What do you think?
Rate this book
Buttered Side Down: Short Stories
"And so," the story writers used to say, "they lived happily ever after."
Um-m-m—maybe. After the glamour had worn off, and the glass slippers were worn out, did the Prince never find Cinderella's manner redolent of the kitchen hearth; and was it never necessary that he remind her to be more careful of her finger-nails and grammar? After Puss in Boots had won wealth and a wife for his young master did not that gentleman often fume with chagrin because the neighbors, perhaps, refused to call on the lady of the former poor miller's son?
It is a great risk to take with one's book-children. These stories make no such promises. They stop just short of the phrase of the old story writers, and end truthfully, thus: And so they lived. E. F.
(Summary from the Foreword to "Buttered Side Down".)
Um-m-m—maybe. After the glamour had worn off, and the glass slippers were worn out, did the Prince never find Cinderella's manner redolent of the kitchen hearth; and was it never necessary that he remind her to be more careful of her finger-nails and grammar? After Puss in Boots had won wealth and a wife for his young master did not that gentleman often fume with chagrin because the neighbors, perhaps, refused to call on the lady of the former poor miller's son?
It is a great risk to take with one's book-children. These stories make no such promises. They stop just short of the phrase of the old story writers, and end truthfully, thus: And so they lived. E. F.
(Summary from the Foreword to "Buttered Side Down".)
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1912
34 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Edna Ferber
280 books285 followersEdna Ferber was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels were popular in her lifetime and included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big (1924), Show Boat (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), Cimarron (1929; made into the 1931 film which won the Academy Award for Best Picture), and Giant (1952; made into the 1956 Hollywood movie).
Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to a Hungarian-born Jewish storekeeper, Jacob Charles Ferber, and his Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born wife, Julia (Neumann) Ferber. At the age of 12, after living in Chicago, Illinois and Ottumwa, Iowa, Ferber and her family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school and briefly attended Lawrence University. She took newspaper jobs at the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal before publishing her first novel. She covered the 1920 Republican National Convention and 1920 Democratic National Convention for the United Press Association.
Ferber's novels generally featured strong female protagonists, along with a rich and diverse collection of supporting characters. She usually highlighted at least one strong secondary character who faced discrimination ethnically or for other reasons; through this technique, Ferber demonstrated her belief that people are people and that the not-so-pretty people have the best character.
Ferber was a member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of wits who met for lunch every day at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.
Ferber was born August 15, 1885, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to a Hungarian-born Jewish storekeeper, Jacob Charles Ferber, and his Milwaukee, Wisconsin-born wife, Julia (Neumann) Ferber. At the age of 12, after living in Chicago, Illinois and Ottumwa, Iowa, Ferber and her family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, where she graduated from high school and briefly attended Lawrence University. She took newspaper jobs at the Appleton Daily Crescent and the Milwaukee Journal before publishing her first novel. She covered the 1920 Republican National Convention and 1920 Democratic National Convention for the United Press Association.
Ferber's novels generally featured strong female protagonists, along with a rich and diverse collection of supporting characters. She usually highlighted at least one strong secondary character who faced discrimination ethnically or for other reasons; through this technique, Ferber demonstrated her belief that people are people and that the not-so-pretty people have the best character.
Ferber was a member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of wits who met for lunch every day at the Algonquin Hotel in New York.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
August 28, 2017
More like 4 1/2.
March 29, 2015
When I discovered Edna Ferber's work I never thought to try reading the titles in order by publication date. I just picked whichever appealed to me at the moment and read. But when I started this collection, I could see so many hints showing up about Edna's most famous heroine Emma McChesney that I turned to Wiki for more information about my friend Edna. Turns out that Buttered Side Down was only the second book Ferber had
published. No wonder I was seeing ideas and characters that later became much smoother in presentation and personality. This glimpse of her development as a writer was quite interesting to me; and a reminder that in my own half-hearted attempts at scribbling I should not be afraid to take an idea and work it out half a dozen different ways, try it on for size with a few different characters. Edna always inspires me in some way, which is why I like her so much.
