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A Waiter in Paris
- Adventures in the Dark Heart of the City
- Narrated by: Orlando Wells
- Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
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A Waiter in Paris
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Summary
A waiter's job is to deceive you. They want you to believe in a luxurious calm because on the other side of that door...is hell.
Edward Chisholm's spellbinding memoir of his time as a Parisian waiter takes you below the surface of one of the most iconic cities in the world and right into its glorious underbelly.
He inhabits a world of inhuman hours, snatched sleep and dive bars; scraping by on coffee, bread and cigarettes, often under sadistic managers, with a wage so low you're fighting your colleagues for tips. Colleagues—including thieves, narcissists, ex-Legionnaires, paperless immigrants, wannabe actors and drug dealers—who are the closest thing to family that you've got.
It's physically demanding, frequently humiliating and incredibly competitive. But it doesn't matter because you're in Paris, the centre of the universe, and there's nowhere else you'd rather be in the world.
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What listeners say about A Waiter in Paris
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mattthomas
- 07-02-24
Superb, engaging writing style
Well written, in captivating style and a fascinating story, relatable and also bizarre. This unusual, yet wholly authentic portrait of Paris and it’s intersection with the grand old tradition of serving food to customers captures a great deal of life, equally hilarious and horrifying
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 07-06-22
Enjoyable read
Thought provoking and insightful. Enjoyable read. Great narrator too. I am looking forward to next book!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 02-03-24
Eating in a restaurant will never be the same..
after reading this very entertaining and thought-provoking tale. The narration by Orlando Wells was perfect.
I will enjoy listening to it again.
And I look forward to reading Edward Chisholm's next book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- honest dude
- 23-10-23
An amazing listen
Excellent all round. A really lovely, funny and eye opening book - pulling back the curtain on a world we so easily overlook. Couldn’t recommend highly enough.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Richard Underwood
- 20-02-24
At times horribly bleak, but overall had an oddly glowing positivity
Excellent performances. Strong story and from the POV of someone who has spent a life in the industry incredibly accurate… charming yet utterly brutal
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- David
- 11-07-22
A fantastic and insightful story
This book would be suitable for someone from the hospitality world.
The real struggle to survive within a busy restaurant is portrayed extremely well.
The dark side to hospitality that the customer doesn’t see. The tips and tricks a restaurant uses. The waiters and chefs with ambitions to do something else but find themselves still working within a restaurant.
I’m a chef and really enjoyed this audio book.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 31-10-22
Brilliantly portrayed
Edward Chisholm writes a vivid evocation of life behind the scenes in a Paris restaurant. I spent a great deal of my early life in restaurant kitchens & dining rooms & his painting of the scenes is spot on (though it sounds far nastier in Paris). Really great characterisation, superb sensory images and the narrator was perfect. I loved the sociological take on this unseen world. Bravo to Edward Chisholm. I’ll be looking out for more of his writing.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Papworth’s
- 09-05-23
Brilliant just brilliant
Loved this book so much, brilliantly written and really well read an absolute must listen.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Mrs C.L.Wylie
- 15-06-22
Captivating insight into the Underbelly of a Parisienne Restaurant
Great development of the characters in his story. he brought the characters likeable or not … to life .. felt like you were in Paris with him. He told his experience honestly including the racist behaviour that went on unchallenged both in and behind the dining rooms.
Anyone who has been to Paris will find something for them in this book. A coming of age story that takes you back to your own post student days when you were trying to find your place in the world.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- darren
- 21-10-22
the other side of Paris
Great story, interesting and inciteful, fascinating to hear a side of Paris that you don't always spot as a tourist
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