Party Pieces

'Today, for instance, they arranged a birthday party for me...They'd really pushed the boat out - lots of cakes, jellies, crisps, etc. And a great pile of sweetie-bags for me. Great, I thought. Finally my parents are giving me the lifestyle I deserve. Then they went and spoiled it by inviting a whole bunch of other toddlers to share the goodies!' Simon Brett, "Little Sod". "Party Pieces" takes the reader through the course of the party, from conception to its, sometimes messy, aftermath. Judith Martin gives us 'Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Bad Behaviour' on parties; Virginia Graham writes bitingly of the cocktail party, and Ogden Nash of the couple nervously waiting for their party to begin, in 'The Darkest Half-Hour'. Helen Fielding, Simon Brett and Gwen Raverat also share their views. Mixing modern quotes with selections from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and including poetry, prose and drama, this is a wonderful mix of the sharp and acerbic, the funny and wry. A jolly mixture with a dash of bitters, "Party Pieces" is the perfect stocking filler for anyone who's overindulged - and even for those who haven't.