Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir

Very readable. Enjoyed it.

Reichl's writing style is approachable, and the story is captivating enough to have kept me reading despite never having read Gourmet magazine before. I mainly stuck with this one for the food writing - the descriptions of various meals were the highlight for me, though I wish there were more.

However, I will say that this book's biggest weakness is the detachment from reality. Not only is the vast majority of the dialogue bizarrely unrealistic (especially when it comes to the author's child), but I find it hard to believe - as with most memoirs - that the author is able to recount, in detail, conversations that took place two decades ago.

Along with that there is the fact that the author is set on convincing readers that she is down to earth and just like everyone else, and that the Condé Nast editor-in-chief lifestyle just isn't natural for her. Yet her normal lifestyle is downright extravagant - maybe not in comparison to having a yearly clothing budget paid for by your employer, but enough to set her apart from the average American before she even took on the role. This isn't something I'd hold against her - or anyone - but the way she draws attention to it over and over becomes grating.

All in all, it's an easy read and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the culinary world.

I really didn't know much about Ruth Reichl. I knew of her, and love the way she writes about food. In this book, she explains how she got the job of editor-in-chief at Gourmet magazine. She is so passionate about food, and has been since she was a young girl. It doesn't matter that the magazine is now defunct, she explains what it was in all it's glory. I like Ruth more now, knowing this part of her journey. My personal opinion is that the magazine might still be around today if just some of the outrageous spending had been limited. But that is my opinion based on Ruth's tales, so who am I to know?

Ruth's writing is superb. Whether or not you knew or cared about Gourmet magazine, read this book because you will be taken on a journey. Years ago, having arrived way too early at a small airport with nothing to do, I picked up Garlic and Sapphires at a newsstand and have been a fan of her work ever since. I've yet to be let down.

Ruth Reichl was happily working as a food critic for the New York Times when she was approached to helm the esteemed food magazine Gourmet. She took the job. She saved the magazine. And then, the magazine was lost. Through it all, Reichl shares all the creativity and imagination and zip she brought to the world of food writing.

It's a delightful read.

Not just food stories in this latest memoir, but also an in-depth look at magazine production from someone new to the publishing world and its culture. I found it fascinating and listened to the audio version almost nonstop.

Not quite as much fun as [b:Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise 80642 Garlic and Sapphires The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise Ruth Reichl https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436980266i/80642.SY75.jpg 1824603], which was one of my favorite memoirs ever, but then I'm the weirdo who loves reading bad restaurant reviews, even for cities I don't live in. I still enjoyed this, even though not a whole lot really happened, per se, until the end, when everything falls apart really quickly. Reichl is just such an excellent, descriptive writer that this was still something I wanted to keep reading. I think it suffered a little by comparison because her strongest suit (at least in what I've read) is writing about food, and there just wasn't that much of that here, understandably so. Still definitely worth reading, but you should also read Garlic and Sapphires.