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If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits?
Ever since she was a child, Erma Bombeck has been an expert worrier, and married life has only honed that skill. She gets anxious about running out of ball bearings; about snakes sneaking in through the pipes; about making meaningful conversation on New Year’s Eve. Married life, she realizes, is an unpredictable saga even when you know exactly how loud your husband snores every night—and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
In this crisp collection of essays, Bombeck shows off the irresistible style that made her one of America’s favorite humorists for more than three decades. When she sharpens her wit, no family member is sacred and no self-help fad is safe.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erma Bombeck including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.
In this crisp collection of essays, Bombeck shows off the irresistible style that made her one of America’s favorite humorists for more than three decades. When she sharpens her wit, no family member is sacred and no self-help fad is safe.
This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erma Bombeck including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.
227 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1971
492 people are currently reading
5995 people want to read
About the author
Erma Bombeck
103 books537 followersErma Louise Bombeck, born Erma Fiste, was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for a newspaper column that depicted suburban home life humorously, in the second half of the 20th century.
For 31 years since 1965, Erma Bombeck published 4,000 newspaper articles. Already in the 1970s, her witty columns were read, twice weekly, by thirty million readers of 900 newspapers of USA and Canada. Besides, the majority of her 15 books became instant best sellers.
For 31 years since 1965, Erma Bombeck published 4,000 newspaper articles. Already in the 1970s, her witty columns were read, twice weekly, by thirty million readers of 900 newspapers of USA and Canada. Besides, the majority of her 15 books became instant best sellers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 468 reviews
June 13, 2024
Why I chose to listen to this audiobook:
1. since I've read a handful of other books by Erma Bombeck, and my mom loved her writing style, I just had to add this one to my WTR list;
2. I found a free loan on Hoopla. It comes in just under 4 hours; and,
3. June 2024 is my self-declared "Humor Month"!
Praises:
1. rather than complaining and stressing out over things that life throws at us, Bombeck finds humor in various mundane situations that spouses and parents face on a daily basis. Some of my favorite commentaries include: the perils of shopping carts; family vacations; cameras; game shows; fashion over the latter part of the 20th century; sports awards for kids; and, the "Primer" she has written to guide children;
2. her section focusing on mothers and daughters was heart-wrenching to me; and,
3. I loved Bombeck's touching advice in her Epilogue.
Niggle:
I know I would have preferred reading a print copy, because this narrator sounded like she was sucking on a piece of hard candy. Wow! That microphone sure picked up on all the swallowing!
Overall Thoughts:
The Queen of Humor does it again! She had me chuckling, laughing out loud, and yes, even crying. Although published in the late 1970s, so much of Bombeck's observations are still relevant today.
Recommended for all readers, especially married women with children.
1. since I've read a handful of other books by Erma Bombeck, and my mom loved her writing style, I just had to add this one to my WTR list;
2. I found a free loan on Hoopla. It comes in just under 4 hours; and,
3. June 2024 is my self-declared "Humor Month"!
Praises:
1. rather than complaining and stressing out over things that life throws at us, Bombeck finds humor in various mundane situations that spouses and parents face on a daily basis. Some of my favorite commentaries include: the perils of shopping carts; family vacations; cameras; game shows; fashion over the latter part of the 20th century; sports awards for kids; and, the "Primer" she has written to guide children;
2. her section focusing on mothers and daughters was heart-wrenching to me; and,
3. I loved Bombeck's touching advice in her Epilogue.
Niggle:
I know I would have preferred reading a print copy, because this narrator sounded like she was sucking on a piece of hard candy. Wow! That microphone sure picked up on all the swallowing!
Overall Thoughts:
The Queen of Humor does it again! She had me chuckling, laughing out loud, and yes, even crying. Although published in the late 1970s, so much of Bombeck's observations are still relevant today.
Recommended for all readers, especially married women with children.
