For You, Mom. Finally.
Previously published as Not Becoming My Mother

Ruth Reichl only begins to understand the true story of her mother's life years after her death when she opens a box filled with her mother's "diaries" and letters that had been stored in a basement. While her first book, Tender at the Bone, contained some funny and not so funny stories about her mo......more

5***** and a ❤ Reichl’s mother Miriam was an indifferent housekeeper and a terrible cook – guests at her dinner parties were known to wind up in the hospital having their stomachs pumped due to poisoning. She was an educated, intelligent woman in a society that expected women to marry and stay at hom......more

I was starting to think I would max out at two stars for this read, but by the time I got to the last page of the Afterword, I loved this book. However, the Afterword is KEY - Reichl originally published this without it. Throughout the chapters I felt the main messages of: Having a Career Outside th......more

An extremely quick read. This is a short beautiful memoir about a writer who finally discovers who her mother really was deep down only after her passing. By finding some of her mother's old letters, she was able to fully understand the limitations on her mother, and realize what an unbelievable gif......more

I couldn't resist this title - or the author, for that matter. I have always been intrigued by Ruth Reichl and wanted to read her books. In spite of the title, this is actually a tender (and very short) love note to her mother. Theirs was definitely a strained mother-daughter relationship that I thin......more