“[Ginsberg] tells the story with enough honesty and wry humor to connect with other people—especially women— who’ve made their living dealing with the infamous public.”
—Detr oit Free Press
“A knowing memoir. . . . [Ginsberg] is great on dining room debacles she’s endured.”
—Sea ttle Times
“Hilarious . . . colorful.” —Har tf ord Cour ant
“A lively, often funny tale.” —Ne wsday
“This book may inspire bored office workers to get out from behind their desks and step up to the tables. . . . The appealing style never wavers. . . . Those unfamiliar with restaurant jobs are in for an eye-opening treat.”
—Booklist
“Conveys the unpredictability and humanity of this humble but essential work. . . . Ginsberg’s more personal segments . . . portray an intelligent single mom, fiercely committed to her son, with worries about her potential as a writer and her future . . . concluding that . . . there is beauty and simplicity in the small acts of her work.”
—Publisher s W eekly
“[Ginsberg] presents . . . the sounds, the smells, the panic, the steamy drama of a busy kitchen.”
—Kir kus R e vie ws
“Every time I go to a restaurant now, I think of what must be happening behind the scenes. Ginsberg’s stories really stay with you. A great read from start to finish.”
—Janet Fitch, author of
White Oleander
“Debra Ginsberg’s great gift is the quiet way she’s able to point up the truths that reside in the innocent setting of the restaurant, in the harmless summer job that becomes the lifelong career, in the transitory exchanges that oftentimes have lasting effects, and in the character that develops while pursuing the philosophically complex occupation of waiting. This book reminds the reader that the waitress taking your order is also, maybe, noting much more with her pen. This is a strong debut.”
—Antonya Nelson, author of
Nobody’ s Gir l
“The debut of a new and compelling writer is always a cause for celebration. Debra Ginsberg culls from a lifetime of waiting a humor, insight, and compassion that places her in the tradition of fine old tale-spinners. We have here, perhaps for the first time in literature, a true portrait of the demanding art of waiting on tables, from which Ginsberg has fashioned a wise, page-turning commentary on the human condition.”
—Kim Chernin, author of
In My Mother’ s House
Credits
Designed by Lindgren/Fuller Design
Copyright
WAITING. Copyright © 2001, 2000 by Debra Ginsberg. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader April 2007 ISBN 978-0-06-143632-1
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd. 25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321) Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900 Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1 Auckland, New Zealand http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 77-85 Fulham Palace Road London, W6 8JB, UK http://www.uk.harpercollinsebooks.com
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc. 10 East 53rd Street New York, NY 10022 http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com
Waiting; The True Confessions of a Waitress Page 31