February 7, 2013
I first heard of Erma Bombeck when I was 13. My mom had gone to the doctor and came home with the news she was pregnant. I was the baby up until then so you can imagine her shock. My dad, being funny, brought home a pillow that said, " It's A Crying Shame," and a book by Erma Bombeck. That book was If Life Is A Bowl Of Cherries, What Am I doing In The Pits? My dad got hit by the pillow but the book cheered my mom up.
When I saw this book on Net Galley I had to get it. But, I admit, that I was wondering if a book that my mom related to in the 70's is a book that would be relevant now. The answer to that is both yes and no. Family, motherhood, children, marriage changes all the time, yet in many ways stay the same. However there are some things in it that are dated. I did not think it took away from enjoying the book and relating to it. Actually I think it presents a funny slice of life from time gone by. Erma Bombeck was funny in the 70's and she is funny today. Her advice in the last part of the book was both touching and relevant. Erma had a gift and she shared it.
I loved this book. From start to finish it was fun reading. If Life Is a Bowl Of Cherries, What Am I Doing In The Pits tickled my funny bone and touched my heart. The new version for the kindle contains an added part. A Biography of Erma Bombeck. I enjoyed reading about her. She wrote from the heart. There are photographs included of Mrs Bombeck and her family. They look very nice on the Kindle. What a beautiful bride she was. I recommend this book and am very happy to see it released in ebook form
When I saw this book on Net Galley I had to get it. But, I admit, that I was wondering if a book that my mom related to in the 70's is a book that would be relevant now. The answer to that is both yes and no. Family, motherhood, children, marriage changes all the time, yet in many ways stay the same. However there are some things in it that are dated. I did not think it took away from enjoying the book and relating to it. Actually I think it presents a funny slice of life from time gone by. Erma Bombeck was funny in the 70's and she is funny today. Her advice in the last part of the book was both touching and relevant. Erma had a gift and she shared it.
I loved this book. From start to finish it was fun reading. If Life Is a Bowl Of Cherries, What Am I Doing In The Pits tickled my funny bone and touched my heart. The new version for the kindle contains an added part. A Biography of Erma Bombeck. I enjoyed reading about her. She wrote from the heart. There are photographs included of Mrs Bombeck and her family. They look very nice on the Kindle. What a beautiful bride she was. I recommend this book and am very happy to see it released in ebook form
June 14, 2024
I always enjoyed Erma's wit when she would be a guest on TV talk shows. This book was no different. Good old-fashioned humor.
June 15, 2008
When I was a little girl staying with my grandparents, after my cousins went home and there was no more playing Payday or that weird soccer game where your fingers are the players' legs, I would need to read (I was a very nerdy child). My options were the Bible, Sidney Sheldon, or this book. Obviously, I picked the Bible. No! I picked Erma, who I discovered to be totally humorous when I turned the light on after I was sure everyone else was in bed, and snuggled under my brown-and-orange swirled comfortor in the spare bedroom with the unused exercise bike and praying Jesus head. The idea that this mom didn't really think her family was that great! Hilarious! Of course, I haven't actually read this book since I was approximately 10 years old, but I give it four stars for memory's sake.
May 17, 2021
A friend is moving to Water Valley and "bestowed" a number of books on me. This was one of them. It may have been funny in its time but only a few quips tickled my funny bone:
P22 "If I had of had amnesia don't you think I'd remember it?"
P216 "How comes pens never have any ink in them until they accidently end up in the washer?"
P241-242 had a list of women who achieved success later in life (novelist Margaret Mitchell 37, Senator Margaret Chase Smith 51, Actress Ruth Gordon 72, Tennis Star Billie Jean King 31, Painter Grandma Moses 76, Writer Ann Morrow Lindbergh 49, Ambassador Shirley Temple Black 47, Prime Minister Golda Meir 71). Not everything was comical (but the last mention was used to launch at attempt for a laugh).
P22 "If I had of had amnesia don't you think I'd remember it?"
P216 "How comes pens never have any ink in them until they accidently end up in the washer?"
