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Bestselling author Ruth Reichl examines her mother's life-and gives voice to the unarticulated truths of a generation of exceptional women
A former New York Times restaurant critic, editor in chief of Gourmet, and the author of three bestselling memoirs, Ruth Reichl is a beloved cultural figure in the food world and beyond. For You, Mom. Finally. is her openhearted investigation of the life of a woman she realizes she never really knew-her mother. Through letters and diaries-and a new afterword relating the wisdom she's gained after sharing her story-Reichl confronts the transition her mother made from a hopeful young woman to an increasingly unhappy older one and recognizes the huge sacrifices made to ensure that her daughter's life would not be as disappointing as her own.
Ruth Reichl is the editor in chief of Gourmet magazine and the author of the bestsellers Tender at the Bone and Comfort Me with Apples. She has been the restaurant critic at the New York Times and the food editor at the Los Angeles Times.
Reichl, who arrived at the Times in 1993, changed the way the newspaper reviewed restaurants; her columns were witty, high-spirited, honest, irreverent, and determined, it seemed, to demystify the intimidating world of high-end dining establishments. Although her innovations were maddening to some in the old guard, Dwight Garner, writing in Salon, claimed "Reichl has been a real democratizing force," and lauded her "outsider's perspective about the snobbery and pretension of some well-known New York restaurants, and…the sexism that often confronts women while eating out."
1999's Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table, Reichl's first memoir, was an unsparing look at her chaotic childhood—one that seemed unlikely to produce a first-rate food writer. Reichl's mother, a manic-depressive whom Reichl describes as "dangerous" in the kitchen, was so undone by domestic duties that she poisoned the family with a bacteria-infested dinner meant to celebrate her son's engagement. Reichl got the better of the situation by taking on the cooking tasks herself, and later left New York for California, landing in Berkeley as the co-owner of a collective restaurant and launching a life and that has always revolved around food.
Stylistically, Reichl is a descendant of legendary food writer M. F. K. Fisher, whose essays and memoirs braided personal autobiography with culinary commentary. In Tender at the Bone, Reichl takes the reader from her childhood in New York to her work as a chef in the '70s, her early restaurant writing, and the intersection of her passions for food, writing, and certain men. As The New Yorker put it, "Reichl writes with gusto, and her story has all of the ingredients of a modern fairy tale: hard work, weird food, and endless curiosity."
In Comfort Me With Apples: More Adventures at the Table (2001), Reichl picks up where she left off in the first book, this time covering the dissolution of her first marriage, her father's death, her second marriage, and the birth of her son. The book includes recipes, which may seem incongruous, but for Reichl, for whom all aspects of life—especially the sensual—are interconnected, the combination works. The result is sweet, sad, unruly, and engaging, all at the same time.
The cook-turned-critic-turned-memoirist started her working life at the other end of publishing—her earliest job was as a book designer.
SuzeJones58
Posted April 24, 2010
A quick and pleasant read. I breezed through this tome in an evening. It reads more like an newspaper piece than a short novel. Part of the reason I read this book in an evening is that it is an engaging read.
Not a whole lot to this author's style, relatively straightforward with a little sentimentality mixed in. Of note are the nuggets of wisdom (I find at least one in every book - every writer has a different point of view from my own and they're always worth learning from). I found no fewer than two in this short read -- Was her mother crazy?--Or crazed from the trappings of marriage and family? (I often wonder if some of the diagnosed craziness in this world isn't really a need for a big change in surroundings?) Also--and I found this one to be the most intriguing--Reichl's mother loved her enough to push her away...
What was missing? This is probably a story worth expanding and expounding upon. I wanted to know more about Reichl's family members beyond her mom. I wanted to know more about what made her mom seem so crazy, too. Would I have seen more of this if her mother had been reflected more in her children?
Where I disagree with Reichl...Like so many writers, she touts the benefits of working motherhood. Sorry, I've done it all. Had young children and not worked, worked with young children still in my midst. In my estimation, the majority of jobs are really a matter of "workin' for the man"--meeting the demands of yet another set of others and--on their timetable. There's not much fulfillment in being scatterd like that, unless, of course you have the benefits of making a living by being a writer...
A breeze to read, but maybe a little too light as well.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 8, 2011
This book read like a therapy assignment. It was not what you expect from such a fine a author as rachael. I was just waiting for it to start and it was over. Not worth 12.99.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.TeddiIL
Posted March 5, 2011
First - this is the SAME book as "Not Becoming My Mother"! Very annoyed as I already had it! Not very well written or cohesive...seems just like a stream of consciousness with a lot of interruptions.
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Posted December 31, 2010
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Posted August 23, 2011
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Posted August 11, 2010
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Posted September 8, 2010
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Posted November 29, 2011
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Posted March 12, 2011
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Overview
Bestselling author Ruth Reichl examines her mother's life-and gives voice to the unarticulated truths of a generation of exceptional women
A former New York Times restaurant critic, editor in chief of Gourmet, and the author of three bestselling memoirs, Ruth Reichl is a beloved cultural figure in the food world and beyond. For You, Mom. Finally. is her openhearted investigation of the life of a woman she realizes she never really knew-her mother. Through letters and diaries-and...