Monday, 9 December 2024

"Heartburn" by Nora Ephron - audiobook review

I know Nora Ephron from her screenplays - particularly When Harry Met Sally… - one of my favourite films. I started reading this on Fran's recommendation expecting it to be a memoir, so I was slightly confused that the main character was a TV chef, but then I realized it was a novel (although still based on the author's broken marriage). (Fran has also read Ephron's essays: The Most of Nora Ephron - hence my confusion.) It was light and amusing and captures the scene of dating and relationships in New York and Washington, D.C. in the 70s and 80s - a bit like a Woody Allen film. The audiobook is expertly narrated by Meryl Streep, which added to my enjoyment. I think it made me laugh out loud a couple of times. But the unseriousness of some of the relationships portrayed in the book, the rampant infidelity and unfettered consumerism left a bitter aftertaste. It's worth having a physical copy of the book, too, because it includes a few recipes that I'd like to try. Oh, and it contains a line that is transferred verbatim to the script of When Harry Met Sally…: "What does she look like?" "Thin, pretty, big tits: your basic nightmare."

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