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Dinner at Antoine's
This Is A Reprint (Stated) Done Two Years After Original 1948 Release.
365 pages, hardcover
First published January 1, 1948
31 people are currently reading
944 people want to read
About the author
Frances Parkinson Keyes
143 books93 followersFrances Parkinson Keyes was an American author who wrote about her life as the wife of a U.S. Senator and novels set in New England, Louisiana, and Europe. A convert to Roman Catholicism, her later works frequently featured Catholic themes and beliefs. Her last name rhymes with "skies," not "keys."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
May 26, 2019
Oh (heavy handed) irony!
My copy physically started off like this;
and ended up like this;
That's right, the whole thing fell apart literally as well as figuratively.
The best parts were the descriptions of Antoine's and it's decadent sounding menus and descriptions of Creole traditions like Carnivale. The worst was pretty much everything else. Minor irritations were a romance between two characters who clearly weren't relevant to the murder mystery & who did very little to drive the plot forward and the meandering pace (often with a lot of moralising) What really bugged me was the thick patois given to black maidservant Tossie, especially at the start of the story. This was a difficult read not just for me, but for any reader not from the American South. & FPK wasn't even consistent with it - Tossie's speech became far more intelligible as the story went on (& on & on...) The supposedly astute, Foxworth changes from
The most tedious of all was the approximately 40 page epilogue about what happened to all the characters after All is Revealed. I felt very little interest in the outcome for anyone but Sabin. & I was able to stop reading at 92% - for a couple of days. Normally for me to stop that late in a book it would have to be because of work or because my house was on fire!
If you want to try some of her writings on the South I would recommend
Or if you want to see FPK make a better attempt at a murder mystery there is
Just so hard to believe this rubbish is FPK's best known book. what is left of this book is heading for my recycling bin - now!
My copy physically started off like this;
and ended up like this;
That's right, the whole thing fell apart literally as well as figuratively.
The best parts were the descriptions of Antoine's and it's decadent sounding menus and descriptions of Creole traditions like Carnivale. The worst was pretty much everything else. Minor irritations were a romance between two characters who clearly weren't relevant to the murder mystery & who did very little to drive the plot forward and the meandering pace (often with a lot of moralising) What really bugged me was the thick patois given to black maidservant Tossie, especially at the start of the story. This was a difficult read not just for me, but for any reader not from the American South. & FPK wasn't even consistent with it - Tossie's speech became far more intelligible as the story went on (& on & on...) The supposedly astute, Foxworth changes from
The most tedious of all was the approximately 40 page epilogue about what happened to all the characters after All is Revealed. I felt very little interest in the outcome for anyone but Sabin. & I was able to stop reading at 92% - for a couple of days. Normally for me to stop that late in a book it would have to be because of work or because my house was on fire!
If you want to try some of her writings on the South I would recommend
Or if you want to see FPK make a better attempt at a murder mystery there is
Just so hard to believe this rubbish is FPK's best known book. what is left of this book is heading for my recycling bin - now!
April 3, 2014
This book is like a fun old movie one enjoys watching on a rainy day. It's not the best quality, but it's just so darned entertaining!
The social mores, morals, fashions, food and drink are so detailed, it makes this a fun read. (There is a long description of making pressed duck!) It is a fast read despite all the details. That's because Keyes writes all those details with plenty of clarity.
It was such a popular book in its days that it is easy to find at thrift stores, libraries, garage sales. You can borrow or buy it super cheap.
Enjoy!
Although I've read the book three times, and visited New Orleans, I never had a desire to go to Antoine's. New Orleans area has the best food ever.
The social mores, morals, fashions, food and drink are so detailed, it makes this a fun read. (There is a long description of making pressed duck!) It is a fast read despite all the details. That's because Keyes writes all those details with plenty of clarity.
It was such a popular book in its days that it is easy to find at thrift stores, libraries, garage sales. You can borrow or buy it super cheap.
Enjoy!
Although I've read the book three times, and visited New Orleans, I never had a desire to go to Antoine's. New Orleans area has the best food ever.
June 5, 2018
I love Frances Parkinson Keyes' books so I am a little disappointed that I can only give this one 3 stars as it is not as good as others of hers that I have read.