P241-242 had a list of women who achieved success later in life (novelist Margaret Mitchell 37, Senator Margaret Chase Smith 51, Actress Ruth Gordon 72, Tennis Star Billie Jean King 31, Painter Grandma Moses 76, Writer Ann Morrow Lindbergh 49, Ambassador Shirley Temple Black 47, Prime Minister Golda Meir 71). Not everything was comical (but the last mention was used to launch at attempt for a laugh).
November 8, 2010
Do you like standup comedy? This book reads like one.
It is a collection of humourous stories without chronological order or any order whatsoever about family life from the perspective of an overworked, overstressed mum. Some stories are better than the others, but they are all really funny, I laughed out loud every few paragraphs, people on the subway must have thought I was crazy :).
It ends on a bittersweet note that brought tears to my eyes. The story titled "When Did I Become the Mother and the Mother Become the Child?" really got me thinking about my parents and how they are getting older and I have to insist with them to do their yearly medical checkups and how I worry if they are eating right..., never thought I would see this day but here it is and it's so sad.
Still, this book was a fun book, a true jem, and I understand it's autobiographical, so hats down to the author, who still manages to see the fun side of life despise everyday struggles. I'm so glad you woke up one day at 37 and decided to write!
It is a collection of humourous stories without chronological order or any order whatsoever about family life from the perspective of an overworked, overstressed mum. Some stories are better than the others, but they are all really funny, I laughed out loud every few paragraphs, people on the subway must have thought I was crazy :).
It ends on a bittersweet note that brought tears to my eyes. The story titled "When Did I Become the Mother and the Mother Become the Child?" really got me thinking about my parents and how they are getting older and I have to insist with them to do their yearly medical checkups and how I worry if they are eating right..., never thought I would see this day but here it is and it's so sad.
Still, this book was a fun book, a true jem, and I understand it's autobiographical, so hats down to the author, who still manages to see the fun side of life despise everyday struggles. I'm so glad you woke up one day at 37 and decided to write!
June 26, 2020
I read this back when it first released and well before my GoodReads days. This was my first time for a re-read. I used to read Erma Bombeck's syndicated column in the newspaper each week and couldn't wait for what funny pearls of wisdom she'd bestow. I was thrilled when she started assembling these into books.
If Life is a Bowl of Cherries... covers marriage, kids, community, housekeeping, and world affairs- life in other words. There is wry humor from a woman who shows us that serious matters are to be gotten over lightly and the family that lasts is not the perfect one. I think I noticed the point of her amusing anecdotes more than ever with what is happening in the world today. While the surroundings might be dated, the universal message in each story is not. Families, jobs, community, politics, and the world still are in upheaval. Love her humor that makes a point and also gets me to lighten up.
If Life is a Bowl of Cherries... covers marriage, kids, community, housekeeping, and world affairs- life in other words. There is wry humor from a woman who shows us that serious matters are to be gotten over lightly and the family that lasts is not the perfect one. I think I noticed the point of her amusing anecdotes more than ever with what is happening in the world today. While the surroundings might be dated, the universal message in each story is not. Families, jobs, community, politics, and the world still are in upheaval. Love her humor that makes a point and also gets me to lighten up.
October 8, 2019
Erma always makes me smile! She makes life seem so normal and found the humor in all situations. Betty Macdonald wrote similarly in her delightful memoirs. I need these women when times get tough.
January 27, 2023
What a gentle soul she was, Erma Bombeck.
Along with her cleverness and sly wit, mostly she impressed me as being an exceptionally loving housewife who wanted to bring more joy to others.
Along with her cleverness and sly wit, mostly she impressed me as being an exceptionally loving housewife who wanted to bring more joy to others.
January 25, 2013
Even though this book was written in the 70's it is still relevant for me today. From the snoring husband, the overly dependent kids, the housework never ending, and of course the totally wrong fads and fashion(Pantsuit that doesn't look good on anyone unless your 2), this book had me laughing and saying at least I'm not the only one who thinks that.
