What do you think?
Rate this book
Crazy Salad: Some Things About Women
The classic "Crazy Salad," by screenwriting legend and novelist Nora Ephron, is an extremely funny, deceptively light look at a generation of women (and men) who helped shape the way we live now. In this distinctive, engaging, and simply hilarious view of a period of great upheaval in America, Ephron turns her keen eye and wonderful sense of humor to the media, politics, beauty products, and women's bodies. In the famous "A Few Words About Breasts," for example, she tells us: "If I had had them, I would have been a completely different person. I honestly believe that." Ephron brings her sharp pen to bear on the notable women of the time, and to a series of events ranging from Watergate to the Pillsbury Bake-Off. When it first appeared in 1975, "Crazy Salad" helped to illuminate a new American era - and helped us to laugh at our times and ourselves. This new edition will delight a fresh generation of readers.
217 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1975
148 people are currently reading
6806 people want to read
About the author
Nora Ephron
51 books2,868 followersNora Ephron was an American journalist, 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews
April 20, 2021
Nora Ephron (1941-2012) is famous for her screenplays (Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally...) and films (Sleepless In Seattle, Julie & Julia), but I've always loved her for her prose.
She started out as a journalist, and this collection of essays about women, published in magazines like Esquire and New York in the early 1970s, contains lots of gems: some are funny, some are deadly serious, and all of them are clear-eyed, intelligent and written in her signature conversational style.
The collection begins with one of Ephron's classics, the candid and very funny "A Few Words About Breasts," in which she chronicles a lifetime of being flat-chested. The piece is chatty and full of anecdotes, but there's pain and anger simmering beneath the writing, including the final four-letter word (which would have been shocking in a general interest magazine in 1972). The tone of the piece reminds me of one of my favourite passages from her novel Heartburn:
In other essays, Ephron attends the tenth reunion of her 1962 Wellesley College graduating class; she reports on the historic National Women's Political Caucus at the Democratic Convention, full of big clashing personalities like Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem; she writes about attending the mainstream porn film Deep Throat; she is a hilarious fly on the oven wall at the Pillsbury Bake-Off; she weighs in on the infamous battle-of-the-sexes Bobby Riggs vs. Margaret Court tennis match; she deconstructs the myth of Dorothy Parker and tells us, not surprisingly, that she always wanted to be like the legendary wit.
Although many of the essay subjects might seem like obscure footnotes today, Ephron's writing is so good you'll be engrossed about everything from consciousness-raising (about which she is understandably skeptical) to minor Watergate figures.
One of my favourite articles is a profile of Bernice Gera, who was the first female umpire in professional baseball, but quit on the very first day she began. The way Ephron describes her Bronx apartment, full of baseball paraphernalia, and the horrific sexist behaviour she endured, is masterful and very moving.
And a long article about the marketing of "feminine hygiene spray" is a disturbing yet eye-opening look at Madison Ave's view of women.
Unfortunately, the book ends on a sour note, as Ephron reviews a book by Jan Morris, who was born James Morris. The world has come a long way in terms of acceptance of trans issues, and it's sad that Ephron's review is full of cheap shots and unfunny jokes.
That said, this entire book is a fascinating time capsule. How sad that Ephron's no longer alive to weigh in on some of the big issues affecting women and men – and non-binary people – today.
She started out as a journalist, and this collection of essays about women, published in magazines like Esquire and New York in the early 1970s, contains lots of gems: some are funny, some are deadly serious, and all of them are clear-eyed, intelligent and written in her signature conversational style.
The collection begins with one of Ephron's classics, the candid and very funny "A Few Words About Breasts," in which she chronicles a lifetime of being flat-chested. The piece is chatty and full of anecdotes, but there's pain and anger simmering beneath the writing, including the final four-letter word (which would have been shocking in a general interest magazine in 1972). The tone of the piece reminds me of one of my favourite passages from her novel Heartburn:
Vera said: “Why do you feel you have to turn everything into a story?” So I told her why.
Because if I tell the story, I control the version.
Because if I tell the story, I can make you laugh, and I would rather have you laugh at me than feel sorry for me.
In other essays, Ephron attends the tenth reunion of her 1962 Wellesley College graduating class; she reports on the historic National Women's Political Caucus at the Democratic Convention, full of big clashing personalities like Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem; she writes about attending the mainstream porn film Deep Throat; she is a hilarious fly on the oven wall at the Pillsbury Bake-Off; she weighs in on the infamous battle-of-the-sexes Bobby Riggs vs. Margaret Court tennis match; she deconstructs the myth of Dorothy Parker and tells us, not surprisingly, that she always wanted to be like the legendary wit.
