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I Feel Bad About My Neck

3.54 of 5 stars 3.54 · rating details · 14,575 ratings · 2,441 reviews

With her disarming, intimate, completely accessible voice, and dry sense of humor, Nora Ephron shares with us her ups and downs in I Feel Bad About My Neck, a candid, hilarious look at women who are getting older and dealing with the tribulations of maintenance, menopause, empty nests, and life itself.

Ephron chronicles her life as an obsessed cook, passionate city dweller,...more

ebook, 160 pages

Published August 1st 2006 by Vintage

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Jun 06, 2011 Reese rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gr-finds

Sitting in a movie theater back in the eighties, not my eighties -- the 1980s, I am smiling, laughing, just having a good ol' time when suddenly TERMS OF ENDEARMENT goes from funny to ominous to dark as turds that can signal upper g.i. bleeding. I'm thinking, "Shit, no, don't take this story there." I'm not walking out of a movie with Shirley MacLaine and Jack Nicholson in it; that fact means watching a character who's about my age die of cancer. She's got three young kids; I have one and one ba...more

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Aug 29, 2007 Beli_grrl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: wealthy older women

I listened to the audio book on CD, which is read by the author. That was not the way to go with this one. She has odd inflections and an unnatural reading cadence. For example, she might read like this:

We lived (pause)
in a white house (pause)
and I didn't (pause)
like it.

Partly because of her reading style and partly because of the content, I had trouble getting into it. It's supposed to be funny but isn't especially. She describes all the "maintenance" older women do to keep up their appearances...more I listened to the audio book on CD, which is read by the author. That was not the way to go with this one. She has odd inflections and an unnatural reading cadence. For example, she might read like this:

We lived (pause)
in a white house (pause)
and I didn't (pause)
like it.

Partly because of her reading style and partly because of the content, I had trouble getting into it. It's supposed to be funny but isn't especially. She describes all the "maintenance" older women do to keep up their appearances at great length and talks about these things as if they are mandatory, when in fact, they are not. She is not a person that a poor, blue-collar woman like me who shops at Target can well relate to. At least not at first. For instance, she talks about the agony of sitting at the beauty parlor all day to get her hair colored and how she spends more money on it each year than her first car cost. And I compose an imaginary email to her in my head where I turn her on to the beauty aisle at Long's Drug Store where you can buy a box of color that takes less than half an hour to use for less than $10.

Later in the book, however, she rather wins me over. She describes the raptures of getting engrossed in a great novel in a way that I (or you, I bet) could totally relate to. The real world is tedious and seems unreal when you're dying to get back to your book. When she's not talking about shopping, she and I do seem to inhabit the same planet and I can see that she has some wisdom to impart.

And I admire her honesty. She mentions all the upbeat chicken-soup-for-the-soul type of books that are out there for older women and says they're full of crap. Being old isn't that great. In this day and age where everyone pretends that whatever age they're at is the new 25, it's refreshing.

This might appeal to a woman who is looking for some light nonfiction to read. Do NOT get the audio version, though. I really think it would have been a totally different experience to read it and I probably would have taken to it much more quickly. (less)

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Mar 24, 2009 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://fromichelle.blogspot.com/2008/...

I've finished another book...

I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron

I like Nora. She's real. And she's smart. Nice combination. Add in the fact that she shares her wisdom freely, and also in a funny way, and it makes her even better.

I could have written her exact words on reading...

"Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel I've accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter. Reading gives me something to tal...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Sue Cook rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The thing is this. Nora and I are not sisters.
In "On Maintenance": "When and how did it happen that you absolutely had to have a manicure?" er, never? I also don't care that much about make up or matching handbags or wrinkles. I JUST REALLY DON'T CARE.
What I care about is women being raped, beaten up, paid less,not let in, talked down to and generally fucked over because they are women.
"I Feel Bad About My Neck" adopts a universal voice but talks only about a sliver of privileged society. It i...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it · review of another edition

