Martha's Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations

Martha is first class all the time. I always fully trust her recipes. This is not everyday dining more formal entertaining, but wonderful ideas for a celebration. Large book and very heavy. Glad I have it. I have many Martha cookbooks in my collection.

This is a luscious book! Compiled over a 3 year period, it contains a series of events that Martha has put on showing wonderful photos of each. Photos are primarily of the food, table settings, locales, flowers, etc. Whatever you think of Martha, she does publish books to perfection. The photos are lush and inviting. Paper quality is superb. Although I purchased this book used it is worth every penny full price. Also, all recipes are contained at the back of the book vs. within the pages of each event. I liked that because you didn't feel distracted from viewing the photos by having recipes interspersed within each event. If you keep a library of food/recipe books, this one should be a mandatory addition. It's a book that - I believe - one can go back to again-and-again and will be enjoyed for years to come.

I anticipated the release of this book and was not disappointed with the end product. I think Martha and company did a great job on this 6 pound reference book!!! The pictures are fantastic, her insight is priceless, and her willingness to share her world with us was a treat for me. She still inspires and has so many ideas. I think that is the secret -- take ideas and make them special for your get-togethers. I have her first book and several others as well. She has evolved through the years, and this is a very nice addition to her collection. I think this would be a great gift and/or addition to your library. Thanks Martha!!!!

I saw this book in a bookstore just after it was published. I leafed through it & then saw the price ($75!). That was too rich for my pocketbook, too rich even as a Christmas or birthday gift. I was given the original Entertaining book when it was first published back in the 80's & immediately fell in love with all things Martha. I have subscribed to her magazine since its launch. I own most of her books. I was in serious withdrawl when her television show went off the air. I had a better opportunity to actually read through the new Entertaining book when I borrowed it from the library. It is truly a sumptuous volume. The only other book I can compare it to is one about Valentino, which was also in my library. With at least 4 homes & a yacht to his credit he outdoes even Martha. That said, I enjoyed Martha's Entertaining so much when I actually read it that I bought a copy for myself. Thanks to Amazon's Used Books section I was able to snap up a copy in very good condition for under $15!! I may not be able to replicate her lifestyle, but I found many interesting ideas for doing things in new ways when it comes to entertaining. The storylines & photos are what one would expect from Martha & Co. - seemingly effortless & spectacularly tasteful. I would dearly love to go through her cupboards! The text is well written & the recipes, while not abundant are elegant and doable. While I would never have spent full price to have this book, I am very happy to have my own copy. Well done Martha & very well done Amazon!

Love every bit of this book had to offer. I am an avid subscriber of her Living magazine and follower of her blog but I still find this book extremely entertaining. It inspires anyone to grasp the concept of "entertaining" through the beautiful coffeetable type photos and well described pages. It does not even attempt to dictate the reader that the only place possible to lavishly celebrate life is to live in Maine. It teaches us to embrace the beauty of what you have, where you live and add a bit more passion to it. I would definitely consider this as a perfect gift to guests during the holidays.

Martha, despite all her ups and downs, will always be a personal hero of mine. She turned a keen eye for design and entertaining into an empire. This book captures her amazing day-to-day life in the perfect light. You cannot browse through this book without feeling gentrified for having done so. The photographs are not only beautiful, but also captured in a way that feels clean and modern if that makes any sense. As part of a younger demographic, they really captured my attention.

I will say, I feel that MS puts out some of the best cookbooks I have seen and I have plenty! Her Entertaining book is beautiful. One thing I don't like is the recipes in a separte area (back of the book). The photos are beautiful makes me want to get "things" for entertaining! How do I compare it to her first one, second for sure. I still like the orginal best. Why? I'm into holidays and I give a lot of gifts at that time of year and I'm always going back to it and her Christmas book (if you don't have it, get it!). One thing I would like to see MS put out is another holiday book. I feel it's time! Being a Christmas one fabulous. I guess it's a wait and see for me. So I would say, get it! It's big and beautiful and very good.

Its my favourite bok to browse with afternoon tea. I find the pictures soothing, inspiring and make me want to bake and cook LOL! WIsh Martha will publish more books on entertaining.

Parfait pour moi

Beautiful book amazing pictures and very detailed A++++++++++

There is simply no one like Martha! Her parties are lavish, stylish and utterly delicious. Her creativity and imagination are inspirational. I disagree with another review that says there is little you can replicate here. I have made several of the recipes and they have been very well received. Some of the canape and cocktail ideas are great and quite simple. There are a lot of Martha 'wannabes' out there but this is the book I turn to again and again for ideas. My desert island read I suspect...

This is a big book. Huge. It is simply stunning and will grace your coffee table or bookcase for many years. The photography is lavish and there is a lot of it too. The content throughout is often somewhat ambitious for the everyday person to achieve, however if you have pots of money, lots of time and patience then this is for you. If you don't well why not buy it anyway, it is simply gorgeous. Martha Stewart has quite a lot of space in my kitchen and bookshelf, her recipes always work, her advice is sound and she often thinks of things that most people would not even consider, these things make a huge difference to the projects in this book. Be warned the book is heavy and huge, and as such needs to be treated carefully, keep small hands away from this beauty!

This book is superb! It is inspirational from front to back cover with over 400 pages of marvellous photography, menus and advice. From breakfast trays to Easter egg hunts, this book covers a Year of Celebrations giving ideas and menus for events throughout the year. Martha's beautiful homes and gardens are simply magnificent!