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17th out of 288 books
—
93 voters
I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections
by
Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron returns with her first book since the astounding success of I Feel Bad About My Neck, taking a cool, hard, hilarious look at the past, the present, and the future, bemoaning the vicissitudes of modern life, and recalling with her signature clarity and wisdom everything she hasn’t (yet) forgotten.
Ephron writes about falling hard for a way of life (“Journalism: A...more
Ephron writes about falling hard for a way of life (“Journalism: A...more
Hardcover, 160 pages
Published
November 9th 2010
by Knopf
(first published January 1st 2010)
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Not particularly funny, but still pretty interesting. I enjoy little autobiographical snapshots in essay form. There's probably more namedropping here than in any book I've ever read, but the Ephron girls grew up around so many famous people that they might not recognize namedropping when they do it.
Fluffy and delightful.
"You always think that a bolt of lightning is going to strike and your parents will magically change into the people you wish they were, or back into the people they used to be. But they're never going to. And even though you know they're never going to, you still hope they will." (p.51)
"And every time one of my friends says to me, "Everything happens for a reason," I would like to smack her." (p.129)
"You always think that a bolt of lightning is going to strike and your parents will magically change into the people you wish they were, or back into the people they used to be. But they're never going to. And even though you know they're never going to, you still hope they will." (p.51)
"And every time one of my friends says to me, "Everything happens for a reason," I would like to smack her." (p.129)
I purchased this book last year. I put in down on a table piled high with books, and then Nora Ephron died. I didn't pick it up until a few weeks ago.I unearthed it, and read it slowly, knowing that it would (barring posthumous publishings) be the last new and original book by her I would read. When I was first married and living in New York, I read her sister's book "How to Eat Like a Child." I related. I continued to read books by Delia and Nora Ephron. I had friends who knew the same people s...more
Nora Ephron is clever and observant - and sometimes surprisingly wise - as in her essay about the impossible demands placed on children of divorce. As for laughing, I enjoyed most "The O Word" (O for Old).
My only LOL moment, however, came from the catalog designation: this book has been categorized as wit and humor about "Middle-aged women". "Middle-Aged"? The book is all about being OLD.
My only LOL moment, however, came from the catalog designation: this book has been categorized as wit and humor about "Middle-aged women". "Middle-Aged"? The book is all about being OLD.
Absent her obvious political bias (which I had absolutely no interest in reading and quite honestly, I resented being subjected to it), her book is a delightful read. If you have a few spare hours, that is all it will take to give yourself some pleasure reading her little anecdotal tidbits. You will certainly have a chuckle or two as you identify with her senior moments, especially if you are in the Social Security or Medicare generation. Even if you are younger, you will laugh out loud when you...more
News of her death prompted me to choose this book, a series of essays on growing old(er), though she died too young at 69. I probably enjoyed it more than the average reader since I am nearing that age myself and it is reassuring to know that I'm not the only one dealing with memory issues...even famous, successful, wealthy people suffer too! Her writing is witty and down-to-earth.
So far she seems to be describing ME! Quick read for those of us getting older and not liking it one bit!!!
Nora Ephron is best known as the screenwriter behind Hollywood rom-coms such as When Harry Met Sally and Julia & Julia. But before that, she had another life: as a pioneering journalist at a time when women were more often support staff, writing for magazines like Newsweek and Esquire. And before that again, she grew up in Hollywood with parents who worked in “the business”, where movie stars and other luminaries attended their house parties.
In this winning, wisecracking, surprisingly poigna...more
In this winning, wisecracking, surprisingly poigna...more
It’s no secret that there are things you can do when you’re famous that you can’t do when you are not. In the case of Nora Ephron, it would be writing “I Remember Nothing,” finding a publisher and having it placed in bookstores -- and have more than one copy remain there -- about three years after it was released.
This collection of autobiographical essays, sometimes in the form of lists, includes musings on aging, snapshots of growing up, and thoughts on things like egg-white omelets and Teflon...more
This collection of autobiographical essays, sometimes in the form of lists, includes musings on aging, snapshots of growing up, and thoughts on things like egg-white omelets and Teflon...more
Egad. I think I'm Nora Ephron in a different body and without a Lillian Hellman.
Not really...but this small book of "reflections" hit me hard, in the heart and funny bone.
