Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
 keeping up appearences June 8, 2008
This was bought as a gift for a friend. we share a like for Hyacinth Bucket!
No hostess should be without this gem! May 21, 2008
Hyacinth, Daisy and Rose are truly a delicious bouquet. Hyacinth's Book of Etiquette brings a smile to my face by just looking at the cover. Anyone who enjoys KEEPING UP APPEARANCES will find this fun book of delightful silliness a delicious echo of the series itself. A perfect coffee table entry.
Oh NO!! It's the BUCKET woman! April 19, 2008
IT'S BOUQUET!!! It certainly is (although it's spelt "B-u-c-k-e-t") and there is only one Hyacinth! (Thank God!) The superbly talented Patricia Routledge is everyone's snobby person you 'love to hate' but it doesn't stop there. A cast of superbly talented, not to mention hilarious and perfectly cast characters, make this a MUST HAVE series. The range of Ms Routledge's expressions alone not only has you in tears of laughter, but is also such a wonderful role model for any aspiring actor/actress wishing to see for themselves how it 'should be done'. Ex-Corrie actor Geoffrey Hughes' loveable slob "Onslow" (on slow - get it?) is wonderful as Hyacinths opposite; her more than laid back brother in law who pities poor "Dickie" (Hyacinths long-suffering husband "Rrrrichard") and has the ultimate laid-back view on life which he shares with his wife Daisy (Judy Cornhill) and Hyacinths other sister, the man-crazy Rose. Add to that the scatty and nervous "Liz" from next door, and it adds up to another classic comedy series.
It's a series my wife and I watch over and over again without tiring of it, and it falls firmly in the "Best of British" comedy catagory. We all know a "Hyacinth" and an "Onlsow", even a "Richard". Buy this set and see what I mean! Totally marvellous viewing!
 Always a good laugh August 11, 2007
A funny read. Hyacinth is always a pain to her hubby and neighbors, but what a funny pain she is.
"the practical socialite thinks of everything" February 18, 2005
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
This tastefully designed Book of Etiquette reveals the invaluable advice of Keeping Up Appearances Hyacinth Bucket who has waged "eternal vigilance against encroaching tides of indelicacy" to make her suburban district "one of the most sought-after postal codes in the land." The book is written in the voice of Hyacinth herself as she answers letters from her myriad of admirers. In this book, the aspiring hostess will learn how to organize a candlelight supper, from designing the proper, embossed, mantelpiece-worthy invitations and planning appropriate seating arrangements to maintaining high standards in the quality of one's bathroom linen. Other topics concern ways to deal with tradesmen, the proper use of the telephone, how to maintain a healthy body and mind, one's role in organized religion and charity work, what books and art to appreciate for a proper cultural education, and the importance of wearing the correct hat. The book is filled with scores of photos from the BBC comedy as well as many references to the many tricky situations Hyacinth encounters-and conquers, of course-in the show. I am removing a star from the score because much of the book is made up of recaps of episodes that most KUA fans have seen many times; however, fans will enjoy the extras tidbits offered here, such as Hyacinth comparing her sisters' personalities to their flowery names, and what attracted her to Richard. There is even a photo of Sheridan (well, sort of).
This book is very well-written and beautifully-designed and not the rush job a lot of these television related books tend to be. There is even an index of topics in the back. Clive Swift (Richard) even remarked on how impressed he was in the book during the Peppermill interview with Patricia Routledge (available as an extra on the DVD "Living the Hyacinth Life"). A must for any fan and remember "keeping up appearances is not the most important thing in life, it is the only thing."
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