Helpful Score: 16
I loved, loved, LOVED this book. There was one particular incident that made my breath catch in my throat it was so magical, and I choked up with emotion. The book made me laugh and cry and it is going on the keeper shelf! I will definitely read it again! And again.
Charlie M. (bookaddicted) -
Helpful Score: 13
Only knowing Reichl from hearing her do some local radio interviews I had a totally different picture of her than is presented in the memoir. The book covers her childhood up to her life at about age 30 and is packed full of anecdotes and stories that will at times make you laugh out loud. The first description of an antic about her mother will have you burst out laughing.
Reichl is now the Editor-in-Chief of "Gourmet" magazine. But, her journey is filled with boarding schools, a commune lifestyle, friends and family who are eclectic, each bringing some aspect of food to Reichl's growth as a person. Interspersed in the book are recipes associated with each phase of her life and the people she loves or meets. A fantastic cast of characters inhabit the pages.
A truly wonderful book for anyone who loves food, not just the eating but, what it can mean to you and your relationships with those around you.
I rarely keep books but, this is one that will remain on my shelf for a long, long time.
Reichl is now the Editor-in-Chief of "Gourmet" magazine. But, her journey is filled with boarding schools, a commune lifestyle, friends and family who are eclectic, each bringing some aspect of food to Reichl's growth as a person. Interspersed in the book are recipes associated with each phase of her life and the people she loves or meets. A fantastic cast of characters inhabit the pages.
A truly wonderful book for anyone who loves food, not just the eating but, what it can mean to you and your relationships with those around you.
I rarely keep books but, this is one that will remain on my shelf for a long, long time.
Helpful Score: 8
I don't know what I liked more about this book--the great recipes Reichl throws in, the funny stories about her maladjusted home life, or her memory lane of life growing up in the '60s to Berkley in the 1970's. I couldn't put the book down. Reichl lets you in on how food became her saving grace in a household with a nutty mother who would just as soon serve moldy bread as not. Reichl's defense was to perfect her knowledge of all things "food." Her stories are so funny as she talks about being shipped off to a French boarding school in Canada where no English is spoken, a camp counselor in France, part of the organic food revolution in Berkley in the '70s.......and so much more. The recipes make this book a keeper. I can't wait to read her follow-up book to see what's next. She's got me hooked!
Helpful Score: 4
Very enjoyable! Writes beautifully, not just about food, but her life journey's- and how cooking helped her time after time. I really enjoyed this book.
Helpful Score: 4
A fascinating memoir of the author's love affair with cooking and fine food. I didn't expect the book to be as captivating and funny as it was. The recipes are a bonus. I like the book so much I don't know if I want to part with it. :)
Helpful Score: 4
I love all of these books. Her stories make me hungry and the recipes satisfy.
Connie A. (jazzysmom) -
Helpful Score: 3
Great story about a goofy mom who would just serve, and eat about anything that didn't have maggots. She loved to give parties and Ruth and her brother appointed themselves 'GREETERS" in front of the buffet to warn people what not to eat. This is a funny book and lots of reference to food and recipes. Ruth can cook and relates food to many special times in her life. This family had a cook who taught her more than cooking, but how to take care of herself as her mom wasn't quite with it when it came to rearing children or cooking or keeping house for that matter. This book is really a keeper if you like to collect beautiful stories. But even if you don't collect-- don't miss this story. It is awsome.
Helpful Score: 3
I was totally surprised by what a fun read this book is. I love her writing style...oh, and there are some recipes included - but you don't have to be a 'foodie' to enjoy this book. I think the completely different life Ruth led resulted from having a mom who was mentally ill, but in denial and untreated. Imagine being sent to another country, to a boarding school where you don't speak one word of their language, or having a mom so odd that you are afraid to bring friends home mostly for fear her cooking might kill them or make them sick.
Helpful Score: 3
Easy read that can be stopped and started without losing continuity. Laugh out loud portions and also very emotional. Stories about food, family, work, etc. by the New York Times restaurant critic.
Helpful Score: 3
Reichl is wonderfully readable! I shot through this fun memoir in a few hours.
Helpful Score: 2
I did not expect to like this book since I do not usually read memoirs. I found the writing rich and easy to read. I really enjoyed how the author explored her relationship with food and showed how it added to tapestry of her life. Throughout the book she adds recipes from the people that she knew in the book.
Helpful Score: 1
Interesting mix of recipes and story, looking at how the food influenced the lives and vice versa.
Helpful Score: 1
Ruth Reichl tells about the fascinating characters who shaped her world and her tastes in food. A collection of fun stories about people who steered on her journey of cooking food.
