I’ll put it this way: Heartburn is a lesson in under-promising and over-delivering.
I expected a quick, gossip column-level book…that is to say, my expectations were not the highest. But, of course, Nora Ephron- patron saint of romantic comedy, Mindy Kaling hero and former JFK intern- delivered so much more than that. Where I thought I’d be getting a treatise on broken relationships, I instead read a love letter to food and a look at the nourishment that comes along with not just sustenance, but relationships and connections to places. It’s a good reminder that for better or worse, sometimes things are not always what they seem on the outside.
Nora presents Rachel, the female Jewish protagonist, in a winky self-deprecating way- she’s in on the joke, and if you’re a Jew from New York, you’re in on it too. Take this quote from Rachel about shopping a cooking show:
“‘Too New York’ is what the last network that was approached about me responded, which is a cute way of being anti-Semitic, but who cares? I’d rather be too New York than too anything else.”
It’s like little slices of myself in every chapter of the book- some good, but I’ll take the negative connotations of that too.
I also loved that Rachel was thrown into Washington, DC- I certainly didn’t go into the book intending to read about someone debating the merits of New York versus DC, but I could see her points about each place. She even commented on the inability to find a good bagel in DC- these women (Nora, and by extension, Rachel) get me.
I liked this book. I was excited to keep reading it, probably because it was relatively relatable in terms of character personalities (definitely not situationally relatable). It was a super fast read and flowed really nicely- not the most intellectual read of the year, but as far as beach-type reads go, it was fairly substantial. (The book insults another book I read this year. I’m okay with it and it made me smile.)
And I have a new vinaigrette recipe that I can’t wait to try.
PS: in looking for the picture to put at the top of the review, it turns out it’s been made into a movie with a pretty killer cast. Everything Ephron touches turns to movie!
You’ll like this if: you’re looking for a little love story that’s a bit messy and complicated…and not really at all about romantic love.
Happy reading!
carlyreads 
