Customer Reviews

Turning Tables

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For some reason, when I picked up this book I thought it a Memoir - even though the word NOVEL appears right on the cover! Once that got cleared up, I could enjoy the book.

I have bemoaning the demise of chick lit lately - but after reading this book, I can say that publishers can still put out some good chick lit once in awhile.

The story of a Marketing Exec who ends up waitressing at a higher end restaurant is absolutely delightful. The storyline is engaging, the characters are fun (for the most part) and surprisingly, the storyline is more about the girl getting the job instead of the girl running after the prince. Of course, as in good chick lit, there is a healthy dose of romance, but fortunately, the romance is not corny or too out there.

The writing style is fun and I really, really liked this book. Hopefully a sequel will be in the making.

I was lucky to get an advance copy of this book, which is a terrific behind-the-scenes view of high-end restaurants. The characters are real and engaging. Biting humor, social satire, and a fun story.

From the first page I was hooked. It's very well written. It's funny, embarrassing, and realistic. I work in a pretty classy restaurant and everything rings true to life. Cato is my Tony, Ron is my Michael, and Alain is my Brad. If you have worked is a restaurant the you should read this book.

In Turning Tables Erin Edwards, 28, gets a job waitressing, after being let go from her high-profile marketing job. With no experience under her belt, she's immediately thrust into the fray at Roulette, one of the most upscale restaurants in New York. Along the way, she begins dating Phil, a sous chef at the restaurant, but finds herself attracted to Daniel, a TV producer and restaurant customer. It's an interesting look at the inside of a restaurant as told from the point of view of a member of the waitstaff.

As with all books in the chick lit genre, there are good and bad things about this novel. It's a fast-paced, easy read, with some interesting characters. Having never worked as a waiter, I don't know how true-to-life this book is, but it made me not want to ever be a waiter myself! Even being a receptionist looks good in comparison. However, I thought the Erin-Daniel relationship was a little too far-fetched. Parts of the plot were extremely predictable. I thought the authors could have fleshed out a little more the reason for why Erin left her marketing job (there's a reason, but it gets lost in the rest of the story). And its a juicy reason for leaving, so I wanted to learn more! I also thought the ending was corny as a cornfield. But in all, this was an enjoyable look at what it's like to be a "penguin."

When I saw this book and read the discription I thought it sounded a lot like a fiction version of Steven Dublanica's Non-Fiction book Waiter Rant.

The book tells the story about Erin who has recently lost her job. A family friend recommends her for a job at a high end Restuarant he does business with and she soon gets a job as a Waitress.

There is just one problem. She is not that good at the job. With the help of some of the other members of the wait staff she manages to make it through several months dealing with customers strange request, her bosses who try to make her quit, and waiting on a food critic after being at the restuarant a short time.

Added to the mix are a newly acquired Jack Russel tarrier that she got threw her friend and a love interest in Daniel, a producer who came into the restuarant-things that make this book a very interesting novel.

My husband and I have dined at some of the best restaurants in the country and this book truly captures the skill and attention to detail that it takes on the part of the wait staff to make everything seem flawlessly calm. Erin is an endearing and intrepid heroine who exhibits far more patience than I know I'd have under the same circumstances, and the choice that she ultimately makes for her life's course is completely plausible. The snappy pace, the comedic ensemble cast and even the romance are the perfect recipe for a fun film. Hollywood, are you paying attention?
Christina Hamlett

I picked this up because of all the great reviews, and I was not disappointed. Erin, the main character, gets a job in a high end Manhattan restaurant to make ends meet after loosing her marketing job. I enjoyed it from page one. There wasn't a lot of boring "setting the stage" before the story got started. It started right off on her first night as a trainee. It was made more believable when the waiter that was to train her figured out quickly that she did not have the experience her family friend (who got her the job) implied. It would have been too far fetched to believe that somebody with no experience could have waited tables at a high end restaurant without getting found out and fired. The trainer decided he liked her and covered for her, putting her on a crash course in high-end restaurant waitressing.

I love books where the main character grows during the book, and learns more about themselves. This was one of those books. I really liked how Erin grew as a person as the story progressed. And there were plenty of funny parts, a nice romance plot, and a number of situations where Erin gets the upper hand over the annoying owner and chef at the restaurant. I liked how believable the book was. I hate when authors lean towards slap-stick to make their books funny. This was funny without ever becoming slap-stuck or unbelievable.

My biggest disappointment was when I got to the end, and then found out that the authors haven't written any other books - waaahhh!

I have a confession: I did not purchase this book at first. Yes, I am one of those people who treats stores like Borders and Barnes and Noble as a library. I meander around, pick up two or three books that pique my interest, and then proceed to skim through said books at the store; if I like it, I hide it in a spot where I will find it the next visit, if I love it, I purchase it. The majority of my purchases in life are proceeded by asking myself this question, "if I do not purchase this, will I honestly miss it a week from now and wish that I had?" If the answer is no (which, I have found 90% of the time it is) then I save myself the cost, if the answer is yes . . . well you get the gist.

This book fell into the "I can live without it" pile, but day after day I found myself thinking about the storyline presented in the first few pages that I had read and couldn't keep my mind from wandering back. So, I returned to said bookstore, purchased it (after reading the first five chapters, just to be sure . . .yes, I am that cheap) and have been content ever since.

I relate well to this story; before my professional life I worked in restaurants for ten years, everywhere from steakhouses to the five star restaurants of The Hamptons. It was at one of these five-star Hamptons' joints that I began my love affair with this book; I felt as though my life was being printed on paper and that I was the one writing it. The novel is thoroughly enjoyable, witty, and refreshing whether you are a restaurant person or not!

Hats off to the authors, a job well done ladies! (When will your next book be coming out?)

Since I opened the first page I was hooked on this book, and I refused to put it down util I finished it. I suffered with the characters ordeals, I felt her pain and frustration! Which is good because that means it's a very touching book, right? Right!

The story is about a 28yr old woman named Erin who recently lost her job as a marketing executive and is forced to take on a waitressing job to continue paying her bills. She gets hooked up with a waitressing job at a top notch restaurant in Manhatten called Roulette. The only reason why she got this job was because of Harold a close family friend who knows the Roulette owners. The reader sees her struggles of adjusting to the lower-stepped job. Not only are her struggles due to the adjustment process, but her bosses are crazy and obnoxiously fixated on pleasing the customer regardless of mistreating the restaurant staff.

In the midst of her exhausting new job she manages to have a fling with one of the chef's assitant named Phil, and that goes insanely wrong. One day a guest and a snobby lady enter the restaurant and that's where the reader learns it's Daniel Fratelli and his stuck up rich gf Sonia. Daniel and Erin seem to be fond of each other since their very fist meeting. It was a very clear straight forward book. I really liked Daniel Fratelli, (her love interest) he was sweet, reliable and patient. Just as much as I liked Daniel I despised her bosses (Gina, Steve and the narcissistic, chauvinistic cook. The minus on this book is that I don't think any parent would do to their child what Erin's parents did to her when they went to go eat at the Roulette. The villains seemed too intrigued on mistreating Erin and made it too fictional for me to believe. Other than... it was a great book, there was humor and spunk. I will continue reading books by these authors.

This book was cute and enjoyable. Nothing amazing but a good quick read to serve as a distraction and procrastination tool. The characters were likable and the plot had some humor to it. I'd consider it "beach reading" but I read it in February and there was a foot of snow on the ground, so no beach! Recommended if you want something quick, light and enjoyable to breeze through in a weekend or so.