maplessence's review
2.0
Oh (heavy handed) irony!
My copy physically started off like this;
and ended up like this;
That's right, the whole thing fell apart literally as well as figuratively.
The best parts were the descriptions of Antoine's and it's decadent sounding menus and descriptions of Creole traditions like Carnivale. The worst was pretty much everything else. Minor irritations were a romance between two characters who clearly weren't relevant to the murder mystery & who did very little to drive the plot forward and the meandering pace (often with a lot of moralising) What really bugged me was the thick patois given to black maidservant Tossie, especially at the start of the story. This was a difficult read not just for me, but for any reader not from the American South. & FPK wasn't even consistent with it - Tossie's speech became far more intelligible as the story went on (& on & on...) The supposedly astute, Foxworth changes from
The most tedious of all was the approximately 40 page epilogue about what happened to all the characters after All is Revealed. I felt very little interest in the outcome for anyone but Sabin. & I was able to stop reading at 92% - for a couple of days. Normally for me to stop that late in a book it would have to be because of work or because my house was on fire!
If you want to try some of her writings on the South I would recommend [bc:Steamboat Gothic|843752|Steamboat Gothic|Frances Parkinson Keyes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1302655125s/843752.jpg|829283] Or if you want to see FPK make a better attempt at a murder mystery there is [bc:The Royal Box|3275740|The Royal Box|Frances Parkinson Keyes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312831304s/3275740.jpg|2240643]
Just so hard to believe this rubbish is FPK's best known book. what is left of this book is heading for my recycling bin - now!
My copy physically started off like this;
and ended up like this;
That's right, the whole thing fell apart literally as well as figuratively.
The best parts were the descriptions of Antoine's and it's decadent sounding menus and descriptions of Creole traditions like Carnivale. The worst was pretty much everything else. Minor irritations were a romance between two characters who clearly weren't relevant to the murder mystery & who did very little to drive the plot forward and the meandering pace (often with a lot of moralising) What really bugged me was the thick patois given to black maidservant Tossie, especially at the start of the story. This was a difficult read not just for me, but for any reader not from the American South. & FPK wasn't even consistent with it - Tossie's speech became far more intelligible as the story went on (& on & on...) The supposedly astute, Foxworth changes from
Spoiler
being madly in love with one woman to another in less than 24 hours - & the main reason for the love is the second woman (Clorinda) loves him! I do know someone who has done this but the real life guy is a manic depressive narcissist!The most tedious of all was the approximately 40 page epilogue about what happened to all the characters after All is Revealed. I felt very little interest in the outcome for anyone but Sabin. & I was able to stop reading at 92% - for a couple of days. Normally for me to stop that late in a book it would have to be because of work or because my house was on fire!
If you want to try some of her writings on the South I would recommend [bc:Steamboat Gothic|843752|Steamboat Gothic|Frances Parkinson Keyes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1302655125s/843752.jpg|829283] Or if you want to see FPK make a better attempt at a murder mystery there is [bc:The Royal Box|3275740|The Royal Box|Frances Parkinson Keyes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1312831304s/3275740.jpg|2240643]
Just so hard to believe this rubbish is FPK's best known book. what is left of this book is heading for my recycling bin - now!
primaproulla's review
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
easolinas's review against another edition
4.0
If there's one thing that you know about Frances Parkinson Keyes, it's that she loved New Orleans. Though she was originally from New England, she made the Crescent City her home and inspiration.
So it's no surprise that "Dinner at Antoine's" drips with the sensual richness of that city in the last days before World War II. It's half murder mystery, half soap opera -- a murder is the complicating action of the plot, but it's got lots of affairs, lies, secrets and other fun things. The one thing that galls is... well, this was written in the late forties, so the racial aspects will make modern skins crawl.
Playboy Orson Foxworth introduces his niece Ruth to the rich'n'famous denizens of New Orleans -- especially beautiful Amelie Lalande, a self-absorbed widow whom Foxworth wants as a lover, but is willing to marry. Amelie's family is a burgeoning soap opera -- her elder daughter Odile is desperately trying to hide a debilitating disease, while younger daughter Caresse is on the verge of an affair with Odile's sleazy husband Leonce.
Then Odile spills wine on herself and rushes out of Antoine's, hysterical. And Amelie rejects Foxworth's proposal -- since Odile is so sick, she can't leave her poor invalid daughter alone.
Except Odile is then found in her bedroom. She's been drugged and shot through the heart with a pistol that was given to her by an ex-lover. Was it her selfish mother? Her jealous sister? The sleazy cheating husband who wanted to be rid of her? Her devoted mammy? The ex-lover who still passionately loves her? The lives of everyone around Odile are irrevocably changed before the person who killed her is revealed.
"Dinner At Antoine's" is in some way a love letter to New Orleans -- luxurious restaurants, beautiful clothes, passionate romance and some moderate decadence. Little shreds of New England prudery pop up every now and then, but Keyes' love for New Orleans shines out of every scene, whether it's the graveyards or the wild dancing at nightclubs.
And she crafts a pretty decent murder mystery, deftly juggling the police investigation with the soap-opera antics of some of the characters. There are a lot of passionate declarations of love, false accusations, broken engagements and other fun antics -- not to mention the luxuriant descriptions of houses, restaurants and clothing. But she ties off all the plot threads and clues neatly, in a way that doesn't seem too far-fetched, but is still baffling before you know what happened.
