Years ago, I read Reichl’s memoir about her time as the NY Times restaurant critic and I remember enjoying her writing style. Even though I have never read a Gourmet magazine (and I wish I had), I’ve wanted to read this since she published it.

She really writes about people and food very well. There’s also a certain intimacy in her writing when she describes people in her life. It’s a storyteller’s way of depicting characters and they can come together very distinctly in Reichl’s descriptions. She appreciates the oddness of people and her own sometimes unusual relationships.

I thought the book also really captured the time. In the chapters set in the 90s, Reichl makes mentions of the trends and the world news. When 9/11 happens, it feels like life is never the same again. She really crafts a narrative. She is writing about events in retrospective almost 20 years later, but as a reader, this works very well. This a memoir about a writer and editor’s life. It’s not an academic’s biography about a political figure. I appreciated this look back at an almost simpler time. No times are simple of course but I grew up in the 90s so it brought back memories of life before the 21st century.

I love the her memoir style and had such a good time with this memoir. Looking forward to reading her first memoir as well and hoping she writes more books in the future.

Read August 19-21, 2021.