leslielikesthings's review against another edition
3.0
Many of the essays in this book focused on getting old. Some of them were witty and insightful, and some were more of the grumpy old lady, things aren't like they used to be variety. My favorite was the essay about being a woman breaking into journalism in the 1960s. I listened to the audio version, and it was very poignant to hear her read the last essay just a few months after her death - it was a list of the things that she will miss.
alisarae's review against another edition
If you like David Sedaris, you will probably like this short collection of personal essays. Nora Ephron was a journalist, screenwriter (You've Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally), and director, among other things. This book is a mix of personal stories and opinions. Though she often had a front-row seat to major historical moments, she instead chooses to focus on how she got her first job in journalism, intimate family stories, and how she learned some important life lessons.
Her deep honesty is at times self-depreciating in a humorous way (like David Sedaris) and other times brutally honest in a somber way ('For half my life, divorced is how I defined myself' --quoting from memory here). Her tone is straightforward and wry.
I like when audiobook memoirs are read by the author, as this one is. Ephron has great timing.
Her deep honesty is at times self-depreciating in a humorous way (like David Sedaris) and other times brutally honest in a somber way ('For half my life, divorced is how I defined myself' --quoting from memory here). Her tone is straightforward and wry.
I like when audiobook memoirs are read by the author, as this one is. Ephron has great timing.
hiitslinn's review against another edition
5.0
The thing about this collection is that I wouldn't recommend it as the first thing to pick up if you're curious about Nora Ephron. This collection isn't for those people. I can picture myself handing this to several people in my life, only to have them say why did you give this to me? why should I care about this woman's thoughts or whether her uncle was rich or not or if she enjoyed going to that one cinema?
This collection, in my opinion, is for those of us who are already infatuated with Nora Ephron. With the way her brain works. The comedic timing. Every word she writes. Maybe we stumbled onto this path because of her movies, or we read an essay of hers once and now we want more, we're always looking for more. Reading this is like sitting at a kitchen island, watching our mentor-turned-friend make dessert for Christmas dinner and listen to small, sometimes comedic, sometimes sad stories of her life. And we care, because at this point we've seen the movies, and the documentary and we've scoured the internet for old archives of writings and we watched that commencement address she did and we want to take anything and everything she can give us and pocket it into our hearts and our minds and keep it there forever.
Most of reading this I smiled. It was Nora! It was funny! But as I got to the end, I almost felt like I wasn't supposed to read those words—she's getting older, she has thoughts about this, and life and what'll happen as she gets even older. It's strange really, to read about her pondering about her eventual last days on earth. And there I'm sat with the very heavy knowledge she passed away ten years ago. And that actually, even if in my head we just had a funny, sharp chat about something silly yet important, I didn't know her and I never will and I can't reach into the pages and tell her any of what I know.
This is a great collection. New readers would probably like it too, but I think it's best enjoyable if you're actively searching for more Nora. This collection is very Nora.
This collection, in my opinion, is for those of us who are already infatuated with Nora Ephron. With the way her brain works. The comedic timing. Every word she writes. Maybe we stumbled onto this path because of her movies, or we read an essay of hers once and now we want more, we're always looking for more. Reading this is like sitting at a kitchen island, watching our mentor-turned-friend make dessert for Christmas dinner and listen to small, sometimes comedic, sometimes sad stories of her life. And we care, because at this point we've seen the movies, and the documentary and we've scoured the internet for old archives of writings and we watched that commencement address she did and we want to take anything and everything she can give us and pocket it into our hearts and our minds and keep it there forever.
Most of reading this I smiled. It was Nora! It was funny! But as I got to the end, I almost felt like I wasn't supposed to read those words—she's getting older, she has thoughts about this, and life and what'll happen as she gets even older. It's strange really, to read about her pondering about her eventual last days on earth. And there I'm sat with the very heavy knowledge she passed away ten years ago. And that actually, even if in my head we just had a funny, sharp chat about something silly yet important, I didn't know her and I never will and I can't reach into the pages and tell her any of what I know.
This is a great collection. New readers would probably like it too, but I think it's best enjoyable if you're actively searching for more Nora. This collection is very Nora.