Although our backgrounds are way dissimilar, we share some life experiences. As do all of us humans.
I'm 63; Ephron died a year ago. I think alot about death - and life lived as brightly as possible.
I left Long Island to come to school in Maine; stayed for 40 years and worked at what I loved.
My neck hurts. I love e-mail, but don...more
Not really...but this small book of "reflections" hit me hard, in the heart and funny bone.
Although our backgrounds are way dissimilar, we share some life experiences. As do all of us humans.
I'm 63; Ephron died a year ago. I think alot about death - and life lived as brightly as possible.
I left Long Island to come to school in Maine; stayed for 40 years and worked at what I loved.
My neck hurts. I love e-mail, but don...more
I've never read anything by Nora Ephron before, so I'm not sure this was the best place to start with her work. However, it definitely wasn't the worst either, because I did enjoy this book.
I Remember Nothing is a collection of short remembrances and reflections from Ms. Ephron's life, all imbued with a dry wit that works well most of the time. The funny parts had me laughing out loud, but her most compelling pieces were her most sincere, as when she recalls her early days in journalism or when...more
I Remember Nothing is a collection of short remembrances and reflections from Ms. Ephron's life, all imbued with a dry wit that works well most of the time. The funny parts had me laughing out loud, but her most compelling pieces were her most sincere, as when she recalls her early days in journalism or when...more
I got this ebook from the library because the one about her neck wasn't available. I was sad when Nora died. She was one of those great New York dames who was always just so alive and opinionated about it all. And, Jesus, talk about accomplished. While reading Nora's obit I realized that I had never read any of her prose and so figured why not. I love that I could get it online from my library. How cool is that? A thrill like stealing. The book is quixotic and charming. -Why quixotic? I don't kn...more
This book is a compilation of Nora Ephron's thoughts and so is necessarily uneven. Whether something is funny is often a matter of taste. While I didn't find everything funny, I definitely could relate.
I was surprised by her section on working as an Elliot girl because I knew him through my husband's mother's family. How funny. It really is a small world (or Six Degrees of Separation). In any case, her characterization of the times was one I read to my daughter so that she'd know how hard women...more
I was surprised by her section on working as an Elliot girl because I knew him through my husband's mother's family. How funny. It really is a small world (or Six Degrees of Separation). In any case, her characterization of the times was one I read to my daughter so that she'd know how hard women...more
Aug 22, 2012
Ashley Moore
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Film enthusiasts, middle aged women, anyone with a brain
Shelves:
nonfiction-essays,
2012-augst
Nora, you slay me: your wit, your familiarity, your fluid chatting-over-coffee banter and flow. There’s nothing I can find to dislike about your last published work, I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections. It’s subtle, infectiously relatable with its understated tone - I feel like I know you. No, I want to know you. I think we just skimmed the surface here. Reading your last words seemed a little morose, maybe even a little morbid considering just how recently you passed, I’ll give you that,...more
Three of Nora Ephron's movies are on my list of top favorite movies of all time. I remember watching "Sleepless in Seattle" in high school and just falling in love with it. After that, any time I broke up with a guy, I would watch "Sleepless in Seattle" to remind myself that there was probably a Tom Hanks out there somewhere for me and there was but his name is Matt. When I heard Nora Ephron died, I made my husband and sons sit down and watch "You've Got Mail" with me and we all laughed and love...more
You always write reviews and wonder if other people are reading them, right? Well, I do. Not I do wonder, but yes, I do read them. So last week someone I am friends with read and reviewed "I Remember Nothing." It made me want to read it. Got on line and being to lazy to drive to my library to check out the copy that was waiting on the shelves, I put myself on the waiting list on Overdrive.
This is a quick read from Ephron with assorted random thoughts from her. Some of them are trivial--like how...more
This is a quick read from Ephron with assorted random thoughts from her. Some of them are trivial--like how...more
Nora Ephron wrote this book at the age of 69 years two years ago and, now in 2012 she has passed away. This is a book of reflections and stories from her interesting life and I found some chapters laugh out loud, grab a tissue to dab away the tears funny. Other chapters were just plain interesting. In her life she mingled with the rich and famous and takes the opportunity to dish on a few but always with good humor and self deprecation.
