casehouse's review against another edition
3.0
I just loved her previous book, _I Feel Bad About My Neck_. This was darker and didn't hit the mark for me quite as much.
takealoadoff's review against another edition
3.0
Fluffy - occasionally sweet and funny, but definitively lacking in structure and substance.
This rambling memoir is a wandering sequence of reflections - at times relatable - but sometimes frustratingly self-referential and shallow. At her best, Nora deftly explored her experiences of rather difficult personal relationships (including those with her mother and with her two ex-husbands) and recounts her exciting rise in journalism - first at Newsweek, then at the Post. At her worst, she comes off as privileged and petty (her complaints about the size of dessert spoons at expensive restaurants, her joy at the thought of inherited wealth upon her uncle's death, her resentment at not being asked to prepare desserts at a family dinner).
I will say it was bittersweet to read her reflections about old age knowing she passed away only two years after writing this book. All in all, I am of course very grateful for her insightful mind, her incredible writing, and her memorable screenplays. I will choose to remember her through those contributions - and less so for this book.
This rambling memoir is a wandering sequence of reflections - at times relatable - but sometimes frustratingly self-referential and shallow. At her best, Nora deftly explored her experiences of rather difficult personal relationships (including those with her mother and with her two ex-husbands) and recounts her exciting rise in journalism - first at Newsweek, then at the Post. At her worst, she comes off as privileged and petty (her complaints about the size of dessert spoons at expensive restaurants, her joy at the thought of inherited wealth upon her uncle's death, her resentment at not being asked to prepare desserts at a family dinner).
I will say it was bittersweet to read her reflections about old age knowing she passed away only two years after writing this book. All in all, I am of course very grateful for her insightful mind, her incredible writing, and her memorable screenplays. I will choose to remember her through those contributions - and less so for this book.
meredithw20's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this collection more than any of her others, I think because it's the one that references a zeitgeist I've actually lived as a grown lady. As with all of Ephron's personal essays, I'm so sad because I wish so desperately that she had written more! Her style is so breezy that the jokes and the interesting topics she brings up float through my brain airily, like meringue: delicious, but I'm so hungry when I finish. I think I read this whole book in 90 minutes.
ala2134's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Another great collection of essays by Ephron. Her takes on modern life are so relatable and laugh out loud funny. It’s short so I finished within a day. Just a super enjoyable, easy read.
sunshineinabag's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.0