Probably the quickest I’ve read a book in a while. Honestly I should have read Nora Ephron’s books a long time ago. I’ve been a long, life-time fan of her movies, been specifically going through all her filmography recently, slowly, even produced movies or acting cameos because I so love her romantic comedies such as When Harry Met Sally (writer/producer), You’ve Got Mail (director/writer/producer), Sleepless in Seattle (director/producer), and the more I watch of hers, the more cool films I discover. I’ve bought in the last few years most (maybe all) of her books and I decided to start with this one since it was the first one I bought and an essay collection, and I haven’t read an essay collection before. Anyway, for the book itself, I do find reading essays very easy to read and Nora’s writing has always been very digestible, funny, relatable, charming and moving. While yes some essays are rather outdated, particularly ‘On Maintenance’, I still found the book rather enjoyable. I would still recommend this book to my friends and I still plan to read her other books. Just not sure if I do her other last essay collection book I Remember Nothing, do some of her earlier essay collections or do her novel Heartburn. I’m leaning towards I remember nothing. I will say ‘Consider the Alternative’ is very sad, especially towards the end when she’s talking about death and her own death and she says goodbye, considering now she’s passed away. There is something about Nora, I just love and respect her so much, her work became such a part of me. Rest in Peace Nora, you will always be missed. 

Not for every woman, shows a level of rich, white privilege but it is memoirish so it’s about her own problems but not always relatable. Not the type of feminist centered writing I expected but instead looked at the more mundane “issues” Ephron reflected on like how she “had to get her hair and nails done twice a week to feel good.”

Despite the above, it was nice to have a lighter, funny approach to the ideas of womanhood compared to the serious often dark tragedies that comes with being a woman.

Short quick read and quite enjoyable despite some moments of privilege and fatphobia.