Customer Reviews

Manners from Heaven: A Divine Guide to Good Behavior

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Mr Crisp has (with the help of co-writer John Hofsess) written a fine guide to manners in the troubling modern age, with all its noise and haste, where what once was impolite or unthinkable is now enpowering. Crisp sees a world devouring itself, and sees good manners and civility as a way of rectifying this. His chief point - that manners are a way of getting what we want without appearing an absolute swine. They are a way of making everyone happier and more comfortable, rather than a dusty old set of exclusionary rules.

The language is fluid, dare I say crisp, and overflowing with wit, and has the authoritative, wisened, grandfatherly tone of one who has seen it all. It is caustic and by no means conventional - for example, he feels that telling the truth all the time is not the best idea for smooth social relations - "The lie is the basic building block of good manners."

Concise, knowing, acid and honest.

Before I read Quentin's book, I lived my life as one whom he describes in the book; I ran about willy nilly, living others' lives as if they were my own, suffering from their disasters as much as they did. I frittered away enough personal energy to light several skyscrapers, and wondered why I was so very drained all the time. Taking an interest in others' lives, WITHOUT becoming emotionally involved, literally, saved my life. I have learned from Quentin that I can just listen to mere acquaintances, many of whom are drama addicts looking only for a forum, and then move on to what truly interests me. This is not being shallow; this is protecting yourself from those takers of the world, who, as Quentin says, "...are infinite and insatiable." This practice of tuning out the banal has allowed me to have the energy to devote to my husband, son and family, who deserve my energy.

I employ "Crisperanto" and the little white lie, nearly every day of my life. This has protected me and given others the satisfaction of being heard. Instead of standing on my head to avoid the takers of the world, I have learned to assertively and diplomatically put them off.

If I could, I would require that this book become part of school curriculums the world over. Members of the Senate, Congress, and the President should be coached, DAILY, in the art of "Crisperanto." Using "Crisperanto" could very well have prevented the "need" to go to war, at various and sundry times in our country's history.

I will continue to honor Quentin's memory by using "Manners from Heaven" as my bible.

This is a funny, light and enjoyable book. It does have a bite , so you must NOT take it too literally . He does bring an unusual twist to things. Great thoughts and funny points of view make it worth the read. This guy was a "HOOT". Excellent poolside reading! Enjoy!

I'm much impressed by Mr Crisp's humor and how he used simple, yet practical ways of bring forth our best in ourselves through good manners. My usual habit of reading a book is often two weeks or more. But I'm so captivated by the way he wrote this book, that I finished reading it in four days. I'm very much inspired by his keen observations and in-depth thoughts. His advices left me with much after thoughts. I will definitely try my very best to be a person with good mannerism, so that others can benefit from me. From the bottom of my heart, I'm thankful to Mr Crisp for such an outstanding book.

Although the book is a recycled one, I'm astonished at how well the book's overall condition is. It is so well preserved. Not forgetting to mention the swift delivery service provided by Amazon.com, it is amazing. Lastly, I also must thank Amazon.com and World of Books again for such a wonderful book.

Quentin Crisp's funniest and most profound book combines the wisdom of the Tao with a breathtakingly honest assessment of human nature. This book should be in print.