As a Lady Would Say: Responses to Life's Important (and Sometimes Awkward) Situations

I thought this book was so helpful and it truly does help with awkward situations. When the information mentions specific circumstances, the "do not"s are sometimes hilarious and really relate to what one would say or do. This book is more modern than I expected and the explanations are brief yet detailed. I wish the book was longer, but the information given is beneficial.

This book is very useful for people who tend to have a habit of putting their foot in their mouth or are clueless about what to say in awkward social situations. Although the title of the book sounds old-fashioned, as one reviewer commented, it is a book written for our era, covering the kinds of social situations that many of us would find ourselves in at some point. The book starts with a 4 page introduction outlining the characteristics of a lady, followed by 61 tips that "Every Well-Spoken Lady Knows". The following 13 chapters (Around Town, Friends and Lovers, Wining and Dining, On The Job, At A Dinner Party, At A Cocktail Party, Private Lives, The Hostess With The Most, Giving, Lending, Borrowing and Sharing, In Times of Sadness, Awkwardness Extraordinaire, When Good Girls Go Bad) present a number of social situations, each beginning with 2 to 4 examples of comments that a lady does not say, followed by an example of what a lady does say and concluding with an explanation for why certain comments are appropriate or inappropriate in that situation. Example: When a Lady's unmarried woman friend tells her she is pregnant and plans to keep the baby... She does not say: "Well, gee, Gloria, don't you think a child should have two parents?" "Do you know who the father is?" "What's the matter? Couldn't get him to marry you?" But she does say: "Congratulations. You'll make a wonderful mother" If her friend is sharing the news of her pregnancy, a lady may assume that she is not ashamed of her condition. She greets the news with the same good wishes she would offer any expectant mother. The mother-to-be is probably well aware of the challenges before her; she does not need the lady's reminders, no matter how well intended. In addition to providing excellent advice, the book is quite humourous (many of the examples of the wrong things to say are pretty funny). I highly recommend it!

Easy to read and understand, no mattter what age. Now there are no excuses.

This is the best etiquette book I have ever read. Most other etiquette books focus on things which really don't impact our relationships with others that much, i.e., what stockings to wear with what shoes, which fork to use, the proper stationery, etc. This book, however, shows us how our words have the power to hurt or to heal, to harm or to help; truthfully, a person may not remember if we wore white shoes after Labor Day but they most assuredly will remember if our thoughtless words caused them discomfort. The book has a simple and very effective format: the author presents a situation, and then follows it with three or four things NOT to say, and after that what should be said. She then concludes by giving the reason for choosing what should be said. Incidentally, the things NOT to say are very humorous and I found myself laughing aloud as I read the book. But, humor aside, this book teaches some very important and invaluable lessons. When you have finished reading it, you will find that your consciousness has been raised regarding the things you say to people and the impact your words can have. This book is a precious gem and I am so glad that I purchased it. I would recommend it to any lady, and I also think it would make an excellent gift for a young woman.