Things You Need to Be Told

Rating:
Summary: Things The Etiquette Grrls Need to Be Told
Review: First of all, it is Very Tiresome to have things Randomly Capitalized. It may be Slightly Charming in the context of a Short Article, but in a Terribly Long Book it is distracting and Difficult To Read. Secondly, using Quaint Expressions is also Mildly Cute for awhile, but after they use the Childish Adjective "wee" for the twentieth time, it gets old as well. Dear Readers, are we really to think that The Etiquette Grrls speak this way in their Daily Lives? I doubt it. The Affected Tone of this book makes it Difficult To Relate To.

Another thing that makes it hard to relate to the Etiquette Grrls is their Attitudes. The only Actual Etiquette in this book involves things like introducing people to Each Other, and not talking on your cell 'phone (yes, they Do Indeed write it 'phone) During A Movie. The rest of the book is full of things like their fashion advice--which is not All That Good. Be warned, Dear Reader, that The Etiquette Grrls think the height of slightly edgy fashion is wearing Doc Martens and Urban Decay nail color. Also interesting is the Dating Advice, in which you learn that girls should not Ask Boys For a Date, and the best way to Manage Your Boyfriend is with a system of punishments based on the Demerit Systems of their New England Boarding Schools. Sadly, I am Not Kidding.

They also sound Quite A Bit Snobby, managing to offend my Southern Sensibilities by claiming that "Grits is not a food." They make fun of clothing, music choices, and events which are Not To Their Taste. Which seems to me to be The Height of Rudeness. I, like the Etiquette Grrls, do not enjoy NASCAR, but I would never suggest that it is not a "proper" place for anyone to be.

So the advice of The Etiquette Grrls will only Be Of Great Interest to other well-bred women who are products of New England boarding schools, and I'd imagine those "grrls" need no help from The Etiquette Grrls as they would have learned All Of These Things Already.

Rating:
Summary: Useful Information, and lots of fun
Review: This is a great book for young people who want to brush up on some etiquette. The Etiquette Grrls give many useful tips, but be aware: they are highly opinionated and have no problem telling you all about it. This is a great book to read for a laugh, but don't expect this to be "An Idiot's Guide to Etiquette". There are many bits of sound advice, including many things that most people would not think of. This is a great book, as long as you remember that this is for fun!!!

Rating:
Summary: Lifestyle book, not etiquette
Review: Make no mistake, this is a lifestyle book, not an etiquette book. Although extremely humorous and fun to read, it is 90% attitude and only 10% etiquette. How can you learn good manners from people who tell you "grits is NOT a food" -- indeed, good manners would suggest that you keep your food preferences to yourself. One should never make fun of other people's food, musical tastes, or clothing. Their self-congratulatory snot-princess style is grating. I'm at a loss for how mean-spirited, snobby spewings can be passed off as etiquette. If only "Miss Manner's Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior" was still in print! (Sigh)

Rating:
Summary: Millenial Manners
Review: So good, so perfect, so fitting, I bought a copy for my fiancé. Not because she needs a copy, but because she doesn't. The perfect gift!

Rating:
Summary: Funny, Helpful, but Limited
Review: I have been a fan of the Etiquette Grrls website for some time now, and felt compelled to buy their book. They provide a plethora of great tips on their site. This book is clearly written tongue-in-cheek, but at times the gals come across as pretentious and snobby. Definitely, they provide a significant amount of etiquette tips that are helpful to those of us ignorant beasties who want to be polite and thoughtful, but were raised in or around a pack of wolves. But their East Coast self-love and tradition will be less than entertaining and slightly snotty and inapplicable to many West Coasters. Also, this book is not for people under 18 due to the grrls rapture over the alcoholic drink. (Stumbling home drunk, by the way, is always boorish.) I would recommend the grrls write a book for younger folks as preventative medicine is the best medicine. This book is lightly entertaining and a very, very quick read.

Rating:
Summary: chock full of help
Review: Initially put off by a book written by "Grrls", I bought this book despite my misgivings. In a time when most people know about as much about manners as I do about changing a tire, the EGs have written what should become a modern reference for etiquette. I would suggest carrying several copies, and handing them to your coworkers as subtle hints to the way the world should work.

Rating:
Summary: A definate must-read.
Review: Read It! Laugh at the Funny Descriptions of the Heathen within yourself and those among us! There's a lot to Learn in this Book. You will Love it!

Rating:
Summary: Jolly good show, grrls!
Review: I received this book as a gift, and it was not a disappointment. With their tongue-in-cheek humor, they are informative while entertaining. I only wish I lived in New York so that I could attend one of their parties.

Rating:
Summary: Execllent Reading!!!!!
Review: This book is a must have for all people in thier 20's and 30's. The Grrls are informative, and sassy in thier writing style. They tell it like it is and make helpful suggestions. It is a great read!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Etiquette, FUN?
Review: Who would have thought it was possible?

As a fan of the Etiquette Grrls' website I've been familiar with their style of advice, dishing out humor hand in hand with etiquette advice for some time. Indeed they helped me by answering my questions about some sticky situations that arose when I was planning my wedding. I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of their book from the day I preordered it last spring. It finally arrived a little over a week ago and I wasn't disappointed.

Here is the perfect etiquette book for the younger generation, my generation. Yes, the tried and true etiquette books have a lot to teach us, I myself enjoy my 1952 edition of a venerable book on the subject, but the Etiquette Grrls bring etiquette to the twenty-first century. Cell phone and email etiquette (at last!). How to dress for a job interview, how to be fashionable without merely being trendy and "subversive" nail polish colors, are all covered.

My one (very small) problem is one the Grrls themselves seem to recognize, they're From New England (see the entry in the glossary regarding this term for a giggle) where some things, indeed a great many things are done more traditionally than in other parts of the country. Because of this they have a slightly different background and outlook from those who are not "From New England". However this background is what gives the Grrls the knowledge of what all those forks are for, or when to wear white shoes and a multitude of other every day dilemmas.

I know I thoroughly enjoyed the conversational tone of the book, the amusing etiquette examples and stories. The glossary is a highly amusing feature, especially for those who follow their website. A light, yet informative read that explains things well, "Things You Need to Be Told" has earned its place on my bookshelf.