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Kitchen Boy
a novel, the story of a Maine boy working summers in a small coastal hotel, a story of the summer people, the hotel proprietors, and the coming of age of one smalltown maine boy in the late 1950s early 1960s
378 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 28, 2012
never really goes anywhere
August 12, 2022
3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed this book set in Maine starting in 1960 when Andy who was a senior in high school worked at a hotel in Maine, his home state, during the Summer then and thereafter for years. He was a Kitchen Boy, boiling lobsters, helping out, chauffeuring guests. He worked with a lot of wonderful people and they worked and lived well together and had a great Summer along with one of the owners. The other one came up occasionally and he always kept in touch when he went to college. One Summer Andy took another job on the wharf which he didn't like as much as being at the hotel. He eventually went back and got promoted to Assistant Manager.
The hotel guests were characters themselves and I loved hearing about their lives and how the staff talked about them too.
The Maine accent always made me smile and I got used to seeing And ay instead of Andy and other pronunciations of certain words and starting saying them myself.
Throughout the book I was savoring for lobsters, clams, lobster rolls, and any delicacy that Maine has to offer.
I really enjoyed this book set in Maine starting in 1960 when Andy who was a senior in high school worked at a hotel in Maine, his home state, during the Summer then and thereafter for years. He was a Kitchen Boy, boiling lobsters, helping out, chauffeuring guests. He worked with a lot of wonderful people and they worked and lived well together and had a great Summer along with one of the owners. The other one came up occasionally and he always kept in touch when he went to college. One Summer Andy took another job on the wharf which he didn't like as much as being at the hotel. He eventually went back and got promoted to Assistant Manager.
The hotel guests were characters themselves and I loved hearing about their lives and how the staff talked about them too.
The Maine accent always made me smile and I got used to seeing And ay instead of Andy and other pronunciations of certain words and starting saying them myself.
Throughout the book I was savoring for lobsters, clams, lobster rolls, and any delicacy that Maine has to offer.
May 15, 2017
From a history standpoint it is an interesting collection of stories. But as a whole they aren't really strung together in any way that tells an overall narrative. Which I found irritating.
But if you want a few anecdotal tales of life in the early 60's from the view of a summertime employee at a hotel on the East Coast... this one is ok.
But if you want a few anecdotal tales of life in the early 60's from the view of a summertime employee at a hotel on the East Coast... this one is ok.
November 17, 2020
This book made me laugh out loud.
October 22, 2022
This book reads like a memoir but it's fiction. Interesting story.
December 17, 2015
Most of us have stories to tell. One can't live for years without having something - or, rather, many somethings - happen that make up the layers of a life. Many of these lives could make extremely interesting books; many do make for interesting reading.
Kitchen Boy, by Sanford Phippen, brings us to a simpler time. Phippen grew up on the Eastern Coast of Maine, an interesting section of New England. Kitchen Boy deals with his "crucial years from ages 16 - 22" when he worked at Frenchman's Bay Manor, "a small summer resort hotel" where he worked as kitchen help during the summer months. In the Prologue, Phippen describes the Manor "was my raft down the Mississippi, my Pency Prep, the wedding of which I became a member, and, perhaps, even my Pequod." While much of the book is, indeed, interesting, giving the reader a look into a job that helped shape a young man, I'm not sure that it is quite as gripping as he might indicate. Throughout the book, I almost had the feeling that had someone other than F. Scott Fitzgerald had been assigned the writing of The Great Gatsby, moving it to Maine's east coast with a touch of Jay Gatsby in numerous people, it might have read as a second cousin to Kitchen Boy. Indeed, parts of the book felt almost Gatsby-ish...and then, moved on.
While I was intrigued Phippen's story, and found many of his adventures humorous, tender, or great character-studies, I almost expected some flash of light, something that would profoundly change his life. Many memoirs - and fiction, for that matter - climb an emotional mountain until the life-changing moment or moments happen. Kitchen Boy came across as more a body of water, tranquil most of the time, a few rough patches, the undercurrents of interpersonal relationships, but without any hurricanes whipping up the waters.
In the end, while it was an interesting, nice memoir, one that I'll probably read again, it still didn't have the excitement of many other memoirs. Would I recommend reading it? Yes. But don't look for any huge, earth-shattering excitement. But then, life isn't always earth-shattering, and many times, it's the people we meet and work with in our earlier years that shape our lives the most, often without our realizing it. That is where Kitchen Boy tries to take us.
Note: I originally wrote this for my blog, The Reading Room; you can view this post here.
Kitchen Boy, by Sanford Phippen, brings us to a simpler time. Phippen grew up on the Eastern Coast of Maine, an interesting section of New England. Kitchen Boy deals with his "crucial years from ages 16 - 22" when he worked at Frenchman's Bay Manor, "a small summer resort hotel" where he worked as kitchen help during the summer months. In the Prologue, Phippen describes the Manor "was my raft down the Mississippi, my Pency Prep, the wedding of which I became a member, and, perhaps, even my Pequod." While much of the book is, indeed, interesting, giving the reader a look into a job that helped shape a young man, I'm not sure that it is quite as gripping as he might indicate. Throughout the book, I almost had the feeling that had someone other than F. Scott Fitzgerald had been assigned the writing of The Great Gatsby, moving it to Maine's east coast with a touch of Jay Gatsby in numerous people, it might have read as a second cousin to Kitchen Boy. Indeed, parts of the book felt almost Gatsby-ish...and then, moved on.