Of the twelve stories here, I did have two favorites, which felt more polished, with more of a real message than the others. In Maymeys From Cuba, a young woman in Chicago is looking at the window display of a fruit shop which caters to society people who can afford the amazingly luscious out-of-season fruit being offered. Poor Jennie has not had a bite to eat in days, has no money, no job, and no prospects of either. We follow
her in a fruitless quest to find help. The traffic cop she asks for directions tells her which streetcar to take to the nearest soup kitchen, but she does not have the cost of the fare. What happens when she wanders into a large department store and discovers the grocery section? It will break your heart.
In Where The Car Turns At 18th, we meet a small town boy who dreams of Something Big, and thinks he has found it the day the Navy Recruiter arrives. But is Eddie's life aboard ship anywhere at all close to what the recruiting posters advertise? And what can he do about it? Will he make a good choice or.....?
I have just one more Edna Ferber title available to me and then when I need an Edna fix I will have to re-read. And I won't mind that a bit.
published. No wonder I was seeing ideas and characters that later became much smoother in presentation and personality. This glimpse of her development as a writer was quite interesting to me; and a reminder that in my own half-hearted attempts at scribbling I should not be afraid to take an idea and work it out half a dozen different ways, try it on for size with a few different characters. Edna always inspires me in some way, which is why I like her so much.
Of the twelve stories here, I did have two favorites, which felt more polished, with more of a real message than the others. In Maymeys From Cuba, a young woman in Chicago is looking at the window display of a fruit shop which caters to society people who can afford the amazingly luscious out-of-season fruit being offered. Poor Jennie has not had a bite to eat in days, has no money, no job, and no prospects of either. We follow
her in a fruitless quest to find help. The traffic cop she asks for directions tells her which streetcar to take to the nearest soup kitchen, but she does not have the cost of the fare. What happens when she wanders into a large department store and discovers the grocery section? It will break your heart.
In Where The Car Turns At 18th, we meet a small town boy who dreams of Something Big, and thinks he has found it the day the Navy Recruiter arrives. But is Eddie's life aboard ship anywhere at all close to what the recruiting posters advertise? And what can he do about it? Will he make a good choice or.....?
I have just one more Edna Ferber title available to me and then when I need an Edna fix I will have to re-read. And I won't mind that a bit.
December 12, 2010
Why Ferber isn't taught in schools is beyond me. This is easily as good as anything Fitzgerald wrote but exposes so many small details about life from a woman's point of view...it's just a treasure.
March 9, 2014
Surprisingly refreshing, at times bittersweet, and very clever short stories about shop clerks, hotel staff and wait servers set mainly in the larger American cities in the early 20th century.
I listened to the Librivox audiobook version read by Xe Sands (Madera), which was especially enjoyable. Her silky voice contrasted by the dialects of the characters she portrayed was just terrific!
I listened to the Librivox audiobook version read by Xe Sands (Madera), which was especially enjoyable. Her silky voice contrasted by the dialects of the characters she portrayed was just terrific!
January 24, 2021
Chicago is to Edna Ferber as New York to O'Henry. Most stories are about people who arrive to Chicago in search of a good job and a life away from small towns. They were all very nice stories.
May 8, 2013
Edna Ferber is great... super entertaining. I can't believe I didn't know about her before and I will be seeking out more of her work. Isn't that the best possible reaction after reading a book? She has a lot of wit which is probably one of my favorite attributes for a writer, and I think it's unfortunate that she is not more well known or taught in school.
October 11, 2012
The stories take place in the early 1900's. Most of them deal with young people going to the big cities, or in one case to the navy, and the struggles they face. They deal with home sickness, and trying to find their way in the new environment.
September 15, 2013
I enjoyed these short stories, providing a slice of life in the 1920's in various parts of the U.S. (New York, Illinois, Wisconsin). Most of the stories had a touch of bittersweet and humor. I enjoyed all of the stories except the last one which ended the book on a very sad note.
