aunt, uncle, neice, nephew....also, it felt as if someone else wrote the manuscript. bad editing as many words were misspelled or simply left out.
Rating: Summary: Binchy's last novel... Review: After finishing "Tara Road", I started "Scarlet Feather"--& both these books I read a couple of years after reading earlier (much better) work- such as "Circle of friends", "Glass lake", "Evening class" etc. The difference between earlier & later Binchy books is enormous. I believe the earlier books started out much more naturally, & the "formula" that everyone talks about, Binchy's usual multiple-character-formula probably was an original, creative device then. Later on, with "Tara Road" & now (even more) with "Scarlet Feather", Binchy's formula seems much more like an old & tired plot device, more like a gimmick than anything else.The Binchy formula is ever present here: Lots of characters. 2 central characters (Cathy & Tom) who are trying to set up their own catering business in Dublin. A huge (TOO huge) cast of supporting characters. A couple of people who are the obvious villains in the story (but they're so predictably...villainous that it all gets very boring very soon). Hints at side-stories that, at some point, get explained. I could go on & on, since lately Binchy's novels seem to be a mixing up of the same elements, again & again. What I didn't like, specifically, is a) the predictability of the story b) the fact that several lose ends were left there, hanging open. For example, the Amanda-story, the Shona story, the actual early relationship between Cathy & Neil, the relationship between Cathy & her mother-in-law etc etc. There are too many to mention. Interesting little pieces of stories that never get developed, & we're left with questions. c) the holier-than-thou attitude of Cathy. She's TOO perfect for my own taste, a little humourless & she's got a chip on her shoulder all the time. What I did like were the delicious descriptions of food that the catering company produces! MMMMMMmm....Read "Scarlet feather" with low expectations, just as a book-to-read-by-the-beach, & mostly for the great food!
Rating: Summary: Worth a read Review: I think this is my first ever review on Amazon.com...normally I just read the reviews and move on, but this time I disagree strongly with some of the other points, and wanted to say so. I have read many of Binchy's books and enjoyed this one much more than the last few I have picked up, including Tara Road. I feel that while fun to read, some of her books are almost too formulaic--woman meets man, woman thinks she's happy with man, woman loses man, woman finds herself. And to some degree, there is a similar plot line in Scarlet Feather--but the formula is shaken up a bit by focusing on other characters more, and by the fact that things don't work out to be 100% rosy in the end. I guess it just depends on how much fantasy you want in your reading--Tara Road is a nice fantasy life, where things work out great in the end. Scarlet Feather is closer to the world most of us live in and can relate to--things get better, things get worse, nothing is ever perfect. I think that makes the characters easier to relate to and understand. Either way, if you've read Binchy before and enjoyed her at all, I suggest checking this out. It's not quite the same old stuff, but has a lot of her better traits.
Rating: Summary: My favorite author Review: I loved this book. I have trouble reviewing things that I really loved, because there is nothing that I would change about them. I love books that are character driven; those that spend a lot of time getting to know the characters. I found the length perfect. So I would have to disagree with those that thought the plot was less then steller, it is a means in which to get to know the characters and for that it was wonderful. As at the end of every Binchy book, I want to know what else is going to happen to my new freinds(Tom and Cathy).
Rating: Summary: A book of struggles Review: The title, "Scarlet Feather", makes you want to read this book just to find out how the title originated. What a surprise to find out it is the combination of two main characters' last names. (The fly leaf even reveals that much.) "Scarlet Feather" is a book of struggles. For starters, struggles exist between wives and husbands, between children and parents, between in-laws, between siblings and between those in various long-term and short-term relationships. As the story unfolds, the ever-present struggle to succeed reveals strengths and weaknesses of the interesting collection of characters. For starters, two struggle to succeed in the catering business while one struggles to succeed being an attorney representing the underprivileged and another struggles with becoming a model. Maeve Binchy has written several books, however, the only other one I have read is "Tara Road". Between the two, "Scarlet Feather" is the one I liked best.
Rating: Summary: A comfy read. Review: What a nice,comfy farewell novel from Maeve Binchy to mark her exit from the popular novel scene!It's a story of a troubled young marriage (which you can see heading for the rocks quite early in the piece)and of the catering firm of a most likeable young couple--business only please!Throw in a pair of unloved scallywag children,irresponsible and uncaring parents,a criminal brother and stir all together for an irresistible story with a happy ending.Cathy Scarlet, a girl from a very working class background,married Neil Mitchell,a young lawyer with aspirations to save the worlds poor and homeless,and has spent years trying to convince her parents and Neils that she is worthy of him.The catering business which Cathy and her partner Tom Feather are running,is nearly ended after a destructive burglary of their premises,and the story is a testament to their courage and determination in rebuilding and coping at the same time with huge family pressures.
Rating: Summary: Mediocre Review: I have to agree with the reader from Cazenovia, NY. I thought the book was about 50% longer than it needed to be and the minute details became tiring. Also the dialogue did not seem realistic to me. The book was very reminiscent (too much so) of Tara Road for me. That said, I will still say it was an alright read. I kept reading straight through and didn't trade it for one of the other unread books on my shelf. For someone who loves Maeve Binchy's books I would recommend it without hesitation. If you are at all "iffy" on her style of writing (like I am), you will probably not enjoy this book as much as something else.
Rating: Summary: A Good Well-Rounded Read Review: This was only the second Binchy I have read and I found it to be a good, solid well-rounded read. Plenty of good characters, lots of plot lines, a little intrigue. The kind of book you want to come home to at the end of the day. Whilst the main plot line is that of Cathy Scarlet and her friend Tom Feather and their fledgling catering company, there are plenty of other things going on in the lives of their many family members, friends and work collegues. This book has certainly sparked my interest to read more of Maeve Binchy's books.
Rating: Summary: I Thought the Book was Great! I Enjoyed It A Lot! Review: I haven't read much of Binchy until Scarlet Feather, and I like the book a great deal. It had a great cast of characters in it, the main ones being Cathy and Tom. Cathy and Tom started a catering business with a lot of perserverance and hard work. Within the story, Cathy's mother-in-law Hannah dislikes Cathy and resents her deeply, and Neil, Cathy's husband, pays no mind to Cathy and also resents she and Tom's catering business. Two children, of whom are Tom's cousins, come along to live with Cathy's parents. The parents of this Simon and Maud are dysfunctional with their drinking problems, and unable to cope. They become the light of Cathy and Cathy's parents lives as they story moves on. Walter, Neil's nephew, has sticky fingers, and almost puts the business to ruins. This is just a great down-home book. I was very engrossed in it and found it hard to put down all the way through.
|