While I was intrigued Phippen's story, and found many of his adventures humorous, tender, or great character-studies, I almost expected some flash of light, something that would profoundly change his life. Many memoirs - and fiction, for that matter - climb an emotional mountain until the life-changing moment or moments happen. Kitchen Boy came across as more a body of water, tranquil most of the time, a few rough patches, the undercurrents of interpersonal relationships, but without any hurricanes whipping up the waters.
In the end, while it was an interesting, nice memoir, one that I'll probably read again, it still didn't have the excitement of many other memoirs. Would I recommend reading it? Yes. But don't look for any huge, earth-shattering excitement. But then, life isn't always earth-shattering, and many times, it's the people we meet and work with in our earlier years that shape our lives the most, often without our realizing it. That is where Kitchen Boy tries to take us.
Note: I originally wrote this for my blog, The Reading Room; you can view this post here.
September 8, 2012
I am a native Mainer who is in love with the Maine coast. Unfortunately, I live over 100 miles from it, so I do not get there as often as I would like. Sanford Phippen's Kitchen Boy has been like a trip to the coast every time I've opened it. It's the quasi-autobiographical story of several summers in the life of "Andy", a young man who works in the kitchen of the Frenchman's Bay Manor, a favorite summer vacation spot for out-of-staters looking for a genuine Maine coast experience. Spanning his years from the end of high school through college, young Andy struggles with the personal ups and downs that come with those transformative years, as well as some unique to his job. Along the way, he encounters a fascinating array of people in the guests at the manor as well as his fellow employees there. Set in the early 60s, Kitchen Boy is also an interesting foray into recent history. I was constantly reminded of how much things have changed in Maine in just the last 50 years while reading this book.
The author spoke to a group I was a member of back in high school in the late 80s, and at the time, I just didn't "get it". The group's advisors gushed over Phippen and his work, but I failed to see the appeal at all. At the time I had my sights set on what I thought were bigger and better things beyond high school and the state of Maine. Reading his works now through the eyes of the middle-aged man I have become, I can appreciate how Kitchen Boy and Phippen's other works both entertain the reader and provide authentic look into an often-overlooked aspect of Maine life, that of those who work so very hard behind the scenes to make this the "Vacationland" enjoyed by so many.
Kitchen Boy by Sanford Phippen is really a hidden gem. The lively characters Andy meets are painted deftly by Phippen, and the Maine coast setting almost serves as another character, its role is so prominent. Published some years ago and only recently made available in electronic format, I would consider Kitchen Boy required reading for anyone who grew up in the state of Maine, and highly recommend it for anyone who has ever visited Maine or has dreamed of doing so.
The author spoke to a group I was a member of back in high school in the late 80s, and at the time, I just didn't "get it". The group's advisors gushed over Phippen and his work, but I failed to see the appeal at all. At the time I had my sights set on what I thought were bigger and better things beyond high school and the state of Maine. Reading his works now through the eyes of the middle-aged man I have become, I can appreciate how Kitchen Boy and Phippen's other works both entertain the reader and provide authentic look into an often-overlooked aspect of Maine life, that of those who work so very hard behind the scenes to make this the "Vacationland" enjoyed by so many.
Kitchen Boy by Sanford Phippen is really a hidden gem. The lively characters Andy meets are painted deftly by Phippen, and the Maine coast setting almost serves as another character, its role is so prominent. Published some years ago and only recently made available in electronic format, I would consider Kitchen Boy required reading for anyone who grew up in the state of Maine, and highly recommend it for anyone who has ever visited Maine or has dreamed of doing so.
October 12, 2012
Wow! what a book. I was truely drawn into the world of the Maine coast during holiday season throughout the 1960's. The narrator guides you through the years of his youth spent working in a hotel and later at a mouthwatering wharf where he sold clams and lobsters. I was desperate to eat one of those thousands of lobsters that were mentioned in the book along with oceans of warm melted butter.I wanted to be there and share those experiences.
March 13, 2008
The Catcher and the Rye of coastal Maine. Wonderfully funny and touching coming of age story filled with Phippen's characteristic wit and insight. A gifted storyteller, the novel is full of lively minor characters with memorable personalities and distinctive voices.
September 6, 2008
Many of the stories in "Kitchen Boy" overlap with "The Police Know Everything." Phippen may have been more revolutionary when this was written.
June 15, 2012
A good summer coming of age story about a young man working at a Maine hotel. Funny without being silly.
June 25, 2012
This almost reads as a series of short stories about a young man in coastal Maine. It is rather disjointed, but has an unmistakable charm that keeps you coming back.
March 6, 2013
It was an ok book. It was a coming of age book about a boy.
December 10, 2012
Enjoyable
February 4, 2013
It was interesting to read a local book written by an author I have met; very entertaining!
March 26, 2013
A bit dull and better done by many people particularly "Early to the Dance" by David Payne (one of favorite books).
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February 24, 2016kindle 378 maine
August 31, 2016
loved it.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews