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Summary: WAITING:THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A WAITRESS
Review: Miss Ginsberg has written a wonderful read. I very much enjoyed her stories of her twenty years as a waitress. Written with a clear insight from the other side of the table, she has put togeather a story that is seemless in her delivery. I await her next title.
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Summary: Everyone should read this book!
Review: As a server myself, I often think that EVERYONE should wait tables at least once in their lives. And, they should NEED the money because that makes all of the difference in the world. On the same note, I think that EVERYONE should read this book; make it required reading in the schools! Ms. Ginsberg touched so humorously on all of the aspects of the restaurant industry; the affairs, the money, the customers...I enjoyed this book tremendously. Get it! You won't be disappointed.
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Summary: An enjoyable treat
Review: "Waiting" provides a glimpse into the life of those we often forget to see, or acknowledge...the people who serve us. If we are to be judged by the way we treat those who serve us, this book reveals us to be a pretty pathetic bunch! This is a engaging story of growing up and coming to terms with choices and circumstances. Debra Ginsberg has a real gift for storytelling. It also reinforced my belief in overtipping.....They do work hard for the money.
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Summary: Couldn't Put it Down
Review: Debra Ginsberg's "Waiting..." perfectly complements Anthony Boudrain's "Kitchen Confidential." As a former "food service professional" myself, I laughed, I howled, I wet my pants at her spot-on tale of life in the restaurant business. At the heart of Ms. Ginsberg's book runs the theme of working at a profession that she enjoys, even loves (well, mostly), while questioning whether to continue or get a "real job" that takes advantage of her college degree - a job that's more "respectable" but pays less. (I remember the withering looks I'd get from people when I told them I was a waitress --- I could see my reflection in their eyes instantly morphing into Flo from Mel's Diner.) I had a hard time making the transition from waiting myself --- it was years before I was making more money at my "respectable real job" than I did as a waitress working a 25-hour week --- and I've never enjoyed another job as much. Her descriptions of the hellhole waitress jobs are vividly painted and absolutely hilarious (been there...), as are the portrayals of the restaurant guests. Ms. Ginsberg's breezy prose makes for a quick and engaging read, and if nothing else, serves to clue the restaurant patron in on how to behave (or perhaps, how not to misbehave) when dining out. Although the book is a "must-read" for anyone who's ever "waited," I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to take a peek at life on the other side of the order pad.
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Summary: Laugh-out loud funny and wonderful
Review: Debra Ginsberg's book should give pause not only to the most inveterately rude diner but it should remind us of the importance of civility toward others, including our restaurant servers. This is not a behind-the-scenes, tell-all book about what goes on in the 'back of the house' or the 'front of the house' in a restaurant. It is instead, a highly readable life story that rings true on many levels. Ginsberg can be subtlely understated in her wit or down-right off-color funny in describing the escapades of her customers and colleagues. You also share in her evolving self-awareness through the stages of her life. Moreover, Ginsberg has a facile, accessible writing style that pleases so much so that I read the book over two days. Often, I felt as though I were having a conversation with a friend not reading a book. You share in her struggles, life events, and epiphanies. Merely categorizing this book as yet another 'coming of age' memoir seems too trite for what it signifies to the reader. "Waiting" is funny, poignant, acerbic, and most of all puts an important perspective on what is truly meaningful - - - life should be lived with, as a philosopher once said, with an "absolute quality." Ginsberg's realization of this truth, at the end of her story, resonates. I hope we have more of Ginsberg in the future.
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Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I really enjoyed this book. I was never much of a waitress, but I did it enough to respect the job and remember to leave a nice tip. Ms. Ginsberg has a nice writing style. I hope she writes more!
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Summary: (T)his (I)s (P)erfect
Review: What a wonderful book,for all who have ever had the good fortune to play the glamourous role of a food server.Funny,charming,and at times shocking(particularly Miss Ginsberg's description of Mother's Day in a restaurant)this is telepathic diamond for every waitress and waiter.Read this!
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Summary: What a fast read! (And a good one, too!)
Review: I heard a passage from Waiting on NPR's All Things Considered, and decided I had to have this book. I bought it on my way home, began reading it on the way out of the bookstore, became disgruntled if anything interrupted my reading, and finished the book by the next afternoon. It was good. Most of us, as Ginsburg points out, have waited tables at one time or another, but even if you've never worked in a restaurant, you've probably held some sort of menial service job, and that's close enough. You know how demanding and particular people can be; how otherwise egalitarian folks turn into elitists when seated at a table; the impossible demands of the management and tensions/liaisons among the waitstaff. It's all in there. Several times, in the middle of a chapter, I would shout an exalted "Yes! That's it!" to no one in particular. I read many passages aloud. Ginsburg's voice is a reliable and witty one, with a skilled dry humor that leaves an appropriate amount of verbiage to the imagination. She chronicles her 20-year waiting career; the various restaurants she's worked at, the managers, her co-workers and, of course, the customers. The book moves along chronologically, starting at Ginsburg's first restaurant job: waiting tables at a diner during her sixteenth summer. During that summer, she learns how to carry several plates at once, handle finicky customers, and she meets her first - fleeting -- love. This stint sets the tone for Ginsburg's further waiting endeavors. At first, through Ginsburg's high school and college years, the book moves slowly, documenting each restaurant, extrapolating each detail. After her graduation, however, Ginsburg's jobs begin to flow and mesh together, with only a few notable customers, friends and restaurants showing through the fray. I believe this was intentional; not only does this make what might have been a mundane list of restaurants - "And next, I worked at Hoover's..." - interesting, but it also illustrates the blur Ginsburg's life became at that time, a muddle of shocking sameness and the mark of a life of waiting tables: a search for something better. Still, some customers - or types of customers - always stick out, and Ginsburg's depictions of them are dead on. It's so true; people turn into different creatures in a restaurant. Ginsburg's account is well-written, and often brutally honest with personal details that are tied inextricably to her work as a waitress. She includes excellent chapters on tipping and the sexual tension (and acts) that a restaurant inspires among the staff. The only low point, if one can call it that, is a chapter on society's perceptions of waitresses, and, more specifically, a list of movies and television shows that feature and, often, typecast waitresses. The list - and the synopses - don't make for very interesting reading. But this is not important. The important thing is: read this book. It is hilarious, insightful, and well written. And, if you've ever worked in a restaurant, it will make you feel sooo vindicated.
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Summary: Wow!
Review: I have worked in the restaurant industry for eleven years and have often penned my own stories of my experiences there, but Debra Ginsberg wrote the book I could only dream of. She does a remarkable job of describing the challenges of the job, the atmosphere behind the scenes of a restaurant and the physical demands of the job. Anyone who has spent time in the arena of foodservice will enjoy Debra's book, and I wish it were required reading for everyone who patronizes restaurants. My favorite aspect of this book is the way that Debra is able to address the public's rather simple perception of waitresses and compare that with a much more realistic portrait of the intelligent, independent women (and men) who are able to do well in the industry. This was an amazing book and I will be recommending it to many friends and members of my family who have not worked in restaurants, but have lived vicariously (and are much better tippers because of it) through my stories over the years.
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Summary: Waiting for a book like this
Review: I would highly recommend this book, not only for people who have graced the waiting profession, but also for anyone who eats out. Debra gives great insight into the food service industry with honesty and the sarcasm needed to survive as a waitperson. Through reading this book I gained a deeper appreciation of food service, and also a connection with Debra's personal struggles: working in a family business, single parenthood, love in the workplace, Italian men, and forever waiting... "Well done", Debra!
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