I found The Dinner List, by Rebecca Serle, on the Book of the Month Club. It was one of the picks for August, so I thought, “Why not?”
It’s something we’ve all done; picked 5 people (living or dead) we’d like to have dinner with. I expected a light, fluffy, read, especially when I saw that one of the dinner guests was Audrey Hepburn.
What I got was a book that was an easy read, but had some surprising depth, exploring how complex relationships can be. The diners were Sabrina (the birthday girl), her estranged father, her best friend (who’s been growing away from her), her estranged boyfriend, and a college professor. Oh, and Audrey Hepburn.
This book doesn’t offer up solutions to thorny relationship issues, but it is an exploration of the way we sometimes sabotage the very thing we want, and how two people can feel wronged in a relationship and both be right. It also explored the grief we feel over the loss of loved ones, and the loss we sometimes feel even when they’re technically still there.
Despite all that, it’s charming and funny at times. I finished it knowing I’d recommend it to others.
I haven’t done this in ages, so I thought now would be a great time to make a new list. I’m not including anyone from my day to day life on this list because… well… I can go to dinner with them whenever I want!
The five real people I’d love to have dinner with:
- My grandma (gone since 1993)
- My grandpa (gone since 2006)
- Bryn Greenwood (an amazing author)
- Drew Barrymore (I’m a fan!)
- Paul McCartney (only the best musician ever)
Who’d be on your list of 5 people?
Doree Weller 
This post reminded me of the movie Insignificance, where Marilyn Monroe, Joseph McCarthy, Joe DiMaggio, and Albert Einstein were all represented by characters called The Actress, The Senator, The Ballplayer, and The Professor. Intriguing little flick, based on the play of the same name.
As far as my five? I don’t have a definitive list of five, but I’d probably go with five that would include some or all of the following (ladies first): Jean Harlow, Katharine Hepburn, Billie Holiday, Clara Barton (who was raised and buried in the town I grew up in), Janis Joplin, Natalie Wood, Frances Farmer, Hedy Lamarr, Wallis Simpson, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, Orson Welles, Johnny Carson, Jack Benny, Harold Lloyd… and at least one star from the early rock’n’roll era, like Gene Vincent or Roy Orbison… and probably some comic artists (comic books or comic strips) like Wallace Wood, Jack Kirby, Milton Caniff, Windsor McKay, Jack Burnley, or… Obviously, my biggest problem would be trimming down my list of “wants” to only five!
Picking five was really difficult for me too! I could have had a huge list… and I love Katherine Hepburn. Actually I love a lot of the people on your list.
That does sound like an interesting movie.
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