Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN num: 9780743206051
ISBN number: 0743206053
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 224
Printing Date: November 19, 2002
Publishing house: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: November 19, 2002
Sale Popularity Level: 115960
Studio: Simon & Schuster
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Product Description:
In her long-awaited memoir, Mary Higgins Clark, America's beloved and bestselling Queen of Suspense, recounts the early experiences that shaped her as a person and influenced her as a writer.
Even as a young girl, growing up in the Bronx, Mary Higgins Clark knew she wanted to be a writer. The gift of storytelling was a part of her Irish ancestry, so it followed naturally that she would later use her sharp eye, keen intelligence, and inquisitive nature to create stories about the people and things she observed.
Along with all Americans, those who lived in New York City's borough of the Bronx suffered during the Depression. So it followed that when Mary's father died, her mother, deciding to open the family home to boarders, placed a discreet sign subsequent to the front door that read, FURNISHED ROOMS. KITCHEN PRIVILEGES. Very shortly the very first in a succession of tenants arrived: a couple dodging bankruptcy who moved in with their wild-eyed boxer; a teacher who wept endlessly over her lost love; a deadbeat who tripped over a lamp while trying to sneak out in the middle of the night...
The family's struggle to make ends meet; her days as a scholarship student in an exclusive girls' academy; her after-school employment as a hotel switchboard operator (happily listening in on the guests' conversations); the death of her beloved older brother in World War II; her brief career as a flight attendant for Pan Am (a job taken after a friend who flew with the airline said ever so casually, 'God, it was beastly hot in Calcutta'); her marriage to Warren Clark, on whom she'd had a crush for many years; sitting at the kitchen table, writing stories, and finally selling the very first one for one hundred dollars (after six years and some forty rejections!) -- all these experiences figure into Kitchen Privileges, as does her husband's untimely death, which left her a widowed mother of five young children.
Determined to care for her family and to make a career for herself, she went to work writing scripts for a radio show, but in her spare time she began writing novels. Her first, a biographical novel about the life of George Washington titled Aspire to the Heavens, found a publisher but disappeared without a trace when the publisher folded. (Recently it was rediscovered by a descendant of the Washington family and was reissued under the title Mount Vernon Love Story.) The experience, however, gave her the background and the preparation for writing Where Are the Children? which went on to become an international bestseller. That novel launched her career and was the very first of twenty-seven (and still counting!) bestselling books of suspense.
As Mary Higgins Clark has said when asked if she might consider giving up writing for a life of leisure, 'Never! To be happy for a year, win the lottery. To be happy for life, love what you do.'
In Kitchen Privileges, she reflects on the joy that her life as a writer has brought her, and shares with readers the love that she has found.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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I read this book when it very first came out and was not disappointed in the slightest. I've read every Mary Higgins Clark book ever written. They're page turners, pure and simple, with often riveting plots and always nice, dignified characters. In an increasingly nastier world, I LIKE nice :). A lovely book about how a very lovely lady came to be one of the top fiction writers, triumphing over many odds.
Rated by buyers -
This memoir is truly a great example of what a special person Mary Higgins Clark is.
This woman was born under a special star and her mother had the wonderful insight to recognize it and encourage it to blossom.
As I read this I actually felt as if I were one of those neighbors who were privileged [but didn't know it at the time] enough to be allowed to came and sit and chat at the kitchen table and listen in to the wonderful stories.
Mary Higgens Clark has had her share of grief and yet she is humble enough to share those private moments with us and to managed to rise above the pain to become the wonderful sister, daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, and writer that she truly is.
I really felt honored to be allowed to share in her life story and was sadden when the book ended.
You won't regret reading this one!
I read it in one sitting and one day--I couldn't put it down. Trust me--you won't be able to either.
A-Must-Read for those who love Mary Higgens Clark and Memoirs.
Rated by buyers -
My Mother has been suffering from memory issues. We recently lucked out and found a prescription drug that has helped her focus more than she has in years. We couldn't believe it when she told us she read a book (the only book she's read in several years) that she borrowed from a friend at her Assisted Living facility. Apparently it was in large print and she loved it. I personally haven't read it, but she did pass it on to her older sister (83) and youger sister (77) and my sister 50) who all read it and said it was great. So, probably good gift idea for those form the depression era.
Rated by buyers 
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A member of my church loaned me this book and to be frank, I wasn't all that interested in it. I had never read anything by Mary Higgins Clark before, and why did a writer name her book after a kitchen anyway? I was also intent on reading the Elsie Dinsmore books, and so put this book down, thinking that I'll return it after a week or so.
Two weeks passed and I finally realized that I should at least make a seventy-something woman happy by reading it and so I began reading it after reading another borrowed book, "The Secret Life of Bees" (see my review on that superb novel). From Chapter One, I was hooked.
Mary Higgins Clark writes her story with charm, wit and detail. She tells us the story of her childhood in the 1940s, the death of her father, her very first jobs, her marriage and the births of her five children. She discusses her dream of becoming a writer and I can relate to this. I love to write, but my work is either rubbish or incomplete or both.
However, the book was very short and left me asking some questions. She's written a lot of books, but only goes into detail about writing two of them-one of which was a failure. The epilogue leaves you asking questions that she doesn't answer, especially since she devotes an entire sentence to her second, failed marriage. Wow...
Despite these flaws, I am going to read Mary Higgins Clark's fictional works and see if they are as well-written as this book is. I encourage any aspiring writer to read this book.
Rated by buyers -
I have been a fan of Mary Higgins Clark since junior high school when I very first read, "A Cry in the Night". As a 31-year old working mother of two, I barely have time to read anything leisurely anymore! Over the years I have read many of her books, but I have found this one the most entertaining to date. This book brought me to tears on more than one occasion. This is a truly inspiring human story of love and loss that many people will relate to. I applaud her determination in making all of her dreams come true. I have forwarded the book to a dear aunt who writes short stories to give her some encouragement. I hope this review has been helpful.
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