The Russian Tea Room : A Love Story

by Faith Stewart-gordon

Release Date: 02 November, 1999

Edition: Hardcover

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A disappointment

Piqued by the description, I bought this book for my mom for Christmas. She read it and then lent it to me. I just read it, and am now convinced that I should buy my mom another Christmas present. How disappointing. There is a great deal of interesting content here, however the writing technique (or lack of it) becomes an obstacle to enjoying it. It's like taking a ride in a psychotic New York time machine: The book jumps from thought to thought and from era to era. The services of a ghostwriter would have improved this story immensely.

In addition, it appears that the author is making the assumption that her readers are born-and-bred New Yorkers. She has opportunities to expand on aspects of New York life that would be interesting to outsiders, but she chooses not to pursue them.

I Was There

I read Ms. Stewart-Gordon's book with great interest, as I worked as a waitress at The Russian Tea Room from 1971-1976. I learned a few historical things that I didn't know, and it jogged my memory on other items of interest. I also greatly admired the author's bravery and candor in describing her relationship with her daughter Ellen. However, I found the "behind the scenes" portions not as revealing and newsy as I expected. I found the book a bit dull in many parts, and it was poorly edited. I am, however, thrilled to have this volume to pass on to my son, as an important part of his mother's history, as well as a piece of New York City's history.