One of my favorite laugh out loud moments: "how come a child can eat yellow snow, kiss the dog on the lips, chew gum fromt he ashtry, put his mouth over a muddy garden hose...and refuse to drink from a glass his brother has just used."
One of my favorite laugh out loud moments: "how come a child can eat yellow snow, kiss the dog on the lips, chew gum fromt he ashtry, put his mouth over a muddy garden hose...and refuse to drink from a glass his brother has just used."
June 21, 2018
Not as funny as I remember from reading Mrs. Bombeck years ago. I did get a few chuckles though, and it is worth the read if only for being a 1970's time capsule. Also, the last chapter was priceless.
March 28, 2014
I remember reading this book a long time ago, probably in college. Having reread the book, I'm not sure I was able to full appreciate the book back then. Now, reading it as a wife and mother, I loved it. Even though Ms. Bombeck wrote this back in the 70s, I found that about 90% of it is still relevant today. Husbands still snore, kids and families still drive us crazy and the debate over working mom vs. stay at home mom still goes on 30+ years later. I found myself laughing and nodding my head through out most of the book as I have experienced many of the things that she brings up.
While mostly funny, there are a few places where she gets serious and her points really hit home. Specifically her section on when the child becomes the parent and vice versa. It makes you take a hard look at the cycle of life and how fast it revolves. I know that my favorite part of the book was the poem " I Loved you Enough". I may just have to print that out and save it for my kids when they are older. I definitely recommend this throwback!
While mostly funny, there are a few places where she gets serious and her points really hit home. Specifically her section on when the child becomes the parent and vice versa. It makes you take a hard look at the cycle of life and how fast it revolves. I know that my favorite part of the book was the poem " I Loved you Enough". I may just have to print that out and save it for my kids when they are older. I definitely recommend this throwback!
February 26, 2016
I found this in a stack of books someone gave me for the book shop. Have always enjoyed Bombeck and this was no different. I may have read this before but still had a good time with it.
June 3, 2025
When I was a kid, my grandma had Bombeck's The Grass Is Always Greener over the Septic Tank on her shelf, and one summer I picked it up and devoured it. Reading If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries immediately brought me back to my preteens, driving around with my grandma and getting into trouble (generally by buying and binging on Jewish delicacies like Halvah that my very wasp-y grandfather didn't approve of. In my family, religious politics were beyond complicated.). I know this review isn't meant to be a memoir of my own, but Bombeck's teasing, irritated, and irony-filled anecdotes about her family - a family that she clearly both loves and wants to murder sometimes - reminds me so much of my grandmother's humor. She would tell long stories featuring me and my brother going on adventures where we'd get into a ton of trouble by never listening to anyone's advice, making bad decisions, and being determined to follow our worst instincts. I can't really disentangle my affection for my deeply problematic grandmother (who had a very slippery relationship with the truth and could manipulate with the best of them) from my enjoyment of Bombeck's short pieces about family life. I'm just glad I stumbled on this book in Annie's Book Stop in Worcester, MA, and had an opportunity to revisit that corner of my childhood.
December 29, 2009
I read this for an initiative at work. We are to read a book each month with a different angle. January's assignment was to read a book published in the year you were born (for me, 1978). Someone recommended Erma Bombeck, since she wrote humor based on being a mother and housewife. I must say, for the most part I just didn't get it. I didn't laugh or even smile once. First of all, there was language to decode. For example, "wedgies." No, not what happens when your undies get in a twist. Apparently, these were a type of shoe in the 70s, but when I read something along the lines of "gold wedgies lying on the staircase," I was stumped. A lot of the name dropping she did meant nothing to me, either.
There was a chapter near the end that read like a forward from my mother-in-law, too. You know, the ones with a photo of a baby with cake on her face, followed by a list with each item starting, "I loved you enough to..." Anyway, not funny to me. Guess I'll at least know who Bombeck is if she ever comes up?
