Light, yet rich and tasty. Restaurant critic Ruth Reichl's memoir is all of these. Easy to read, yet filled with insight and well-rounded characters. The author's mother suffered from manic depression, and one way it manifested itself was in bizarre - and often downright poisonous - culinary creations. The author describes herself as having been shaped by her mother's handicap, beginning at an early age to use food as a way of making sense of the world. She effectively conveys this food-sense in a series of funny and poignant tales that take us from her childhood in New York up through young adulthood in California. She lovingly introduces the significant people in her life, revealing them to us in how and what they cooked. Her stories are punctuated by recipes. I did make the 'Artpark Brownies' on page 244 of the edition I had from the library and they were a simple, gooey, choclatey-delicious treat! I will try other recipes too.

The author is equally effective when she moves away from the table to tell more directly of her relationships with friends and family. She describes some episodes that could be seen as time-bound clichés - living in a commune, working in a collectively managed restaurant - with a perspective sometimes lacking in baby-boom memoirs. She brings similar good-humoured perspective to her mother's mental illness and her own struggle with anxiety attacks, never wallowing in graphic description of symptoms. You don't have to be a foodie, or familiar with Reichl to enjoy Tender at the Bone, just a lover of warm, tender memoirs and an appreciation for her style of poignant humour. ( )

Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table is Ruth Reichl's memoir about her childhood and early adult experiences with family and food. Reichl grew up in the 1950's and 60's, and entering adulthood in the early 70's. From being thrust into a French Canadian boarding school (and learning about French cuisine) to cooking with her Aunt Birdie and Birdie's cook Alice, to joining a sort-of commune and cooking vegan, Reichl's formative years seem to have been perfectly aligned with her eventual career as a food critic and food magazine editor. But what really strikes home was her relationship with her manic-depressive mother and her long-suffering father. While Reichl is able to spin stories about her mother into comic episodes, I have a feeling that her mother's disease affected Reichl more than she really lets on in the book. Reichl has an engaging style, and she tells her stories with relish. A definite "must" for those readers who enjoy food writing. ( )

A delightful book about the early life and career of food writer and New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl. If you are interested in food reviews, cooking, etc. you must read this book. ( )

I enjoy Reichl's writing style a lot. And it makes for a fascinating read in to this person who became this wonderful foodie. Great little read. ( )

http://amiralace.blogspot.com/2009/02... ( )