Although many of the essay subjects might seem like obscure footnotes today, Ephron's writing is so good you'll be engrossed about everything from consciousness-raising (about which she is understandably skeptical) to minor Watergate figures.
One of my favourite articles is a profile of Bernice Gera, who was the first female umpire in professional baseball, but quit on the very first day she began. The way Ephron describes her Bronx apartment, full of baseball paraphernalia, and the horrific sexist behaviour she endured, is masterful and very moving.
And a long article about the marketing of "feminine hygiene spray" is a disturbing yet eye-opening look at Madison Ave's view of women.
Unfortunately, the book ends on a sour note, as Ephron reviews a book by Jan Morris, who was born James Morris. The world has come a long way in terms of acceptance of trans issues, and it's sad that Ephron's review is full of cheap shots and unfunny jokes.
That said, this entire book is a fascinating time capsule. How sad that Ephron's no longer alive to weigh in on some of the big issues affecting women and men – and non-binary people – today.
January 5, 2023
¿Cómo debería ser leída una colección de artículos escritos a lo largo de los setenta por una periodista que pasaría a la posteridad por revolucionar, una década más tarde, la comedia romántica? Seguramente no como una biblia del feminismo, como una obra perfecta y completa, sino como un trabajo en marcha, una fotografía de su tiempo. Y así creo que funciona este volumen, como un retrato de algunos de los debates, los logros y los fracasos del movimiento de liberación de la mujer estadounidense, en el momento en que se producían, trazados por una buena observadora. Así, algunos textos parecen hoy de otro mundo, o eso me gustaría pensar (la misoginia interiorizada de la autora, los puntitos homófobos, la ligereza con la que se trata la violencia machista), y otros parecen de ayer mismo (las críticas a la cooptación capitalista del feminismo, las dudas sobre la articulación parlamentaria del movimiento, los cuestionamientos sobre el deseo o sobre el propio desacuerdo dentro del feminismo). Sobre todo esto Nora Ephron escribe con acidez, humor, distancia y honestidad. Claro que una lectora feminista de hoy no le daría la razón en todo, pero quizás no sea esto lo importante.
August 17, 2012
My friend Hannah lent me this book a little over a month after the passing of Nora Ephron. "Skim through it," she said, "you might enjoy some of the essays. You don't have to read all of it."
But of course Nora started this book with "A few words about breasts", and as soon as I finished reading that, I knew that I would read the book in its entirety, and quickly. Nora seems to be free of self-consciousness - she says it as it is without worrying too much about who will think what. This quality is refreshing, and maybe even rare, seeing that she must have been in her early 30s when she wrote these essays in 1970s New York. What fascinated me most about her writing was that every time, no no, every.single.time, she knew exactly how to finish every.single.essay at just the.right.note.
Are all these essays relevant to women? Do her conclusions stand the test of time? Did I identify with all the essays or have insight about the people she was talking about? The answer to all of these questions may be "no", but it really does not matter so much. I didn't know half the people she was talking about, I was not even born in those times, but I'm glad she took the time to give us a glimpse of what it must have been like in the early 70s, and to raise questions about women's lib and see how they translate to our personal lives, and to see that perhaps the more things change, the more they remain the same.
*
From 'A few words about breasts': "She [the boyfriend's mom] was, as it happens, only the first of what seems to me to be a never-ending string of women who have made competitive remarks to me about breast size. "I would love to wear a dress like that," my friend Emily says to me, "but my bust is too big." Like that. Why do women say these things to me? Do I attract these remarks the way other women attract married men or alcoholics or homosexuals?"
But of course Nora started this book with "A few words about breasts", and as soon as I finished reading that, I knew that I would read the book in its entirety, and quickly. Nora seems to be free of self-consciousness - she says it as it is without worrying too much about who will think what. This quality is refreshing, and maybe even rare, seeing that she must have been in her early 30s when she wrote these essays in 1970s New York. What fascinated me most about her writing was that every time, no no, every.single.time, she knew exactly how to finish every.single.essay at just the.right.note.
Are all these essays relevant to women? Do her conclusions stand the test of time? Did I identify with all the essays or have insight about the people she was talking about? The answer to all of these questions may be "no", but it really does not matter so much. I didn't know half the people she was talking about, I was not even born in those times, but I'm glad she took the time to give us a glimpse of what it must have been like in the early 70s, and to raise questions about women's lib and see how they translate to our personal lives, and to see that perhaps the more things change, the more they remain the same.