It's set in New Orleans in the 1940s and starts with Orson Foxworth, a businessman who does much of his business in central America, celebrating his return to New Orleans by giving a dinner in Antoines restaurant. The dinner is held in the 1840 room which is a private room celebrating the year of opening of Antoine's which is a real life restaurant still in business in New Orleans. I always want to visit New Orleans when I read Frances Parkinson Keyes' books set there and this is no exception.
Orson is hoping to renew his relationship with a rich widow, Amelie Lalande. All is going well until 36 hours after the dinner Odile, Amelie's married daughter, is found dead next to a pistol and note. But was it suicide or murder? There follows a murder mystery with a lot of romance thrown in. I found it all too contrived as there were several romances that seemed to go from nothing to intense, and even marriage, in the short paces of days over which the book is set. And of course just about everyone at the dinner had a motive to kill Odile.
Tossie Pride is the black personal maid of Odile since her childhood. There is a lot of racial language which was acceptable at the time this was written but grates now. Just as grating was the phonetic language used for Tossie's speech which was not only very stereotyped but very hard to understand as a reader.
Not my favourite Frances Parkinson Keyes book but I will still read all her others as I do love her books in general and learning a little about the area and period she write them in, frequently about life post World War II in New Orleans as this one is.
It's set in New Orleans in the 1940s and starts with Orson Foxworth, a businessman who does much of his business in central America, celebrating his return to New Orleans by giving a dinner in Antoines restaurant. The dinner is held in the 1840 room which is a private room celebrating the year of opening of Antoine's which is a real life restaurant still in business in New Orleans. I always want to visit New Orleans when I read Frances Parkinson Keyes' books set there and this is no exception.
Orson is hoping to renew his relationship with a rich widow, Amelie Lalande. All is going well until 36 hours after the dinner Odile, Amelie's married daughter, is found dead next to a pistol and note. But was it suicide or murder? There follows a murder mystery with a lot of romance thrown in. I found it all too contrived as there were several romances that seemed to go from nothing to intense, and even marriage, in the short paces of days over which the book is set. And of course just about everyone at the dinner had a motive to kill Odile.
Tossie Pride is the black personal maid of Odile since her childhood. There is a lot of racial language which was acceptable at the time this was written but grates now. Just as grating was the phonetic language used for Tossie's speech which was not only very stereotyped but very hard to understand as a reader.
Not my favourite Frances Parkinson Keyes book but I will still read all her others as I do love her books in general and learning a little about the area and period she write them in, frequently about life post World War II in New Orleans as this one is.
September 5, 2016
I've walked past Keyes restored house in the French Quarter fairly often, and each time I would wonder: why don't people read Keyes any more? Then I found Dinner at Antoine's among some free paperbacks and finally read something by her. I no longer wonder.
It's slow going. Lots of characters (every one a murder suspect), they all talk the same (except for the black servants, who talk in Uncle Remus), and none talk like humans, nor act like them either. Overwritten, overwrought, overly ornate, and without a sense of place. Given that it's set in New Orleans high society, that placelessness may be the book's greatest feat.
It's slow going. Lots of characters (every one a murder suspect), they all talk the same (except for the black servants, who talk in Uncle Remus), and none talk like humans, nor act like them either. Overwritten, overwrought, overly ornate, and without a sense of place. Given that it's set in New Orleans high society, that placelessness may be the book's greatest feat.
March 9, 2011
For my upcoming New Orleans trip, everyone mentioned this as a classic New Orleans novel. But it's old and creaky. Written in a totally different style. And a black Mammy talking in stereotypical New Orleans dialog. For such a fluff novel it took forever to read. It's technically about a murder, but the murder happens in the third chapter, is not really a very interesting crime and then it gets dragged out and not resolved until the final two chapters. The middle just reads like a lot of society fluff. Blah. It took much longer to read than it should have. However, I want to have a drink at Antoine's. Dinner seems expensive.
September 7, 2013
By the time I got halfway through this monstrosity I was ready to admit I'd killed Odile if we could just get the story overwith.
October 3, 2022
Frances Parkinson Keyesin kenties tunnetuin mutta ei ilmeisesti paras romaani "Antoinen päivälliset" (Gummerus, 1960) ilmestyi alun perin vuonna 1948. Lukulistalleni se päätyi taannoisen USA:n matkani jälkeen, jolloin vierailin sekä Antoines'n kuuluisassa ravintolassa että kirjailijalle omistetussa historiallisessa kotimuseossa.