At first it seems like Ruth will be the protagonist, since she's a smart, independent young woman who is also an outsider to the group of suspects -- in fact, she's almost the only one with no motive at all. But it turns out to be more of an ensemble piece, with the perspective floating between Caresse, Foxworth, reporter Joe Racina and various other characters. Most irritating: Amelie Lalande, an aging ingenue who floats around in a cloud of pseudo-pious artificiality.
Unfortunately, there's an uncomfortable problem with "Dinner At Antoine's" -- while Keyes' depiction of African-Americans was probably pretty sensitive in 1947, it comes across as unintentionally racist today. The whole mammy thing is particularly awkward, but to Keyes' credit, she depicts Tossie as a warm and strong-willed person.
If you can look past the dated aspects of the narrative, "Dinner at Antoine's" is a delicious little novel that straddles the line between murder mystery and love letter to New Orleans. It makes one wonder why Keyes didn't write more mysteries.
So it's no surprise that "Dinner at Antoine's" drips with the sensual richness of that city in the last days before World War II. It's half murder mystery, half soap opera -- a murder is the complicating action of the plot, but it's got lots of affairs, lies, secrets and other fun things. The one thing that galls is... well, this was written in the late forties, so the racial aspects will make modern skins crawl.
Playboy Orson Foxworth introduces his niece Ruth to the rich'n'famous denizens of New Orleans -- especially beautiful Amelie Lalande, a self-absorbed widow whom Foxworth wants as a lover, but is willing to marry. Amelie's family is a burgeoning soap opera -- her elder daughter Odile is desperately trying to hide a debilitating disease, while younger daughter Caresse is on the verge of an affair with Odile's sleazy husband Leonce.
Then Odile spills wine on herself and rushes out of Antoine's, hysterical. And Amelie rejects Foxworth's proposal -- since Odile is so sick, she can't leave her poor invalid daughter alone.
Except Odile is then found in her bedroom. She's been drugged and shot through the heart with a pistol that was given to her by an ex-lover. Was it her selfish mother? Her jealous sister? The sleazy cheating husband who wanted to be rid of her? Her devoted mammy? The ex-lover who still passionately loves her? The lives of everyone around Odile are irrevocably changed before the person who killed her is revealed.
"Dinner At Antoine's" is in some way a love letter to New Orleans -- luxurious restaurants, beautiful clothes, passionate romance and some moderate decadence. Little shreds of New England prudery pop up every now and then, but Keyes' love for New Orleans shines out of every scene, whether it's the graveyards or the wild dancing at nightclubs.
And she crafts a pretty decent murder mystery, deftly juggling the police investigation with the soap-opera antics of some of the characters. There are a lot of passionate declarations of love, false accusations, broken engagements and other fun antics -- not to mention the luxuriant descriptions of houses, restaurants and clothing. But she ties off all the plot threads and clues neatly, in a way that doesn't seem too far-fetched, but is still baffling before you know what happened.
At first it seems like Ruth will be the protagonist, since she's a smart, independent young woman who is also an outsider to the group of suspects -- in fact, she's almost the only one with no motive at all. But it turns out to be more of an ensemble piece, with the perspective floating between Caresse, Foxworth, reporter Joe Racina and various other characters. Most irritating: Amelie Lalande, an aging ingenue who floats around in a cloud of pseudo-pious artificiality.
Unfortunately, there's an uncomfortable problem with "Dinner At Antoine's" -- while Keyes' depiction of African-Americans was probably pretty sensitive in 1947, it comes across as unintentionally racist today. The whole mammy thing is particularly awkward, but to Keyes' credit, she depicts Tossie as a warm and strong-willed person.
If you can look past the dated aspects of the narrative, "Dinner at Antoine's" is a delicious little novel that straddles the line between murder mystery and love letter to New Orleans. It makes one wonder why Keyes didn't write more mysteries.
cnyreader's review
4.0
Set in New Orleans, this murder mystery has so much charm. Ruth was really only coming to visit her uncle and experience Carnival, but then Odile is shot, and the mystery ensues. Keyes characters are spot on for the time and setting, and she incorporated real people she met while living in New Orleans into her story. The introduction in my edition about Keyes was wonderful as well- Keyes liked to live in the settings of her novels before writing them, and she was enchanted by New Orleans (as she well should have been!).
sheilasamuelson's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Read in 2017 and 2022.
EDIT: My thoughts are the same as they were 5 years ago when i first read this book.
Rating: 5 Stars!!
Review:
Thank you to my neighbor for giving me this book.
The Characters were so interesting to read about. I Loved the characters as they were very enjoyable to read about.
The Setting was so beautifully described which made me feel like i was actually in New Orleans in the 1940s while reading.
Really felt like i was in the 1940s when reading it.
Can't wait to explore more book by this author in the future!!
EDIT: My thoughts are the same as they were 5 years ago when i first read this book.
Rating: 5 Stars!!
Review:
Thank you to my neighbor for giving me this book.
The Characters were so interesting to read about. I Loved the characters as they were very enjoyable to read about.
The Setting was so beautifully described which made me feel like i was actually in New Orleans in the 1940s while reading.
Really felt like i was in the 1940s when reading it.
Can't wait to explore more book by this author in the future!!
becquebooks's review
2.0
For my upcoming New Orleans trip, everyone mentioned this as a classic New Orleans novel. But it's old and creaky. Written in a totally different style. And a black Mammy talking in stereotypical New Orleans dialog. For such a fluff novel it took forever to read. It's technically about a murder, but the murder happens in the third chapter, is not really a very interesting crime and then it gets dragged out and not resolved until the final two chapters. The middle just reads like a lot of society fluff. Blah. It took much longer to read than it should have. However, I want to have a drink at Antoine's. Dinner seems expensive.
More...