Entertaining with Southern Style [Hardcover]

Southern Accents (Author), Karen M. Carroll (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2000

From holiday gatherings to an outdoor luncheon to a grand ball or gala, Entertaining is filled with detailed and personal advice on how to bring together a successful party. Whether formal soiree or an outdoor oyster roast, advance planning can help lift a party from pleasant evening to fabulous, long-remembered event. Entertaining is chock full of inspiration for throwing out-of-the-ordinary parties. Lavish photographs from fabulous events illustrate suggestions for how to set the scene: location, table settings, decorations, flower arrangements, and unusual touches. Gerbera daisies in sap buckets or orchids in silver vases; heirloom stemware from great-grandmother or colorful tumblers bought yesterday -- whatever your entertaining style, here's the book to make your entertainments happily memorable.

Included at the back is a resource guide for readers, with dealers and manufacturers for silver, linen, china and glassware, as well as a listing of flower designers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In a perfect world, all social events would be as elegant and gracious as the parties on display in Entertaining with Southern Style. Alas, not many of us have the ways and means of transporting embroidered pillows and tapestries to provide a backdrop for a riverside curried picnic, and if we do manage to have friends over for cocktails, a professional bartender may be a bit out of the price range. But for those hosts and hostesses willing to put forth the effort to have "the mostest," this glossy and gorgeous tome will provide inspiration for genteel living. Divided into six basic chapters, everything from furniture to flowers is covered, with specific attention paid to themed parties and a variety of special occasions. Lush photos cover every page--this is not a "less is more" mentality, and attention is paid to the tiniest detail. Tables are decorated with antique linens and lace, and party favors are included at every place setting. A charming idea for a summertime favor is a small herb plant in a terracotta pot; less ideal are the antique gardening implements tucked into napkins--this seems to present an opportunity for painful injury. Those who do not hail from the South may find a few small details a bit unusual--there is no mention of tequila in the "fully stocked bar" list, and Christmas scenes display a notable lack of the snow we expect in cooler climes. These differences aside, those who take their entertaining seriously will develop a fond attachment for this book. The stylists and editors have achieved a unique and glamorous style with little of the intense "do it yourself" mentality presented by popular New Englanders, and the book is resplendent with the unique charms and possibilities of "southern style." --Jill Lightner

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Bulfinch (November 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821226886
• ISBN-13: 978-0821226889
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,053,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Southern Style, December 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Entertaining with Southern Style (Hardcover)

In the editorial review the reviewer writes "In a perfect world, all social events would be as elegant and gracious as the parties on display in Entertaining with Southern Style...Alas, not many of us have the ways and means." While I agree with that statement, I must say as a born and bred Southerner, I know that not everyone in the South has the ways and means to put on these lavish parties, but what Southerners do have is a true hospitality and graciousness that comes cross in entertaining. This is the essence of Entertaining with Southern Style and it comes across beautifully through the pages of this book.