Review Praise for Maeve Binchy and Quentins“It’s as good as she gets, which is very good, indeed.”—Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air“A gift to the reader...For sheer, curl-up, good-bye-real-world storytelling pleasure, it’s hard to beat Maeve Binchy.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer“Sure-handed plotting and a feel for the foibles and dreams of ordinary Irish people.”—Los Angeles Times“A remarkably gifted writer...a wonderful student of human nature.”—The New York Times Book Review “Reading one of Maeve Binchy’s novels is like coming home.”—The Washington Post“Binchy is a grand storyteller in the finest Irish tradition…she writes from the heart.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer “Binchy’s genius is transforming storytelling into art.”—San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle“Binchy’s tales combine warmth and spunk in a quintessentially Celtic way...In the field of women’s popular fiction, the Dublin storyteller sticks out like a faultless solitaire on a Woolworth’s jewelry counter.”—Chicago Tribune Read more About the Author Maeve Binchy was born in County Dublin and educated at the Holy Child convent in Killiney and at University College, Dublin. After a spell as a teacher she joined The Irish Times. Her first novel, Light a Penny Candle, was published in 1982, and she went on to write more than twenty books, all of them bestsellers. Several have been adapted for film and television, most notably Circle of Friends and Tara Road, which was an Oprah’s Book Club selection. She was married to writer and broadcaster Gordon Snell for thirty-five years. She passed away in 2012 at the age of seventy-two. Read more
E**Y
Quintessentially Binchy
Faithful Maeve Binchy readers and newcomers alike will find an effortless and heartwarming read in Quentins. Set in a Dublin restaurant which has been mentioned in many of the author’s previous novels, but with a fascinating backstory about the restaurant’s beginnings.As a documentary about the restaurant is planned, we are shown insight into the lives of both the patrons and the restaurant staff.As with many of Binchy’s novels, characters from Dublin and the Irish countryside alike appear in Quentins. With a satisfying ending, Binchy’s novel is a read-again favorite.
N**N
One of my favorites by the author
I love Maeve Binchy. This book is centered on the upscale restaurant, Quentins. We see this place, and many of the people, in other books by the author. This is sort of an inside look. The book, in typical Binchy form. has many chapters that give us insight into different characters. While the overarcing theme is about Quentins and making a movie about it, the book is comprised of many short stories of the people of Quentins. We learn how it got its name, Brenda and Patrick, the proprieters, have stories about them. This book is one of my favorites by Maeve Binchy.
S**N
A main story with lots of little stories
I'm in bed fighting illness and luckily had books like this one to read. Quentins is often mentioned in books by this author, as the go to restaurant for her characters. This book gives us the behind the scenes story of how it came about and about the people working there. The main story is about a girl who has an affair with a married man and how it nearly ruins her life. In between, we get all the stories of the various secondary characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
B**M
Not Binchy's best
This really deserves a two and a half star rating. It's a story with short stories thrown in between the main story. This makes for a choppy read. I enjoyed the short stories, but the main story just wasn’t believable. Ella gets involved with a married man, who lies to her every step of the way. He gives her the usual line...marriage is on the rocks. Staying because of kids. Even when she finds out the truth about his many deceptions, she still thinks he loves her. She comes across as a real dumb cluck, and I ended up not liking her at all. Ms. Binchy wrote many wonderful books. Unfortunately this is definitely not one of them.
J**X
Slow Paced
This was very slow moving but if you like a relaxed read that’s just pokey, then this is a good one. However, way too many characters to keep track of toward the end . Lastly the main character is virtually an idiot throughout her adult life. For someone who Supposedly has these grand standards yet can’t decide to do the right and obvious thing for ages on end and everyone around her is so supportive and sympathetic of her regardless of her past and present behavior . If she had had one true blue honest friend , they would have leveled with her in the beginning about her being a total nincompoop not a “Poor Pitiful Victim”. Not to mention her weak parents who wink at every sin their little darling commits. I love this writers style, this was not the best.
D**A
Predictable and sweet, but delicious, too
I hesitated to read Maeve Binchy's books in past years because I thought they all would be the same and too sentimental and predictable for me to find them interesting. Then one of my book club members suggested one of her books for our book club to read and I was so glad to do so! Binchy's books are like eating a dessert you enjoy, perhaps chocolate or ice cream! They are a treat, comforting, sweet and surprisingly well written. I love her characters and they reappear in several books so it seems as if you are seeing an old friend again in a new setting. I was right - these books are sentimental and predictable, but sometimes it's so nice to curl up with an old friend and enjoy a well told story!
L**O
Ties up loose ends
It's not the greatest of Binchy's books, but since we lost this wonderful lady, it's good to read it. I agree with others who've mentioned one-dimensional characters, but if you need a cozy Irish fix, this will do.
D**P
Mom would have loved this book
Maeve Binchy was my Mother’s favorite author. We lost Mom 5 years ago & still miss her. I really don’t know if she read this book but I would love to discuss it with her. Mom instilled in me the love of reading. I read with comprehension at the age of 3, 65 years ago. We used to visit the local library & she would borrow 10 books at a time. She loved them all but this author was it to her. Now Maeve is mine also.
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