QUENTINS

If Maeve Binchy ran the world, we'd all live happily ever after. When filmmaker Ella Brady is emotionally and financially betrayed by her lover, she decides she needs to pick herself up by doing something productive. Telling a story of modern day Dublin seems just the ticket. She decides to focus on the history of the restaurant Quentins and the eccentric patrons and loyal staff who keep it running. Terry Donnelly gives the book its due in an uninspired but thorough reading with splashes of tonal changes but little warmth for the characters. This novel is a premier example of a candidate for abridgment. J.P. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 03]