"Antoinen päivälliset" on vähän kömpelö sekoitus dekkaria ja yläluokkaista ihmissuhdedraamaa. Tarinan henkiöt etsivät itselleen passeleita kumppaneita New Orleansin paremmista piireistä, pettävät ja pettyvät, juonittelevat ja käyvät aina välillä syömässä edellämainitussa ravintolassa. Se ei kuitenkaan ole vielä riittävästi, sillä myös kuolema käy korjaamassa satoaan.
Parantumatonta tautia sairastava nuori rouva löytyy nimittäin itsemurhan tehneenä omasta huoneestaan - paitsi että kyseessä taitaa olla kylmäverinen murha. Kuka mahtaa olla syyllinen? Kelvoton aviomies, iäkäs musta palvelija, kaunis pikkusisko, huikentelevainen äitimuori vai kenties joku muu rikkaan suvun lähipiiristä?
Näistä aineksista olisi saanut keitettyä ihan kiinnostavan murhamysteerin ja alku onkin lupaava. Valitettavasti Keyes ei osaa pitää jännitystä yllä, vaan tuhlaa sivuja pääjuonen kannalta toissijaisiin käänteisiin. Loppuratkaisu ei ole sekään kummoinen ja murhaajan motiivi tuntuu ainakin nykylukijasta hieman kummalliselta. Lisäksi henkilöiden kuvaus on vähän epäuskottavaa, eivätkä heidän tekemänsä päätökset tunnu aina järkeenkäyviltä.
No, tulipa luettua, vaikka pettymykseksi osoittautui!
"Antoinen päivälliset" on vähän kömpelö sekoitus dekkaria ja yläluokkaista ihmissuhdedraamaa. Tarinan henkiöt etsivät itselleen passeleita kumppaneita New Orleansin paremmista piireistä, pettävät ja pettyvät, juonittelevat ja käyvät aina välillä syömässä edellämainitussa ravintolassa. Se ei kuitenkaan ole vielä riittävästi, sillä myös kuolema käy korjaamassa satoaan.
Parantumatonta tautia sairastava nuori rouva löytyy nimittäin itsemurhan tehneenä omasta huoneestaan - paitsi että kyseessä taitaa olla kylmäverinen murha. Kuka mahtaa olla syyllinen? Kelvoton aviomies, iäkäs musta palvelija, kaunis pikkusisko, huikentelevainen äitimuori vai kenties joku muu rikkaan suvun lähipiiristä?
Näistä aineksista olisi saanut keitettyä ihan kiinnostavan murhamysteerin ja alku onkin lupaava. Valitettavasti Keyes ei osaa pitää jännitystä yllä, vaan tuhlaa sivuja pääjuonen kannalta toissijaisiin käänteisiin. Loppuratkaisu ei ole sekään kummoinen ja murhaajan motiivi tuntuu ainakin nykylukijasta hieman kummalliselta. Lisäksi henkilöiden kuvaus on vähän epäuskottavaa, eivätkä heidän tekemänsä päätökset tunnu aina järkeenkäyviltä.
No, tulipa luettua, vaikka pettymykseksi osoittautui!
July 14, 2023
I remember seeing this book on my parents' bookshelf as a kid, and even attempted to read it before abandoning it for being boring. I maybe should have listened to younger me.
This book is so of its time that the scenes play out in soft focus black and white in your head. The plotting is oh so slow, and even when it turns into a murder mystery the pace remains...languid. As a look into the food and culture of New Orleans (the author includes several real places and people in her narrative), and as a glimpse into post-war issues, it's actually quite interesting, but the characters are pretty one-dimensional, there's unhealthy helpings of racism and sexism, the mystery itself is depressing, and there are so. many. descriptions.
It's pretty cool, though, that Antoine's still exists in New Orleans.
This book is so of its time that the scenes play out in soft focus black and white in your head. The plotting is oh so slow, and even when it turns into a murder mystery the pace remains...languid. As a look into the food and culture of New Orleans (the author includes several real places and people in her narrative), and as a glimpse into post-war issues, it's actually quite interesting, but the characters are pretty one-dimensional, there's unhealthy helpings of racism and sexism, the mystery itself is depressing, and there are so. many. descriptions.
It's pretty cool, though, that Antoine's still exists in New Orleans.
