The Bartender's Cure by Wesley Straton

A novel that feels more like a memoir about bartending in New York than a novel. Samantha flees the west coast after falling apart taking a job as a bartender just until she is ready to go onto Harvard Law School. She starts from the ground up and slowly finds her way behind the bar at Joe's Apothecary. Even with all the headaches the more time that goes by the less prepared she is to leave - her coworkers, the clientele, her new friends and the new relationship. What makes this debut work is the "fly on the wall" approach to what goes on behind the scenes at a bar - after hours, prickly personalties and big egos as well as the art of small talk while mixing superior drinks. Wesley Straton does one better and gives us the stories behind some of the more popular concoctions and their recipes. Guaranteed to make you grab a martini glass and shaker at least by mid point, it is an enlightening coming of age tale about the joys of the local bar where everyone knows your name and they're always glad you came.          3 stars