*
From 'A few words about breasts': "She [the boyfriend's mom] was, as it happens, only the first of what seems to me to be a never-ending string of women who have made competitive remarks to me about breast size. "I would love to wear a dress like that," my friend Emily says to me, "but my bust is too big." Like that. Why do women say these things to me? Do I attract these remarks the way other women attract married men or alcoholics or homosexuals?"
February 5, 2023
Me gustó tantísimo Se acabó el pastel y me gusta tanto el humor ácido e inteligente de Nora que estaba deseando leer más. Este volumen recoge artículos publicados en distintas revistas y periódicos. Algunos han envejecido mal, sin que esto sea un demérito para esos textos: no se escribieron pensando en que duraran, en que fueran relevantes pasados seis meses. Muchas de las noticias que Nora analiza y a las que otorga muchísima importancia pasadas por el filtro del tiempo carecen de la más mínima trascendencia, algunas resultan incomprensibles desde el futuro. A pesar de todo esto, Nora es Nora y siempre encuentro algo con lo que reirme, admirarme, asombrarme o asentir con fuerza.
Hay también muchas ideas con las que disiento y una de ellas es el tema de los pechos. Cuando leía esas páginas iba diciendo: «No, Nora, no tienes razón». A pesar de escuchar las quejas de sus amigas con mucho pecho «explicando que sus vidas habían sido muchísimo más tristes que la mía. Les tiraba la cinta del sostén en clase, no podían dormir boca abajo» y muchas cosas más, Nora defiende que tener poco pecho es algo más traumático que tener mucho. Nora, NO TIENES RAZÓN. Tener mucho pecho es terrible, no encuentras bikini, no encuentras sujetador y cuando lo encuentras es cuatro o cinco veces más caro que el que las mujeres de poco pecho pueden comprar en cualquier tienda. Además, el pecho más grande pesa más y se cae más. ¿Trauma por poco pecho? Sí. ¿Más que por tener mucho? Ni de coña. Y de esta burra no me bajo, venga Nora o quien sea.
Leyendo el ensayo Sobre lo de no haber sido nunca la reina del baile, en el que habla de la belleza de las mujeres, no paré de asentir todo el tiempo. «Una de las pocas ventajas de no ser guapa es que una embellece con los años: sin ir más lejos, yo misma no paro de mejorar de aspecto». Correctísimo, Nora. Nadie te ve y no te importa, pero tú te ves estupenda. «No existe en Norteamérica una chica fea que no cambiase sus problemas por los de ser guapa; no creo que haya una chica guapa que honradamente prefiera no serlo». Esto es así, los problemas de las guapas son imaginarios y es imposible empatizar con ellos. Y no pasa nada.
Nora dedica bastantes páginas al movimiento feminista, al que apoya con fervor crítico, como yo creo que hay que apoyarlo. «Me temo que el problema consiste en que como escritora estoy comprometida con la verdad y como feminista estoy comprometida con el movimiento; y dado que libremente me comprometí con él, considero una de las ironías constantes de este movimiento que no haya forma de decir la verdad sobre él sin que en cierto modo parezca que se le ataca».
Leed a Nora, pero empezad por Se acabó el pastel.
Hay también muchas ideas con las que disiento y una de ellas es el tema de los pechos. Cuando leía esas páginas iba diciendo: «No, Nora, no tienes razón». A pesar de escuchar las quejas de sus amigas con mucho pecho «explicando que sus vidas habían sido muchísimo más tristes que la mía. Les tiraba la cinta del sostén en clase, no podían dormir boca abajo» y muchas cosas más, Nora defiende que tener poco pecho es algo más traumático que tener mucho. Nora, NO TIENES RAZÓN. Tener mucho pecho es terrible, no encuentras bikini, no encuentras sujetador y cuando lo encuentras es cuatro o cinco veces más caro que el que las mujeres de poco pecho pueden comprar en cualquier tienda. Además, el pecho más grande pesa más y se cae más. ¿Trauma por poco pecho? Sí. ¿Más que por tener mucho? Ni de coña. Y de esta burra no me bajo, venga Nora o quien sea.