October 9, 2019
I loved this book! First, it is set in New Orleans, so points given for that. Second, the author very cleverly constructed a scenario in which the entire cast of main characters had motive and opportunity to commit a murder, including the victim herself! There was question if the murder was actually suicide. I really enjoyed the author's craftiness. Third, I found it most enjoyable to read the language spoken in that time period (1948). All the nefarious and naughty behaviors one might expect in a contemporary novel were described in this novel, but without the graphic detail, and gratuitous profane and crass language so prevalent these days. I found that most refreshing! This was the first book I read by this author, and I look forward to reading more.
January 5, 2015
Really enjoyed this book set in the 1940's. It is true to the time period. I read it because I found it in my grandmother's books with a note that she had made that she and my grandfather had dined at Antoine's in 1956 and thoroughly enjoyed their experience. This gave the book a more special meaning knowing that not only had she read it, but that she had been to the restaurant.
February 20, 2016
One of the 2016 Read Harder challenges is to read a book from the decade of your birth. For me, that would be the 1940s as I was born in the first half of the last century. Frances Parkinson Keyes' novel Dinner at Antoine's hit number 3 on the 1948 Best Sellers list as determined by Publishers Weekly, and was number 6 on the same list for 1949. This seemed like a good book to read for the challenge.
My first observation is that readers had a much longer attention span sixty plus years ago. I dare say you'd be hard pressed to find a 366 page murder mystery written recently, and that's 366 pages of relatively small print. As engaging as the story is, this is not an overnight read. I would note that Dan Brown's long novels, e.g. The DaVinci Code, are not really murder mysteries so much as they are adventure/intrigue stories, which is a completely different category. My next observation is that language changes over time, even over the relatively short period of the sixty-seven years of this book's life. What, for example, is an "English Basement," a term Keyes uses to describe the entrance to a New York City restaurant? (I hasten to note that various dictionaries are able to define the term, and indeed it apparently is still in use on the East Coast for what, in my part of the country is called a Garden Apartment.) Still, today's reader may find the language here a bit stilted, and the conversations even more so. The speech of the black nanny (and yes, there are characters in the book who refer to her as a Nigger), is so strongly written as to make Butterfly McQueen's famous line about "birthin'" babies sound positively Shakespearean. If any black person ever spoke the way Tossie Pride speaks, it must be because she thought that that's what white folk expected. At least that's my perspective from 2016.
Make no mistake, this is a novel set among the upper class. Even the "poorest" white folk in the novel have servants, and engaging a private room at a fancy restaurant for a dinner party of 8 or 10 is to be expected, not extraordinary. Three such meals take place in the eight days covered in the story.
Antoine's is a real New Orleans restaurant, open since 1840 which makes it, according to some sources, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States. The restaurant created the dish Oysters Rockefeller, and many of the dishes mentioned in the novel are on the 2016 menu, so as in all things New Orleans, tradition plays an important part--and it certainly does in the story as well.
Keyes (whose name rhymes with Prize or Skies), was born in Virginia, was educated all around Europe, grew up tri-lingual, and at age 18 married a future U.S. Senator from New Hampshire. She knew intimately the kind of life she describes in her novel, and after her husband's death in 1938, she traveled extensively, eventually ending up in New Orleans where she bought and refurbished a mansion on Chartres St. in the French Quarter. She converted to Catholicism, and indeed, most of the characters in this novel are members of the Roman Catholic church. She believed that women should approach the marriage altar as virgins, and that moral code plays a heavy role throughout the novel--another distinguishing feature from many modern tales. And yes, I know that people had sex outside of marriage in 1948 and even before, but that's not what a proper lady would do in a FPKeyes novel.
This is a murder mystery, and Keyes' Catholic faith even plays into that scenario. The question upon finding the corpse is not so much who killed the victim as it is whether the deed was murder or suicide. If the latter, it is very clear that the church will have no part in the victim's funeral, nor will the victim be buried on consecrated ground. And if it is murder, there are plenty of potential suspects to pick from, all of whom had opportunity and most of whom had obvious motives. So which was it, and if murder, who pulled the trigger? That's the question that Keyes takes over three hundred pages to answer.
In a satisfying (to this reader) literary convention, the book ends with an "Envoi," eight sections following the twenty-three chapters, giving us a follow up on the main characters of the novel and what has happened in their lives in the year after the events of January 1948, the month in which all twenty-three chapters are set.
