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''Quentins'' is a 2002 novel by the
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
author
Maeve Binchy
Anne Maeve Binchy Snell (28 May 1939Born 1939 as per biography, ''Maeve Binchy'' by Piers Dudgeon, Thomas Dunne Books 2013; (hardcover), pp. 4, 280, 302; (ebook) – 30 July 2012) was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, colum ...
. The title refers to Quentins Restaurant, a fictional upscale dining establishment in central
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
, Ireland. The restaurant was referenced numerous times in previous Binchy titles; this novel explores its 30-year history as well as the lives of its patrons. The novel was produced as a
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''Word for Word'' audiobook in 2003.
Plot
Ella Brady, a young science teacher, falls in love with a handsome, suave businessman (Don Richardson) who is married but assures her that his marriage is "dead". For some time she is happy with the torrid affair, and manages to overlook some inconsistencies in what he tells her. Until the moment when he is exposed as a corrupt swindler and runs away out of the country and out of her life – leaving Ella, her family, and many people in Dublin without their savings. Ella is disgraced and quits her teaching job to work more than 60 hours a week at Quentins restaurant, with the
Scarlet Feather catering company, and with a film crew, to help out her family.
The book mostly concentrates on Ella's attempt to get funding for her friends' film company for a documentary about the restaurant Quentins. She struggles to get over Richardson, whom she still loves, and with whether or not to give the
fraud squad access to a laptop he left in her possession. Eventually, her efforts to get funding lead her to meet a new man, Derry King, an American businessman with an Irish heritage which he hates because of the way his drunken Irish father treated him and his mother.
Smaller plot points revolve around the background of Patrick and Brenda Brennan (the managers of Quentins), Quentin himself, Ella's girlfriends Deirdre and Nuala, and many of the regulars at the restaurant; the main plot is interspersed with various vignettes in the lives of people who had been in contact with the restaurant in one way or another, these interweaving with each other and with Ella Brady's life in various unpredictable ways.
Themes
The novel explores themes of love, family, friendship, and the benefits of hard and honest work. It also examines the "
economy
An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...
-driven Ireland" of the late 20th and early 21st century, as well as themes of
celibacy and
infertility.
[ The idea of ]Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
as a village rather than a city is reinforced, as Binchy reveals it to be "a place where everyone knows everyone and no one's secrets are safe".
Recurring characters
''Quentins'' features appearances by characters from previous Binchy novels, including:Evening Class
''Evening Class'' is a 1996 novel by the Irish author Maeve Binchy. It was adapted as the award-winning film ''Italian for Beginners'' (2000) by writer-director Lone Scherfig, who failed to formally acknowledge the source, although at the very en ...
''
*Brenda and Patrick Brennan from ''Evening Class
''Evening Class'' is a 1996 novel by the Irish author Maeve Binchy. It was adapted as the award-winning film ''Italian for Beginners'' (2000) by writer-director Lone Scherfig, who failed to formally acknowledge the source, although at the very en ...
''
*Tom Feather, Cathy Scarlet, and Maud and Simon Mitchell, from '' Scarlet Feather''
*Ria Lynch and Colm Barry from ''Tara Road
''Tara Road'' is a novel by Maeve Binchy. It was chosen as an Oprah's Book Club selection in September 1999.
Plot introduction
It is the story of two women, one from Ireland and one from America, who trade houses without ever having met. They' ...
''
On a humorous note, the novel also explains why the name Quentins is spelled without an apostrophe.
Publishing history
''Quentins'' is Binchy's 13th book.The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
''.[ While she decided to forego writing "big novels", with ''Quentins'' she continued producing short stories that link together to advance the plot.][
Binchy's cousin, Kate Binchy, narrated the book for a ]BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''Word for Word'' audiobook (2003).