June 29, 2025
inspired by an instagram post, I’ve asked my spouse to pick a book for me from every decades of the 20th century. This was his pick for the 1910s.
I *LOVED* this. I had never heard of Edna Ferber but now I want to read more of her stuff. This is a collection of her early stories and almost all of them are funny, clever, and charming (though not always happy). I am very NOT knowledgeable about the literature of that time, but her writing feels more modern than what I expected (and maybe it was!). She also writes mostly about working class people, especially young women, trying to survive in the big city (in this case Chicago. She apparently moved to New York eventually but I did enjoy all the digs she took at NYC in this collection). There’s a lot of meta commentary and breaking the fourth wall in her stories, offering commentary about things and places and especially writing short stories for magazines and publishing, that made me laugh out loud. It’s also very distinctly American (in a good way), in the language and manners of her characters. Her openings are practically all amazing, drawing you in. I had to take away one star because some of the stories’ endings were weaker than her openings, and one of them hit me with pretty intense fatphobia (though it still managed to make me laugh!), and just a few details here and there that were less favorable but expected for the time period (though I must say, it sometimes also felt ahead of its time at least in my understanding of women’s roles and expectations). The last story was genuinely sad, but I don’t hold that against her. I’m a new fan.
I *LOVED* this. I had never heard of Edna Ferber but now I want to read more of her stuff. This is a collection of her early stories and almost all of them are funny, clever, and charming (though not always happy). I am very NOT knowledgeable about the literature of that time, but her writing feels more modern than what I expected (and maybe it was!). She also writes mostly about working class people, especially young women, trying to survive in the big city (in this case Chicago. She apparently moved to New York eventually but I did enjoy all the digs she took at NYC in this collection). There’s a lot of meta commentary and breaking the fourth wall in her stories, offering commentary about things and places and especially writing short stories for magazines and publishing, that made me laugh out loud. It’s also very distinctly American (in a good way), in the language and manners of her characters. Her openings are practically all amazing, drawing you in. I had to take away one star because some of the stories’ endings were weaker than her openings, and one of them hit me with pretty intense fatphobia (though it still managed to make me laugh!), and just a few details here and there that were less favorable but expected for the time period (though I must say, it sometimes also felt ahead of its time at least in my understanding of women’s roles and expectations). The last story was genuinely sad, but I don’t hold that against her. I’m a new fan.
September 2, 2017
Free e-book from Amazon!
The author warns readers that these are not necessarily pleasant stories, just ones with truthful endings, and it's true: there are no happy endings, even when it seems things will work out for the best. Nevertheless, all are intriguing, poignant, and very readable. Ferber's writing style is reminiscent of Flannery O'Connor's to me, but with big-city settings and nomenclature rather than Appalachian. This is a great little book.
Some favorite quotations:
"His radiant blondeur was dimmed in some intangible, elusive way."
"Birdie Callahan always said that Minnie was working only to wear out her old clothes."
"Birdie had a face that looked like a huge mistake, but she walked like a panther. . ."
"The average reader likes his heroine well dressed."
"Veteran clerks and policemen cannot disguise their feet."
"The wall-paper was a crime. It represented an army of tan mustard plasters climbing up a chocolate-fudge wall."
"Most of us are where we are because we belong there, and if we didn't, we wouldn't be."
". . . home isn't always the place where you were born and bred. Home is the place where your everyday clothes are, and where somebody, or something needs you."
"Mary Louise's eyes unclosed in a flash. . ."
The author warns readers that these are not necessarily pleasant stories, just ones with truthful endings, and it's true: there are no happy endings, even when it seems things will work out for the best. Nevertheless, all are intriguing, poignant, and very readable. Ferber's writing style is reminiscent of Flannery O'Connor's to me, but with big-city settings and nomenclature rather than Appalachian. This is a great little book.
Some favorite quotations:
"His radiant blondeur was dimmed in some intangible, elusive way."
"Birdie Callahan always said that Minnie was working only to wear out her old clothes."