Reading this bit of literary history, I got caught up in the story. I've read a great many murder mysteries set in New Orleans, one of my favorite cities. This one stands out because of the great amount of detail Keyes uses to describe the minutiae of upper class New Orleans life. I look forward to reading more of Keyes books (over 50 published between 1919 and her death in 1970), and I heartily recommend this, her most popular work, to anyone interested in period literature, New Orleans high society, or just plain fun.
My first observation is that readers had a much longer attention span sixty plus years ago. I dare say you'd be hard pressed to find a 366 page murder mystery written recently, and that's 366 pages of relatively small print. As engaging as the story is, this is not an overnight read. I would note that Dan Brown's long novels, e.g. The DaVinci Code, are not really murder mysteries so much as they are adventure/intrigue stories, which is a completely different category. My next observation is that language changes over time, even over the relatively short period of the sixty-seven years of this book's life. What, for example, is an "English Basement," a term Keyes uses to describe the entrance to a New York City restaurant? (I hasten to note that various dictionaries are able to define the term, and indeed it apparently is still in use on the East Coast for what, in my part of the country is called a Garden Apartment.) Still, today's reader may find the language here a bit stilted, and the conversations even more so. The speech of the black nanny (and yes, there are characters in the book who refer to her as a Nigger), is so strongly written as to make Butterfly McQueen's famous line about "birthin'" babies sound positively Shakespearean. If any black person ever spoke the way Tossie Pride speaks, it must be because she thought that that's what white folk expected. At least that's my perspective from 2016.
Make no mistake, this is a novel set among the upper class. Even the "poorest" white folk in the novel have servants, and engaging a private room at a fancy restaurant for a dinner party of 8 or 10 is to be expected, not extraordinary. Three such meals take place in the eight days covered in the story.
Antoine's is a real New Orleans restaurant, open since 1840 which makes it, according to some sources, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the United States. The restaurant created the dish Oysters Rockefeller, and many of the dishes mentioned in the novel are on the 2016 menu, so as in all things New Orleans, tradition plays an important part--and it certainly does in the story as well.
Keyes (whose name rhymes with Prize or Skies), was born in Virginia, was educated all around Europe, grew up tri-lingual, and at age 18 married a future U.S. Senator from New Hampshire. She knew intimately the kind of life she describes in her novel, and after her husband's death in 1938, she traveled extensively, eventually ending up in New Orleans where she bought and refurbished a mansion on Chartres St. in the French Quarter. She converted to Catholicism, and indeed, most of the characters in this novel are members of the Roman Catholic church. She believed that women should approach the marriage altar as virgins, and that moral code plays a heavy role throughout the novel--another distinguishing feature from many modern tales. And yes, I know that people had sex outside of marriage in 1948 and even before, but that's not what a proper lady would do in a FPKeyes novel.
This is a murder mystery, and Keyes' Catholic faith even plays into that scenario. The question upon finding the corpse is not so much who killed the victim as it is whether the deed was murder or suicide. If the latter, it is very clear that the church will have no part in the victim's funeral, nor will the victim be buried on consecrated ground. And if it is murder, there are plenty of potential suspects to pick from, all of whom had opportunity and most of whom had obvious motives. So which was it, and if murder, who pulled the trigger? That's the question that Keyes takes over three hundred pages to answer.
In a satisfying (to this reader) literary convention, the book ends with an "Envoi," eight sections following the twenty-three chapters, giving us a follow up on the main characters of the novel and what has happened in their lives in the year after the events of January 1948, the month in which all twenty-three chapters are set.
Reading this bit of literary history, I got caught up in the story. I've read a great many murder mysteries set in New Orleans, one of my favorite cities. This one stands out because of the great amount of detail Keyes uses to describe the minutiae of upper class New Orleans life. I look forward to reading more of Keyes books (over 50 published between 1919 and her death in 1970), and I heartily recommend this, her most popular work, to anyone interested in period literature, New Orleans high society, or just plain fun.
April 28, 2015
If there's one thing that you know about Frances Parkinson Keyes, it's that she loved New Orleans. Though she was originally from New England, she made the Crescent City her home and inspiration.
So it's no surprise that "Dinner at Antoine's" drips with the sensual richness of that city in the last days before World War II. It's half murder mystery, half soap opera -- a murder is the complicating action of the plot, but it's got lots of affairs, lies, secrets and other fun things. The one thing that galls is... well, this was written in the late forties, so the racial aspects will make modern skins crawl.