There was a chapter near the end that read like a forward from my mother-in-law, too. You know, the ones with a photo of a baby with cake on her face, followed by a list with each item starting, "I loved you enough to..." Anyway, not funny to me. Guess I'll at least know who Bombeck is if she ever comes up?
September 28, 2007
Okay, I admit to being an Erma fan. I inherited several of her paperbacks when a friend of mine moved over seas and left several boxes of her books with me. I remembered reading this one as a teen, but it always seemed like something my mom would be interested in. However, for satirical insight on the middle-class female point of view on the big trends of the seventies and eighties, Bombeck is very insightful. I guess it took age and the ability to reflect back on those decades to appreciate her work. As her work progressed, some of it even became rather poignant (I Want to Grow up...) Every once in a while I find myself quoting something I read in her books.
July 27, 2025
How can we have EVERYTHING as we do in America and still be so depressed and downtrodden? Although these are older books, they are still very pertinent today. Besides getting a laugh, you will love her in-your-face style, which questions just what we as women should find important.
On this second reading: the things that struck me are the things Bombeck inferred-- that families are the source of happiness, that we are never too old to seek our dreams, that women were (are) underpaid and unappreciated be they moms, daughters, career women or what. Oh, and that the adventure of living can hit all of us with unexpected harshness, but maybe being able to laugh about it will help us move on.
On this second reading: the things that struck me are the things Bombeck inferred-- that families are the source of happiness, that we are never too old to seek our dreams, that women were (are) underpaid and unappreciated be they moms, daughters, career women or what. Oh, and that the adventure of living can hit all of us with unexpected harshness, but maybe being able to laugh about it will help us move on.
June 9, 2015
Loved Erma Bombeck...My mother and I to this day can quote her verbatim. She's provided us hours of entertainment. It was like losing a family member when she passed. RIP Erma, I'm sure you've got them laughing somewhere else!
May 21, 2023
This is such a Middle Aged White Woman book, which just isn't my thing.
November 14, 2021
I read this WAY back and laughed, but I am not sure how it holds up today. (It may have inspired me to stay single.) It's listed in "1001 Books for Every Mood" by Hallie Ephron and published in 2008, so it spans two centuries. That's saying something.
July 11, 2022
Closer to 2.5 stars; quite dated, really. It had several moments that were sincerely chuckle-worthy, but overall, not as funny as I believed it would be. You'll find steadier laughs of a similar nature with Dave Barry.
So I wouldn't suggest necessarily seeking this out, but it *is* the sort of book that, if you were renting a beach house and it was a lousy weather day and you were stuck inside and forgot to bring a book of your own, and discovered this one on a shelf near the radio, it could be worthwhile to kill some time with.
So I wouldn't suggest necessarily seeking this out, but it *is* the sort of book that, if you were renting a beach house and it was a lousy weather day and you were stuck inside and forgot to bring a book of your own, and discovered this one on a shelf near the radio, it could be worthwhile to kill some time with.
February 6, 2016
I found this book to be uneven. Some stories I really enjoyed while others I didn't. I am amazed at how some issues or themes continue to prevail even after all these years. Such as children leaving their wet towels on the floor or a parent calling their child by the wrong name (which was probably my favorite story in the book as well). She has some great lines in the book as well such as her son "staring into the refrigerator waiting for something to embrace him."
April 30, 2017
[May 2017 book group selection] I remember my mom had this book when I was young, and I imagine it was extremely funny in the 70s when it was written. 40ish years later it seemed somewhat dated to me - quite a few references to people I'm not familiar with and everyday things that are seldom used anymore. There were still some funny parts as well as a few worthwhile insights at the end, but overall not a classic that has stood the test of time...at least for me.
June 29, 2012
She was a funny lady...
September 22, 2019
This book was exactly what a homesick Ohio girl needed. It is nice to know you are not going crazy, but crazy is normal. Erma Bombeck books should be required reading for life. I laughed my head off, cried my eyes out, and wished I could talk about this one with my friends from Book Club. I love and miss you lovely ladies.