Leyendo el ensayo Sobre lo de no haber sido nunca la reina del baile, en el que habla de la belleza de las mujeres, no paré de asentir todo el tiempo. «Una de las pocas ventajas de no ser guapa es que una embellece con los años: sin ir más lejos, yo misma no paro de mejorar de aspecto». Correctísimo, Nora. Nadie te ve y no te importa, pero tú te ves estupenda. «No existe en Norteamérica una chica fea que no cambiase sus problemas por los de ser guapa; no creo que haya una chica guapa que honradamente prefiera no serlo». Esto es así, los problemas de las guapas son imaginarios y es imposible empatizar con ellos. Y no pasa nada.
Nora dedica bastantes páginas al movimiento feminista, al que apoya con fervor crítico, como yo creo que hay que apoyarlo. «Me temo que el problema consiste en que como escritora estoy comprometida con la verdad y como feminista estoy comprometida con el movimiento; y dado que libremente me comprometí con él, considero una de las ironías constantes de este movimiento que no haya forma de decir la verdad sobre él sin que en cierto modo parezca que se le ataca».
Leed a Nora, pero empezad por Se acabó el pastel.
December 23, 2012
If you can get your hands on it, I recommend reading the original hardback/paperback issued in the seventies. You get all the essays in their completeness.
Before reading this book, I was only familiar with Nora Ephron from Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail. These essays, unlike the movies, are not schmaltzy in the least. They are sharply observant, acerbic, and very funny.
I especially enjoyed her writings on the sixties/seventies women's movement. Although Ephron was a feminist and a supporter of the movement, she was also clear-eyed about its many shortcomings (for example, she questions the efficacy of "consciousness raising" rap groups. Too often the "personal is political" devolves into useless navel-gazing.)
Before reading this book, I was only familiar with Nora Ephron from Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail. These essays, unlike the movies, are not schmaltzy in the least. They are sharply observant, acerbic, and very funny.
I especially enjoyed her writings on the sixties/seventies women's movement. Although Ephron was a feminist and a supporter of the movement, she was also clear-eyed about its many shortcomings (for example, she questions the efficacy of "consciousness raising" rap groups. Too often the "personal is political" devolves into useless navel-gazing.)
December 23, 2012
This was going four-stars great (so many interesting anecdotes! pretty fascinating to see a woman's point of view on the women's lib movement as it was happening) until I got to the very last essay, which is filled to the brim with ignorant, unapologetic transphobia (from the author) and misogyny (from the transperson the article is about), which... well, really put a dampener on my feelings about the book. I'd have taken the rating all the way down to one or two stars save for the fact that this was written in the 70s, which isn't really much of an excuse at all.
December 27, 2016
Megan Daum recommended Crazy Salad when I saw her speak at Butler as part of their Visiting Writers Series last month. Ephron's influence on Daum's writing is evident. A good thing! Love their ears and eyes for social irony, and their habit of wrapping up essays with a tough question or a jewel of wisdom.
Learning about Ephron's work as a feminist activist and thinker give me a new appreciation for Sleepness in Seattle and You've Got Mail. Her passing is such a loss. We could really use her wit and sense of humor to make sense of these interesting times...
Learning about Ephron's work as a feminist activist and thinker give me a new appreciation for Sleepness in Seattle and You've Got Mail. Her passing is such a loss. We could really use her wit and sense of humor to make sense of these interesting times...
March 23, 2013
The essay in this book called "Miami" is one of the best things I ever read, basically it details how Betty Friedan picked the biggest catfight of all Feminism with Gloria Steinem, basically because she was so much thinner and prettier than she was.
I love that Nora Ephron told the truth about that, because it was that kind of behavior within Women's Groups at my own college that initially turned me off on the idea of calling myself a Feminist.
I've changed on that, and I say, don't let the bitches keep you from being a Feminist.
And I'm not being sexists, because you shouldn't let the bastards stop you from being a Feminist either!
I'm so sad Nora Ephron is dead. I'm so sad I didn't know more about her until she died.
I love that Nora Ephron told the truth about that, because it was that kind of behavior within Women's Groups at my own college that initially turned me off on the idea of calling myself a Feminist.
I've changed on that, and I say, don't let the bitches keep you from being a Feminist.
And I'm not being sexists, because you shouldn't let the bastards stop you from being a Feminist either!
I'm so sad Nora Ephron is dead. I'm so sad I didn't know more about her until she died.
January 2, 2024
Compendio de textos escritos por Nora Ephron acerca de temas todos ellos relacionados de algún modo con la mujer en el contexto americano de los años 70.
Me ha resultado especialmente interesante porque permite conocer muchos aspectos de cómo fue la segunda ola del feminismo, cuáles eran los temas que preocupaban entonces y en algunos casos, cómo fueron socialmente abordados.
