Quentins - Hardcover

Maeve Binchy delivers a timely and topical tale on the fickle nature of docu-soaps in Quentin's in an age where everyday people are becoming overnight celebrities via the medium of television,. Ella Brady is a documentary film-maker who wants to bring the tale of the eponymous Dublin restaurant to the screen. Quentin's has had its fair share of ups and downs over the years and has become the meeting point for a lot of characters, including some familiar faces from previous Binchy novels. As Ella makes more and more headway with her documentary, the secrets, betrayals and stories of love that emerge make her question whether or not she wants to bring the tale of Quentin's to the screen after all; especially as she is also forced to confront a devastating dilemma from her own past.

Regarded by many as the true queen of the romantic Irish drama, Binchy has once again produced another fine page-turner that will please her army of loyal fans and hopefully win her many more. She has a real eye for character and exploring the often painful choices people are forced to make in their everyday lives. This is a tale of normal people, ordinary folk and the heartaches that have made them who they are. Fans will welcome the return of some familiar Binchy characters and Ella is a strong, likeable heroine, a woman who, in exploring the lives of these people, is forced to consider some choices she has made in her own life. So make a reservation at Quentin's, sit back and relax--you'll be in very good company. --Jane Warren

Full of characteristic humour and warmth, a lovely read (SUNDAY MIRROR)

Absorbing and delightful . . . for Binchy's previous readers there is also the pleasure of the familiar, for she thriftily reintroduces a selection of her old characters . . . gently funny, sometimes poignant stories . . . In pinning down the humdrum and the ordinary - debts, the drama of a busy kitchen, a wedding, the ache of childlessness - Binchy makes the point that the profound shift in emotion or spirit can take place while peeling potatoes or waitressing in a restaurant. Her multitude of readers stuck doing much the same instinctively feel this (Elizabeth Buchan SUNDAY TIMES)

All the warmth, humour and insights you expect from Maeve Binchy's writing are here (CHOICE)

She is one of the few writers who can pull at your heartstrings. It is hard to read these stories of love, failure, betrayal and success without wiping a tear from the most cynical eye . . . The author's great skill is to draw you into the world she creates, so that reading her books is like gossiping with old friends . . . This is a book which would be perfect self-indulgence on a summer's day or one to cheer a rainy one (DAILY EXPRESS)

Maeve Binchy is back. In exuberant fettle and fine form she's returned to the bestselling bookshelves that everyone feared she'd forsaken for retirement. QUENTINS, her new book, is one for her fans worldwide to really get into: another joyful, absorbing Binchy read with lots of heart (IRISH TIMES)

This is Binchy at her very best, telling stories with charm, humour and pathos and giving us one of the most stunning feel-good endings I can remember (Penny Vincenzi MAIL ON SUNDAY)

This latest work, more novel than short stories, brings back many of her characters from earlier books and, as always, it is like being reunited with old friends . . . there's plenty to move the reader . . . for anyone who likes good storytelling (SUNDAY EXPRESS)