Scarlet Feather

Oh, how long I have waited for another Circle of Friends or Evening Class. With Scarlet Feather, I have been rewarded for my wait. Maeve Binchy's retirement novel may be my absolute favorite Binchy. The novel begins when Tom and Cathy, bestfriends and former schoolmates, open up their own catering business, the Scarlet Feather. The novel covers the first year of this struggling business, each month taking up a chapter. You follow Cathy's marriage to a harried, distracted Neil. You watch Tom's long-term girlfriend, Marcella, as her modeling career takes off, in a way. And you follow the tale of two young siblings, whose parents are too devoted to money and drink to take care of them. Not wanting to spoil a single page for the reader, I must cut this short. But I should not finish this review without restating how much I loved this book; it is well worth your time and money. I am so sad that Maeve won't publish another novel!

With a lilt to her voice and astutely paced phrasing Caroline Winterson reads the latest from popular Irish author Maeve Binchy, "Scarlet Feather." Once again Ms. Binchy has chosen historic Dublin as her setting. Against this backdrop she introduces cooking school compadres Tom Feather and Cathy Scarlet. Young, gifted, and ambitious the pair begin to build what they hope will be the premier catering business. As she so often does, Ms. Binchy has devised a series of sub-plots to season the story and keep interest high. Cathy's attorney husband, Neil, is dedicated to saving the world, acting as champion for refugees, the homeless. His society influenced mother is disdainful of Cathy whose mother is a cleaning woman. Hence, mother-in-law woes abound. Tom's gorgeous girlfriend has modeling dreams which begin to occupy her more than Tom. His parents are disappointed in his career choice. Add to the mix troublesome 9-year-old twin cousins on Neil's side, Cathy's Chicago based sister who returns to Dublin for an honest-to-goodness Irish wedding complete with leprechauns, and an impoverished relative who is bent on getting the money he needs. Now, you have a real Irish stew.

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.