Not Becoming My Mother

Ruth Reichl's mother was smart and sassy, colorful and capable--and miserably unhappy about conforming to a woman's role in a man's world. Determined that her daughter Ruth would pursue a career other than simply being someone's wife, Miriam Brudno was not thrilled with Ruth's early marriage or culinary writing. (Reichl is now the editor-in-chief of GOURMET magazine.) Reichl's capable narration of this insightful memoir reveals a gradual blossoming of empathy for her mother as she discovers personal correspondence and odd bits of her diary. Reading at a brisk pace, Reichl punctuates her mother's sometimes-astonishing pronouncements with wry humor and realizes too late--after her mother's death--the extent of her wish for Ruth to find the satisfaction she never achieved. N.M.C. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

Starred review from March 9, 2009
The slender size of Reichl's memoir of her late mother's life belies its powerful tale of a young woman, Miriam Brudno, who bowed to societal and familial pressure to become a wife and a mother over pursuing a fulfilling career. While Reichl, editor-in-chief of Gourmet
magazine, is well known for writing about her culinary adventures (Tender at the Bone
; Garlic and Sapphires
), this beautifully crafted homage follows a more personal path as she pushes past “Mim Tales”—stories she told about her mother to entertain her readers and friends—to dive deep into her mother's diaries and letters, paying tribute to a woman who was raised when “good women didn't work if they didn't have to.” So Miriam Brudno struggled to fit the mold of the perfect housewife, until she finally told a friend, “Who cares about menus... when there are so many more interesting things to think about?” When Reichl discovers an unopened letter to herself, she reads that her mother “was cheering me on and pointing out that I had an obligation, both to myself and to her, to use my life well.” Reichl has created a masterful portrait of a mother-daughter relationship that will resonate with readers across generations.

September 1, 2009
Restaurant critic Reichl (www.ruthreichl.com), whose three previous memoirs"Tender at the Bone" (1998), "Comfort Me with Apples" (2001), and "Garlic and Sapphires" (2005)were all best sellers, here stitches together the account of her mother's unhappy life from letters and notes she discovered after her mother's death. This brief but poignant title underscores the plight of intelligent women forced by societal expectations into leading unfulfilled lives. Although not a trained narrator, Reichl reads with knowing authority. Mothers and daughters interested in learning more about the restrictions placed on women during the mid-20th century as well as appreciators of Reichl's previous books should also enjoy this one. [Audio clip available through us.penguingroup.com; the Penguin Pr. hc, a "New York Times" best seller, received a starred review, Xpress Reviews, "LJ" 4/24/09.Ed.]Nancy R. Ives, SUNY at Geneseo

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