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A review by hcq
Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That: A Modern Guide to Manners by Henry Alford
2.0
Very uneven. I'm always up for a new sense of perspective: "People are always saying how manners today have hit rock bottom, but have you ever read about the things that were considered perfectly normal to do in public three hundred years ago? My God!"
I also liked his musings on etiquette columns, why they interest us and how hard they are to write (including a mention of Umberto Eco, comparing the appeal of etiquette columns to the appeal of lists).
But, I hated, hated, hated his game of Touch the Waiter (as does everyone, apparently; it was mentioned with a sort of horrified fascination in every review I read, and even my husband commented on it). So creepy! I can't imagine the horror of going out to eat with this author. It's bad enough on its own, but then to encounter it in the context of a book on manners?
I simply cannot imagine why the editor of this book allowed that bit to stay. It was like a pickle on a sandwich plate; its icky juice poisoned everything it touched.
I also liked his musings on etiquette columns, why they interest us and how hard they are to write (including a mention of Umberto Eco, comparing the appeal of etiquette columns to the appeal of lists).
But, I hated, hated, hated his game of Touch the Waiter (as does everyone, apparently; it was mentioned with a sort of horrified fascination in every review I read, and even my husband commented on it). So creepy! I can't imagine the horror of going out to eat with this author. It's bad enough on its own, but then to encounter it in the context of a book on manners?
I simply cannot imagine why the editor of this book allowed that bit to stay. It was like a pickle on a sandwich plate; its icky juice poisoned everything it touched.