Playboy Orson Foxworth introduces his niece Ruth to the rich'n'famous denizens of New Orleans -- especially beautiful Amelie Lalande, a self-absorbed widow whom Foxworth wants as a lover, but is willing to marry. Amelie's family is a burgeoning soap opera -- her elder daughter Odile is desperately trying to hide a debilitating disease, while younger daughter Caresse is on the verge of an affair with Odile's sleazy husband Leonce.
Then Odile spills wine on herself and rushes out of Antoine's, hysterical. And Amelie rejects Foxworth's proposal -- since Odile is so sick, she can't leave her poor invalid daughter alone.
Except Odile is then found in her bedroom. She's been drugged and shot through the heart with a pistol that was given to her by an ex-lover. Was it her selfish mother? Her jealous sister? The sleazy cheating husband who wanted to be rid of her? Her devoted mammy? The ex-lover who still passionately loves her? The lives of everyone around Odile are irrevocably changed before the person who killed her is revealed.
"Dinner At Antoine's" is in some way a love letter to New Orleans -- luxurious restaurants, beautiful clothes, passionate romance and some moderate decadence. Little shreds of New England prudery pop up every now and then, but Keyes' love for New Orleans shines out of every scene, whether it's the graveyards or the wild dancing at nightclubs.
And she crafts a pretty decent murder mystery, deftly juggling the police investigation with the soap-opera antics of some of the characters. There are a lot of passionate declarations of love, false accusations, broken engagements and other fun antics -- not to mention the luxuriant descriptions of houses, restaurants and clothing. But she ties off all the plot threads and clues neatly, in a way that doesn't seem too far-fetched, but is still baffling before you know what happened.
At first it seems like Ruth will be the protagonist, since she's a smart, independent young woman who is also an outsider to the group of suspects -- in fact, she's almost the only one with no motive at all. But it turns out to be more of an ensemble piece, with the perspective floating between Caresse, Foxworth, reporter Joe Racina and various other characters. Most irritating: Amelie Lalande, an aging ingenue who floats around in a cloud of pseudo-pious artificiality.
Unfortunately, there's an uncomfortable problem with "Dinner At Antoine's" -- while Keyes' depiction of African-Americans was probably pretty sensitive in 1947, it comes across as unintentionally racist today. The whole mammy thing is particularly awkward, but to Keyes' credit, she depicts Tossie as a warm and strong-willed person.
If you can look past the dated aspects of the narrative, "Dinner at Antoine's" is a delicious little novel that straddles the line between murder mystery and love letter to New Orleans. It makes one wonder why Keyes didn't write more mysteries.
So it's no surprise that "Dinner at Antoine's" drips with the sensual richness of that city in the last days before World War II. It's half murder mystery, half soap opera -- a murder is the complicating action of the plot, but it's got lots of affairs, lies, secrets and other fun things. The one thing that galls is... well, this was written in the late forties, so the racial aspects will make modern skins crawl.
Playboy Orson Foxworth introduces his niece Ruth to the rich'n'famous denizens of New Orleans -- especially beautiful Amelie Lalande, a self-absorbed widow whom Foxworth wants as a lover, but is willing to marry. Amelie's family is a burgeoning soap opera -- her elder daughter Odile is desperately trying to hide a debilitating disease, while younger daughter Caresse is on the verge of an affair with Odile's sleazy husband Leonce.
Then Odile spills wine on herself and rushes out of Antoine's, hysterical. And Amelie rejects Foxworth's proposal -- since Odile is so sick, she can't leave her poor invalid daughter alone.
Except Odile is then found in her bedroom. She's been drugged and shot through the heart with a pistol that was given to her by an ex-lover. Was it her selfish mother? Her jealous sister? The sleazy cheating husband who wanted to be rid of her? Her devoted mammy? The ex-lover who still passionately loves her? The lives of everyone around Odile are irrevocably changed before the person who killed her is revealed.
"Dinner At Antoine's" is in some way a love letter to New Orleans -- luxurious restaurants, beautiful clothes, passionate romance and some moderate decadence. Little shreds of New England prudery pop up every now and then, but Keyes' love for New Orleans shines out of every scene, whether it's the graveyards or the wild dancing at nightclubs.