Nora Ephron, best known for her screenplays When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and Silkwood and best sellers Heartburn and Crazy Salad, has written a sort of Ephron retrospective. Though humorously self-deprecating and poignant, critics agree that the essays, some published previously,are uneven. Readers may love "I Hate My Purse"__unless they find it outdated. Other essays came off as vain, stale, or elitist in their carefree attitude toward luxury items. Only "Considering the Alternat

...more

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Jul 29, 2008 Brittany rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

I took a break last night from reading about conservation, zoos, and How to Save the Wild to read this delightful collection of essays by Nora Ephron (whom you may recognize as the woman who co-wrote When Harry Met Sally). She writes about the agony of aging, especially the terrible things that happen to your neck, but also shares the fruits of aging, in her pearls of wisdom and wonderful, witty stories from her life. She writes about falling into (and then slowly out of) love with her apartmen...more

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Nov 30, 2007 Lain rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nora Ephron is, hands-down, one of the funniest women in America. Her novels, movies, and essay collections have brought me to tears by way of laughter more than once. That's why I was a bit disappointed by this collection of essays, loosely tied around the topic of aging.

The essays on aging were amusing, but not particularly funny or fresh. It was like eating a day-old doughnut -- still tasty, but probably not worth all the calories. The weird thing -- her non-age-related essays were brilliant...more

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Jun 27, 2008 Sandy T rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: autobiography-memoirs, 2008

So I bought this book thinking it was going to be full of humor about what happens to women when they reach that "certain age". I was expecting to relate to and be amused by her musings about getting older. And that did happen... certain chapters really made me smile, and I could relate to more than I would like to admit! But for about half the chapters, the only people who would relate to it would be rich, famous, New York socialites. That obviously doesn't describe me, so even though her writi...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Laura Rittenhouse rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

This book is a collection of essays on the general theme of aging. Specifically, Ms Ephron's aging. There's also a lot in there about being a woman in New York, a successful woman and all the demands (not so many real demands, more perceived ones) that brings.

The author pokes fun at herself and her ever growing list of must-do's to remain fashionable and young - from shoes, to neck scarves, manicures to highlights. None of these "needs" are explained beyond the fact that they clearly are necess...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humor

For most of you who are my Goodreads friends, you will be too young to really appreciate the humor in this book -- after all, you still have firm, unwrinkled necks which you have probably never even given a single thought. BUT take my word for it, someday you will. And then, you should run right out and find a copy of this book. (Perhaps you can find one cheap in the garage sales that members of my generation will be having as we downsize into assisted living apartments!) Anyway, when it comes t...more

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Apr 07, 2009 Carolyn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you are over 35 you will find something in this bood to relate to and laugh about.

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Oct 19, 2007 Phillip Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Amanda W.

It won't change your life, but it is quite a treat for a sunny afternoon. I read most of it lying in the sunshine on my bed shortly after lunch on a Saturday.

Ephron, like Sedaris & Degeneres, has a gift for expressing mundane thoughts in the most delightful phrases. The one that's in my head right now is when she describes loving cabbage strudel in the 1960s: "I don't want to get too sentimental, but it's practically the only thing I remember about my first marriage." You'll be chuckling the...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Chamie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was disappointed..this is no " Heartburn "

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Jan 19, 2009 Darce rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Despite the clever and sometimes funny observations about aging, I couldn't shake the feeling that this book of essays was...trivial. Except for the final chapter (Considering the Alternative), Ephron spends a lot of time writing about superficial aspects of growing older (the skin on her neck, her disorganized purse, her worsening eyesight) that make her seem shallow and self-absorbed. In the essay focused on all the hours she devotes to maintaining her appearance (On Maintenance), she describe...more

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May 22, 2013 Hope rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It almost feels wrong to read this book while still just in my 20s, but at the same time, it also feels just right: it gives me an appreciation for things I never thought to be grateful for. As for the complaints about the effort involved in just "keeping up appearances" - while some may roll their eyes at her "first-world problems", the truth is that many women feel the same thing and make the same complaints in their heads. Ms. Ephron just chose to actually write about them, and while they are...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Paul Dinger rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let me start this with full disclosure, I do love Nora Ephron's movies from When Harry Met Sally to Sleepless in Seattle. Even when I thought they were flawed, like Heartburn and especially You Got Mail, I still have seen them many times, because well even her failures are watchable. I sit and imagine the movie that might have been. You've Got Mail would have been great if it had an edge, show the desperate Meg Ryan without a way to pay bills for God's sake! Now having said that, it is no surpri...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Christian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

*****dear pembaca, ini bukan reviu. ini surat cinta*****

:)

seandainya gue anaknya nora, kayaknya bakal lucuk banget deh hari-hari tinggal serumah dengan dia dan suaminya.^^

honestly, gue nggak ada niatan baca buku ini. saat sedang keluar makan siang, gue ngeliat buku ini di rak buku redaksi. karena gue lagi nggak ada bacaan menarik, yasuwd lah ya, langsung gue boyong ke tempat makan.

dari halaman pertama, gue menyadari ini terjemahannya agak unappealing. tapi saat membaca, gue sedang ingin jadi chr...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Mara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

How is it I'm just now learning more about Nora Ephron? An appearance on Oprah when this book came out in 2006 made me sit up and take notice: A woman in 'the biz' who writes screenplays! And essays, and plays, and articles... and is funny! After hearing about her untimely death, I finally checked out her two latest books from the library.

40 is the new 30 thanks to cosmetics, procedures, maintenance, and HAIR DYE...yes, yes, but there is more than just the usual worry about aging (although thank...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After battling knights and kings in two books of the Game of Thrones series, I decided that it was time for some fluff. Very mistakenly, I reached for a Nora Ephron book, thinking this would be the ticket. Well, she was the ticket, but this is not in any way fluff. I don't know what her other books are like, but his one was about being a woman dealing with life and growing older. Sounds maudlin, and some of it is. For instance, she writes regarding turning sixty "in person, I am cheerful and Pol...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Irene rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, woman-finds-self

Oh Nora. It's hard to imagine that there will be no more sparkling wit and quirky characters, or pained funny truths of life transmitted from your brain to paper. This makes me sad. And yet.

Here's why I love you Nora.

"I was married to him for two years and eight months. I fly to New York to see my shrink. I walk into her office and burst into tears. I tell her what my husband has done to me. I tell her my heart is broken. I tell her I'm a total mess and I will never be the same. I can't stop cr...more

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Nov 18, 2012 Steven rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: essayist

I picked up this book as a kindle rental from the library not long after the death of Ms. Ephron. Knowing her mainly from her contributions to "When Harry Met Sally" and "You've Got Mail," I was thoroughly impressed by her Didion-esque writing.

One of the most memorable stories from this book concerns a story told to her by Mike Nichols about storytelling and narrative, as follows:

There was a man and a woman who lived on an island peninsula. They were married. The man invited his mother to visit...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Karl Lagerfeld rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I became a hardcore Nora Ephron fan this summer. On the way up to the cottage, I brought her latest, I Remember Nothing as an audio CD to listen to on the drive. I read: I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman while at the cottage. The essays are short and sassy and funny and wise. It's like, the quickest read ever. I actually prefer the audio CD because Ephron herself reads it and she imbues everything with warmth and is so delightfully chatty. Sometimes the stuff gets a l...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Molly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle-fire, great-escapes

Same silly charm as I Remember Nothing, which I read just before she passed away. I'm sad this is what we have of her; I want more. I could read her little pieces before bed every night, and I'd go to sleep feeling sunny and charmed. I've used this word twice now--charm--there's a third--but it seems so exactly right when considering the construction and execution of books such as these, ones that tackle the serious to the mundane in the same quippy manner. I also feel the need to note that I am...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Mrs. S rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was a selection for our book club. Many of our members are in the 35 to 50 year old range. The synopsis of it at our book selection meeting was that it was a humourous book by Nora Ephron about her neck and other womanly concerns. It's been a while since I read a book by this author, but I remember enjoying previous novels. What I realized after starting the book was that it was not a novel, but short vignettes about her thoughts on various topics, i.e. exercise or lack thereof; rentin...more This book was a selection for our book club. Many of our members are in the 35 to 50 year old range. The synopsis of it at our book selection meeting was that it was a humourous book by Nora Ephron about her neck and other womanly concerns. It's been a while since I read a book by this author, but I remember enjoying previous novels. What I realized after starting the book was that it was not a novel, but short vignettes about her thoughts on various topics, i.e. exercise or lack thereof; renting vs. buying in New York City; maintenance to stay younger looking (nails, hair, pedicures, etc).

