Product Description

Whether your family is nuclear, blended, extended or unrelated; whether you are single, divorced, living together or married; at a family dinner or dinner party; engaged in combat with the neighbors or the relatives -- there is simply no substitute for the core of civility that must reside at the heart of every house, condo or apartment if it is truly to be a home. With her trademark wit and insight, Miss Manners knocks household discourteousness off its foundation by revealing the secrets of:

Getting the housework done when you can't complain about the servant problem -- because the servant is you
Kindling warm memories rather than heated conflict at family occasions
Making use of common rooms instead of turning them into a mess or a museum --  while everyone huddles in their respective allotted upstairs spaces alone
Reviving the art of entertaining to make friends who will love you for yourself (it beats staying home alone watching TV)
Being pleasant enough to the neighbors so you're not afraid to walk out your
own front door

Refusing to recognize that the harried household cannot meet proper standards of behavior, especially since all households are now harried, Miss Manners explains how to return a sense of propriety -- and most of all, tranquility -- to domestic life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #827462 in Books
• Published on: 2000-10-17
• Released on: 2000-10-17
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From Amazon.com
The world gets more confusing every day, and now even our family life can be unbearably complicated. There's one person who knows how to keep her poise in any social situation, and, fortunately for the rest of us, she has condensed her household wisdom into Miss Manners' Guide to Domestic Tranquility. Including questions from her column's readers, her delicately witty answers, and original essays on topics like "Child Rearing" and "Sabotaging Festivity" (one of these is a good thing, the other bad), the Guide is well-organized enough to use as a reference but also entertaining enough to browse on the way to grandma's house.

Miss Manners' style navigates the passage between refined and precious with ease, and is consistently endearing. She has correctly divined that the only way modern Americans will pay attention to etiquette advice is to couch it in gently humorous language, yet her seriousness pervades each sentence. Her advice on subjects ranging from resolving family feuds to surviving reunions to paying relatives for professional services is straightforward, unambiguous, and as pleasant as a flawless tea party. If you have a family, consider Miss Manners' Guide to Domestic Tranquility your instruction manual. --Rob Lightner

From Library Journal
In her never-ending quest for civility to all, with malice toward none, Miss Manners here tackles the most ticklish of relationships: those at home. Pointing out that mutual respect and consideration must be the cornerstone of any domestic establishment, she considers the myriad facets of living with family, friends, guests, and society in general in this latest offering to her Gentle Readers. She demonstrates the fine art of being courteous without being a doormat by reminding us that consideration of people is more important than that of money; that greed, no matter how cleverly embroidered, is still greed; and that concession in any form must be reciprocal. Best of all is Martin's sweetly genteel rapier wit. She provides a gentle reminder to boors of all types that they are not fooling anyone except themselves. Recommended for all public libraries.ASusan B. Hagloch, Tuscarawas Cty. P.L., New Philadelphia, OH
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Miss Manners, who has never hesitated to man the barricades in defense of courtesy and consideration among friends, acquaintances, and business associates, steps out in her Wellingtons in setting guidelines for civilized behavior at home. Nevertheless, she tries nobly to defend the idea of home as warm refuge against the harsh world and deplores the current trend to substituting entertainment center for cheery hearth, parties as opportunities for professional advancement instead of ``family merriment,'' and baking bread instead of breaking bread. As always, Martin (Miss Manners' Basic Training: The Right Thing to Say, 1998, etc.) is direct, pungent, and to the point. For instance, addressing the question ``Why can't private life be organized on a more businesslike basis?,'' Miss Manners opines: ``Because it's not a business. You can't fire the children.'' She bravely continues, in the familiar format combining short essays on the pros and cons of modern family life with questions and answers from her ``Gentle Readers,'' to address such matters as how to deal with step-relatives, ex-relatives, relatives who have long-term relationships with married men, and getting along with neighbors. Some questions concerning blended and extended families deserve her serious consideration. Others, such as whether to close the bathroom door in view of dinner guests (an issue of ``middle class morality''), leaves the readeras it leaves Miss Mannersquite concerned about a generation that must consult an expert about whether or not to leave the bathroom door open or closed. Similar questions include serving the soup or the salad first or whether having a close friend's child push for a charitable donation is appropriate. Miss Manners hopes that television is not dictating etiquette, but that homes are founded on ``respect, generosity, hospitality and shared time and resources.'' Miss Manners's readers may find assistance here in establishing those parameters. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.