苦甜曼哈顿 (2016)

《苦甜曼哈顿》（英语：Sweetbitter）是一本由美国作者史蒂芬妮·丹勒（Stephanie Danler）创作的小说，Alfred A. Knopf出版商负责出版。这是丹勒第一本出版的书籍。尽管在出版前受到催促，本书花费了作者超过七年时间而写成，收到褒贬不一的评价。

本书内容是根据丹勒在纽约市担任服务生的工作经历。

历史背景

这本小说是丹勒在联合广场咖啡馆当女服务员和附近大学新学院当MFA学生时所写的。后来，在纽约市的另一家餐厅Buvette担任服务生时，她遇到了出版人Peter Gethers，并告诉他，她最近完成了一本书。在Gethers推荐该手稿给一位朋友后，丹勒在Alfred A. Knopf出版社收到两本小说的六位数字合约。丹勒是其中收到大型合约以换取多本著作交易的一群作家之一。其他包括Emma Cline和Imbolo Mbue。

丹勒指出，虽然她与小说的主角Tess有许多共同之处，但是Tess“很快变得有个性，并且在我那个年纪时在许多方面的生活中过得更好，及更糟糕”，并且不完全基于她。她还说，小说的另外两个中心角色，Jake和Simone，是完全虚构的。丹勒对照她在餐厅世界的经历而写她的第一本小说。

剧情概要

这本小说讲述一名女人Tess，她从俄亥俄州移居到纽约市，在那里她成为一个没有任何其他生涯目标的餐厅杂工。她在城市期间，Tess在她工作的餐厅与另外两名雇员开始了一个三角恋：Jake是一名酒保，而Simone是一名年长的服务人员，并学习了很多关于食物的事。

电视剧

2017年10月，Starz和B计划娱乐开发改编该小说的电视剧，由艾拉·珀内尔饰演Tess。

Sweetbitter is a 2016 novel by American writer Stephanie Danler, published by Alfred A. Knopf. It is Danler's first published book. It was written over a seven-year period, and, despite glowing press before its release, received mixed reviews.

The book is based in part on Danler's experience as a waitress in New York City.

History and background

The novel was written while Danler was a waitress at Union Square Cafe and an MFA student at nearby university The New School. Later, while a waitress at Buvette, another restaurant in New York City, she met Peter Gethers, a publisher, and informed him that she had recently finished a book. After Gethers recommended the manuscript to a friend, Danler received a six-figure contract for two novels at Alfred A. Knopf. Danler is one of a cohort of authors to receive large contracts in exchange for multi-book deals. Others include Emma Cline and Imbolo Mbue.

Danler has stated that, although she has much in common with Tess, the novel's protagonist, Tess "quickly became a character, and is in many ways much better and much worse at life than I was at that age" and is not entirely based on her. She has also stated that the novel's other two central characters, Jake and Simone, are entirely fictional. Danler has compared writing her first novel to her experiences in the restaurant world.

Plot summary

Tess is twenty-two when she packs up her things in her car and moves from Ohio to New York City. Knowing nothing and no one she stumbles her way into a job at a semi-prestigious restaurant as a back waitress. The servers and staff are exceptionally tight-knit and take their jobs extremely seriously and Tess does as well. Tess is also drawn to Jake, one of the bartenders, and Simone, a senior server who takes Tess under her wing and begins to train her palate and teach her about wines so that she might one day be able to become a server.

Although they initially dislike her, the staff members soon warm up to Tess and she joins them in their hedonistic lifestyle. Nevertheless she longs to be included in Simone and Jake's more exclusive circle and comes to learn that they are both from Cape Cod, they knew each other before the restaurant, and Simone treats him like family. Tess aggressively pursues Jake but he refrains from sleeping with her which Tess comes to realize is because of Simone. When Simone walks in on Tess licking Jake after he cut himself, Simone says she will speak to Jake and he finally begins sleeping with Tess.

Tess is initially happy to be involved with Jake and with Simone. Gradually her closeness to the two turns to bitterness after she discovers that they have matching tattoos neither one will talk about and that Simone raised Jake from the time he was eight. She also loses respect for Simone after realizing that at 37 she is chained to the restaurant. Hers is a specialty whose skills will transfer nowhere, and her beauty is quickly fading.

When the restaurant is closed by the health inspectors, Tess goes upstairs to the general manager's office and accidentally discovers that Simone and Jake have planned a one-month vacation to France for his birthday without telling her. She gets blackout drunk and tries to confront Simone and Jake, but they fail to respond to her. The next time she sees them she confronts Simone, mocking her for being irrelevant. She also tries to convince Jake that his relationship with Simone is unhealthy and asks him to quit for her but though he admits he is tempted he ultimately rejects her.

Feeling defeated Tess goes to speak to the general manager, Howard, to convince him to give her one of the prestigious server jobs even though she knows that Simone will try to block her promotion. Howard has sex with her in return for the promotion; however, it turns out to be a transfer to one of their sister restaurants which Tess refuses. She tells Simone that she instead will try to work at a wine shop and Simone encourages the move.