I was delighted to read the chapter on Scrabulous.com where...more
I was delighted to read the chapter on Scrabulous.com where...more
This is delightful.
It's a short book, full (mainly) of short anecdotes and reflections on events in Nora Ephron's life. Sometimes, these take the form of full-on autobiographical anecdotes, such as her story of how she got into journalism. Others are just straight-out opinions, such as her six stages of her relationship with email. All are joyously funny; some are also quite touching. The whole gives a real sense of Ephron as a person. And the quality of the writing throughout is just sublime.
So...more
It's a short book, full (mainly) of short anecdotes and reflections on events in Nora Ephron's life. Sometimes, these take the form of full-on autobiographical anecdotes, such as her story of how she got into journalism. Others are just straight-out opinions, such as her six stages of her relationship with email. All are joyously funny; some are also quite touching. The whole gives a real sense of Ephron as a person. And the quality of the writing throughout is just sublime.
So...more
The fabulous Nora Ephron wrote this at 69, two years before her premature death from complications from leukemia. It's a short book, a collection of anecdotes about her life, thoughts on things that annoy her and how it feels to be getting old. Although she doesn't mention her health, she alludes to it when she lists things that she will and won't miss after she passes on, and thanks her doctors at the end.
Nora is - was - a wonderful writer and she can tell stories that don't amount to much in...more
Nora is - was - a wonderful writer and she can tell stories that don't amount to much in...more
At the “old” age of 69, Nora Ephron doesn’t remember much. She doesn’t remember the name of that Jeremy Irons movie. She remembers meeting Eleanor Roosevelt, but can’t remember a thing about her. She knows that she was at a huge Beatles concert back in the day, but she doesn’t remember a thing about the concert. She also doesn’t remember your name, of if she even should know your name.
But Ephron is far from being senile. She remembers her parent’s alcoholism and the way her dad seemingly neglect...more
But Ephron is far from being senile. She remembers her parent’s alcoholism and the way her dad seemingly neglect...more
I laughed out loud while reading this fast, enjoyable little book. Ephron is an expert at making serious points dressed up in entertainment. For example, her account of graduating college and getting a job at Newsweek in the 1960s resonated for me. When we say we miss the good old days, here's what we're forgetting: a time when we girls could achieve a degree from a very good college and be rewarded with a job as mail clerk, while boy graduates would be hired as actual professionals, in this cas...more
One of Nora Ephron’s strengths has always been relating to women’s insecurities, turning them into truisms and letting us all laugh. Still being in my 20s, I can’t personally identify with a lot of Ephron’s more recent work—my neck is still aesthetically acceptable—but I can say that her attitude towards aging has made me comfortable with the idea. She reassures me that it’s okay to laugh at the awkward hilarity that is growing older. But it seems like between 2006 and 2010, Ephron went from amu...more
Let me start this review with a statement that has never been truer; I am biased when it comes to Nora Ephron. Every rom com author on the planet wants to be just like Nora, or should I say write just like Nora.
If you haven’t realised - Nora Ephron is my hero. She possesses an unequalled talent and has penned some very famous romantic comedies including When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mali. Just to name a few.
I Remember Nothing is a series of reflections by Nora on dif...more
If you haven’t realised - Nora Ephron is my hero. She possesses an unequalled talent and has penned some very famous romantic comedies including When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mali. Just to name a few.
I Remember Nothing is a series of reflections by Nora on dif...more
Aug 01, 2011
Scherry Siganporia
added it
Readers! My first book of Nora Ephron and what a treat...written by someone who has crafter ''you've got mail''; ''when harry met sally''...she has simply understood a way of life which brings about humor, wisdom and silly anecdotes of what we all think about in a passing moment. I admire her writing skills, her thoughts and laughed out loud in a crowded metro (tube) without realizing where I was ...that is surely something I will never 'forget''...I love her chapters and wish she had written mo...more
Jul 18, 2011
Jane Stewart
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
amusing-personal-essays,
5-star-nonfiction
Smart, witty, and fun.
This is a continuation of Nora’s amusing observations about daily life, recollections, and reflections. It’s the sequel to her book “I Feel Bad About My Neck.” I had a great time with both of these. Because she makes me laugh out loud, I gave 5 stars to each. I liked them as AUDIOBOOKS. They were perfect to keep me company as I cooked, cleaned, and drove. Nora narrated both of them. Her narration style was better in the second book than in the first.