Nora Ephron demuestra una vez más tener un gran sentido del humor y capacidad de observación de cuanto le rodea. Habría quien podría tachar el suyo de un feminismo ligero o aburguesado, consecuencia también del tipo de personalidad de Ephron, que sospecho, era lo suficientemente inteligente como para no tomarse nada en serio y saber reírse de todo, pero no se debe tampoco olvidar el contexto social en que fue escrito, que en muchas ocasiones es clave para determinar nuestra forma de pensar (ocurre por ejemplo en el artículo sobre Linda Lovelace, donde al final, Ephron parece reconocer que quizá no hay nada de malo en todo aquello, sino que es nuestra visión más mojigata la que nos impide disfrutarlo. A todas luces, Lovelace fue víctima de explotación sexual, como ella misma reconoció con el paso de los años, pero en aquella época, cuando el placer sexual femenino era todo un tabú, su figura fue reivindicada porque permitió a las mujeres no sentir remordimientos por tener sexo).
A lo largo de los distintos capítulos, he podido estar en mayor o menor acuerdo con las ideas que Ephron planteaba pero la sensación global que me he llevado es la de que la autora era en general una mujer coherente, que sintiéndose feminista no tenía miedo de criticar aquello que veía que no funcionaba dentro del movimiento.
Le doy cuatro estrellas también porque considero que son textos muy bien escritos y estructurados. Nora Ephron siempre es un acierto.
Me ha resultado especialmente interesante porque permite conocer muchos aspectos de cómo fue la segunda ola del feminismo, cuáles eran los temas que preocupaban entonces y en algunos casos, cómo fueron socialmente abordados.
Nora Ephron demuestra una vez más tener un gran sentido del humor y capacidad de observación de cuanto le rodea. Habría quien podría tachar el suyo de un feminismo ligero o aburguesado, consecuencia también del tipo de personalidad de Ephron, que sospecho, era lo suficientemente inteligente como para no tomarse nada en serio y saber reírse de todo, pero no se debe tampoco olvidar el contexto social en que fue escrito, que en muchas ocasiones es clave para determinar nuestra forma de pensar (ocurre por ejemplo en el artículo sobre Linda Lovelace, donde al final, Ephron parece reconocer que quizá no hay nada de malo en todo aquello, sino que es nuestra visión más mojigata la que nos impide disfrutarlo. A todas luces, Lovelace fue víctima de explotación sexual, como ella misma reconoció con el paso de los años, pero en aquella época, cuando el placer sexual femenino era todo un tabú, su figura fue reivindicada porque permitió a las mujeres no sentir remordimientos por tener sexo).
A lo largo de los distintos capítulos, he podido estar en mayor o menor acuerdo con las ideas que Ephron planteaba pero la sensación global que me he llevado es la de que la autora era en general una mujer coherente, que sintiéndose feminista no tenía miedo de criticar aquello que veía que no funcionaba dentro del movimiento.
Le doy cuatro estrellas también porque considero que son textos muy bien escritos y estructurados. Nora Ephron siempre es un acierto.
September 3, 2012
It seems terrible form to give this book a bad review, but here I am doing it.
First things first: Nora Ephron was an amazing talent and hilarious voice. But if you're looking for a sampler of that wit that feels lively and relevant to today, I suggest you look elsewhere. "Crazy Salad" is not a collection that, for anyone born in the last 40 years, has aged terribly well.
Though a few excellent essays transcend time, many of the rest feel so dated and trapped in their own historical era that you half expect shag carpet to begin growing underneath your feet as you read it. (Want to read about the interpersonal dynamics between Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan at the 1972 Democratic Convention? Don't worry - there are TWO essays in this collection that address this topic.)
There is no question that Ephron was an incisive writer and razor wit and I don't doubt this particular collection read great when it was published in the 70s but I think this book begs some editorial deletions (and combination with other collections) to be interesting to a casual reader today.
First things first: Nora Ephron was an amazing talent and hilarious voice. But if you're looking for a sampler of that wit that feels lively and relevant to today, I suggest you look elsewhere. "Crazy Salad" is not a collection that, for anyone born in the last 40 years, has aged terribly well.
Though a few excellent essays transcend time, many of the rest feel so dated and trapped in their own historical era that you half expect shag carpet to begin growing underneath your feet as you read it. (Want to read about the interpersonal dynamics between Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan at the 1972 Democratic Convention? Don't worry - there are TWO essays in this collection that address this topic.)