I had a somewhat difficult time getting into it initially. I felt the humor was a bit forced and didn't seem completely natural. There were sections that I smiled about, but nothing laugh-out-loud funny. The order of the book seemed a little rambly, like she jotted down things as she thought of them. Almost like a journal.

About 1/5 of the way into the book though, it seemed as if Ms. Ephron found the right pacing. She briefly talks about her 3 marriages, her sister and her love for her apartment in New York. I learned a lot about New York City coops, condos and rental control. Once I accepted the type of book she was writing and just let it go, I understood that this seemed to be a book about getting things off her chest before she got too old or something happened to her. The last 1/5 of the book discusses her thoughts about getting older and how much she hates it, but as she said...who wants to read a book about how much it sucks getting older. I felt that part of her book actually rang true and her thoughts about friends close to her dying and the limitations she has are something she realizes and faces as a necessity...not as the next step in a wonderful life.

No matter how many "Being 60 is fantastic" cheerleaders that surround her, it seems that this has not changed the slight cynicism and bitterness that is evident in the last part of this book. Regarding the book title about her neck, there is ony a small seciton about her neck, but the other emotions and thoughts she reveals make the book worthwhile.

I would suggest getting it from the library. My book was large print, slim binding and I completed it in 3 hours.(less)

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Oct 04, 2012 Dee Kilby marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: inspiration

I found this book at a local Goodwill store for $1.00. The cover caught my interest as well as the chapters. My first impression on each chapter in this book...

Ch. 1- I Feel Bad About My Neck
I find this funny as I feel bad about my neck also. On the back cover, Nora Ephron is wearing a turtleneck, lol. I hide my neck with my hair.

Ch. 2- I hate My Purse
I do too! Although, women must have one.

Ch. 3- Serial Monogamy: A Memoir
I'm a serial monogamist myself!

Ch. 4- On Maintenance
I'm not high mainten...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Debby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: all women, especially those 50 and over

Recommended to Debby by: Rachel Sisson Nicklaus

I Feel Bad About My Neck is a series of essays about women in general and Nora Ephron specifically. I've been a fan of some of her movies and find her writing to be very funn! I listened to be book on CD, which was narrated by the author, which made it even more engaging!
OK, I'll be honest here, the title essay is why I even picked up the book. It was recommended to me by my daughter because she knows the agony this neck waddle that appeared as I was reaching my late 40's and grew as I lost weig...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Giota Papadimakopoulou rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Η αλήθεια είναι πως το "Μεταξύ Γυναικών" είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα που εκ πρώτης όψεως, δεν θα αγόραζα ποτέ. Όταν όμως η καλύτερή σου φίλη στο κάνει δώρο για την γιορτή σου, δεν μπορείς παρά να το πάρεις αμέσως στα χέρια σου. Άλλωστε, η ανάλαφρη διάθεση η οποία σε καταβάλλει διαβάζοντας το θέμα του, σε συνδυασμό με το μικρό του μέγεθος, το καθιστούν ένα εύκολο, γρήγορο και γιατί όχι, ευχάριστο ανάγνωσμα. Και τελικά, κάπως έτσι έχουν τα πράγματα αφού, σίγουρα δεν έχει να σου προσφέρει κάτι το ιδιαίτε...more Η αλήθεια είναι πως το "Μεταξύ Γυναικών" είναι ένα μυθιστόρημα που εκ πρώτης όψεως, δεν θα αγόραζα ποτέ. Όταν όμως η καλύτερή σου φίλη στο κάνει δώρο για την γιορτή σου, δεν μπορείς παρά να το πάρεις αμέσως στα χέρια σου. Άλλωστε, η ανάλαφρη διάθεση η οποία σε καταβάλλει διαβάζοντας το θέμα του, σε συνδυασμό με το μικρό του μέγεθος, το καθιστούν ένα εύκολο, γρήγορο και γιατί όχι, ευχάριστο ανάγνωσμα. Και τελικά, κάπως έτσι έχουν τα πράγματα αφού, σίγουρα δεν έχει να σου προσφέρει κάτι το ιδιαίτερο, ούτε εμβαθύνει σε προβληματισμούς που θα προκαλέσουν την σκέψη σου ωστόσο, το διαβάζεις ανέμελα και με καλή διάθεση και πριν προλάβεις να το καταλάβεις, έχει φτάσει στην τελευταία σελίδα.

