About this title: Bestselling author Reichl embarks on a clear-eyed, openhearted investigation of her mother's life, piecing together the journey of a woman she comes to realize she never really knew.
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Binding: Audio CD
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9780143144816ISBN:0143144812
Description: New. BRAND NEW! In publisher's original shrink-wrap. Free upgrade to domestic First Class. Professional packaging! Books may have a remainder mark on bottom of text block. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781594202162ISBN:1594202168
Description: Good. Used item may show library stamps, stickers and marks. Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Description: New. AUDIOBOOK. NOT A BOOK! Please order accordingly! All Audiobooks are in the original factory sealed shrinkwrap box! Box may show signs of dents, etc. All CD's Are guaranteed to play! Audio CD, New, 2009, read more
Description: New. A Brand New Copy. Never Read. Buy with confidence from an Independent Bookstore where the owners, a husband and wife team, have over 30 years of combined bookselling experience. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Date Published: 2009-04-21
ISBN-13:9781594202162ISBN:1594202168
Description: New. New, unread, unused & in perfect condition with no damaged or missing pages. This is a paperback with same cover and publisher stickers. This book is the same isbn, but is a paperback. Great Copy. Ships Lightning Fast. read more
Description: Good or better. May have price sticker and/or some shop wear-Because of our high volume, we can not accurately describe each book, so we list the MINIMUM condition you can expect; most are better than the condition listed. read more
Description: Very good. Box is slightly smooshed, otherwise A Brand New Copy. Never Opened. Still Factory Sealed in the Publisher's Original Shrinkwrap. Book-on-CD. read more
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Penguin Group Usa
Date Published: 2009
ISBN-13:9781594202162ISBN:1594202168
Description: Bestselling author Reichl embarks on a clear-eyed, openhearted investigation of her mother's life, piecing together the journey of a woman she comes to realize she never really knew. read more
"This is a quick read and I would recommend it. Ruth Reichl was the editor of Gourmet magazine and has written many memoirs. In this book, she is paying tribute to her complicated mom. Reichl so eloquently speaks of the difficulties of women of her mom's generation (women who lived through the Great Depression and went to work during WWII). Reichl speaks of how this generation of women struggled with finding the value in their own lives due to sexism and her mother's flawed but well-intentioned attempts to right her generations wrongs. Reichl's mother had a mental illness, and it was very sad yet interesting to hear how that was handled back then. This book reminded me how far we have come in the struggle for equality and yet how very far we have to go.
So often women of my generation forget about the real struggles of our mothers and grandmothers. This book made me think about my grandmother as more than just my grandmother, but as a woman of her time--and I wonder what the unspoken struggles she faced.
I would recommend this book for any man or woman who wonders about the experiences of the women who helped make them into the people they are today. I think the true value in this book is that it has sparked my interest in the generations of women in my own family."
"I've loved all Ruth Reichl's memoirs; she's smart, a great writer and a fabulous cook. But she's always made it clear that her mother was 'difficult, moody' and they weren't friends. So, I thought this would be insightful, and she'd realize how she'd misjudged her mom. Maybe this approach is because I worry that my children might harbor such angst. Well, she forgives her mother for some things but mostly portrays her as a victim of a culture that put no stock on intelligent women who weren't born to be housekeepers. More than anything, it made me wonder how my mother truly felt about her years as a stay at home mom who never had the wherewithal to have a lovely home & buy & prepare expensive food - even if she'd wanted to. And of course, if I ask her that now, she'll say "I can't remember" and why put her through all that."
"I actually think this book would have been better if it had been a little longer and more thought-out. The impression that I get after reading it is that the author had something to say to her mother, but since her mother wasn't there, she published a book, instead. I can understand that impulse, but I think it would have been more effective for readers if she had allowed us to get to know her mother better. What I got from this was a woman with a lot of contradictions who struggled through life and probably would have been much better suited to growing up in a different age--which is all probably true, but I think it would have been a more complete profile if we had been allowed to know more about this woman.
This is a short, sentimental read if you are interested in picking it up."
"I never met a book by Ruth Reichl I haven't loved, and my adoration continued with this book. Where others were hearty meals, Not Becoming My Mother was a deceptively simple snack. (I'm certain that Ms. Reichl, editor of Gourmet Magazine, would find a more elegant food analogy, but I, alas, am but a quick and dirty cook, though one who loves reading the work of educated ones-like Ruth Reichl)
In her previous books, the author consistently folded her cooking and restaurant reviewing skills into personal memoir-making a mixture with the consistency of magic. Her work has always been fascinating, down-to-earth, and erudite-and always offered the reader fascinating glimpses into the world of food and Ms. Reichl's own intriguing life, which often included portraits of her sad, unusual, and, to the author, exasperating, mother.
This 110-page gem boils it all down to the author's mother true story. It is not an apology for what she's previously written. Or, perhaps, it is.
Any daughter whose lived her life under the thumb of her mother's quirks and enraging mothering mistakes will fly through this book, reading of Reichl's brave attempts to find out the truth of her mother's life. She writes of living her life on "Mim tales"-a trait with which my sister and I can over-identify, having dined, perhaps too long, on a pathetic treasure trove of Mom stories.
But as I read the author's unearthing of her mother's truth (her now-realization of her mother's eccentricities as representing being crammed into the tiniest of housewifery boxes and the narrowest of work roles) I found it hard to catch my breath, amazed at the author's courage in uncovering her own perhaps lack of generosity towards her mother, and deeply admiring her ability to now find the heroic in her mother.
Because I was with her every step.
Like Ruth Reichl, I too berate myself for not managing to rise above the role of daughter to my mother, and become a woman and friend to her. However, perhaps when one grows up with a larger-than-life mother, that's an impossible goal. Maybe only after death severed a relationship that held us so emotionally hostage that we spent our lives holding our breath, can we step back and offer perspective.
So, thank you Mom for being a role model of friendship, you who offered such a striking portrait of being a loyal companion to so many wonderful women.
Thank you Mom for showing such a flair for beauty.
Thank you for showing us the wonder and fun of work.
For laughing very hard. For always appreciating a good story. For your advice on men. And women.
Yes, you were often right. About many things. I can now consider you a hero, because you lived your life trying very hard. And I know that now.
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