There is no question that Ephron was an incisive writer and razor wit and I don't doubt this particular collection read great when it was published in the 70s but I think this book begs some editorial deletions (and combination with other collections) to be interesting to a casual reader today.
May 18, 2016
Hilarious!
But I think its only for women. Not necessarily though. Men can read this book too but its too girl-y for me! And I could relate so much with Nora. Funny thing is that...I am always on with such sense of humor & do all these kind of stuffs everyday but somehow read & like Angst/Tragedy genre only! After reading this, I think I should start reading humor now!
And there were few parts which did not even affect me in anyway, may be because it was time period issue! I am 90s kid & 2k teenager so I might not get few points from an American in 60s to 80s era! Maybe...not sure though! My personal favourite chapter - Divorce, Maryland Style! I really found it funny but somewhere it was mix of emotions such as anger, sadness & hurt and that too ego hurt! #FunnyYetEmotional
All in all, a good book!
But I think its only for women. Not necessarily though. Men can read this book too but its too girl-y for me! And I could relate so much with Nora. Funny thing is that...I am always on with such sense of humor & do all these kind of stuffs everyday but somehow read & like Angst/Tragedy genre only! After reading this, I think I should start reading humor now!
And there were few parts which did not even affect me in anyway, may be because it was time period issue! I am 90s kid & 2k teenager so I might not get few points from an American in 60s to 80s era! Maybe...not sure though! My personal favourite chapter - Divorce, Maryland Style! I really found it funny but somewhere it was mix of emotions such as anger, sadness & hurt and that too ego hurt! #FunnyYetEmotional
All in all, a good book!
March 1, 2021
I'm worried Wellesley might rescind my degree for this rating, but transphobia means an automatic 1.
A few of these essays are fantastic: the one about Wellesley "Reunion", was the first time a "legendary" alum made me feel seen; the one about the Pillsbury cookoff; FDS; Porter goes to the convention.
But, even in the first few essays I found myself asking, "Did Nora Ephron actually hate women?" By that point she'd rejected the idea that women can contain contradictions, said she thinks menstrual cramps are fake, and doesn't feel right dismissing the opinions of belittling men. Internalized misogyny is so real, esp. in the 70's.
As someone else wrote, maybe a good editor should re-release a revised version of this, maybe with the most harmful essays in the back with a warning kinda like Disney+ has on some of their movies.
A few of these essays are fantastic: the one about Wellesley "Reunion", was the first time a "legendary" alum made me feel seen; the one about the Pillsbury cookoff; FDS; Porter goes to the convention.
But, even in the first few essays I found myself asking, "Did Nora Ephron actually hate women?" By that point she'd rejected the idea that women can contain contradictions, said she thinks menstrual cramps are fake, and doesn't feel right dismissing the opinions of belittling men. Internalized misogyny is so real, esp. in the 70's.
As someone else wrote, maybe a good editor should re-release a revised version of this, maybe with the most harmful essays in the back with a warning kinda like Disney+ has on some of their movies.
April 23, 2023
Crazy Salad - Nora Ephron Ephron amuses me, even if I don't always agree with her.
***
It's been a long time since I read this, which I've wanted to do ever since the recent Ephron buddy binge with Veronica. But I couldn't find our copy. And then I did! It was a housekeeping miracle.
These essays originally appeared in the early seventies for Esquire. So in turn, that ties back into the women's college tour, and the Steinem emphasis of this spring.
I say "our copy," but it isn't: it's the Spouse's copy that he brought to the marriage. That makes this one of the reasons why I married him. The books and the feminist cred.
Personal copy
***
It's been a long time since I read this, which I've wanted to do ever since the recent Ephron buddy binge with Veronica. But I couldn't find our copy. And then I did! It was a housekeeping miracle.
These essays originally appeared in the early seventies for Esquire. So in turn, that ties back into the women's college tour, and the Steinem emphasis of this spring.
I say "our copy," but it isn't: it's the Spouse's copy that he brought to the marriage. That makes this one of the reasons why I married him. The books and the feminist cred.
Personal copy
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 2, 2023
(3,2)
No he disfrutado particularmente la lectura en sí, a pesar de que los temas tratados me parecen interesantes y crean en mi una respuesta enervada ante las situaciones que las mujeres seguimos viviendo socialmente.
Me gusta cuando Ephron da su opinión sincera y deja de lado la contextualización mas “institucional”; ella es una mujer con las cosas bastante claras y siempre disfruto de eso.
