Scarlet Feather - Hardcover

Binchy, Maeve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0525945938 ISBN 13: 9780525945932

Publisher: Dutton Adult, 2001

Synopsis

Fresh from cooking school, Tom Feather and Cathy Scarlet are hot new additions to the Dublin scene with their new catering company, but some people in the city, including their families, are not so keen on the idea of their success. 500,000 first printing.

About this title

About the Author

Maeve Binchy is the bestselling author Light a Penny Candle, Echoes, Firefly Summer, Silver Wedding, Circle of Friends, The Copper Beech, The Glass Lake, Evening Class, and Oprah's Book Club selection Tara Road.

Reviews

Bestselling author Binchy (Tara Road, etc.) again explores the depths of family relationships in an 11th warm, involving drama. Set in contemporary Ireland over a period of one year, the smartly paced tale focuses on Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather, cooking school chums who achieve their dream of opening a posh catering business, Scarlet Feather, in Dublin. Professionally, they're off to a good start; personally, their lives are falling apart. Cathy, whose out-of-work father plays the races while her mother toils as a housemaid, faces the consequences of having married Neil Mitchell, prized son of an upper-class family who employed Cathy's mother for years. Neil, a lawyer who champions worthy causes, is unconcerned about the tension between his wife and his snooty mother, and Cathy and Neil find themselves leading busy, separate lives. Tom has a live-in girlfriend whom he would love to marry, but Marcella, a manicurist in a classy store, yearns to succeed as a model before making any commitments. A charming cast of secondary characters includes Neil's cousins, Simon and Maud, two abandoned, nine-year-old twins who, in a surprising turn of events, come to live with Cathy's parents. The children's deadpan, exceedingly serious outlook on life is both heartbreaking and hilarious. One of Binchy's strengths is her subtle depiction of gradual changes in Irish society. By making her principal characters entrepreneurs, she reflects the ways Ireland's growing economic prosperity has altered social mores. Whether her readers are aware of such details, they help this wonderfully engaging book ring true. (Mar. 5).Forecast: Binchy's gift for creating a wide range of characters whose foibles and challenges make them lovable and real, coupled with her theme that genuine love can transform lives, add up to another crowd-pleaser. With major ad/promo, plus an author tour, this one is a lock for the charts.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Prolific Irish writer Binchy's latest novel is maddeningly slow to get started. Eventually, though, the novel builds in speed and force until it is nearly impossible to put it down. What initially slows the reader down is the vast detail, but it soon becomes obvious that Binchy is layering her story with nuances and shaping her characters with shading and dimension. The setting is contemporary Dublin; the cast of characters is large, chief among them two partners in the brand-new catering business Scarlet Feather. The name is a combination of their own: Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather. Cathy is married to the son of the woman who used to employ her mother as housekeeper; Tom is involved in a problematic relationship. Around them swirl their individual and coupled worlds, centering on family members with all kinds of problems and issues. Cathy's husband's mother is caught up in social prestige; Cathy's parents are dutifully and generously taking care of two troublesome children to whom they are not even related; and Cathy's husband himself presents a sore spot, because he has a job consuming all his time, energy, and interest. In the meantime, Cathy and Tom are looking for a building to house their growing enterprise, only to have the place vandalized once they have set it up. Binchy writes domestic drama at its most realistic and moving, and her adoring fans will appreciate her latest work. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

This novel (following the very popular Tara Road) has all of Binchy's trademark warmth, making it irresistible to most readers. It tells the story of Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather, who are building a Dublin catering company, Scarlet Feather. The plot follows the ups and downs of their personal lives as well as the ins and outs of professional food provision. It is obvious throughout that Tom and Cathy are ill suited to their partners (Cathy's husband is an idealistic lawyer full of his own importance, while Tom's fianc e is an air-headed model). Subplots include the shop's vandalism and recovery, its mysterious secrets from the past, and several entertaining catering stories (including two "weddings from hell"). Best of all are Cathy's nine-year-old abandoned cousins, the Mitchell twins, who provide comic relief throughout her personal and business struggles. These darlings can be relied on to make totally inappropriate responses in every situation, winning the hearts of all. Highly recommended.
-DCarol J. Bissett, New Braunfels P.L., TX
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dutton Adult
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0525945938
• ISBN 13: 9780525945932
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 538