Roast Beef Medium

Emma McChesney Series #1

by Edna Ferber

This rare and vintage book is a perfect addition to any bibliophile's collection

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Humor, American, Short Stories, Novels, Feminism

296 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1913

About the author

Edna 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.

Reviews

[Majenta · Rating 4 out of 5]

A four-and-a-HALF-star road trip with 30-something divorced mother-of-one "Emma McChesney, Mrs. (I place it in the background because she generally did)" (Loc. 179), proud 10-year-road-vet representative of T.A. Buck's Featherloom Petticoats, "and her favorite pastime was studying men and women. The two things went well together" (Loc. 352):

"'Call 'em weasels. That covers their style, occupation, and character'" (Emma describing a certain desirable element hanging around a department store at Loc. 420).

"'Full?' repeated Emma McChesney (and if it weren't for the compositer there'd be an exclamation point after that question mark)" (Loc.487).

"Emma McChesney stood on the bottom step, looking up and down Main Street and breathing in great draughts of that unadjectivable air" (Loc. 555).

"'When you begin to talk like that...I always feel as though I could take hold in a way to make those famous jobs that Hercules tackled look like little Willie's chores after school'" (Emma's new boss at Loc. 1463).

If you enjoyed this sample, hop on the next train through Edna Ferber's early-20th-century Midwest with her plucky warrior, Emma McChesney.

Thanks for reading.

[Bill on GR Sabbatical · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma McChesney has been on the road representing T.A. Buck's Featherloom Petticoats for a decade when we meet her reading a trade magazine over her supper in the Berger House hotel dining room in Three Rivers, Michigan. She's learned a thing or two making her own way since her divorce and her $6,000 a year salary and commissions not only supports her, but also her 17-year-old son, Jock.

The ease with which she not only takes down a young, married Lothario who interrupts her meal, but sets him back on the straight and narrow path, had me imagining how she'd handle Charlie Cowell, the travelling anvil salesman in The Music Man. He was chasing after Marian the Librarian in River City, Iowa, in the summer of 1912, right in the middle of the serialization of these stories in American Magazine, and could easily have crossed paths with Emma McChesney, too.

I enjoyed this humorous collection, first of a trilogy, and look forward to the other two. Paul Chenevert's reading on the free LibriVox audiobook was particularly good. If you're in the mood for a light and entertaining read that sounds surprisingly fresh for its age, give this a try.

[Jaylia3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savvy, straight-talking, and self-reliant, Emma McChesney, is as witty and entertaining as the “fast-talking dames” found in old movies, but it’s closer to 1910 than 1930 or 40. Emma’s an early career woman, working as the Midwest sales representative for T.A. Buck’s Featherloom skirts and petticoats, and most of her life is spent on the road--traveling by train, sleeping in hotels, meeting the most interesting people, and outsmarting the male sales reps who are her competition. She’s still stylish and attractive enough to make a man hope, but as a hardworking divorced mother dependant on her income she’s a stickler about her reputation.

Roast Beef Medium is the first of three books about the adventures of Emma McChesney. Edna Ferber, also the author of Giant and Show Boat, wrote the McChesney books long enough ago that they’re all in the public domain and ebook copies of them can be downloaded from sites like Project Gutenberg. I listened to a wonderfully narrated Libravox recording, also free, which kept me grinning even when stuck in traffic.

[Sterlingcindysu · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up. Although it's not available today for free on Amazon, keep an eye open for a future opportunity.

This is a continuation of "fashion" books I've been reading in a cluster. Emma is a traveling sales rep (a "lady drummer") for a petticoat company. What's a petticoat?

It's what Diana needed in this photo--



It's a slip, or half slip, or bra slip. Until I discovered bra slips, I never understood the advantage of a sundress if you had to wear a slip and pantyhose with it. Of course now those rules are long gone. I think the only reason you'd wear a slip/petticoat now is if you wanted a skirt to flare out.

Petticoats in the 1920s when sales plummeted due to the "flapper dresses" and hob skirts--



You wonder why they didn't hire more women salesmen to promote women's wear. As another reviewer said, Emma comes across as a tough talking dame from the 40s--makes sense since Ferber went on to write other books made into films.

The title comes from the first chapter when Emma explains to a new sales rep that you order "Roast Beef, Medium" at the hotel dining rooms because you know what you're getting. Similiar to the "mystery meat" we'd have at college.

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Edna Ferber. Maybe old-fashioned sometimes, but funny, witty and fast-moving always. These stories follow Emma McChesney through a period in her life as a divorced mother making a career for herself as a traveling sales rep of a petticoat company, back in the day when traveling was a career for men only. I've read other stories about Emma McChesney, so I was familiar with her and the other characters, and I know how their lives will eventually unfold. But that did not take away the fun of reading these stories, learning more about our friend Emma McChesney and her approach to life.

One thing I noticed more in this collection than I have in other Ferber collections. Any time she mentions Emma McChesney, it is by stating her full name. Even Emma McChesney's dearest friend calls her Emma McChesney. I do wonder why that seemed necessary....maybe Ferber just liked the sound of the name, who knows? It doesn't distract, but I did notice it....and will watch for it in other works. Does Ferber do the same for other heroines or is it only Emma McChesney who gets the Emma McChesney treatment? I have four more Ferber works available to me so someday we shall see!!

[Janelle]

Dnf. I’ve tried listening to this book twice but it’s so uninteresting I can’t keep going.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a treat! I will be searching for more Edna Ferber's stories of Mrs. McChesney. What an amazing woman.
"When Emma McChesney aimed to get things out of the way she did not use a shovel; she used a road-drag."

[Mariangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is 1911. Emma McChesney is the only traveler saleswoman working the Midwest for a New York clothing company, and her male colleagues either try to convince her that it is no work for a woman, or to make advances. But Emma McChesney always has a quick reply, and great deal of common sense and confidence. Her character and her relation with her college-aged son are similar to the ones between Selina and her son in "So big". Delightful.

[Pascale · Rating 3 out of 5]

So sad that I should be the first one to review this reprint of what was, in its day (1911), a very successful book, and justly so. Emma McChesney, a wise and feisty Yankee if there ever was one, is an immensely endearing heroine. Forced to earn a living after a bitter divorce, Emma has become a traveling saleswoman. The book starts when she is 36, with a son about to graduate high school. Emma makes a good living, but at what price! Not only does she have to put up with the discomforts of exhausting rail journeys and poor hotel food, but she must constantly fight back unwanted advances and ribald jokes from men who consider that "this isn't woman's work." Although traveling saleswomen were always a rarity, and have completely disappeared nowadays, this book is timeless in its description of how hard it is for a woman in just about any society to juggle a career, a personal life, and raising a child. Ferber is never preachy, but makes her points with as much clarity as her character plows ahead, regardless of setbacks and disappointments. Almost every page draws a smile, and I found myself tearing up when Emma falls ill, and can't even contact her son, who is on a fishing trip in Canada. Dame Edna begs to be rediscovered, folks!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could have given this one 3.5 stars, but it was a fun read overall, so I'll err on the side of generosity. Interesting to read these early "strong woman" stories that frequently walk a fine line between emerging feminist thought and adherence to (or perhaps nostalgia for) traditional male/female roles.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent fiction work. Traveling petticoat saleswoman, single mother. Fascinating look at what it means to be a single woman traveling throughout America on business, dealing with bosses and society. Kind of a sell-out at the end, but a great look at a strong woman.

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is about a middle-aged, divorced traveling saleswoman named Emma McChesney and the prejudice and hardship she faces. She earns “a man’s salary” and supports her teenaged son. The book was absolutely fascinating as a document of sexism in 1913. Thurber wanted to get into controversial topics but had to talk around them, so sometimes I was baffled as to what was going on, but eventually everything would become clear. (I think.) For example, there was one part where I thought the main character Emma was befriending a drag queen but it turned out instead the woman was a stripper. (This makes me sound really thick, but all the talk about “I’m not a real woman” and working in a special club for men only was confusing. And there’s a lot of mystifying period slang.)

I cannot tell if Edna Thurber really believed that housewifery and marriage were the only things that could fulfill a woman, or if she felt (perhaps rightly) that it was obligatory to throw that kind of sentiment over a book that’s about a strong single woman with a career. Reading this book was actually a bit painful because of the unending sexual harrassment Emma faced. It was of a very sanitized “let me take you out to dinner because you’re so beautiful” kind, but I still found it upsetting. Weirdly, this book reminded me of the Lad: A Dog series by Albert Payson Terhune because they both have the same thing happening over and over: Lad/Emma meets someone who is prejudiced against him/her, but then Lad/Emma proves him/herself through incredible heroism and nobleness, and the person realizes how wonderful s/he is. Couldn’t Emma just once meet someone who didn’t make all kinds of assumptions about her, and why did she have to educate these sleazebags over and over? It was just depressing, but I think hyper-realistic.

Here’s a description of Emma and her best friend. “Theirs was not a talking friendship. It was a thing of depth and understanding, like the friendship between two men.” Hate yourself much? But then, “They sat looking into each other’s eyes, and down beyond, where the soul holds forth. And because what each saw there was beautiful and sightly they were seized with shyness such as two men feel when they love each other, so they awkwardly endeavored to cover up their shyness with words.” Oh, I see, so it’s like that kind of friendship between men.

I looked at Edna Ferber’s Wikipedia page and it seems a lot of people think she was gay, but there’s no evidence she ever had a romantic or sexual relationship with anyone, so a lot of other people think there’s no basis for that assumption. I am equally compelled by both points of view, especially based on the passage above. On the one hand, it seems obvious that a woman who never had any attachment with a man was a lesbian and just kept it on the DL; practically everyone I know is gay so why not Edna Ferber? On the other hand, maybe she was ace and just wanted to gaze into someone’s eyes, but people can’t conceive of that as possible so they are unfairly stuffing her into the gay category. Either way, Edna Ferber was not your average bear, and this book reads as very “coded” but I can’t quite crack the code.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma McChesney, traveling saleswoman for a company that manufactures petticoats, is a remarkably modern character. Introduced by Ferber in a story sold to a magazine in 1911, McChesney became an instant hit, with the public clamoring for more about her. Imagine: writing before World War I, the popularity of a female character who was divorced and glad of it, seemingly left her son to be raised at boarding schools, and traveled endlessly with heavy sample bags, making a good living in a man's field, and outselling, outsmarting and certainly out-charming them at the same time.

Having read this delightful, clever and often funny series of stories amidst a news cycle filled with disturbing cases of sexual exploitation and harassment of women in the workplace or women attempting to join it, Emma displays blunt self-assurance and moxie when she is, frequently, hit upon by men. After one man suddenly kisses her, she "wrench(es) herself free with a violent jerk" and then, after upbraiding him mercilessly, accuses him of having planted a "married kiss," before continuing her scorching lecture. In a later story, when the boss's son propositions her, she says, "So, if I let you make love to me, I keep my job, is that it?" and then details her worst-scenario job, which she claims she would gladly take over giving in to him.

Of course, Emma McChesney is a fictional character, one that Ferber imbued with a surplus of confidence and fearlessness. Her biggest vulnerability is with her son, Jock, who appears in several stories as a nearly-grown up 17-year-old and in whom Emma sees too much of the selfishness of his father. While Emma is not drawn in a rich and deep way, she is still a full-bodied, colorful sympathetic and very human character trying to balance motherhood with making a living.

Historically, these stories were written at a time when women were already well established working in stores but much newer to life on the road. As such, Emma's adventures include other aspects of standing up for herself as a woman alone, such as refusing a hotel room she knows will be close to the loud boiler room; dealing with women buyers who still prefer placing orders with men, and fighting rumors that she is "morally compromised."

Ferber's language is wonderful, and while it is old-fashioned, that is a big part of its charm. There are two other Emma McChesney books and I will certainly be checking them out.

I can't get enough of a character whose feminism isn't strident or angry, but is part of her confidence and dignity. After she has cleared her name with her new boss from ugly rumors spread by a competitor, she is offered better territory as a way of making amends. Emma cries briefly, while telling her boss, "For Heaven's sake, stop patting me on the head!"

[Yesenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

i'm wavering between 3 and 4 stars because i actually really liked this book, BUT, i didn't really REALLY like it.

i like Emma McChesney, i like her boss, i liker fat Ed whatever, i am bored by Emma's son (who, thankfully, isn't there much), and i LOVE Edna Ferber. i like everything she says, i learn so much from her, i get to know things about business and hotels and traveling salespeople's lives and Ohio and Iowa and Wisconsin and Chicago and men and women and motherhood and housecleaning and trains and friendship... it's like she illuminates every subject she touches upon... but in comparison to her other books, this was less good, less... less tight. Still, i don't understand why Edna Ferber is not read in the US, in schools, why her books haven't been turned into series or movies, why i stumbled upon her in Librivox as i searched for female writers of fiction... i spent days downloading all the books that i could find, procrastinating as always, and i am very glad i did that... Edna Ferber and Elizabeth Stuart-Phelps' The Story of Avis, have been integral in the ways i think of feminism, and women, and womanhood. And the various books i found by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, of whom I had only read The Yellow Wallpaper... these women have provided a common sensical, critical, creative and wholistic view of men and women that feminist theory fails to deliver. mind you, reading them without that feminist theory might not have been as fulfilling, but that theory without these books is empty...

Edna Ferber, what a mind! What an eye for human beings, especially the men-and-women part! And what a heart! For giving us joy, at least.

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book by the quirky title and after reading a few reviews I expected to fall in love with it instantly. I was sadly disappointed. On the upside - the storyline was very different to anything else I've read, the author paints some really wonderful word pictures and the issues tackled were obviously leagues ahead of their time. But it just felt like the author was trying too hard. I was being TOLD a story rather than having the pleasure of discovering it myself. The writing style - although natty and sharp - felt contrived. And I'm tired to death of reading about female characters who are so flawless in every way that men simply fall at their feet at the first greeting! If Emma McChesney had only been a little more humanly imperfect I might have enjoyed this book more.

[Mary Grace McGeehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was eager to read this book because I loved Ferber's short story collection "Buttered Side Down." And I did enjoy this episodic novel (clearly serialized in magazines) about Emma McChesney, a divorced mother in her thirties whose passion is her work as a traveling petticoat saleswoman. Like Ferber's short stories, it paints an evocative picture of early twentieth-century middle-class and working-class America and tells us, with both anger and humor, of the indignities faced by a single woman working back then. Emma's adventures continue in two more books, and I'm looking forward to reading them. Still, if I had to recommend one of Ferber's books, I'd recommend "Buttered Side Down," because of the broader sweep of characters and locales.

I read this book as part of my My Year in 1918 project (myyearin1918.com).

[Lee Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first of three books about Emma McChesney, a traveling saleswoman for the T.A. Buck, Featherloom Petticoats company. Emma McChesney (always referred to by both names) is tough, smart, suffers no fools and definitely no men. She married young, and is divorced, with a 17 year-old son whom she's just convinced to go to college.

Each chapter is like a short story furthering our knowledge of and fondness for Emma McChesney. I look forward to reading the other books. Ferber was a young author here, but could still dazzle with a phrase: Emma McChesney brought her handkerchief up to her mouth and held it there a moment, and the skin showed white over the knuckles of her hand. In that moment every one of her thirty-six years were on the table, face up. Glorious.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though written more than 100 years ago, the Emma McChesney stories hold up remarkably well. There is a reason they were among the most popular fiction of their time. Fashions have changed, the traveling salesperson is a thing of the past, and social expectations for women have evolved, but the problems Emma faces, from sexual harassment to being underestimated by male colleagues to struggling to balance work and family, remain very relevant. Through it all she is strong-willed and optimistic, outspoken and uncompromising. A character to root for.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars (liked it)

A witty 1913 novel, and the first in a trilogy, chronicling the trials and tribulations of the traveling saleswoman, Emma McChesney, as she navigates her way in a world dominated by men while staying connected with her son as a single mother. I found her no-nonsense attitude as the main appeal of the story and wished that, once the novelty of introducing her personality had waned, there had been a bit more interest to the plot.

