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Ruth Reichl
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For You Mom, Finally Kindle Edition

by Ruth Reichl (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 368 ratings
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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.
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  1. Print length
    146 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Penguin Books
  5. Publication date
    April 6, 2010
  6. Reading age
    18 years and up
  7. File size
    415 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

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.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003NX7O2S
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books (April 6, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 6, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 415 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 146 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0143117343
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 368 ratings

About the author

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Ruth Reichl

Ruth Reichl

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Ruth Reichl, Gourmet's editor in chief, is the author of the best-selling memoirs Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me with Apples, and Garlic and Sapphires, and the forthcoming Not Becoming My Mother and Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way. She is executive producer of the two-time James Beard Award-winning Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie, which airs on public television across the country, and the editor of the Modern Library Food Series. Before coming to Gourmet, she was the restaurant critic for the New York Times, receiving two James Beard Awards for her work. She lectures frequently on food and culture.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
368 global ratings
Sadly, it is not up to Ruth Reichl's ability
1 Star
Sadly, it is not up to Ruth Reichl's ability
Before you read my review of For you Mom, Finally, please understand I 💕 all of the RuthReichl books I have read previously. (But not this one)My first impression was to be surprised how few pages there are and how few words there are on each page. With a price of $14.00 for the paperback, it felt as though I was being cheated somehow.But instead of returning it, I decided it must be worth it for the wisdom I was about to learn.But I was wrong 😢I really didn't like this book. It felt like the author wanted us to see both her and her mother in a positive way (not that there's anything wrong with that but she continually mentions how terrible her mother was but then proceeds to write glowing tributes about her).Yes, she does day some negative things but kind of glosses over them as though they are just little quirks.Please don't misunderstand, I was not hoping she had a vile parent. Ruth is the one who continually tells us this about her mother.I am really sorry I read this book because I loved Ruth's other books so much and now I feel kind of tricked and don't want to read any more of her books.I'm sure this feeling well go away one day at least I hope it does.
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Top reviews from the United States

Observer
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, quick read
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
Verified Purchase
I like her writing and enjoyed her other books, so this was
A nice addition to her other work.
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Kilian85710
4.0 out of 5 stars Mothers and daughters
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2017
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I picked up this book for $1.99 because I had read and enjoyed her books about food a restaurants. I was unaware of the tension between her and her mother. This touching memoir, written after her mother's death, tells of finding a box of letters and notes her mother kept over the years.

A very different person from the one Ruth thought she was emerges from this treasure trove. A woman forced into the life of wife and mother, she struggled to maintain her sense of self. She knew she wasn't the perfect mother, and she tried to encourage her daughter Ruth to be all that she couldn't be.

I wish I had read this book while my mother was still alive, so I could ask her the questions I have.
14 people found this helpful
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Purchaser
3.0 out of 5 stars What does this mean?
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2014
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I have read most of it before, and really liked it better the previous times. Have I changed so much? Or, am I just cranky these days? and it has nothing to do with Ruth Reichl?
2 people found this helpful
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Laura Zinn Fromm
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, sad, beautiful book about motherhood and mental illness
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2019
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Funny, sad, loving and all too brief memoir about Reichl’s life with her intelligent, frustrated, bipolar mother. My only complaint is that this book was far too short.
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SI Sharon
5.0 out of 5 stars Food for thought
Reviewed in the United States on July 7, 2018
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I loved this book and want to recommend it to my book club. Ruth Reichl's relationship with her mother was complicated, to say the least. The discovery of a treasure trove of her mother's letters led Reichl to reevaluate her relationship with her mother and is ultimately, a posthumous apology to her mother as she discovered her mother's life. Leaves a lot to think about. It is beautifully written and heartfelt.
6 people found this helpful
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Dee
4.0 out of 5 stars She's an amazing writer & foodie
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2015
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I adore Ruth Reichl. She's an amazing writer & foodie. This short-ish novel is about her fractured and ever-changing relationship with her mom. Love Ms.Reichl's writing style, but did not enjoy this novel as much as her other autobiographical novels, "Tender to the Bone," "Comfort me with Apples," and "Garlic and Sapphires." Unsure as to whether this was due to it being only 120 pages or whether I became annoyed with her mother! Inadvertently purchased two copies (one from Amazon, one from a local bookseller), so I gave one to my mom for Mothers Day. Made her cry, so I know it was a winner gift! Note that this novel was previously published under the name "On Becoming My Mother"
14 people found this helpful
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William A. Weinberg
5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2015
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I love this book!!!! For more reasons space would allow. My only disappointment I'd that is a new name for an old title, thus u got the esme book twice! Oh well, it will be a gift!
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S. McFarland
3.0 out of 5 stars This is NOT a new Ruth Reichl book! This is "Not Becoming My Mother" reissued
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2010
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This is not a new Ruth Reichl book - the cover states "previously published as Not Becoming My Mother". There is a new afterward to the original book "relating the wisdom she's gained after sharing her story".
90 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Mae Gregory
5.0 out of 5 stars What a woman!
Reviewed in Australia on November 13, 2019
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I have loved Ruth Reichl for years and she can write no wrongs! She deserves to be read by everyone and admired for everything she has done on the culinary front. Her childhood is the funniest thing since sliced bread as the saying goes, her reviews are the epitome of food writing. Her magazine work is a stand out of how a high class gourmet magazine should be run. and they fired her. But then the magazine folded anyway didn't it?.
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Sally
1.0 out of 5 stars One Star
Reviewed in Canada on February 11, 2016
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I enjoyed her other books, very disappointed in this one
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K. M. Newitt
5.0 out of 5 stars please note
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 22, 2011
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I have not read this book yet, but have given it 5 stars because I am sure I will love it - I am a fan of Ruth Reichl's writing and have loved all others I have read. But I wanted to warn other keen fans, if you wish to collect all of her writing, be warned that this title is the same book as 'Not Becoming My Mother' - it was changed for paperback version. I ordered both thinking I had another two books to look forward to and wish it had been made clear that it was the same book
6 people found this helpful
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Reviewer from Blackheath
4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book, well written tribute
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2014
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But very thin volume - much shorter than her other books and would have liked her to go into more detail...!
One person found this helpful
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