The topics covered in I...more
This is a continuation of Nora’s amusing observations about daily life, recollections, and reflections. It’s the sequel to her book “I Feel Bad About My Neck.” I had a great time with both of these. Because she makes me laugh out loud, I gave 5 stars to each. I liked them as AUDIOBOOKS. They were perfect to keep me company as I cooked, cleaned, and drove. Nora narrated both of them. Her narration style was better in the second book than in the first.
The topics covered in I...more
Nora Ephron’s new book, I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections, is for Ephron's contemporaries, that is, females nearing or over the age of fifty who wear scarves to temper hot flashes and hide neck ruffles, who reluctantly and clumsily navigate modern technology, and who have to extract memories from brain cells the way a dentist has to wrestle out a molar. Ephron, who wrote the screenplays for Julie and Julia and When Harry Met Sally and the recent bestseller I Feel Bad About My Neck, can at...more
Now realize this is a memoir and it's called, "I remember nothing." I thought it would be ironic, that she HAD remembered alot, but no. If you like poor little rich girls whining, this is for you...sorry, I can't muster much sympathy for a girl who waltzes into a job at Newsweek, meets famous people and doesn't remember anyting about them and complains about only getting $40K as a surprise inheritance. To add insult to injury, then there's a chapter about her "flops", remember these are movies s...more
In this chronicle of growing older and what it means to someone for whom memory and words are her trademark is the poignant core of this book. Ephron shares about not remembering a movie title, or a familiar book, and how she immediately Googles it. Then there are those other moments of not remembering a person's name or how she knows them. But, as evidenced by the ensuing pages in this tome, there is a lot more that she does recall, a fact that is revealed as we read on.
She shares many anecdote...more
She shares many anecdote...more
Well, I always adore anything my fellow Wellesley grads write, particularly the talented Nora Ephron. She makes me nostalgic for things I have never even encountered. I enjoyed reading two chapters that were featured in Vogue and Bazaar recently (one on journalism and one on her working, Hollywood mom). I was so enthusiastic after reading them, that I ran straight to my local (and soon to close) Waldenbooks and turned in my weekly 33% off coupon and $5 in Border Bucks for my own copy.
After gett...more
After gett...more
I am a big fan of Nora Ephron's so I am not an objective reviewer. I love how she expresses herself and I find her funny. She doesn't always cover funny subjects, like divorce and getting old, but she maintains her wit and I like that. Probably not for everyone.
I am generally disappointed in memoirs which began many years ago when I read all of Lillian Hellman's memoirs including Pentimento. I was actually angry when I finished them because I felt cheated. She was clearly a woman of intense feel...more
I am generally disappointed in memoirs which began many years ago when I read all of Lillian Hellman's memoirs including Pentimento. I was actually angry when I finished them because I felt cheated. She was clearly a woman of intense feel...more
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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.
More about Nora Ephron...
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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“I am living in the Google years, no question of that. And there are advantages to it. When you forget something, you can whip out your iPhone and go to Google. The Senior Moment has become the Google moment, and it has a much nicer, hipper, younger, more contemporary sound, doesn't it? By handling the obligations of the search mechanism, you almost prove you can keep up....
You can't retrieve you life (unless you're on Wikipedia, in which case you can retrieve an inaccurate version of it).”
—
21 people liked it
You can't retrieve you life (unless you're on Wikipedia, in which case you can retrieve an inaccurate version of it).”
“From the essay "Twenty-five Things People Have a Shocking Capacity to Be Surprised by Over and Over Again"
1. Journalists sometimes make things up.
2. Journalists sometimes get things wrong.
3. Almost all books that are published as memoirs were initially written as novels, and then the agent/editor said, This might work better as a memoir.
6. Freedom of the press belongs to the man who owns one.”
—
19 people liked it
More quotes…
1. Journalists sometimes make things up.
2. Journalists sometimes get things wrong.
3. Almost all books that are published as memoirs were initially written as novels, and then the agent/editor said, This might work better as a memoir.
6. Freedom of the press belongs to the man who owns one.”
Dec 17, 2011 05:08am
Dec 17, 2011 10:41am