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Summary: Delicious Recipes and Clever Ideas
Review: As we all know, Martha can be a bit anal when it comes to many things, I have to admit I really like her cookbooks. The recipes are easy to follow and most of the time, tasty. The entertaining ideas are good, however, I've never been able to follow one completely as I simply don't have the time to do it all. Perhaps if I were a wealthy at-home wife I could...but in that case..wouldn't I have someone do it _for_ me?
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Summary: The Subtitle of The Book Says It All
Review: I'd love to throw one of the parties in this book, but I can't figure out how to get my guests to dress in the perfectly appropriate style. One person in a gingham check outfit that would be perfect for the Fourth of July picnic would simply ruin the Thai-Vietnamese feast. Until I get a more malleable group of friends, I'll just have to stick with the suggestions in "Swell" by Cynthia Rowley and Ilene Rosenzweig. That being said, I highly recommend that everyone buy all of Martha's books -- it greatly alleviates the depression that will befall you when you invariably attend a function that follows her instructions to the letter. Somehow the perfectionism seems less than perfect when you know it has been cribbed directly from Martha!
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Summary: Get's the juices flowing!
Review: Now I know that we can't all go to Texas to have an authentic Tex-Mex fiesta, but the ideas are great none the less. Who care's if no one comes dressed the part? This book is all about themes. Themes that you can manipulate and call your own. Each party is beautifully photographed and the recipes are delicious. They even offer her infamous "Good Things" as a sidebar for many of the parties. Don't let the perfection overwhelm you. This book delievers.
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Summary: I Love Theme Parties!
Review: Theme parties are great! Getting your guests to "dress the part" isn't at all difficult! If you want people to dress up, just inform them that it is a "themed costume party". Your guests will try to out-do each other with their creative costumes. It really makes things a lot of fun and makes decorating in a theme really worth the effort! My friends and I have one about once a month.
I think Martha is great, but no one should follow any entertaining "to the letter". These books are for just for ideas and Martha's ideas are some of the best, hence her empire.
Regarding the woman with the "waterfront property" whose party was a "fiasco", no one with a third home in Switzerland knows how to throw a party. Hence, the story is a total fraud by someone who harbors some sort of grudge. Did the shiitake gravy turn out badly for you in front of the husband's boss? She didn't realize that anyone with that much wealth would hire a professional party planner who would do all the work for them. I should know, I have a good friend is actually is a professional party planner. Whomever the "reader" with a grudge is, she's made a common nouveau riche (or no riche at all) mistake of misundersanding the role played by those in the upper classes. Marha isn't upper class (contrary to popular opinion). She's upper-middle class, the highest class who still cook at home for themselves during the holidays and for parties. Upper and lower don't mean "better" and "worse" - as class measures they're just indicators of lifestyle. Upper Middles have the most fun :)
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Summary: Dreadful. Our party was almost a fiasco
Review: We planned a wonderful dinner party for 100 guests at our waterfront home. I hired the best chef & event planner I could find and told them to follow this book. They said they many of the things just would not work or would take forever. We were saved at the last minute by a very resourceful neighbor who attended finishing school, graduated from Wellsley and has a third home in Switzerland. My husband was furious and threw the book away.
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