Quentins feels like a reunion. Tom, Cathy, Maud, and Simon from Scarlet Feather, Nora from Evening Class, Ria and Colm from Tara Road – just to name a few examples.

Unfortunately, I have a problem with the entire premise of the narrative and the restaurant itself. I can understand a benevolent rich man funding an earnest young man in his dream to travel or supporting a couple who dream of running a restaurant – but funding a restaurant for the young man to open which he lets another couple run while he uses the profits to travel? That is one convoluted plot device to ensure everyone gets what they want.

The crime drama aspect of the narrative is incredibly similar to the crime portions of Tara Road. When you add in the expected infidelity, the return of previous characters, and the familiar plot points, Quentins starts to feel like a copy and paste repeat of several of Binchy’s former works. So while I found this to be a bit repetitive, I did enjoy getting to know more about Brenda and Patrick while checking in on some of the more familiar characters.