More Things You Need To Be Told (Paperback)

~ (Author), Honore McDonough Ervin (Author), Etiquette Grrls (Author) "Golly, Dear Reader, there are so many Fabulous Cars out there!..." (more)
Key Phrases: ensemble cast, small pet, Etiquette Grrls, New York, Cary Grant (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Are good manners relevant in this day and age? More so than ever, with cell phones, body piercings, e-mails, and other 21st-century accessories. Now the authors of Things You Need to Be Told offer more advice-pertinent to today's issues, and filled with both hilarious wit and practical common sense.

About the Author

Lesley Carlin and Honore McDonough Ervin, The Etiquette Grrls, are the creators of the popular website EtiquetteGrrls.com, and Connoisseuses of the Social Graces.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425190188
• ISBN-13: 978-0425190180
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,013,013 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars What Can I Say?, June 19, 2003

By A Customer

Here's the deal, "Grrls". Your audience, the young ladies and gents of the world, could care less about your breeding.

Breeding does not a refined person make, nor does wearing a black dress and pearls, urban decay nail polish, or a twinset.

Refinement comes from treating others with dignity, and from knowing the difference between advice and insult. Etiquette comes from respect not only for tradition, but also from a love of others, and a desire to be kind and gentle in your dealings with others.

Etiquette is not about whether or not you follow trends or like Andrew Lloyd Webber. Etiquette is simply treating other people well, something in which these Grrls could use a few lessons.

This book is nothing more than a diatribe against anything the Grrls don't like. These "Grrls" suggest that if one doesn't care for the same books, movies, music, TV, etc, that one is somehow lacking in social grace.

I suggest a different perspective: The Etiquette Grrls hide behind such snobbery under the guise of "Etiquette" when really it is to cover some inferiority complex with which they struggle.

I suggest that you look at this book as a warning: this is exactly what can happen if you let a string of pearls or an overpriced education determine your self-worth.

Leave this on the shelf, then go out into the world, say please, say thank you, bite your tongue in anger, and use your own two hands to help a stranger in some way every day, and you will be more polite and refined than these Grrls could ever hope to be.

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mere opinions, NOT a reference manual, January 2, 2005

By	Julia (New England) - See all my reviews

I kind of liked the Grrls first book and awaited their follow-up, hoping it would be less aimed at the post-college crowd.

It's a quick read, that's for sure, and I was about half way through the book when it dawned on me that this is not a researched or referenced piece, it's simply 2 girls sitting around over a bottle of wine dictating what they think it proper! I may drive a Volvo (the Grrls fav. car), but I certainly don't think it's "the only car" to drive. Who cares? The book has a lot of opinions like that... meaningless ones.

But what made me *literally* throw the book in the trash was the chapter on 'tipping'. Under tipping a maid at a hotel they think that you should leave a tip only at the END of your stay in a white envelope. You should NEVER do this. Even the finest hotels will tell you that. How ludicris to think that a hotel manager assigns a maid by GUEST. What if s/he is off on your final day of your stay? Always leave your tip daily to ensure that the proper person receives it.

And re: the postman. They state (and I quote) "they are paid rather well". Please define "rather well" and is this a reason NOT to tip? You should only tip those that are not paid at a level that YOU deem worthy? And I know that my mail has increased at a rate NOT comparible with their salary. My poor postman carried boxes and stacks of magazines and catalogues every day. He deserves a little appreciateion. And to state, "we're told that are not allowed to receive tips" is CRAZY. A simple phone call to their local post office would have given them FACTS and not OPINION for their "book". (they are allowed to receive no more that $20 in cash as a tip)

These Grrls were paid "rather well" by their publishers to deliver a well written and researched reference book to the public and all we got were some narrow, bland, white bread opinions. Yuck.

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Entertainment and Info, October 6, 2003

By	Avalon Daughter (I wish I was in Glastonbury) - See all my reviews

In the midst of Britney-like halter tops and cell phones used during funerals, the EG's like to remind us that we can be polite and refined -- despite the fact the world can be tacky. Whether's it's proper apparel or just plain manners, the EG's like to talk about the more classy things in life, how to get around certain subjects and rip on that which is considerably a social faux pas.

As for the negative reviews here, the EG's have obviously gone over their heads with their brand of satirical humor. Their talk of gin and tonics, exasperated reactions and capped words (very much like Southern Belles) are ALL tongue-in-cheek. That's the joke on their side; the authors are actually "characters" in their book. They play up to their etiquette advice and it's too bad some people don't get it. They never come across better-than-thou to anyone -- except the people who are tacky enough to invite people to the bridal shower -- not the wedding.

Along with their book, they have a great website which answers Q&As and are quite entertaining. Both are great reads and I highly recommend it.