For You, Mom. Finally.: Previously published as Not Becoming My Mother Audiobook

" I've loved all Ruth Reichl's memoirs; she's smart, a great writer and a fabulous cook. But she's always made it clear that her mother was 'difficult, moody' and they weren't friends. So, I thought this would be insightful, and she'd realize how she'd misjudged her mom. Maybe this approach is because I worry that my children might harbor such angst. Well, she forgives her mother for some things but mostly portrays her as a victim of a culture that put no stock on intelligent women who weren't born to be housekeepers. More than anything, it made me wonder how my mother truly felt about her years as a stay at home mom who never had the wherewithal to have a lovely home & buy & prepare expensive food - even if she'd wanted to. And of course, if I ask her that now, she'll say "I can't remember" and why put her through all that. "

" This was a super quick read and a good book. I recommend it! "

" I've liked her other books better "

" I can relate quite a bit to Ms. Reichl's story about her mother.... Sometimes it is a gift to be told, "Don't be like me." Some mothers do it consciously, others, unwittingly. I felt sad for her that she wasn't able to tell her mother she got it and thank you. Either way, this is my first Ruth Reichl book and I'm looking forward to reading others. "

" Reichl portrays her mother with honesty, understanding, and appreciation. Concise, powerful, thought-provoking. "

" On what would have been her mother's 100th birthday, Ruth Reichl reads through her letters and notes to discover what her mother truly sacrificied so that her daughter could realize her full potential for happiness. "

" Reichl found her mother's letters and scrap paper notes dumped in a box. From them she learned how unhappy her mother had been and how hard she tried to make sure her daughter was prepared to make a better, happier life for herself. "

" A sweet story about how a deeply disturbed mother tried to protect her daughter from her basic DNA. The great joy is that the mother "found" herself in her later years. "

" This is more an essay than a book, but I always like her writing. "

" Another excellent read by Ruth Reichl!!! "

" A somewhat apologetic work from this food critic, who has constantly berated her mother's inability to cook, among other things, in her other books. "

" This one was real short. Far from my favorite Reichl, but still good. Read it on the airplane descent. "

" This book is not what you think! It pertains to a realization a grown daughter has of her mother's emotional sacrifices, which she clearly was never aware of. It a wonderful book for women. "

" A slight book that reads like an essay. Reichl recounts episodes of her mother's life through long buried correspondence and diaries. Gives the reader some insight into what it must have been like for women who feel compelled to be different but are forced to conform to society's ideas. "

" Food writer, Ruth Reitchl reads her deceased mother's diaries and comes to a new understanding of her mother. It redefined for her who her mother was. "

" A must read for all who might have continuing issues with their mothers - this book is quite wonderful in the description of the realtionship. "

" OK, show how women in that time didn't have opportunites to be independent and creative and how author's Mother encouraged such in her. "

" This was a very quick read. I really like Ruth Reichl's writing and this book did not disappoint. I've been wanting something new from her since "Garlic and Sapphires". This book was an homage to her mother whom she has written about quite a bit over the years. "

" This is a book about a woman with bipolar and how she stuggled to raise her children well and teach them about life. Her daughter didn't appreciate what she had done until after she was gone. It gave me some interesting ideas. "

" I enjoy Ruth Reichl's writing and after all these year's of reading her memoirs I feel a kinship with her. So many of us struggle, as I do, to understand that most significant person in our lives. Through the years I ponder about who she was and who I am because of her. "

" My only issue with this short memoir/biography of Ruth Reichl and her mother is that it was too short. I wanted to know more! "

" A moving and surprisingly gripping account of how Ruth Reichl's mother struggled for happiness and meaning at a time--not so long ago--when beauty was a woman's only asset, and marriage and motherhood her only socially sanctioned goals. "

" A really nice book about mothers and daughters, uphill climbs and joys but mainly how much of a struggle it can be to be a woman in a very complicated world. "