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A review by lagobond
The Provincial Lady in America by E.M. Delafield
5.0
Endlessly entertaining and fabulously funny. I just love Delafield's writing style so much. Her observations of social intercourse are clever, eloquent, exquisitely witty and at times downright snarky, and frequently hilarious.
I get the impression that the author probably had not visited America prior to writing this book, as most of what she writes about the places visited appears to have come from tourist brochures or books. But that's of course not the draw of this little gem... it's all about the frequently absurd polite interactions we force ourselves to have, in order to be considered civilized persons.
Yes there's a lot of repetition, a lot of talk about dinner parties and dresses and whatnot, so if you're looking for excitement and action this isn't the book for you. But if you you enjoy funny (and fairly ageless) social commentary, give The Provincial Lady a try. (Start with book 1: [b:Diary of a Provincial Lady|249823|Diary of a Provincial Lady|E.M. Delafield|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408938782l/249823._SX50_.jpg|242076])
I get the impression that the author probably had not visited America prior to writing this book, as most of what she writes about the places visited appears to have come from tourist brochures or books. But that's of course not the draw of this little gem... it's all about the frequently absurd polite interactions we force ourselves to have, in order to be considered civilized persons.
Yes there's a lot of repetition, a lot of talk about dinner parties and dresses and whatnot, so if you're looking for excitement and action this isn't the book for you. But if you you enjoy funny (and fairly ageless) social commentary, give The Provincial Lady a try. (Start with book 1: [b:Diary of a Provincial Lady|249823|Diary of a Provincial Lady|E.M. Delafield|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1408938782l/249823._SX50_.jpg|242076])