"Birdie had a face that looked like a huge mistake, but she walked like a panther. . ."
"The average reader likes his heroine well dressed."
"Veteran clerks and policemen cannot disguise their feet."
"The wall-paper was a crime. It represented an army of tan mustard plasters climbing up a chocolate-fudge wall."
"Most of us are where we are because we belong there, and if we didn't, we wouldn't be."
". . . home isn't always the place where you were born and bred. Home is the place where your everyday clothes are, and where somebody, or something needs you."
"Mary Louise's eyes unclosed in a flash. . ."
August 6, 2017
An interesting set of stories; they range from somewhat unsettling to truly depressing. I really didn't soak up the first couple, but the rest were enchanting and enthralling. And of course, since it was liberivox, there was a reminder every story that it's "in the public domain" :-)
May 8, 2020
After reading some no-so-good books, I turn to the ever faithful Ferber. This collection of short stories demonstrates Ferber's great play of words. Especially with her background of the fabric industry. Though many of the stories are very similar, the thing to note is Ferber's ability to write similar ideas and themes very differently. A great American writer.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.
Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.
April 27, 2015
I loved this eccentric collection so much that I then downloaded another collection of stories by Ferber. This collection shows early 20th century women taking their lives in their own hands and refusing to conform to what is expected. I loved the quirky characters and unusual storylines.
August 14, 2016
Rather sweet, slightly sad stories about shop clerks and travellers in linens - hopeful but realistic, knowing but disappointed. Very 1910s, and very nicely made.
June 19, 2012
Love Edna Ferber!
April 23, 2013
I really enjoyed these stories - Kindle edition.
July 9, 2013
Short story writing that draws me in and amazes me with it's attention to detail and character. Brilliant voice.
December 3, 2015
Meh. Forgot about the melodrama of So Big.
May 10, 2016
My first foray into Ferber and not my last. Thanks the-toast.net!
September 14, 2016
I love Ferber. So funny, so real, so sad. Can't get enough.
June 5, 2017
Beautiful writing full of humor and heart. Some stories were more polished than others. I particularly enjoyed, "What She Wore," "The Leading Lady," and "Sun Dried."
July 1, 2017
Great stories about relationships that don't all end "happily ever after." Sweet and satisfying.
April 15, 2023
I just finished reading The Manhattan Girls: A Novel of Dorothy Parker and Her Friends so I decided to read this collection of short stories from one of the members of the Algonquin Round Table. Available for free for Kindle from Amazon (as well as many other Edna Ferber works).
The setting for these stories is Chicago, not New York, and Ferber pokes fun comparing the citizen of the two cities. This was published in 1912, a good ten years before her New York days.
Here Ferber breaks down the "fourth wall" and as the writer lets you, the reader, into a view of her work, such as when her sister tells her magazines will never buy a story about an ugly heroine. (That was one of my favorite stories!)
Interesting stamp news--According to former U.S. Postal Service stamp executive Joe Brockert the first United States stamp for the Priority Mail rate was very nearly a Great Americans series stamp in 1986 featuring Edna Ferber. In 2002 Ferber was finally pictured on an 83¢ stamp in the Distinguished Americans series.
Public Service Announcement--stamps will go up to 66 cents in July.
The setting for these stories is Chicago, not New York, and Ferber pokes fun comparing the citizen of the two cities. This was published in 1912, a good ten years before her New York days.
Here Ferber breaks down the "fourth wall" and as the writer lets you, the reader, into a view of her work, such as when her sister tells her magazines will never buy a story about an ugly heroine. (That was one of my favorite stories!)
Interesting stamp news--According to former U.S. Postal Service stamp executive Joe Brockert the first United States stamp for the Priority Mail rate was very nearly a Great Americans series stamp in 1986 featuring Edna Ferber. In 2002 Ferber was finally pictured on an 83¢ stamp in the Distinguished Americans series.
Public Service Announcement--stamps will go up to 66 cents in July.
