Scarlet Feather - by Maeve Binchy (Paperback)

About the Book

Becoming fast friends in cooking school, Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather hope to take Dublin by storm with their new catering company. But not everyone shares their enthusiasm. Cathy's mother-in-law disapproves of her new hobby, while Cathy's husband buries himself in his legal work. Tom's ambitious girlfriend struggles with her career and Tom's family expects him to follow in his father's footsteps.

Book Synopsis

"The dialogue crackles with wit and authentic Irish style...It takes a huge amount of talent, insight, and compassion to create a 'simple' good story, and Maeve Binchy has it all."--The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Two friends struggle to balance their personal and professional lives in this charming novel from acclaimed author Maeve Binchy.

They met in cooking school and became fast friends with a common dream. Now Cathy Scarlet and Tom Feather hope to take Dublin by storm with their newly formed catering company, aptly dubbed "Scarlet Feather." Not everyone, however, shares their optimism. Cathy's mother-in-law disapproves of both Cathy and her new "hobby," while Cathy's husband, Neil, pays no mind to anything- except his work as a civil rights lawyer. And then there's Tom's family, who expect him to follow in his father's footsteps, and an ambitious girlfriend who's struggling with career dreams of her own.

Between friends and families, ups and downs, heartaches and joys, Cathy and Tom are about to embark on the most maddening-and exhilarating-year of their lives...

Review Quotes

Praise for Maeve Binchy and Scarlet Feather

"In Scarlet Feather, Binchy again proves herself a master storyteller...A great read."--USA Today

"The dialogue crackles with wit and authentic Irish style...It takes a huge amount of talent, insight, and compassion to create a 'simple' good story, and Maeve Binchy has it all."--The Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Binchy has a masterful grip on the ins and outs of her plots, and weaves together each strand into an artful display of devotion and dedication, family and friendship."--Houston Chronicle

"Binchy's latest novel is as welcome as a hearthside armchair in the middle of a blizzard, and reading Scarlet Feather is a lot like sitting in that chair while sharing tea with a special friend."--The Denver Post

"A big, sprawling novel, as charming as its natural-born-storyteller author."--The Miami Herald

"A remarkably gifted writer...a wonderful student of human nature."--The New York Times Book Review

"Reading one of Maeve Binchy's novels is like coming home."--The Washington Post

"Binchy's genius is transforming storytelling into art."--San Francisco Examiner & Chronicle

"Binchy's tales combine warmth and spunk in a quintessentially Celtic way...In the field of women's popular fiction, the Dublin storyteller sticks out like a faultless solitaire on a Woolworth's jewelry counter."--Chicago Tribune

About the Author

Maeve Binchy was born in County Dublin and educated at the Holy Child convent in Killiney and at University College, Dublin. After a spell as a teacher she joined The Irish Times. Her first novel, Light a Penny Candle, was published in 1982, and she went on to write more than twenty books, all of them bestsellers. Several have been adapted for film and television, most notably Circle of Friends and Tara Road, which was an Oprah's Book Club selection. She was married to writer and broadcaster Gordon Snell for thirty-five years. She passed away in 2012 at the age of seventy-two.