A Curious Invitation is an unusual but interesting book. Suzette Field has studied forty great parties in great literature and compiled her critiques of them in this book as a sort of Society Page for the literary minded. For each party she discusses the hosts, the venue, the invitation, the guest list, the dress code, the food and drink, the conversation, the entertainment, the outcome and the legacy. The parties are chosen from a wide selection of literature, including such diverse works as The Book of Daniel, Winnie-the-Pooh, The Tale of Genji, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’ Nest. Many, but not all, of these parties are given by and for the rich and powerful (or wannabes). They stretch throughout history, from ancient times to the science fictional future. England, the United States and Russia are the sites of the most parties in this book, but Peru, Japan, France, Middle Earth and Ancient Rome and Greece are also represented. All the parties are interesting and make for fun reading. The writer, Suzette Field, proclaims herself to be the “world’s greatest writer.” Perhaps this is a stretch, but her comments on the parties are pithy and amusing. Be it the grandeur of Vanity Fair and Mansfield Park, the glitz and glamour of Hollywood Wives or the common celebration of Cold Comfort Farm, there is a party in this book to interest every reader.
Check out A Curious Invitation @ the library!