November 21, 2018
Ferber is known today mostly for the shows and movies made from her books ("Show Boat" and "Giant" and "Cimarron"), but, judging from these wonderful stories, written in her early to mid-twenties, she should be more widely read. She writes of the dreams, disappointments, and, very occasionally, triumphs of department store saleswomen and accountants and stenographers. No book has given me a more visceral sense of what early twentieth-century life was really like--pot roasts and corset patterns and strawberry socials and small-town Main Streets on summer evenings. She breaks the fourth wall to tell of her own life as a writer, opening one story by saying that she wrote it for a saleswoman in her town who asked for a really homely heroine, not one like Jane Eyre, who, Ferber says, is "constantly described as plain and mouse-like, but there are covert hints as to her gray eyes and slender figure and clear skin, and we have a sneaking notion that she wasn't such a fright after all."
I read this for my My Year in 1918 project (myyearin1918.com).
I read this for my My Year in 1918 project (myyearin1918.com).
August 26, 2019
I'm here to tell you that you can do no better in short stories than Edna Ferber! The plots are simple but the character development is beyond compare. I started with this book, grabbed off of Project Gutenberg, and steadily worked my way through every compilation I could find, both electronic and hard copy. She was very prolific so I spent a very pleasant summer of reading my way through them. I did an overview of them on my blog at https://pams-pictorama.com/2019/02/09... or it can be found by searching my site at Pams-Pictorama.com. You're lucky indeed if you are just starting on the Edna Ferber short story reading fiesta!
April 28, 2019
Edna Ferber is a great writer, both for her witty narrative and her true to life portrayal of every situation. The stories were a mix. She was trying to be realistic as well as romantic so some are predictable, others not. But they all relate to the life of not-so-well-to-do American. Some have the rural young person seeking job in big city theme. The writing was ahead of its times and show not tell was employed well. I didn't enjoy all the stories but overall the book was worth reading.
May 11, 2020
Magazine fiction
Magazine fiction used to be a really big deal. Good writers of the late 19th and early 20th century could make a lot of money writing for the Saturday Evening Post, Liberty, Colliers, Redbook, McCalls, The Ladies' Home Journal, etc. Twain, Fitzgerald, and here, Edna Ferber, could make good money for short stories.
BT fans, take note, here's the kind of stories that Betsy/Maud tried to emulate.
Magazine fiction used to be a really big deal. Good writers of the late 19th and early 20th century could make a lot of money writing for the Saturday Evening Post, Liberty, Colliers, Redbook, McCalls, The Ladies' Home Journal, etc. Twain, Fitzgerald, and here, Edna Ferber, could make good money for short stories.
BT fans, take note, here's the kind of stories that Betsy/Maud tried to emulate.
February 25, 2022
At first I didn't mind that the stories ended the way the did... It kind of reminded me of Tom Hank's movie "The Terminal" ... you know, how he doesn't get the girl, but it's still a pretty satisfying ending.
However, some of the stories were not quite as satisfying as the others and the last story left a REALLY BAD taste in my mouth.
Edna Ferber is good writer. One of my favorites. I just don't think I'll be revisiting this particular book anytime soon.
However, some of the stories were not quite as satisfying as the others and the last story left a REALLY BAD taste in my mouth.
Edna Ferber is good writer. One of my favorites. I just don't think I'll be revisiting this particular book anytime soon.
December 28, 2023
If Edna Ferber was a man, we would have memorized all of these short stories by now. She was hilarious, smart, and adventurous and it is fascinating to read commercially appealing fiction of the 1920s. We have a different sense of humor today, but we will want to know all about love, marriage, sex, class issues, and more.
Ferber was a rock star writer and her work will always deserve attention.
Ferber was a rock star writer and her work will always deserve attention.
September 9, 2022
My first reading of Edna Ferber though not my last. This book of short stories was a wonderful introduction. She was a member of the Algonquin Round Table, and perhaps most familiar by her books that were made in to movies - Showboat, Giant, Cimarron.
(1912 ✅ in my 100 Years of Books challenge)
(1912 ✅ in my 100 Years of Books challenge)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews