Confessions of a Barista: On Platform 1

Confessions of a Barista on Platform 1 Set in a tiny coffee shop on the London-bound platform of St Leonards Warrior Square station and told by the female owner Confessions of a Barista on Platform 1 is a current portrayal of an eccentric community a how-to business book and an uplifting story of healing. Its about how the narrator (Jo Murray) unwittingly became a therapist to her customers - and how in turn – they changed her life for the better. Coffee trains and travellers prove to be a powerful combination. The narrator the customers the vignettes are all real people and their stories are true some funny some incredulous some simply heart-breaking. The coffee shop is still very much ‘business as usual’ – new customers have become regulars – old regulars have remained loyal – the door opens promptly at 6am – as do the conversations. The narrator writes as she is: practical straight talking compassionate and with a dry sense of humour. A middle-aged single mother of three she was broke and broken-hearted when she threw her all into starting up her coffee shop. With no entrepreneurial experience within a year shed made it a great success. Part of the reason was her coffee and work ethic - but the other part was the amazing trust and human interactions that happened across the counter in the time it takes to pull a flat white before the Charing Cross train. And also the extraordinary true stories that people shared with her. We all know how we become anonymous strangers when we travel - and this funny compassionate book reveals just how much we all share how we all have our private struggles and joys - and how the most unlikely looking person might actually be a hero.