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Dec 19, 2016wendybird rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Like legions before her, 22 year old Tess decides to leave her small town life and try and find her own version of the "go to New York City and live the dream" story. Her first steps are lucky and true - she lands a decent first job as a "backwaiter" at a famous Manhattan restaurant, circa 2006. Told in the first person, we learn along with her about the wines of the world, oysters, artisan coffee, and other fine cuisine luxuries. On the other side of the ledger, Tess and readers see the grimy NYC stuff, too : cocaine, alcohol mainlining, cruel coworkers. There is nothing extraordinary, in a sense, in this coming of age American story or in its language - but what is worth notice is how true it all rings. The author has taken all this and made a compelling, adventurous read. There are glimpses of hope among the rubble, and love among the dirty bar towels. I'll be reading more Stephanie Danler, along with all the starry eyed reviewers for Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, and Elle.