{"id":16019,"date":"2025-08-30T23:56:54","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T22:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16019"},"modified":"2025-08-30T23:56:54","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T22:56:54","slug":"a-waiter-in-paris-by-edward-chrisholm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16019","title":{"rendered":"A Waiter in Paris by Edward Chrisholm"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

OFF THE SHELF<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

“A Waiter in Paris ” by Edward Chrisholm<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

As a young unemployed and disillusioned graduate, Chrisholm is invited to move with his then girlfriend to Paris. He is determined to learn French and to do this he seeks employment in a well-known and elite restaurant at the edge of the Seine.<\/p>\n

His unflinching and brutally honest descriptions of life as a lowly employee, first as a runner and then the slow, often gruelling pathway to becoming an accepted member of the team as a waiter. He describes the dark underbelly of the restaurant business and the cutthroat hierarchy that keeps everybody in their place. Chrisholm captivates the disparity between the glamorous dining experience of the guests and the often-harrowing experience of the workers, from immigrant migrants desperate to eke out a living to the scheming coworkers who aim to get the best tips by any means possible.<\/p>\n

Chrisholm\u2019s observations move through the year it takes to get \u2018some-way\u2019 to acceptance (never fully), charts the breakup of his relationship and what it feels like to live hand to mouth in the beautiful city of Paris. This is an insightful book that will make you appreciate the waiters who work in these busy restaurants.<\/p>\n

As a group we gave this an 8 out of 10.<\/p>\n

Tina Alwyn<\/p>\n

\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OFF THE SHELF “A Waiter in Paris ” by Edward Chrisholm As a young unemployed and disillusioned graduate, Chrisholm is invited to move with his then girlfriend to Paris. He is determined to learn French and to do this he seeks employment in a well-known and elite restaurant at the edge of the Seine. His unflinching and brutally honest descriptions […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[425,347],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-4an","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5597,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=5597","url_meta":{"origin":16019,"position":0},"title":"Seven Good Reads","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd March 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 This month, we each reviewed a book of our own choice that we had enjoyed. \u2018The tattooist of Auschwitz\u2019 by Heather Morris. This book is based on the real life of Lale Sokkolov a survivor of Auschwitz, interviewed by Heather Morris. It is the love story of Lale and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Wenvoe Page Turners"","block_context":{"text":"Wenvoe Page Turners","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=41"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":11597,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=11597","url_meta":{"origin":16019,"position":1},"title":"Life in the Shadow of the Crown","author":"Alan Williams","date":"6th May 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"OFF THE SHELF \u00a0 Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner This month\u2019s book was Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown by Anne Glenconner This memoir was written in 2019 at the age of 87 by\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Off The Shelf"","block_context":{"text":"Off The Shelf","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=347"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/wenvoe.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/glenconner.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12497,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=12497","url_meta":{"origin":16019,"position":2},"title":"Before The Coffee Gets Cold","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd November 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 OFF THE SHELF \"Before the coffee gets cold\" by Toshikazu Kawaguchi I think we all found the idea of this book interesting. 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The beliefs and actions of Judaism\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Off The Shelf"","block_context":{"text":"Off The Shelf","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=347"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":14060,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=14060","url_meta":{"origin":16019,"position":4},"title":"“Metronome” by Tom Watson","author":"Alan Williams","date":"14th March 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"OFF THE SHELF \"Metronome\" by Tom Watson This dystopian novel was highly praised on BBC TV programme \u2018Between the Covers\u2019 We had mixed feelings; most agreed that it was well written and portrayed the desolate island landscapes convincingly. The thoughts and feelings of the characters drew the reader into their\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Off The Shelf"","block_context":{"text":"Off The Shelf","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=347"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16099,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=16099","url_meta":{"origin":16019,"position":5},"title":"“Managing Expectations” by Minnie Driver","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st October 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"OFF THE SHELF \"Managing Expectations\" by Minnie Driver We all really enjoyed this book. It is not an autobiography but rather accounts of episodes in Minnie Driver\u2019s extraordinary life. It is hilarious, happy, poignant and sad. 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