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The World According to Martha
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The World According to Martha

Bill Adler
McGraw-Hill, 2005
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Editorial Rating

5

Recommendation

Love her or hate her, it’s hard to avoid her. Martha Stewart is today’s reigning expert on all things domestic. She’s the U.S. queen of homemaking how-to and her magazines, books and TV shows are packed with instructions on everything from how to make a Christmas ornament to how to fold a fitted sheet. The world watched in fascination as this woman, who was perfectionism personified, ended up in jail in a stock trading scandal. Now Martha enthusiasts can get inside her head by reading her thoughts, opinions and musings in her own words. Just decide for yourself if editor Bill Adler compiled this collection of pithy, insightful quotes to capitalize on Stewart’s notoriety or to offer new information, depth and insight. Divided into chapters of quotes, Adler’s book faithfully records Martha’s feelings on entertaining, fame, business, the stock scandal, her critics and herself. getAbstract.com believes that her devotees might enjoy this inside track to Martha’s view of the world, but the book may not hold the same allure for those outside her fan base. We’re still waiting for the deeper take on Martha, the entrepreneur and business mastermind.

Summary

Modest Beginnings

When the Kostyra family of Nutley, New Jersey, had a baby girl in August 1941, they had no idea that the child they named Martha would grow up to epitomize the idea of simple elegance, creativity and style. Martha Kostyra came from modest beginnings. Her father was a pharmaceutical salesperson. Her mother, a schoolteacher and homemaker, taught the future domestic expert how to knit, sew, bake and cook. Mrs. Kostyra knew how to stretch a budget to accommodate Martha and her five brothers and sisters. She sewed all of her kids’ clothes, and canned vegetables and fruits from the family’s garden. Martha has a deep respect for her mother and the amount of work it took to run that household lovingly and efficiently. As an adult, she infuses this passion for homemaking into every aspect of her work. She says:

  • "I consider myself one of the original feminists. I’m trying to help give women back a sense of pleasure and accomplishment in their homes." [- Associated Press, Aug. 1, 1998]
  • "I am first and foremost a housewife with a home, with a garden, with everything that everybody wants." [- Canberra Times, Dec. 4, 1999]
  • "Most people don...

About the Author

Bill Adler, president of Bill Adler Books, Inc., is editor of several New York Times bestsellers, including The Uncommon Wisdom of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and The Kennedy Wit. Adler’s literary clients have included Mike Wallace, Dan Rather, President George W. Bush, Larry King and Nancy Reagan.

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