No he disfrutado particularmente la lectura en sí, a pesar de que los temas tratados me parecen interesantes y crean en mi una respuesta enervada ante las situaciones que las mujeres seguimos viviendo socialmente.
Me gusta cuando Ephron da su opinión sincera y deja de lado la contextualización mas “institucional”; ella es una mujer con las cosas bastante claras y siempre disfruto de eso.
March 22, 2024
while it will surprise no one that she made me laugh, I'm more struck, on the other side of a dozen or so essays from '73-'76, by Ephron's knack for making me sad about the way things are. there's a lot to be found here of feminist shoulder-shrugging, as relatable as it is frustrating, which she describes in the middle of it happening with obfuscatory verve. wit and detachment are clever footstools, and Ephron uses them to hold herself apart from childish, mawkish, political feminism, even while she agrees with it--sometimes in principle, sometimes in action. but she charms me into standing still and looking on. Ephron is immobile in a changing world, one whose forward movement she alternately works for and waffles on, as when she lambasts and then pities Bobby Riggs at length. she likes to end an essay with something along the lines of 'If there's a lesson here, I haven't found it'; which, like, sure.
Ephron is, by her own proclamation, more comfortable being a journalist and an observer than being a woman or a feminist (whatever any of those mean). it's easy to see why, because she is good at observing, great at it, so great that she has become for me what Dorothy Parker was to her: a New York literary legend for smart girls trying to be cute. but all of these roles (journalist, feminist, Dorothy Parker disciple) echo about in a can together, combining to make Ephron occasionally conservative in her reliance on capital t Truths (after all, she "still ha[s] some illusions about objectivity"). these may be pithier Truths than she peddled as a reporter, but all the truer-sounding for their aphoristic ring. on Sally Quinn, who said that for women in journalism 'being blonde doesn't hurt,' Ephron stews for weeks, before arriving at the conclusion that "what had gotten to me was that her way worked. Mine didn't."
far from being unaware of the funniness in this, of the poignance--of the brick wall, rather than the mirror, that separates she who for her own gain metamorphizes to fit the contours of male fantasy from she who can't or won't--Nora sees it, and stands facing it, and says, 'Here is a brick wall.' what next? who knows. not her. not I.
perhaps her insistence on the irrelevance of her own writerly place within second-wave feminism is proof she thought the movement had legs it simply didn't. "No amount of criticism of the movement," she writes, "will stop its moving forward." it's a statement which strikes me, coming from her, as one either of unusual faith or characteristic complacency. if I sound critical, it's because I see myself on every page, wondering how to be a woman, laughing at anyone who claims to know. I don't even like salads. I can't even make them at home
Ephron is, by her own proclamation, more comfortable being a journalist and an observer than being a woman or a feminist (whatever any of those mean). it's easy to see why, because she is good at observing, great at it, so great that she has become for me what Dorothy Parker was to her: a New York literary legend for smart girls trying to be cute. but all of these roles (journalist, feminist, Dorothy Parker disciple) echo about in a can together, combining to make Ephron occasionally conservative in her reliance on capital t Truths (after all, she "still ha[s] some illusions about objectivity"). these may be pithier Truths than she peddled as a reporter, but all the truer-sounding for their aphoristic ring. on Sally Quinn, who said that for women in journalism 'being blonde doesn't hurt,' Ephron stews for weeks, before arriving at the conclusion that "what had gotten to me was that her way worked. Mine didn't."
far from being unaware of the funniness in this, of the poignance--of the brick wall, rather than the mirror, that separates she who for her own gain metamorphizes to fit the contours of male fantasy from she who can't or won't--Nora sees it, and stands facing it, and says, 'Here is a brick wall.' what next? who knows. not her. not I.
perhaps her insistence on the irrelevance of her own writerly place within second-wave feminism is proof she thought the movement had legs it simply didn't. "No amount of criticism of the movement," she writes, "will stop its moving forward." it's a statement which strikes me, coming from her, as one either of unusual faith or characteristic complacency. if I sound critical, it's because I see myself on every page, wondering how to be a woman, laughing at anyone who claims to know. I don't even like salads. I can't even make them at home
January 7, 2021
I am really not in the mood to be preached to about how I should think and act. I've had enough of that this past year, thank you very much.