And she crafts a pretty decent murder mystery, deftly juggling the police investigation with the soap-opera antics of some of the characters. There are a lot of passionate declarations of love, false accusations, broken engagements and other fun antics -- not to mention the luxuriant descriptions of houses, restaurants and clothing. But she ties off all the plot threads and clues neatly, in a way that doesn't seem too far-fetched, but is still baffling before you know what happened.
At first it seems like Ruth will be the protagonist, since she's a smart, independent young woman who is also an outsider to the group of suspects -- in fact, she's almost the only one with no motive at all. But it turns out to be more of an ensemble piece, with the perspective floating between Caresse, Foxworth, reporter Joe Racina and various other characters. Most irritating: Amelie Lalande, an aging ingenue who floats around in a cloud of pseudo-pious artificiality.
Unfortunately, there's an uncomfortable problem with "Dinner At Antoine's" -- while Keyes' depiction of African-Americans was probably pretty sensitive in 1947, it comes across as unintentionally racist today. The whole mammy thing is particularly awkward, but to Keyes' credit, she depicts Tossie as a warm and strong-willed person.
If you can look past the dated aspects of the narrative, "Dinner at Antoine's" is a delicious little novel that straddles the line between murder mystery and love letter to New Orleans. It makes one wonder why Keyes didn't write more mysteries.
November 4, 2011
Since I'm going to visit New Orleans and probably see the house where this book was written, I thought I'd give it a read. All I can say is that writing styles have changed since 1948 when Keyes authored it. In investigating the mystery I kept thinking, "Why don't they just test the blood to see whose it was?" Of course, in 1948 that technology didn't exist! So....if you're interested in reading a classic that differs with today's suspense/mystery writing style, check this book out. Otherwise, move on.
March 29, 2022
Read in 2017 and 2022.
EDIT: My thoughts still remain from the first time i read this book 5 years ago.
Rating: 5 Stars!!
Review:
Thank you to my neighbor who gave this book to me.
The Characters are so interesting to read about. I Loved all the characters are they came off as enjoyable.
The Setting was so interesting to read about and made me feel like i was actually in New Orleans in the 1940s.
Really felt like i was in the 1940s when reading it.
Can't wait to explore more books by this author in the future!!
EDIT: My thoughts still remain from the first time i read this book 5 years ago.
Rating: 5 Stars!!
Review:
Thank you to my neighbor who gave this book to me.
The Characters are so interesting to read about. I Loved all the characters are they came off as enjoyable.
The Setting was so interesting to read about and made me feel like i was actually in New Orleans in the 1940s.
Really felt like i was in the 1940s when reading it.
Can't wait to explore more books by this author in the future!!
July 5, 2011
This is not one of her best books but I think it is the most famous because of the legendary New Orleans restaurant [http://www.antoines.com/]. When my father was on sabbatical at Tulane, I went to visit and went to lunch at Antoine's with my parents. We especially enjoyed their signature Pommes du Terres Souffles. An autographed copy of the book is on display at the restaurant and it is mentioned on their website.
September 18, 2011
"Senator Marlowe's Daughter" has been one of my favorite books for years, so I wanted to read another book by this author. While quite different, this book didn't disappoint. I particularly enjoyed the multiple point of view from the characters.
Having lived in Louisiana, I also enjoyed the lush portrayal of New Orleans and surrounding area.
The book is full of well-drawn characters in a carefully conceived plot. Very enjoyable.
Having lived in Louisiana, I also enjoyed the lush portrayal of New Orleans and surrounding area.
The book is full of well-drawn characters in a carefully conceived plot. Very enjoyable.
Read
July 30, 2012Since I live in New Orleans and have visited the Keyes home, I found this very interesting. It is definitely a reflection of the date it was written (1948) as far as attitudes about servants and women. But the characterizations were interesting and the mystery provocative. It kept my attention and was a fun read.
August 7, 2012
I really enjoyed this fun murder mystery. The author has a lot to say about socially acceptable behavior in the '40s, and the characterizations are definitely of that time. The women and servants are pretty heavily stereotyped. But the characters are different and interesting, the plot moves forward at a steady pace, and the quaint writing is entertaining. I thought it was fun and engaging.
Want to read
November 17, 2009Thinking of reading Rebecca so many years ago--I remembered that I also love Frances Parkinson Keyes. So I plan to reread Dinner at Antoines and River Road. I've never been able to visit New Orleans with out flashbacks to these books--even thought I can't remember the plots.
February 24, 2013
Wow, what a journey through a time of misogynism and racism. After reading this book, you won't pine for the "good old days." Not to mention everyone talked too much about nothing, and too little about what was important. What a shallow world the author created.
September 3, 2011
Read some ratings of this book. Of course the feminine archetype is stifled and not equal to a man's place in society. look at the time this book was written. duh
January 18, 2025
This book is about a hundred years old, one of the most popular mysteries (and authors) of its time. It takes place in New Orleans, and that’s exactly where I picked it up, at a bookstore there hawking native works. Since Antoine’s (the restaurant) still exists, it was intriguing after we ate there to pick up a book featuring the same, and many other Nawlins sights, to see what the public was glomming onto back then. It was a classic whodunit, and did not disappoint. (BTW, I cannot say the same about the restaurant. Antoine is credited with inventing oysters rockefeller, which I absolutely adore. However, what they served up the day we ate there was the worst version I have ever tasted. Ugh. Bad. 🤣)
March 17, 2022
Even though the dates don’t reflect it, I really liked this book. However, it got a little long-winded at times. I recommend reading it if one has been to New Orleans because it’s so much easier to imagine. I figured it out, which is unusual for me.
February 6, 2025
Wanted to read this after our NO trip and dinner at Antoine’s. Fun mystery.
March 9, 2018
This year I want to read some of the books I saved from my mother's library. I started with this one because it was on top of the pile. Published after WWII and set in New Orleans, it definitely feels dated, particularly in the portrayal of women and minorities. However, the characters and story are compelling and more interesting than I anticipated. I especially liked the resolution of the mystery storyline. It is always an interesting experience to feel sympathy for the murderer. Keyes does a great job of establishing the atmosphere of New Orleans, and I enjoyed that aspect of the book. I can really see why my mom liked this book, and why she kept it for so many years, rereading it several times.
May 13, 2020
I picked this up when I toured Keyes' home in New Orleans years ago and finally read it. (Note: Penciled price inside cover says $40! I hope I didn't pay that much for it in a weak moment. I can't imagine that I would have!) Anyways, this was a fun read, only because of the luscious descriptions of food, fashion, and Carnival mores. Unfortunately, the racism, sexism, classism, and unrealistic romances have to be tolerated in light of the time and place it was written, and the solution to the mystery was apparent almost as soon as it happened. I can't recommend it to anyone except maybe an historian, but I enjoyed remembering wandering through the delights of the French Quarter.
October 21, 2017
Set in New Orleans, this murder mystery has so much charm. Ruth was really only coming to visit her uncle and experience Carnival, but then Odile is shot, and the mystery ensues. Keyes characters are spot on for the time and setting, and she incorporated real people she met while living in New Orleans into her story. The introduction in my edition about Keyes was wonderful as well- Keyes liked to live in the settings of her novels before writing them, and she was enchanted by New Orleans (as she well should have been!).
June 25, 2019
I bought this book after touring the Beauregard-Keyes House and two years later, I finally finished it. It's a long book, but the style of writing is hard to get through at times, especially the servants' dialogue. The lifestyle and views are antiquated as well so I had to remember that as I read it. Once I got that in my head, I enjoyed the book for it's soap opera like quality and for the amazing details of New Orleans and society life in the 40s. It's not much of a mystery, but more of a romance novel. I enjoyed it for its look into that time period.
May 12, 2017
A mystery set in New Orleans after WWII, this book was a fun read. Coming in at 479 pages of really small font, a good editor could have cut out at least 100 pages.
Lots of wonderful characters carefully developed; elegant rooms, clothes, jewelry, accessories sometimes over described. It was fun and interesting reading about the social mores of the day.
All in all, a good read even if tedious in places.
Lots of wonderful characters carefully developed; elegant rooms, clothes, jewelry, accessories sometimes over described. It was fun and interesting reading about the social mores of the day.
All in all, a good read even if tedious in places.
September 28, 2019
This was a fun whodunnit of the Agatha Christie school, with a large cast of characters, most of them possible suspects with their individual motives, and a lot of dead ends. The best part about it is the depiction of early 20th century New Orleans, with all its flavor and detailed descriptions. None of the characters are particularly relatable or likable, not even the dead woman, but of course the reader is still rooting for a solution to the murder.
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