DINNER AT ANTOINE'S

by Frances Parkinson Keyes ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 18, 1948

For my money, the chief palatable ingredient of this dish is the authentic New Orleans atmosphere. The story is not Mrs. Keyes at her best. A mystery story demands certain techniques which are foreign to her experience, and when the identity of the murderer is discovered, the motive is so far fetched that the fragile fabric collapses of its own weight. Putting aside this element (unfortunately an important one to the overall impression), there remains a long richly flavored novel of modern New Orleans, with the impeccable attention to detail of dress and manners and food that Mrs. Keyes' audience rejoices in. The story involves a group of people who are invited to dine at Antoine's as guests of the not wholly scrupulous tycoon, Orson Foxworth, a dinner given for his niece, in New Orleans for the six weeks of the season leading up to Mardi Gras. Among the guests are the Lalandes, -- the mother, a coquette who has kept Foxworth dangling. Odile, her married daughter, facing invalidism, Caresse, the younger sister, and Leonce, who is married to Odile but carrying on an affair with Caresse. The story, as it develops, tangles these lives and others among the guests in a tragic melodrama, which manages none the less to bring several romances to a happy ending. This is a distinct comedown after Came A Cavalier. Nor do I think it is a entertaining reading as River Road and Crescent City. But it will sell- and rent. Big promotion planned.

Pub Date: Nov. 18, 1948

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Messner

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1948

Categories: FICTION