| Plot Summary of The Harvey Girls |
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"The Harvey Girls is the collective term given to those women who worked for the Fred Harvey chain of restaurants, hotels, and dining cars in the southwest. These businesses were established along the line of the AT&SF railroad, known as the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. The line ran through Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and finally California. At first, meal service was very rudimentary along these lines, some trips which lasted for several days. In some cases passengers had to bring their own food. Fred Harvey thought something better could be offered these train travelers. He established the first restaurant, which was a big hit.
He had a deal with the railroad and never looked back. The guaranteed
customers helped his business, and his business helped make train travel more attractive to tourists.
He had very strict requirements for all his girls, as to dress,
professional performance, living areas, and behavior toward other
employees. But the service was exceptional, the food unlike anything that could be had within miles, and he was always very accommodating. During the depression years when desperate people headed to California looking for jobs, now Fred Harvey Jr., looked the other way when hobos hitched a ride. He often approved free meals for the destitute particularly those with children. Many of the women got jobs to help support the family. Others were just looking for adventure. Most were well respected because of the Harvey system, during a time when working women, particularly waitresses,
were generally considered to be low class. This is a very interesting book about women in a particular profession who entered the work force, some staying, some not, some leading on to other jobs, some going on to college, some getting married, and some staying in the Harvey system.
"
BethG, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Harvey Girls |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
job/profession:
- waitor/waitress
Job/profession/poverty story
Yes
Period of greatest activity?
- 1900+
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- servant
Age:
- long lived adults
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity
- White
Nationality
- American (!)
How sensitive is this person?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 6 ()
United States
Yes
The US:
- West
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Century:
- 1900-1920's
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Book makes you feel?
- encouraged
Writer's slant towards subject:
- favorable
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of set of events during life
Is this a biography of several people?
Yes
If this is a kid's book:
- Age 16-Adult
Pictures/Illustrations?
- A ton 16-20 B&W
How much dialogue in bio?
- significantly more descript than dialog
How much of bio focuses on most famous period of life?
- 51%-75% of book
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