This is a rather odd book - the author doesn't seem to be able to meld a mix of aims that appear in this book - a history of the conversation, an essay about while conversations are important in today's society, and a bit of a how-to guide. Rather, while the writing is very erudite and there are some interesting points, this book is generally a bit of a muddle, and the reader is left feeling a bit 'so what?' when they finish it. ( )

An entertaining read, though Catherine's eloquent english is occasionally a bit opaque to a non-native English speaker. ( )

Such a delightfully archaic title encourages the reader to expect the wit of Oscar Wilde – or at least the gentle humour of Jane Austen: one way or another, I thought the book would be amusing.

Forget it: this is an earnest guide to one of the fundamental methods of human interaction – fundamental, yes; necessary, most certainly but, in this electronic age more honoured in the breech than the observance.

Catherine Blyth writes well and you may smile, even chuckle wryly, but first and foremost you will learn why ‘convos’ – the use modern parlance – are an essential part of our development and key to what sets us apart as ‘human’. ( )