Quentins
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4.3 • 235 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
#1 New York Times bestselling author Maeve Binchy tells the story of a generation and a city through the history of a Dublin restaurant in this “warm-hearted” (Boston Herald) enthralling novel.
Ella Brady wants to film a documentary about Quentins that will capture the spirit of Dublin from the 1970s to the present day. After all, the restaurant saw the people of a city become more confident in everything from their lifestyles to the food that they chose to eat. And Quentins has a thousand stories to tell. But as Ella uncovers more of what has gone on at Quentins, she begins to wonder whether some secrets should be kept that way...
“Quentins is not just any Dublin restaurant; it’s a place where wedding proposals, business deals, family ties, and friendships are forged (and sometimes broken).”—The Seattle Times
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fans of the bestselling Binchy will be grateful that the basic formula is still intact decent people pulling through hard times and that some favorite characters from previous novels reappear: Cathy Scarlet from Scarlet Feather, Nora from Evening Class, Ria from Tara Road and others. When Dubliner Ella Brady's affair with a married financial consultant turns sour he bilks his clients of their hard-earned money and then hightails it to Spain she decides to throw herself into something productive: she agrees to help with a documentary about Quentins, a once-modest Dublin restaurant whose increasing success and sophistication over the past 30 years mirrors the changing fortunes of the city itself. Ella collects stories of customers who recall celebrating life's milestones at Quentins. These vignettes (about a man who learns he's to be a grandfather, a girl who finishes school with honors, and other regular folks) are meant to fill out the too-thin tale, but most of them end a little too neatly to be satisfying. Binchy doesn't exactly trade in suspense (can there ever be any doubt that a Binchy heroine will do the right thing? Or that goodness will ultimately be rewarded?), but this novel is more tepid than other works in her oeuvre. Still, readers who love hardworking, honest-living characters with strong values can get their fix here.
Customer Reviews
Ella
The characters were real and true. Ella’s innocence could be frustrating to the reader as they can foresee the doom innocence can bring. This book is a lesson in being true to yourself.
Very engaging
There were definitely times throughout the book that I just could not read it fast enough.
Enjoy
Another classic
As always…wonderful characters, fun and touching sub plots, beautifully written. Lord, I miss her writing.