The life of a food fanatic, from chubby child to cook to renowned critic. A fun and interesting read about a fun and interesting life.
Helpful Score: 1
i'm only 16, but when my grandma told me to read this book i thought it was going to be silly because i didn't know who ruth reichl was. my favorite parts in all of her books are the recipes she has thrown in them. My favorite one is in her book "Garlic and sapphires" on pg. 171 the gougers. i mad them for thanks giving this year and everyone loved them. And after having read all of her books i can honestly say these are some of the best books i have ever read. i really hope she comes out with a new one
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this book. Very interesting story of Reichls' life and extraordinary recipes. If your dieting this book will ruin you. She make all her eating experiences sound so wonderful, you long to follow in her steps.
Helpful Score: 1
Just a plain old good read for any foodie
Donna V. (galnsearch) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 143 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I'm not usually into books with recipes within the novel but this was an excellent story. I really enjoyed this book.
Donna V.
Donna V.
Christine S. (lunamoon) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 3 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
What a wonderful book! Look at that cover, that is the author at a young age. Sweet!
This book was such a breezy easy read. I absolutely adored the stories of Ruth Reichl's wide and varied life - and that's just up until about age 30! I envied every step she took, every pot she stirred. A fun journey that shaped her relationships - both with others and with food. Ruth's mom is hilarious. All the women, really, such characters!
Garlic and Sapphires was also a good read, but this one just so much better because it was so filled with personal moments.
Plus, the recipes she includes in this book all sound so tantalizingly tempting! Copy them all down and make each one, starting today!
This book was such a breezy easy read. I absolutely adored the stories of Ruth Reichl's wide and varied life - and that's just up until about age 30! I envied every step she took, every pot she stirred. A fun journey that shaped her relationships - both with others and with food. Ruth's mom is hilarious. All the women, really, such characters!
Garlic and Sapphires was also a good read, but this one just so much better because it was so filled with personal moments.
Plus, the recipes she includes in this book all sound so tantalizingly tempting! Copy them all down and make each one, starting today!
Helpful Score: 1
Reichl writes beautifully. The perfect blend of memoir and "foodie" writings.
Helpful Score: 1
A wonderful memoir with wonderful recipes.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a delightful read, a poignant and often hilarious collection of stories that led the author on the path to becoming one of the world's leading food writers.
A great read, especially for those who love cooking and the restaurant industry!
Annette H. (sfnativegal) - reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 98 more book reviews
A great read. Her telling the stories of her mother are so funny. After her time at a school in Canada I lost interest but then it picked up again when she moved to Berkeley. Her book Garlic and Sapphires is a good book to read after this one.
I loved this book! Poignant and funny memoir.
Christina A. (oakland) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 13 more book reviews
This is my first Reichl, but it certainly won't be the last! What an incredible book!!!
Another great book by Ruth Reichl!
I adored this book.
"A poignant, yet hilarious, collection of stories about people [Reichl] has known and loved, and who, knowingly or unknowingly, steered her on the path to fulfill her destiny as one of the world's leading food writers." Chicago Sun-Times
"A poignant, yet hilarious, collection of stories about people [Reichl] has known and loved, and who, knowingly or unknowingly, steered her on the path to fulfill her destiny as one of the world's leading food writers." Chicago Sun-Times
Great for foodies
Ruth R. (yomamaruth) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 366 more book reviews
I first read Reichl's hilarious book about her adventures as a food critic, in Garlic and Sapphires. . Now this takes us back to her upbringing in a crazy family, her many experiences all over the world through her 20's and 30's. Fascinating and very funny. A really GREAT read!
I could not put this book down. I loved her descriptive language and her openness and honesty.
LOVED THIS BOOK! read it TWICE!
Recent book club selection for me. The story is so engaging it's hard to believe it is not fiction. Not to mention the great recipes, too!
Ruth Reichl prefaces this book by telling the reader that she comes from a family of storytellers. Just as her family enjoyed embellishing their stories, she has added her own enhancements to this memoir. And an enjoyable one it is. For the food lover, the book is filled with stories of unforgettable meals in foreign lands and on American soil. The writer's personal angst in dealing with her mother's manic depression and her father's codependency adds yet another layer to this memoir.
Rosemary D. (fiberartist) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 50 more book reviews
I really enjoyed this book. It was like a visit with author who tells about her life and how food fits in. Learned some things too. Recommend it.
Just an outstanding read. Honest in every word; true in every feeling. And some good takeaway recipes as well.
Charming and smart, Reichl is a gifted storyteller.
Suzanne A. (suzieqzie) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 20 more book reviews
I enjoyed this read very much. As a child with a mother dealing with mental illness, Ruth ate all sorts of wild foods. Her adventures take her to professional food writing and she brings her experiences to bear on her reviews. An enjoyable, engaging read!
