Quentins - Maeve Binchy

This is the story of a restaurant, which started as a rather seedy café, until it was bought by an entrepreneur called Quentin Barry. After that, it was managed under the name of 'Quentins' by Patrick, an excellent chef, and his wife Brenda. But it's also the story of Ella Brady. We meet her briefly in the opening paragraphs of the book, at the age of six, the first time she is taken to Quentins. She is with her parents: the respectable Mr Brady, who knows exactly how many minutes it takes to walk to his office each day, and the efficient Mrs Brady, who works for a solicitor in the mornings, and is always ready to greet Ella after school. ...