Ruth Reichl

This is a memoir built around food--and as Reichl put it, she decided that instead of pictures she'd give recipes throughout to paint a picture of her relationships. The Author's Note tells us, "Everything here is true, but it may not be entirely factual. In some cases I have compressed events; in others I have made two people into one. I have occasionally embroidered." That sort of thing usually bugs the hell out of me. It didn't here. Maybe because Reichl was open about it from the show more beginning--maybe just because she's such an engaging writer and personality. She said she didn't want to get in the way of a good story, and she's a good enough storyteller and more that I forgive her. The book wasn't found in the biography section of my neighborhood bookstore, but rather in the cookbook section, in "food writing." So, you might expect you have to be a real foodie to love this--yet I'm not really and yet did love it.

Part of that is that this is a lot more than an ode to food. A lot more. It's about growing up in New York City's Washington Heights in the early 60s, and a boarding school in Montreal, and coming to adulthood in Michigan in late sixties and early seventies Berkeley California. It's about travels to Tunisia and Greece, Italy and France. It's about dealing with a crazy mother, the deterioration of a cherished friendship and love. It's tender, yes--in more than one sense. And often quite funny. I found myself very much amused at the picture of the very hippie era.

Oh, and there is the food. And she has a gift in describing it and connecting it to her life. Here's her description of her first taste of Brie: "I felt Monsieur du Croix watching as I ate the strong, slippery cheese. It was so powerful I felt the tips of my ears go pink." She gives us not just the taste, but the colors, the sensations.

This was just so fun to read on several different levels. Highly recommended. show less

Another mesmerizing memoir from Reichl, this one covers her time at the helm of Gourmet magazine. Her descriptions of food and people are equally delicious. I’d recommend reading this one after Garlic and Sapphires as it follows the events in that book.

I loved her discussion of accepting new jobs and challenges even when it terrified her. I also loved the section where she goes to Paris after becoming used to the huge Condé Nast travel budget. She is trying to do Paris on the cheap and show more she’s able to connect with the city in such a real way.

“It’s good for a writer to know that the words she’s so carefully crafted today, will be wrapping someone’s fish bones tomorrow.”

”The more stars in your itinerary, the less likely you are to find the real life of another country. I’d forgotten how money becomes a barrier, insulating you from ordinary life.” show less

Digital audiobook read by the author.

Reichl has written before about her time as a food critic and about her mother, here she tackles the years she spent as editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine.

I love her writing. It is nothing short of delicious. She is open, honest and insightful. She writes about not just what happened but how she felt about what was happening. Her bafflement and near terror at realizing she really had no idea about running a magazine comes through. As does her sheer show more delight in creating something new and exciting, in finding the right business colleagues to push the magazine in new directions.

And, as usual, she really excels when writing about food, whether is a “yaffy” moment of testing sloppy joe mix or experiencing a truly gourmet-qualify meal in a tiny French restaurant or even making a quick Spicy Chinese noodles snack for her son late at night. I may have gained 10 pounds just reading about her food experiences.

Reichl narrates the audiobook herself. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job of it. show less

I tried to stretch this book out as long as possible. I would only read it in the perfect context, which for me was the 4 o'clock sunshine of our living room with my feet propped on the coffee table and a mug of something tasty at my side. Cloudy day? No clean mugs? Wait for tomorrow, and maybe it would deserve a little bit of this book.

This arrangement couldn't be sustained. This morning I woke up depressed and unhappy, and instantly I knew that this book was what the day needed if it was show more to be salvaged. The talk of food, of change, the memories of New York - all of it felt like the author was a very close friend taking me out for lunch in order to lift my spirits. And it worked. show less