Customer Reviews

The Party

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Near the end of her book, "The Party: A Guide to Adventurous Entertaining," Washington "hostess" and Southern belle Sally Quinn discloses for whom she has written this book. Ms. Quinn says that ". . . many newcomers to Washington, whether they are members of Congress or administration types or diplomats or journalists, do find the whole notion of Washington and Georgetown dinner parties terribly intimidating." Through her outspoken and irreverent memoir-guide, she hopes to demystify "what goes on here."

Ms. Quinn does mention "names"; she says she does so in order to level the playing field, to show that anyone can drop the ball when entertaining. Her book is filled with anecdotes as well as practical tips. She exhorts would-be hosts and hostesses to follow the Golden Rule: "Treat your guests the way you would like to be treated."

Much of the book repeats commonsensical rules that those of us who entertain already know. However, I did pick up some pointers, such as ". . . no matter how bad the food is or what disaster befalls you in the kitchen, when all else fails, make sure you have plenty of booze on hand, and the party won't be a total bomb," and "[e]veryone in your home must be treated like a celebrity, must be made to feel wanted and special."

"The Party" may not appeal much to experienced party-givers and party-goers. However, it is an amusing addition to more "serious" books on entertaining. For someone who is starting out as a host or hostess, I think he or she will find some good tips here. As Ms. Quinn says, "the point is to have a good time." If one cannot do so, then she says to "get over it."

If you don't know what a "P.R.F." is, then that is reason enough to get this book.

OK, so it's not an etiquette book, nor is it a step-by-step party guide. The lessons are given via examples -- and what examples! The rich and famous -- including Sally herself -- are all grist for the mill.

But the key factor is Sally's breezy writing style. It's good enough that I am back on Amazon looking for other books she has authored.

I assumed, from the title, that this would be a book of practical advice for giving parties. Instead, it was a thinly disguised excuse for the author's collection of anecdotes about the Washington rich-'n'-famous. The only practical advice given are gems such as "temperature is important--don't let your guests be too hot or too cold." Gee--that one I'd already figured out for myself. If you want to read about the Washington social scene, this is a great book. If you're seeking advice about how to entertain, don't bother with this one.

Formerly of Washington, D.C., I couldn't resist reading this lighthearted romp into Sally Quinn's world of entertaining. I don't believe Quinn wanted to write a book that laid out clear "do's and don'ts" á la Judith Martin, but instead wanted to lead by example - sharing stories of her party successes and misfires. Some of the stories are absolutely priceless, especially the ones involving Colin Powell. Quinn stresses overall the Golden Rule of Hostessing: treat others as you would want to be treated. Another one of my favourite tips is "no matter how bad the food is or what disaster befalls you in the kitchen, when all else fails, make sure you have plenty of booze on hand, and the party won't be a total bomb." So very, very true.

If you have some down time in your own world of adventurous entertaining, pick up this book and settle in for a good time.

In many ways, "The Party" follows its own rules. Its main goal is for the reader to have a good time, and not get too stuffy. Quinn moves quickly through all the party essentials, in a conversational style that makes it an easy one-night read. Remember that she is culling from the Washington party circuit - if you get cranky from name dropping, this book isn't for you. What the names do is underscore how important the guest mix is when planning a great party. Certainly Quinn seems to gloss over the importance of full-time staff and caterers, but for the most part the suggestions are on target the anectdotes (real or imagninary) serve to illustrate the various topics. Miss Manners may certainly give you more precise formulae for parties, but Quinn's are realistic and fun to read. Remember - the point is to have a good time!

I entertain frequently, and Ms. Quinn has a most delightful way of discussing the angst (and disasters!) of every experienced hostess. "The Party" had me laughing out loud, and I have been giving this book as a gift to other friends who entertain. They love it!

On a more practical note, she has good suggestions about what really makes a party work. So whether your guests are 'famous' or not, her wisdom is true.

I don't think Sally Quinn meant for this to be a guide to entertaining. It's light and breezy and certainly a fun summertime read. If you don't have an interest in Sally and Ben--and in Washington--you might find it not so interesting. BUT, if you do, you will probably find it very entertaining.

I did manage to pick up some entertaining tips along the way. They may come under the description of common sense advice, but it's good to hear them nonetheless from someone who has entertained a lot--and been entertained a lot. These tips include things like--don't have the same party every year, don't play party games without warning your guests ahead of time, don't ask people to give toasts unless they have had time to prepare---and the list goes on.

The bottom line is--I loved this book---and give it a hearty recommendation!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's great light reading, even if you're not planning a party. Sally's writing style is witty; her tips are practical. She doesn't refrain from describing her own entertaining disasters in detail. Lot's of fun.

This book is not only bad, it's irratating. It's like sitting next to a fading social butterfly on a long flight and listening to stories of her life. At first it's sort of interesting-- I mean,lets face it, this dame's been around. But after a while the endless name dropping starts getting to you, till finally you just want to snap, "Will you just shut up already?" The world of Washington society-- a world filled with women named "Mitzi" and men named "Huntington"-- she describes is a hot house, in-bred world in the grips of a Versallies mentality. This is no where better seen then in one of the last stories of her book. She and her husband were giving a New Year's Party for a hundred or so of their "dearest friends". Suddenly an older, rather modest, couple show up, introduce themselves and are hesitiantly admitted. Neither Quin nor her husband nor any of their glittering friends have any idea who these...these "people" were. As a result, says our hostess with the mostest, "I was so annoyed that I ignored them all night." Turns out that due to a computer error Mr.& Mrs. Nobody actually had been invited. This elderly couple from the heartland weren't gate crashers. "I still haven't forgotten how rude I was,"sighs Quinn. Still, she reminds us brightly, "There is no such things as perfection."

The title of this book implies that it's a how-to-guide to throwing a great party. You do get a few tips here and there, but this book serves mainly for Sally Quinn to name drop, describe the fun parties she's hosted, and generally tell you how terrific she is. Sally Quinn was the style editor for the Washington Post; her husband is Ben Bradlee, the famous Washington Post editor during Watergate, the Pentagon Papers and a number of other significant historical events. The tone of this book is lighthearted, and many of the stories are quite funny. After a while, though, I got tired of reading about "when Hillary and Bill came over one time," or "when all these Senators and Representatives were at our house," or "when we hosted this fabulous dinner party and everyone in Washington was talking about it for weeks." The tone of this book was too self-congratulatory for me to fully enjoy it.