Sweetbitter

A Novel

De: Stephanie Danler

Narrado por: Alex McKenna

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER * A thrilling novel of the senses and a coming-of-age tale, following a small-town girl into the electrifying world of New York City and the education of a lifetime at one of the most exclusive restaurants in Manhattan. Perfect for readers of Kitchen Confidential and Blood, Bones and Butter.

Twenty-two, and knowing no one, Tess leaves home to begin her adult life in New York City. Thus begins a year that is both enchanting and punishing, in a low-level job at “the best restaurant in New York City.” Grueling hours and a steep culinary learning curve awaken her to the beauty of oysters, the finest Champagnes, the appellations of Burgundy. At the same time, she opens herself to friendships—and love—set against the backdrop of dive bars and late nights. As her appetites sharpen—for food and wine, but also for knowledge, experience, and belonging—Tess is drawn into a darkly alluring love triangle that will prove to be her most exhilarating and painful lesson of all.

Stephanie Danler deftly conjures the nonstop and purely adrenalized world of the restaurant—conversations interrupted, phrases overheard, and suggestions below the surface. Evoking the infinite possibility of being young in New York with heart-stopping accuracy, Sweetbitter is ultimately about the power of what remains after disillusionment, and the wisdom that comes from experience, sweet and bitter.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Brilliantly written… Sweetbitter is the Kitchen Confidential of our time.”
—Gabrielle Hamilton, author of Blood, Bones & Butter and Prune, New York Times Book Review

“Danler’s sexy, astute debut is really a love story about the addictive pull of restaurant life… Anyone who’s ever tied on an apron will think, “Finally, someone wrote a book about us.” And nailed it.”
—People (book of the week)

“An unpretentious, truth-dealing novel… about hunger of every variety. Ms. Danler is a sensitive observer… and gifted commenter on many things. Sweetbitter is going to make a lot of people hungry.”
—Dwight Garner, New York Times

“… perfectly captures the raw possibility of a young woman’s first year in New York, opening up to a whole new world of wine, food, love and heartbreak.”
—Mackenzie Dawson, New York Post

"...a raw, shucked, pungent, wild love story."
—Marie Claire

"Danler... quickly draws you into the sparkling surfaces and the shadowy underbelly of the city... [Tess's] insatiable hunger for tactile, sensual satisfaction dares you to tag along. The journey is high-minded and dirty, beastly and bountiful."
—Elle

“Danler’s ravishing debut is like inhabiting the heady after-midnight hours of a city drunk on its own charms… [her] descriptions of food and drink go beyond mouth-watering, verging on orgasmic… a first novel [that] tantalizes, seduces, satisfies.”
—Leigh Haber, O Magazine

Good portrait of a restaurant

As a former NYC I loved listening to all the inside jokes and restaurant language. Really beautiful, honest and dirty portrait of a Manhattan restaurant. Thought the narrator made the main character seem a little aloof and annoying.

anticlimactic

I first knew about this book through the Starz series. The series was disappointingly canceled as it has become the norm to leave the audience hanging. I listened to the book in hopes of finding out what happened. The book did provide it, but it was very anticlimactic.

Well written, no holding back!

Ms. Danler's story is a gritty, funny, and intensely personal story that any young woman in the restaurant business may relate to. Her descriptions, observations, and emotions were sometimes very explicit, but well stated. I enjoyed this book very much!

Gritty and beautiful

A wonderfully written (and performed) story of a young woman in New York. Vivid, gritty, honest, and beautiful.

very entertaining!

What was one of the most memorable moments of Sweetbitter?

The interesting way it was written- you are always surprised in what comes next.

Well written, poor plot.

This book was well written with robust vocabulary. Though the language and compelling character descriptions keep you intrigued, it is overall a boring an anti climactic story that you can easily forget to finish. I think anyone who has worked in the restaurant industry, like myself, is best suited to find this book interesting.

Not what I was expecting...

I expected Tess to be more successful, more driven, but she just seemed to continually settle. She seemed so ready to grab life by the horns in the beginning, and it seemed to just kind of fade away. She wanted all the life enriching experiences she could get, but didn't actually seem to aspire for much. I guess it was more realistic and believable than most of the happily ever after crap, just not what I was expecting as the story began spooling up.

An excellent read

I loved this book, both the writing and the narrating. I got very immersed in the storyline and the characters and would recommend it to anyone interested in life in NYC from the perspective of a 20ish year old. Very entertaining and very visual writing and descriptions which made you feel right there. The author's style reminds me of Joni Mitchell's songwriting - with the beautiful descriptions of life unfolding. Also the narrator did a superb job, and her changed voices brought the listener into the story.

A bit of a let down.

Is there anything you would change about this book?

An actual plot would be nice. Also considering the book follows a young, attractive 20-something working in a restaurant that is clearly the Union Square Cafe in the mid 2000s and the author was a young, attractive 20-something who worked at Union Square Cafe in the mid 2000s, the book felt more like a memoir than a piece of fiction. I think I've would've enjoyed it more if the author would've just made it a memoir.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Pretty boring. I found the last two or three chapters to be the most frustrating of them all.

Which character – as performed by Alex McKenna – was your favorite?

I didn't care for any of the characters except for maybe Sascha for comedic relief, but I don't think Danler presents any of the characters to be compelling or even relatable. If you work or have worked in restaurants some of the characters, mannerisms, or language will definitely read familiar, but there's not enough development in any of the characters to keep you interested. Simone is the most fleshed out character but still wholly unlikeable.

Was Sweetbitter worth the listening time?

I found some of the euphemisms and metaphors exhausting at times. But I really enjoyed Alex McKenna's narration. I understand how some might find her voice irritating but I thought she did a great job distinguishing the voices between the numerous characters and breathing life into an otherwise boring main character. Most audiobook narrations I've listened to, the voices are too monotone or sound like computers. It was nice to hear a narration that sounded like a real person and it's honestly the only thing that made me want to listen the whole way through.

Any additional comments?

I really wanted to like this book, but it was just a let down.

Narrator's voice

The narrator's voice made an otherwise good story difficult to listen to. The vocal fry is pretty unbearable.