Η Nora Ephron υπήρξε μια εξαιρετικά δημοφιλής γυναίκα. Πέραν από συγγραφέας, υπήρξε σεναριογράφος, παραγωγός και σκηνοθέτης σε μεγάλες κινηματογραφικές επιτυχίες, οι οποίες και βασίζονται σε δικά της δημιουργήματα. Ποιες είναι αυτές; Μα φυσικά τα "Όταν Ο Χάρι Γνώρισε Τη Σάλι", "Άγρυπνος Στο Σιάτλ" και "Έχετε Μήνυμα Στον Υπολογιστή Σας". Είμαι σίγουρη πως ακόμα κι αν το όνομά της εξακολουθεί να μην σας θυμίζει τίποτα, οι προαναφερόμενες ταινίες το κάνουν σίγουρα, με 2 στις 3 να κατέχουν ίσως και ξεχωριστή θέση στην καρδιά σας, ειδικά αν μιλάμε για το γυναικείο και κατά τι πιο ευαίσθητο και ρομαντικό κοινό. Χωρίς να έχω διαβάσει τα βιβλία της αλλά, κρίνοντας από τις κινηματογραφικές τους μεταφορές, το πιο αδύναμο πρέπει να είναι το τελευταίο, το "Έχετε Μήνυμα Στον Υπολογιστή Σας". Καλώς ή κακώς, δεν είναι όλα τα έργα ενός δημιουργού το ίδιο ευχάριστα και αξιόλογα, κάτι που η ιστορία αποδεικνύει συχνά-πυκνά. Θα αναρωτιέστε όμως προς τι η μακρηγορία και ποια είναι η ετυμηγορία για το "Μεταξύ Γυναικών". Δίκιο έχετε!

Ουσιαστικά η συγγραφέας, μέσα από το μυθιστόρημά της αυτό, μας προσκαλεί σε ένα ταξίδι στην προσωπική της ζωή. Μοιράζεται μαζί μας στιγμιότυπα που σημάδεψαν την πορεία και την καθημερινότητά της, την χαρακτήρισαν ως άνθρωπο και διαμόρφωσαν την προσωπικότητά της, κατεύθυναν τις επιλογές και τελικά, την έφεραν στο σήμερα συνθέτοντας την ολοκληρωμένη προσωπικότητα που κάθε γυναίκα της ηλικίας της οφείλει να διαθέτει. Και δεν λέω, η άτυπη αυτή εξομολόγησή της είναι ενδιαφέρουσα, άλλοτε συγκινητική, άλλοτε διασκεδαστική ωστόσο, σε κάνει να αναρωτιέσαι ποια ήταν η σκοπιμότητα πίσω από την πράξη της αυτή. Είναι βέβαιο πως κάθε δημιουργός μέσα από τα έργα του, μοιράζεται με το κοινό του κάποια πράγματα της προσωπικότητάς του, ακόμα και της ίδιας του τη ζωής όμως στην προκειμένη, έχουμε ένα προσωπικό σκιαγράφημα που τελικά, δεν βγάζει νόημα.

