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beccibarzat's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.75
saltysiren's review against another edition
3.0
it was ok lacking in humor. its an interesting detail of the life of a restaurant waitress but too analytical at some points. the last chapter about burn out and recovery was a drag and difficult to read
lifeinpoetry's review against another edition
I read this in a psych ward sometime in the mid-aughts. For psych ward fare, it was decent.
lilacwhisker's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.25
Very far from what I was expecting… and not in a good way. I thought Waiting would be more focused on funny things she’s seen and experienced, but it ended up being more about how ever relationship she ever gets in ends up crashing and burning. Mix in thinly-veiled misogyny, an overall lack of structure, and just being kind of a terrible person, you get this absolute bore of a book.
juliaem's review against another edition
3.0
Read it while--hah--waiting tables at Zocalo. At times very funny in an "omigod this is my life" kind of way. Definitely check it out if you've ever carried a tray of over-filled martinis to overly needy customers. If not, I'd take it to the beach.
iamshadow's review against another edition
5.0
Simply, utterly, brilliant.
Anyone who's worked in any kind of customer service industry will read this book and nod your head along with it. Anyone who's been a customer will read it and come away with an appreciation for what people in the customer service industry do.
Ginsberg is not only an excellent writer with clever, dry wit, but she's got some genuinely funny stories to tell. She paints the pictures of her colleagues and places of employment vividly, until you feel utterly immersed in her recollections, but she also talks about the industry, the mechanics of a restaurant, and all the ins and outs and ebbs and flows that make a restaurant, a job or a dining experience a very good one, mediocre, or a very bad one.
I tracked down this book because I'd read Ginsberg's second memoir, Raising Blaze, about bringing up her unique and gifted son (who also has special needs) and wanted to read more of her work. I haven't yet read About My Sisters, her third book, but it's on my bookshelf, waiting for me to crack it open!
But yes, to sum it up. Excellent, funny, and clever. A well-written light read that you'll come away from smiling, and hopefully, with a bit more appreciation for people working in what is surely one of the most under-appreciated professions in the world. I've said it before many times, millions of people work in customer service roles, many are doing it because it's a job, some are genuinely born to the role, and none of them are appreciated enough for what they do. While I doubt anyone's about to write a tell-all book about working in retail, if they did, I certainly hope it'd come out something like Waiting.
Anyone who's worked in any kind of customer service industry will read this book and nod your head along with it. Anyone who's been a customer will read it and come away with an appreciation for what people in the customer service industry do.
Ginsberg is not only an excellent writer with clever, dry wit, but she's got some genuinely funny stories to tell. She paints the pictures of her colleagues and places of employment vividly, until you feel utterly immersed in her recollections, but she also talks about the industry, the mechanics of a restaurant, and all the ins and outs and ebbs and flows that make a restaurant, a job or a dining experience a very good one, mediocre, or a very bad one.
I tracked down this book because I'd read Ginsberg's second memoir, Raising Blaze, about bringing up her unique and gifted son (who also has special needs) and wanted to read more of her work. I haven't yet read About My Sisters, her third book, but it's on my bookshelf, waiting for me to crack it open!
But yes, to sum it up. Excellent, funny, and clever. A well-written light read that you'll come away from smiling, and hopefully, with a bit more appreciation for people working in what is surely one of the most under-appreciated professions in the world. I've said it before many times, millions of people work in customer service roles, many are doing it because it's a job, some are genuinely born to the role, and none of them are appreciated enough for what they do. While I doubt anyone's about to write a tell-all book about working in retail, if they did, I certainly hope it'd come out something like Waiting.
pennyzizzle's review against another edition
3.0
I read this and enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away. Now I can't even remember why. But maybe that's just it--not especially memorable.
tsunanisaurus's review against another edition
3.0
Quick, easy and fun read. There's some glaring grammar errors, missing words and strange spellings [eyebrow raising, considering her previous work as an editor...]. Otherwise, a very lovingly composed book about an industry we are all extremely familiar with - though maybe not as much as we thought ;)
lizlogan's review against another edition
3.0
This book was alright. It wasn’t wildly entertaining or massively dull. I think I was expecting another version of Waiter Rant which this is not. That being said, it is still worth the read.