Scarlet Feather

This is one of my favorite books. The characters are richly detailed, and the plot is engrossing. I couldn't put this book down. And when I finished it, I read it again!

I've read several of Binchy's books - started with "Tara Road" and progressed from there. I like the fact that some of the same characters appear in different novels. For example, some of the main characters in "Scarlet Feather" are secondary characters in "Quentins." We've all had that "it was a great book but I'm sad it's over" feeling, so it's fun to read a different Binchy novel since you don't have to "say goodbye" for long. So far I've found this to be true in Tara Road, Quentins, Evening Class and Scarlet Feather.

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.

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.