Η Nora Ephron έφυγε από την ζωή τον Ιούνιο που μας πέρασε, ένα γεγονός που προκάλεσε θλίψη σε όσους την γνώρισαν και συνεργάστηκαν μαζί της αλλά και στο κοινό που την στήριξε και την αγάπησε. Γιατί κακά τα ψέματα, άφησε πίσω της ένα σημαντικό έργο και η απουσία της είναι έντονη. Ωστόσο, το "Μεταξύ Γυναικών", δεν αποτελεί μια από τις καλύτερες στιγμές της. Προφανώς, κάτω από το βάρος των χρόνων, ήθελε να εκμυστηρευτεί πράγματα και μέσω της έκφρασής της στο χαρτί, να μοιραστεί σημαντικά για εκείνην και την ζωή της πράγματα, με όλους όσους την αγάπησαν και την στήριξαν. Κατανοητό και δεκτό! Αν όμως δεν ανήκετε στους φανατικούς θαυμαστές της, θα βρείτε το εν λόγω ανάγνωσμα ανάλαφρο και χαριτωμένο μεν, άνευ ουσίας δε, ειδικά αν δεν βρίσκεστε στην ηλικία εκείνη από την σκοπιά της οποίας η ίδια εκφράζεται, βλέποντας τα πράγματα μέσα από ένα συγκεκριμένο και κάπως, περιορισμένο πρίσμα.(less)

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Aug 14, 2012 Caleb Abel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts On Being a Woman
By Nora Ephron
(Published 2006; 160 pages)

In the interest of fairness (if fairness were defined as “not actually all that fair”), for every 3 or 4 books about fighting, death, zombies, or mythical worlds that I convince Laura we should read for Book Club, we try to read at least one book that is decidedly feminine so long as I can justify it to myself in one way or another. Typically this has resulted in chick lit romance stories that ar...more I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts On Being a Woman
By Nora Ephron
(Published 2006; 160 pages)

In the interest of fairness (if fairness were defined as “not actually all that fair”), for every 3 or 4 books about fighting, death, zombies, or mythical worlds that I convince Laura we should read for Book Club, we try to read at least one book that is decidedly feminine so long as I can justify it to myself in one way or another. Typically this has resulted in chick lit romance stories that are closer to a Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan movie than anything else, but this time we ended up walking out of Barnes & Noble with a book whose title ends with “And Other Thoughts On Being a Woman.” Allow me to defend my manliness.

Generally speaking, I avoid girly-bonding material at all costs. Feminism frightens me. I’ve never watched Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, The Women, or Sex and the City and continue to have no intentions of doing so after Mama Mia made me want to kill myself. I believe women deserve our respect and should be treated well and deserve all the same opportunities as men, and generally speaking I believe that we’ve accomplished all of that in America as evidenced by Mama Mia’s ability to make $600 million despite being completely awful. We haven’t had a female president yet because the top two that have come the closest were a bitch and an idiot, but I fully believe it’s a possibility we’ll achieve someday.

When woman complain about a lack of equality it makes me uncomfortable. I feel like I’ve just watched someone eat an entire chicken sandwich combo at Chick-Fil-A that goes on to complain that the combos should come with a milkshake instead of a soda. “You already have so much, why can’t you just let it go?” I think to myself. But that’s all coming from the guy that got a milkshake with his combo, so maybe I should just shut up and stop using obscure metaphors to try explain sexism in America.

It’s safe to say that 99% of the time, if I see a book with “Thoughts On Being a Woman” in the title, I’ll skip it faster than the news that Stephanie Meyer is releasing a prequel to Twilight. But this time around I got distracted by the familiar name “Nora Ephron” printed at the top of the cover (likely because it’s bigger than the book’s title). I grew up as a huge mama’s boy and as such have watched countless chick flicks as these were the only films my mother ever had any particular interest in. Nora Ephron is the woman behind Sleepless in Seattle, You’ve Got Mail, and she even wrote one of my Top Five of all time: When Harry Met Sally.

Now, the book is still girly as all hell and I wouldn’t be caught dead reading it by myself, but for our two person book club it was perfect. Laura took over reading responsibilities for the entirety of this entry so I wouldn’t have to narrate a woman’s thoughts on pedicures (we read out loud to each other), but when all was said in done it was a really enjoyable time. It felt a lot like a flip-version of previous book club books by Bill Bryson and David Sedaris which feature men regaling various humorous life stories in the form of essays, only this time they were coming from a woman.

