Audiobook Review: Minding Miss Manners: In an Era of Fake Etiquette by Judith Martin

Minding Miss Manners: In an Era of Fake Etiquette by Judith Martin
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Release Date: June 9, 2020
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

From the most trusted name in advice comes a fresh, contemporary guide to modern manners dilemmas.

Minding Miss Manners: In an Era of Fake Etiquette is a modern guide to modern manners. Facing down the miscreants purveying false etiquette rules (no, you may not wait a year to send a thank-you note for a gift and yes, in an age of social-media-encouraged over-familiarity you can politely refuse to answer nosy questions), Miss Manners guides you through these turbulent times with her timeless wisdom and archly acid wit.

This book was so fun. I love the art of etiquette (I have a huge Emily Post book) and I love dry wit. Miss Manners is the master of both! She addresses modern situations like crowd funding, bridezillas and social media.

Her answer to a person who didn’t like being touched had me laughing so hard I was crying. It’s especially funny because the narrator (Miss Manner’s real-life daughter) sounds just like I imagine Miss Manners does. The person who didn’t like being touched said that an acquaintance comes up behind them and scratches their back, and says she does it because she knows the person doesn’t like to be touched. The reader wants to know how they should handle this woman. Miss Manners responds:

“As your acquaintance considers that annoying people is amusing, Miss Manners hopes that she will enjoy you giving a piercing scream the minute she touches you and shouting, ‘What are you doing?’”

Miss Manners gives practical advice too but even that is rendered with perfect wit. And she cuts both ways – several of the letters are from rude people seeking advice on how to be acceptably rude. Miss Manners has no problem putting them in their place.

This book is a fun listen. The format makes it a good book to listen to even if you only have little chunks of time – you can listen to several letters in just a few minutes. The print edition would make a great Christmas gift for the etiquette lover on your shopping list. Highly recommended.

(I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook for review.)