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Great Hostesses
From the back
"The days of the hostess may be over, but echoes of their sumptuous entertainments brighten the memories of many who dined at their tables.
There are fascinating portraits of some of the most famous hostesses of the twentieth century – the last Whig hostess, Lady Desborough, the last Queen of New York, Mrs Cornelius Vanderbilt, the political hostess Lady Londonderry and the lion hunter Sibyl Colefax. Mrs Ronnie Greville, who entertained half the crowned heads in Europe remarked ‘one uses up so many red carpets in a season,’ Mrs Stuyvesant Fish, the New Yorker, limited her dinners to 50 minutes, thus giving her guests indigestion.
The exploits of these hostesses are recounted with wit and in a style as entertaining as the subject.”
"The days of the hostess may be over, but echoes of their sumptuous entertainments brighten the memories of many who dined at their tables.
There are fascinating portraits of some of the most famous hostesses of the twentieth century – the last Whig hostess, Lady Desborough, the last Queen of New York, Mrs Cornelius Vanderbilt, the political hostess Lady Londonderry and the lion hunter Sibyl Colefax. Mrs Ronnie Greville, who entertained half the crowned heads in Europe remarked ‘one uses up so many red carpets in a season,’ Mrs Stuyvesant Fish, the New Yorker, limited her dinners to 50 minutes, thus giving her guests indigestion.
The exploits of these hostesses are recounted with wit and in a style as entertaining as the subject.”
276 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
About the author
Brian Masters
48 books82 followersBrian Masters is a British writer best known for his biographies of mass murderers, including Killing for Company, on Dennis Nilsen; The Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer; She Must Have Known, on Rosemary West; and The Evil That Men Do. He has also written about the British aristocracy and worked as a translator.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 4, 2015
Seven chapters in this book cover: Lady Desborough, the two Lady Londonderrys, Mrs Stuyvesant Fish and Mrs Vanderbilt, Mrs Ronnie Greville, Emerald Cunard, Sibyl Colefax, and Laura Corrigan. Between them they span a period from the end of the nineteenth century to the Second World War.
The first lesson that this book teaches one is that the art of being a first rate hostess is different to that of being a high profile celebrity. To be an expert in the art of entertaining is a lot harder than it sounds.
These were women who didn’t sub-out their party planning to professionals. They were individuals gifted in the art of filling their address books, identifying and drawing out the very best characteristics and talents of every guest, whilst contriving a relaxed and comfortable environment.
This book is so engagingly written that one almost longs to take a part in those glittering salons; wheras one would run a mile from the vacuous celebrity culture of today.
The first lesson that this book teaches one is that the art of being a first rate hostess is different to that of being a high profile celebrity. To be an expert in the art of entertaining is a lot harder than it sounds.
These were women who didn’t sub-out their party planning to professionals. They were individuals gifted in the art of filling their address books, identifying and drawing out the very best characteristics and talents of every guest, whilst contriving a relaxed and comfortable environment.
This book is so engagingly written that one almost longs to take a part in those glittering salons; wheras one would run a mile from the vacuous celebrity culture of today.
February 17, 2021
A slice of early 20th Century social history. An enjoyable, entertaining read with a few comical anecdotes & witticisms tossed in.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews