Mrs. Whaley Entertains: Advice, Opinions, and 100 Recipes from a Charleston Kitchen [Hardcover]

Emily Whaley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 10, 1998

When Mrs. Whaley and Her Charleston Garden came out in spring 1997, it took the gardening world by storm.You didn't think she'd keep the rest of her strong opinions to herself, did you? Not on your life. She's back, with her other favorite hobby--cooking delicious meals. And she's just as "quotable" as ever: "If the hostess is all a-flutter like a butterfly caught in a net--then, as the Irish say, 'I wish I was to home and the party was to hell.'" Don't serve guests' dishes "you haven't made successfully two or three times--and quite lately." And after supper, "Leave the dishes on the table, blow out the candles, shut the door and serve finger desserts and coffee in another room . . . do not let your guests help you clean up!" In addition to advice, Mrs. Whaley has opened her personal scrapbook of receipts and selected one hundred of her favorites, including regional delectables like "Edisto Shrimp Pie," great dinner dishes like "Louisa Hagood's Ginger Chicken" and "Miss Em's Pork Tenderloin," old-fashioned breakfast breads like "Nan's Little Thin Corn Cakes," and true discoveries like "Dancing School Fudge." Just as he did in their first acclaimed, best-selling collaboration, novelist William Baldwin perfectly captures the octogenarian cadence: "Inviting people to break bread with me challenges my skills at cooking and fielding a congenial gathering of people. And I love a challenge."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Charleston, that slightly starchy though gracious Southern city, seems an unlikely place to have made a heroine of the decidedly unstarchy Emily Whaley. Yet Mrs. Whaley's remarkable garden was a standard stop for many years on the Historic Charleston Foundation's annual garden tour, and Mrs. Whaley (who, despite her gregarious informality, had impeccable Southern bloodlines) was a popular social fixture, having founded the Cotillion, the city's most upscale dancing school. Entertaining was Mrs. Whaley's second-favorite hobby, and Mrs. Whaley Entertains is a slim, delightful collection of family anecdotes and timeless Southern recipes, salted liberally with Mrs. W.'s strong opinions ("Never serve anything to a guest that you haven't made successfully two or three times and made quite totally yours") and abundant good humor ("A good hostess simply wants you to enjoy yourself and won't care a whit if you refuse something as ungodly looking as an oyster"). Emily Whaley died in June 1998; this pleasant guide to Southern hospitality is a fitting memorial. --Barrie Trinkle

Review

"The tone is decidedly gracious and unhurried, and the storytelling is spellbinding." -- Booklist

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; 1st edition (January 10, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565122003
• ISBN-13: 978-1565122000
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,681 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A delightful book to dip into, and a great gift!, December 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mrs. Whaley Entertains: Advice, Opinions, and 100 Recipes from a Charleston Kitchen (Hardcover)

I enjoyed "visiting with" Mrs. Whaley again, although perhaps not as much as in her gardening book. When reading, you feel as if you are sitting in front of her, engaged in listening to stories about Charleston, her past, and her family, and about making guests feel at home. I don't think the recipes will take the world by storm--most are variations on old favorites. But you pick up tidbits about entertaining and the relaxed southern style. This book and/or her gardening book would make wonderful gifts, and would be perfect to tuck into a gift basket along with some other items. It is the kind of book you want to pick up when you've had a hard day or have a rainy afternoon to enjoy!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We won't see her like again, November 8, 2005

By 

S. Mathews (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mrs. Whaley Entertains: Advice, Opinions, and 100 Recipes from a Charleston Kitchen (Hardcover)

I care very little about cooking, but I care very much about this book after having re-read it several times. Mrs. Whaley exemplified a particular Southern specimen that used to be known as "old ladies", with both of the words intended as compliments--it was an accomplishment in a region subject to disease and storms to grow old, and it was also an accomplishment to be known as a lady, which should never be confused with having money. In this book, Mrs. Whaley was pleased to share the lessons that living into her eighties provided her, with never a word of complaint about wars, hurricanes, widowhood, changing societal mores, or anything else. To the end of her life, she delighted in acquiring the latest tools and gadgets, she entertained prodigiously, she was much amused by the minor scrapes and foibles of her young adult grandchildren, and she maintained one of the most celebrated gardens in a gardening-mad city. Reading this book is like sitting down for a long afternoon before the fireplace with the grandmother we all wish we had, enjoying a long chat over delicacies that she prepared herself in her kitchen. I may never use any of the recipes, but I'm already using some of her lessons about living life joyously and cultivating friendships.

9 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A memorable meeting, December 29, 1999

By 

Nancy C. Hewitt (Hilton Head Island, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mrs. Whaley Entertains: Advice, Opinions, and 100 Recipes from a Charleston Kitchen (Hardcover)

How I would have loved knowing Mrs. Whaley beyond the pages of her books. She has the most deliciously charming perspective on a world gone by and presents her recollections with a spirit right at home in today. She's observes with pithy candor and humor and reading her nuggets of advice is a real treat. Besides, the recipes look marvellous--and very Southern.