Who doesn't love a good party? Clever concept, though admittedly, this was a skim for me. The author has compiled and annotated 40 different parties in literature from The book of Daniel in the Bible to Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce to Alice's Feast in Through the Looking Glass to the Chief of Police's Reception by Nicolai Golgol. It is an impressive collection that spans many ages and literary traditions, but what is more impressive is the author's thorough knowledge, not only of the work itself, but also some of the cultural traditions, the time period and the author's other works. Clearly this was extensively researched. Field also has a very droll commentary -- she has broken each one down to include the invitation, the guest list, the venue, the food/drinks served, the entertainment etc. as they apply, and she manages to make it very amusing from a by-stander's perspective. I read maybe a dozen-plus from the books I was familiar with (Gatsby, Mansfield Park, Bilbo Baggins Eleventy-First Birthday Party, Masque of the Red Death, the Prom from Stephen King's Carrie, and others). It was fun to delve into just that one scene from the story, since sometimes it was central and sometimes it wasn't, and it makes me want to read the books I haven't. This is more a perusal than a cover-to-cover cram. ( )

Eclectic look at the depiction of parties, soirees, banquets and balls across the whole history of literature, examining every dress code, menu, guest list and conversation. Possibly the first book to compare Joyce's Finnegan's Wake with Jackie Collins's Hollywood Wives (!)Has persuaded me to finally get around to certain books...

Here's a list of all 40 of the novels:

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/25215.The_Greatest_Parties_In_Literature_acco...


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