While the chapters range on every female subject from plastic surgery to purse selection to how often she feels obligated to go to the salon to referencing the pain of childbirth at least once per chapter, the way it’s written kept it from getting dull for even a moment. Like most guys, I don’t understand women at all, mostly because they don’t make any sense. After reading I Feel Bad About My Neck (or having it read to me), I still don’t feel that I know a damn thing more than I did before, but it was interesting to get inside one’s head for once nonetheless.

It also helps that Nora Ephron happens to be one of the more successful women in film because she’s incredibly talented and not even once does she complain about the complications of being a woman in a man’s world. She got where she is because of hard work, passion and talent and yet not one of her 15 essays is about how tough she had it or bragging about everything she overcame in the process. They’re just musings about aging and being a woman in the 21st century and all the silly superficial requirements women seem to have assigned themselves as time has progressed.

I liked it a lot.(less)

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Aug 04, 2012 Bex rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012

In this series of essays, Nora Ephron explores what it means to be a woman of a certain age. She's funny and smart and feels likes someone you'd like to get to know.

I found myself longing for her to be my eccentric aunt or my mom's friend so that I could go to lunch with her and listen to her pontificate on fighting wrinkles, struggling to find the right purse, fall in love with books and apartments, and maybe explain to me the bittersweet truth of life: No matter what? It ends.

As someone who...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Everyday eBook rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Everyday by: Liza Eliano

I know Nora Ephron as the iconic name behind those rosy Manhattan love stories I couldn't get enough of as a kid -- "When Harry Met Sally," "You've Got Mail," "Sleepless in Seattle." I’ve watched these movies so many times that I became convinced my love life would turn out exactly like Meg Ryan's (and felt slightly betrayed by Ephron when it didn't). But for a woman who mastered the art of the romantic comedy, Ephron's own experiences with love were less than rosy. She reveals this along with a...more I know Nora Ephron as the iconic name behind those rosy Manhattan love stories I couldn't get enough of as a kid -- "When Harry Met Sally," "You've Got Mail," "Sleepless in Seattle." I’ve watched these movies so many times that I became convinced my love life would turn out exactly like Meg Ryan's (and felt slightly betrayed by Ephron when it didn't). But for a woman who mastered the art of the romantic comedy, Ephron's own experiences with love were less than rosy. She reveals this along with an array of personal impressions of aging and life's ups and downs -- during which she always managed to keep her sense of hope and humor -- throughout her 2006 collection of candid essays, I Feel Bad About My Neck.

Ephron writes about divorce as if it were a pair of designer shoes -- something every woman has the right to at least one of -- but also hints at its darker side. "In a divorce, you never tell your children that you were once madly in love with their father because it would be too confusing," she advises in "The Story of My Life in 3,500 Words or Less." Yet Ephron never gave up on love, and despite betrayal, chose to love fiercely in many areas of her life.

In "Serial Monogamy: A Memoir," Ephron details her love affair with food, sparked by The Art of Gourmet Cooking, the first cookbook her mother gave her when she moved to New York in 1962. While she admits to some of her culinary flops, Ephron never stopped delighting in the joy of food.

In "Moving On" Ephron writes about one of her more fickle lovers -- her first New York apartment in The Apthorp on the Upper West Side. Starting at $1500 a month for a five-bedroom (I sobbed when I read that), Ephron falls hard and does not let go, even when building politics get dirty and her rent rises 400 percent in three years. Eventually, she is forced to leave The Apthorp and moves to the Upper East Side, where she reluctantly falls in love again, this time with her new neighborhood.

While much of I Feel Bad About My Neck is about endings -- the end of marriage, the end of cheap apartments, the end of youth and tight necks -- with Ephron there is always a sense that you can start over, that a new beginning is never far behind, especially with a little Botox. "You can always change your mind," she once said. "I know; I've had four careers and three husbands." I'm sure she also meant that you can always fall in love, no matter how many times it has let you down. In these essays, Ephron masters the art of the romantic life and makes you fall in love with her all over again.

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About Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, and blogger.

She was best known for her romantic comedies and is a triple nominee for the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay; for Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally... and Sleepless in Seattle. She sometimes wrote with her sister, Delia Ephron.

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