Audiobook
12 hours 54 minutes
Bailed after 1 hour 24 minutes
Audiobook
12 hours 54 minutes
Bailed after 1 hour 24 minutes
February 19, 2010
I feel so appreciative for all of the women who came before me that paved the way for women to have all of the options that we have today. I really enjoyed learning more about this period in history where so much change was taking place. Some of the essays seemed really irrelevant and didn't stand the test of time, but many of them were still very interesting to read. I learned aspects of the women's movement that I had never heard anything about before. A lot of the essays just happened to be written in the months just before and just after I was born, and it was really cool to read what was going on at that time.
January 23, 2023
Qué lista, qué aguda y qué graciosa es Nora Ephron. Creo que no me voy a cansar nunca de consumir cualquier tipo d producto cultural q lleve su firma. Este libro es un compendio de algunas de sus columnas (creo). Hay algunas que me ha costado más entender porque son antiguas, hablan de situaciones políticas muy concretas de EEUU de los años 60. Aún así, son graciosas. Habla de la violencia obstétrica, de la píldora (y las barbaridades que se hicieron mientras se formulaba), de los desodorantes vaginales (WTF), de los grupos de concienciación...
December 29, 2023
Me podría haber gustado más. Al fin y al cabo es de los 70 y a veces se siente un poco lejano. Refleja bastante bien el machismo y la situación de la mujer en esos años en usa, en un principio muchísimo mejor que la de españa, pero en realidad, no tan diferentes.
El de la árbitro me puso bastante triste.
El de la árbitro me puso bastante triste.
September 3, 2012
Just curious -- but it's not really my thing.
In fact, in the 1983 Introduction to the 1975 Preface both by Ephron herself, she says, "Some of them seem dated--which is inevitable with magazine pieces; some of them that seem dated nonetheless have a kind of quaint historical value." Maybe the latter will come true with time.
Steve Martin's Introduction to the Modern Library Humor and Wit Series is very funny however.
In fact, in the 1983 Introduction to the 1975 Preface both by Ephron herself, she says, "Some of them seem dated--which is inevitable with magazine pieces; some of them that seem dated nonetheless have a kind of quaint historical value." Maybe the latter will come true with time.
Steve Martin's Introduction to the Modern Library Humor and Wit Series is very funny however.
April 2, 2024
Le doy 3 estrellas porque realmente es el libro de Nora que menos me ha gustado. Entiendo su punto y me lo he tomado como una fotografía sociológica de la sociedad en la q vivió. Se llama “Ensalada loca” porque es una recopilación de artículos de opinión sobre temas diferentes y te ayuda a ver cómo y qué ha cambiado en la sociedad. Hay temas que no me han interesado mucho pero bueno Ephron siempre consigue que te acabe interesando lo que cuenta.
March 14, 2025
Nora Ephron is a great writer and you can’t expect a collection of writings from 50 years ago to reflect modern ideologies but it was very second wave. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. I think it is important to understand some of the issues women before myself faced. I did learn a lot from this book and if you’re going to call yourself a feminist I think works like this are important to read.
June 2, 2024
Before she was a screenwriter, Nora Ephron was a journalist. Fascinating reading her articles from the early ‘70s… I had no idea reality TV did in fact exist then, nor did I know much about Martha Mitchell’s role in Watergate. I especially enjoyed reading about the feminist movement and Nora’s interactions and interviews with well-known feminists of that time.
December 5, 2020
At its best, a great, engagingly written time capsule of how things were changing for American women in the first half of the 70s.
(And then also, especially later in the book, some not so interesting pieces about Nixon’s daughter, Nixon’s secretary, Nixon’s attorney general’s wife, ...)
(And then also, especially later in the book, some not so interesting pieces about Nixon’s daughter, Nixon’s secretary, Nixon’s attorney general’s wife, ...)
July 26, 2023
Recopilación de artículos desde un punto de vista femenino. No está mal visitar la otra orilla de vez en cuando. Me vaciaría una botella de vino con Nora Ephron, no nos vamos a engañar.
October 23, 2024
Me da bastante vértigo que un libro de los 70 que ha envejecido tan mal se ande reeditando y reimprimiendo hoy. Ojalá no tengamos que vernos reivindicándolo.
November 8, 2024
No le encontré sentido. Siento que, dependiendo qué parte del libro sea, se le va la atención a otra cosa. O quizás mi momento para leerlo y procesarlo mejor sea para más adelante
October 16, 2025
Loved this one a lot more than wallflower at the orgy. I think working at Esquire, she was able to write more politically than she could’ve at the post. I loved her essaying around second wave feminism, reading on the ground stories of the movement was so fascinating. There were still stories that dragged ofc but overall a lot more interesting! Still love her voice & wit
Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews