Customer Reviews

The Pleasure of Your Company

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There are some of us who have to entertain frequently for business purposes and this book is good reading on how not to go insane. I finally read this book cover to cover the other night and even though I am not a NYC resident, all the anxieties of the characters are my own. Great writing and soon I'll find out if the recipes match O'Neill's advice.

O'Neill is an excellent writer and has stretched the boundaries of cookbook writing in an interesting way. Although her characters are not always interesting, the philosophy of the dinner party they evolve is. The recipes aren't really the heart of the book, but they, too, are interesting.

I average dinner parties ever six weeks, or so. Many of these recipes have become a staple. Thank you Ms. O'Neill.

Although the premise behind "The Pleasure of Your Company" (gossipy tales of dinner party qualms interspersed with well thought-out party menus) is a great one, the trials and tribulations of O'Neill's hoity-toity cast of characters seem unlikely to hit home with American dinner party hostesses outside Manhattan. This silly trifle of a book is mildly diverting, but a sturdy classic cookbook is a much better buy.