[Christine Schaffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun delightful read. According to Emma McChesney, Roast Beef Medium is always the safe choice for the seasoned traveling salesman. She, however didn’t make the safe choice of careers as a traveling saleswoman for the T. A. Buck Featherloom Petticoat Company. Emma shares with the readers the pitfalls of being on the road and in a man’s world in the 1930’s. A woman way ahead of her time, you will love Emma. Edna Ferber, you never disappoint me.

[carson · Rating 4 out of 5]

read for class —
roast beef medium is actually very humorous with insightful looks into life and morals. i enjoyed the female main character. she seems like she breaks the mold of what a female character should have been at the time of publication. i’d be interested in reading more in this series and from this author.

[Mark Rabideau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having never heard or read Edna Ferber before, I did not know what to expect.

This is a humorous, extraordinarily human story of a single mother, her 17 year old son and the early pre-WW1 world. Edna does not present a jaded view of life, simply one filled with hard work, ambition, love and humor. This is a very worthwhile read.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Edna Ferber. Compassionate, understanding, honest and life-affirming as always, her writing is always full of strong female characters who feel so real. Ferber doesn't shy away from the struggles of life - particularly for women at the time - but at the same time makes you appreciate the simple, homely joys of life all the more. ❤️

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the pick-it-for-me relay.
So far so fun. The edition that I'm reading on openlibrary.org is a First, and it has refreshingly large print and margins.
---
Oh gosh that was indeed a pleasure to read. As easy as chick-lit, but no romance, and some serious themes. Perfect ending, but not the expected HEA. I will add more of Ferber to my list for later.

A few things made me wince, like when a thoroughly unlikable character used the word "kike" and someone else said, in effect, 'if I could get out of drumming I could work like a white man.' But our heroine doesn't say or do anything like that. A few unfamiliar references are fine; no need to know everything. In other words, still very readable & enjoyable.

[Kelly_Hunsaker_reads ... · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emma McChesney is a fantastic character and it is hard to believe that she was written more than 100 years ago! This woman is strong, creative, smart, funny ... she has fortitude. This woman would be considered a feminist by today's standards.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a delightful story! 3.5 stars

[Kathy Nealen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful story of professional traveling saleswoman and later executive, Emma McChesney. It would be a little unusual today, but really unusual in this time period because it is the 1910s!

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Ferber, and this is quite funny and charming. It's covering a fairly serious topic of discrimination, in a lighthearted way, which doesn't quite resonate in today's world, but still worth a read.

[Wendy Bertsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, written in 1913, was way ahead of its time. It’s a loosely connected series of chapters about Emma McChesney, not a sweet young thing, but rather an attractive 35-year-old divorcee with a grown so,n who makes a good living as a travelling saleswoman, outperforming the men in her field. Tough, competent and fast-talking, with an earthy sense of humour, Emma was an icon of feminism, at the time. Be prepared to make allowance for a heavy dose of early twentieth century slang, because Emma is a very modern woman, and is tuned in to every fad of expression that was popular at the time. In case you didn’t know, we didn’t invent slang. No, not by a long shot.

While Emma is still an impressive character almost a hundred years later, Ferber couldn’t quite rise above all of the biases of her own time, as the women in the book go all weak in the knees with pleasure at the very thought of plunging their arms into a basin of dirty dishwater. Because we all know that’s what every woman really longs to be doing.

Nevertheless, it’s an entertaining read, and Emma’s down-to-earth wisdom, while it gets a bit preachy at times, it's well worth your time.

[Harron68 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ferber had the smarts to both please her readers, mostly female, but also to push for fairer treatment for women in life. This book, first in the trilogy, really draws readers in. Some of the style may seem stilted, but the joy of reading a 100 year old book that still speaks to today's lives and values IS important.
Emma's bravery in getting a job as sales rep and traveling a large area back then makes her a real model of self confidence and her ability to also pay for good schooling for her son while she's "on the road" testifies to her values. Though she has the weakness of needing only the most recent fashions, her practicality otherwise shows a clear head. Each of the books may be read as a single unit, but the fun is to read them in order. Most praiseworthy is the modern writing style, making the books all of a piece. If you've read some of the books from a century ago, you understand how convoluted and nearly archaic they can be. Emma deserves much wider readership than the modest few who have explored Ferber's early works. I can recommend her short story collections nearly as highly.