June 20, 2018
Read this as a child. For some reason my mother had a case of these books. I recall it as funny and sometimes baffling. Curious to re-read and see what I think now that I'm an adult. I think reading Erma Bombeck shaped my idea of humor and writing though. I remember just reading and re-reading her work and trying to figure it out.
July 13, 2024
Erma Bombeck was a formative writer for me; I thought she was hilarious as a kid. She’s still funny and sharply observant (yes, I know: RIP), but the humor is a lot darker from an adult perspective, and that surprised me. Maybe it shouldn’t, given the time during which she was writing. Anyway, Erma, thanks for the inspiration for more than one member of my family. ❤️
September 26, 2016
I read everything of Bombeck’s I could get my hands on in the late 70's, early 80's. I should have been too young to enjoy her “put upon mother” humor, but somehow I wasn’t. She has always, always cracked me up. I’ve read most of her books a few times each and some portions I’ve read over and over and over. She just has this uncanny way of making you feel grateful for what you have. Also that someone else always has it worse than you! That’s a gift.
Nothing she says is off base and even though the majority of her stuff is decades old, people are the same no matter when they live, so she is always topical. The world has moved on quite a bit since most of her books were written, but really, what’s the difference between a teenage boy with a Beatles haircut that drives his mother crazy because it’s always in his eyes and a teenage boy with a pink and blue mohawk that drives HIS mother equally crazy? Nothing! Or a teenage girl that ties up the family phone, lying on her bed for hours, just yakking away, and a teenage girl whose cell phone has become an earring because it’s always stuck to her face? Or fingers. Again, nothing!
I think all women contemplating of marrying or having children, should read Bombeck’s books first. Will they convince you otherwise? Nope, but they will give you an idea of what a crazy ride wife/mother hood can be! That never changes.
Nothing she says is off base and even though the majority of her stuff is decades old, people are the same no matter when they live, so she is always topical. The world has moved on quite a bit since most of her books were written, but really, what’s the difference between a teenage boy with a Beatles haircut that drives his mother crazy because it’s always in his eyes and a teenage boy with a pink and blue mohawk that drives HIS mother equally crazy? Nothing! Or a teenage girl that ties up the family phone, lying on her bed for hours, just yakking away, and a teenage girl whose cell phone has become an earring because it’s always stuck to her face? Or fingers. Again, nothing!
I think all women contemplating of marrying or having children, should read Bombeck’s books first. Will they convince you otherwise? Nope, but they will give you an idea of what a crazy ride wife/mother hood can be! That never changes.
December 17, 2012
Cute book written by Bombeck in the 70s. Some of the stories were dated but some still ring very true for today! I had to giggle at her comment about worrying about what the dog thinks when she steps out of the shower - never thought about that but now I do because my little pooch always follows me to the bathroom!! Her primer to her children on how to care for themselves was hysterical because my children never things back that they get out, rarely answer the phone (except when I don't want them to answer the phone!), they never hang towels up, their rooms are disgusting, and they fight all the time.......just like Bombeck's children! Her comments on how to get children to eat more nutritiuous lunches was "spot on" too...........tell them they ABSOLUTELY cannot have those things or they will need to serve detentions will certainly guarantee they will WANT to eat their veggies desperately!! The comments about the child becoming the mother and the mother becoming the child were touching as I see my mother begin to age. Her comments about her children yelling she didn't love them resonated with me too because I have given up so much for them and do so much that they will not appreciate until they become parents themselves. Cute book.
May 1, 2011
I loved this book. Sure, a very small number of the cultural references were lost on me due to my age, but I was laughing out loud--literally, not acronymically (is that a word?)--at least 80% of the time. Bombeck has a gift for making us laugh at the things that would otherwise make us throw our hands up and walk away. I think every mom should have at least one of her books hanging around the house for those days when we really just need to check out and have a good laugh. And the bonus is that we might be able to laugh at the things that are putting us in our bad place to begin with. Very therapeutic, light, and easy reading. I highly recommend it to all moms.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 468 reviews