Editorial Content for Diary of a Waitress: The Not-So-Glamorous Life of a Harvey Girl
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Reviewer (text)
When Kitty sees the ad for a Harvey Girl in the paper, she jumps at the opportunity for an interview. She is anxious to get on with life and doesn’t want to be stuck in some shop selling shoes. Her parents can’t afford to send her away to college, so she’s taking matters into her own hands. Being a Fred Harvey waitress can’t be that difficult. She will have to exaggerate her age a little and go away for some training, but she’s sure it will be easy and a provide good material so she can become a journalist, someday.
However, Kitty doesn’t expect the hard work being a Harvey Girl demands. The black uniforms with the starched white aprons must be spotless at all times. The tables must be set to perfection and napkins folded the “Harvey” way. There are strict curfews, no unnecessary conversations with customers and long, long days on your feet. In no time at all, Kitty’s diary entries are filled with dismay and homesickness. She is tired --- life as a waitress is not as glamorous as she hoped.
Famous for her young adult historical fiction books, Meyer gives us a refreshing, insightful look at this exciting time period.
The waitresses are supervised by a stern woman known as “Queen Bea” and an even sterner Mr. Schaeffer. Their training is carefully orchestrated from the minute they get up until they fall into their beds (at a certain time) at night. Some girls can’t make the “grade”, whether because they’re late too often or their uniforms aren’t up to par, and others get boyfriends and decide to leave. Mostly, though, once the training has begun, all the girls work hard to meet the high standards of their positions.
Kitty begins to adjust and even starts making some friends, particularly in Cordelia Hart. Cordelia is a sure fire flapper and has to tone herself down to fit in. She has lots of spunk and tons of musical talent. She also gets rid of a very pushy guy who wants to marry her. Everyone is taken aback by this, but it’s a good thing she turned him down, as readers discover later. There are also plenty of good-looking fellas who work the railroads, and when they come in for the fabulous food and to look at the pretty girls, there is opportunity for the waitresses’ lives to get more exciting. For Kitty, it’s Gus who adds this intrigue to her life.
Carolyn Meyer tells the story of the magnificent Harvey restaurants, their relationship with railroad travel and the young girls who worked in them. Through careful research, maps, photographs and Kitty’s diaries entries, readers can glimpse a fascinating piece of history. The Author’s Note explains that the restaurants went strong for over 70 years before the final one closed in 1957.
Famous for her young adult historical fiction books, Meyer gives us a refreshing, insightful look at this exciting time period. The historical aspects of this book, along with its delightful heroine, offer insights into the golden age of the Fred Harvey restaurants and the young women who helped make them so successful.
Teaser
It's 1926 and one spunky girl, Kitty Evans, joins the thousands of well–trained waitresses providing first -class service in Harvey House. She faces the often funny and painful experiences she and fellow waitresses Cordelia and Emmy endure. As Kitty writes about her escapades, a loveable teenager emerges; she embraces adventure, independence, her position as a Harvey Girl, and a freelance writing career.
Promo
It's 1926 and one spunky girl, Kitty Evans, joins the thousands of well–trained waitresses providing first -class service in Harvey House. She faces the often funny and painful experiences she and fellow waitresses Cordelia and Emmy endure. As Kitty writes about her escapades, a loveable teenager emerges; she embraces adventure, independence, her position as a Harvey Girl, and a freelance writing career.
About the Book
In 1926, droves of Americans traveled by train across the United States to visit the West. They ate at Harvey Houses, where thousands of well–trained waitresses provided first -class service. The Waitresses: The Journal of a Harvey Girl tells the first–person story of one spunky girl, Kitty Evans, as she faces the often funny and painful experiences she and fellow waitresses Cordelia and Emmy endure. As Kitty writes about her escapades, a loveable teenager emerges; she embraces adventure, independence, her position as a Harvey Girl, and a freelance writing career. In this fast-paced novel, best–selling author Carolyn Meyer, who has visited and researched several Harvey Hotels, brings together an unforgettable heroine with the universal themes of friendship, identity, and young love.