Very funny book and the recipes in each chapter make you hungry!
Melinda S. (melinda010100) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 20 more book reviews
Ruth Reichel has a knack for describing food unlike no other author!
An enjoyable read for anyone who is passionate about food
An enjoyable read for anyone who is passionate about food
Her first and best so far, a funny and engaging book about her early years and the experiences with people that shaped her love of food.
Wonderful story. A bit dull at times, but certainly enjoyable. Warning, makes one hungry for good food!
Very good book - easy to read and enjoyable.
Libby S. (Libratsie) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 344 more book reviews
A delightful autobiographical book by Ruth Reichl, the Editor-in-Chief of Groumet magazine. She examines her life and the people she loved and/or encountered which led to her career as a chef and food writer. Wonderful!
Linda F. (EASY22) - , reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 161 more book reviews
this book was different from what i expected. it was funny and a page turner. Ruth has such a way of telling stories. i'm ambivalent about listing it. i will photocopy the recipes before mailing it for sure. you don't have to be a "foodie" to love this book. it's a great story. i can't wait to read the sequels! if you feel the same, look for Comfort me with Apples when i've finished it next.
Great memoir full of great recipes!
Cute book about growing up in a dysfunctional home and obtaining a passion for food. True story about Ruth Reichl, Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet Magazine.
A wonderful entertaining book. If you love food, you will love this book!
Jerry M. (genealogist) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 13 more book reviews
I love Ruth Reichl's books! This one deals with Ruth's earliest years and her developing interest in food. With this book you get wit as well as recipes.
You do not have to be a foodie to love this book.
If you love to cook (or eat) this is a wonderful read. The author is a restaurant critic for the New York Times and this book is her memoir of how she became so interested in food.
An excellent memoir basically about a wonderful subject--food!
Novel about influence of food on growing up.
A fine read about the life of editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine and her upbringing and relationship with food.
WOW- I really ejyoded this book-the author makes you feel like you grew up with her and her crazy but sweet family
Stephanie T. (gertdog) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 22 more book reviews
I think that, if I met Ruth Reichl, I wouldn't like her very much, but I found reading about her life to be fascinating!
So good I want to read all Ruth Reichl's books!
I loved Tender at the Bone. Reichl is an exceptional writer and I was happy to finally read one of her full-length works. Would recommend it to anyone who loves food or writing. Great stories. Includes recipes.
This was a book club read, and we enjoyed this one quite a bit. The recipes are delicious. The story is funny and touching. Very relatable.
This was an excellent book. Well written, easy to read. Wonderful tales and beautiful food. I can't wait to read the next two.
Loved this! Made me laugh. I felt like I was right there, a part of the family in this book.
I really enjoyed this book. She writes as if these memories are as fresh as the day they happened and it truly gives you the feelings that she had at different stages of her life.
This was a very enjoyable read. I had read previously her book on her experiences while she was the restaurant critic for the New York Times. This is the story of her growing up and her first experiences with food. Well done and full of recipes too.
good read
What a great read. If you love food, cooking and New York- you will love this book.
It made me want to read her other books. I really like her writing style too.
It made me want to read her other books. I really like her writing style too.
Marianne M. (marimij) -
What a great book! Fun, light, funny, and thought-provoking. I want to find more like it!
Susan H. (xpresstravelhouse) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 36 more book reviews
Often wonder how your grow up and become a chef this is one story well told.
Melissa F. (MissyRose) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 32 more book reviews
Interesting memoir from one of America's best know foodies.
Sharon R. (hazeleyes) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 331 more book reviews
Ms. Reichl was shaped by an unconventional upbringing which she reveals in her books, and she delights, entertains, educates without fail. I've read all her books and am longing for the next.
Jessica W. (jessielynn) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 79 more book reviews
I absolutely love Reichl's writing. Her passion for food is obvious and catching; her life is interesting, amusing, and filled with quirky characters. I can't wait to read Comfort Me with Apples, and I can highly recommend Garlic and Sapphires.
I really enjoyed this book. It was written in a humorous way so that she wasn't just boringly telling you about her life. This book made me interested in reading more books of this genre.
Great memoir!
Elizabeth R. (crystaljewelry) reviewed Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table on + 11 more book reviews
Pretty good. I am not an avid reader and only like biographies. This was a good book that held my interest quite well and was about a womans relationship to her bi polar mother as well as her interest in the food biz. I found it interesting and read it cover to cover looking forward to more each day.
Fun read
Good read!
Wonderful.
Chris D. (merede3) -
i enjoyed the book
