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I Feel Bad About My Neck
With her disarming, intimate, completely accessible voice, and dry sense of humor, Nora Ephron shares with us her ups and downs in I Feel Bad About My Neck, a candid, hilarious look at women who are getting older and dealing with the tribulations of maintenance, menopause, empty nests, and life itself.
Ephron chronicles her life as an obsessed cook, passionate city dweller, and hapless parent. But mostly she speaks frankly and uproariously about life as a woman of a certain age. Utterly courageous, uproariously funny, and unexpectedly moving in its truth telling, I Feel Bad About My Neck is a scrumptious, irresistible treat of a book, full of truths, laugh out loud moments that will appeal to readers of all ages.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Ephron chronicles her life as an obsessed cook, passionate city dweller, and hapless parent. But mostly she speaks frankly and uproariously about life as a woman of a certain age. Utterly courageous, uproariously funny, and unexpectedly moving in its truth telling, I Feel Bad About My Neck is a scrumptious, irresistible treat of a book, full of truths, laugh out loud moments that will appeal to readers of all ages.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
184 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Nora Ephron
53 books3,077 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 10,683 reviews
February 22, 2015
I Feel Bad about My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a [Rich White] Woman [Living in a Bubble of Privilege on the Upper East Side]
I like Nora Ephron (her politics, movies, etc), and I really wanted to enjoy this book. But it's painfully dull, and her "witty insights" are bland/overtrodden enough to make Andy Rooney seem cutting edge.
Worse yet, many of her complaints are offensively tone-deaf to the realities most people face.
- Nora Ephron sees a homeless woman on the street? Time to complain at length about the price of her weekly hair and nail appointments, and joke that she's just a few missed beauty treatments away from becoming a "bag lady". (Kinda horrifying that a feminist icon would completely ignore — and hell, mock — the humanity of a homeless woman).
- Ephron gets surgery done by one of the world's best surgeons? Time to complain about how she wishes she'd had her plastic surgeon present to help avoid a small scar.
- NY passes law changing rent-control regulations? Time to complain about how her salary, which exceeds the new $250,000 threshold set by the new law, means the rent will increase on her 7-room Manhattan apartment.
The last third of the book is tolerable; she's best when writing about death, the joy of reading, or reminiscing about her days as a young woman in sexist work environments. But it's not enough to overcome the book's overall flaws. In short, these are the ramblings of an old rich person complaining about old rich person problems.
I like Nora Ephron (her politics, movies, etc), and I really wanted to enjoy this book. But it's painfully dull, and her "witty insights" are bland/overtrodden enough to make Andy Rooney seem cutting edge.
Worse yet, many of her complaints are offensively tone-deaf to the realities most people face.
- Nora Ephron sees a homeless woman on the street? Time to complain at length about the price of her weekly hair and nail appointments, and joke that she's just a few missed beauty treatments away from becoming a "bag lady". (Kinda horrifying that a feminist icon would completely ignore — and hell, mock — the humanity of a homeless woman).
- Ephron gets surgery done by one of the world's best surgeons? Time to complain about how she wishes she'd had her plastic surgeon present to help avoid a small scar.
- NY passes law changing rent-control regulations? Time to complain about how her salary, which exceeds the new $250,000 threshold set by the new law, means the rent will increase on her 7-room Manhattan apartment.
The last third of the book is tolerable; she's best when writing about death, the joy of reading, or reminiscing about her days as a young woman in sexist work environments. But it's not enough to overcome the book's overall flaws. In short, these are the ramblings of an old rich person complaining about old rich person problems.
July 1, 2012
This was such a charming book. Aging is clearly very fraught and the sharp wit of the essays in this book is quite wonderful.
August 29, 2007
I listened to the audio book on CD, which is read by the author. That was not the way to go with this one. She has odd inflections and an unnatural reading cadence. For example, she might read like this:
We lived (pause)
in a white house (pause)
and I didn't (pause)
like it.
Partly because of her reading style and partly because of the content, I had trouble getting into it. It's supposed to be funny but isn't especially. She describes all the "maintenance" older women do to keep up their appearances at great length and talks about these things as if they are mandatory, when in fact, they are not. She is not a person that a poor, blue-collar woman like me who shops at Target can well relate to. At least not at first. For instance, she talks about the agony of sitting at the beauty parlor all day to get her hair colored and how she spends more money on it each year than her first car cost. And I compose an imaginary email to her in my head where I turn her on to the beauty aisle at Long's Drug Store where you can buy a box of color that takes less than half an hour to use for less than $10.
Later in the book, however, she rather wins me over. She describes the raptures of getting engrossed in a great novel in a way that I (or you, I bet) could totally relate to. The real world is tedious and seems unreal when you're dying to get back to your book. When she's not talking about shopping, she and I do seem to inhabit the same planet and I can see that she has some wisdom to impart.
And I admire her honesty. She mentions all the upbeat chicken-soup-for-the-soul type of books that are out there for older women and says they're full of crap. Being old isn't that great. In this day and age where everyone pretends that whatever age they're at is the new 25, it's refreshing.
This might appeal to a woman who is looking for some light nonfiction to read. Do NOT get the audio version, though. I really think it would have been a totally different experience to read it and I probably would have taken to it much more quickly.
We lived (pause)
in a white house (pause)
and I didn't (pause)
like it.
Partly because of her reading style and partly because of the content, I had trouble getting into it. It's supposed to be funny but isn't especially. She describes all the "maintenance" older women do to keep up their appearances at great length and talks about these things as if they are mandatory, when in fact, they are not. She is not a person that a poor, blue-collar woman like me who shops at Target can well relate to. At least not at first. For instance, she talks about the agony of sitting at the beauty parlor all day to get her hair colored and how she spends more money on it each year than her first car cost. And I compose an imaginary email to her in my head where I turn her on to the beauty aisle at Long's Drug Store where you can buy a box of color that takes less than half an hour to use for less than $10.
Later in the book, however, she rather wins me over. She describes the raptures of getting engrossed in a great novel in a way that I (or you, I bet) could totally relate to. The real world is tedious and seems unreal when you're dying to get back to your book. When she's not talking about shopping, she and I do seem to inhabit the same planet and I can see that she has some wisdom to impart.
And I admire her honesty. She mentions all the upbeat chicken-soup-for-the-soul type of books that are out there for older women and says they're full of crap. Being old isn't that great. In this day and age where everyone pretends that whatever age they're at is the new 25, it's refreshing.
This might appeal to a woman who is looking for some light nonfiction to read. Do NOT get the audio version, though. I really think it would have been a totally different experience to read it and I probably would have taken to it much more quickly.
Read
February 10, 2017Sometimes it takes a friend to get you to read a book. I Feel Bad About My Neck has been on my physical bookshelves for years. I’d look at it and look at my neck and think, “Do you really want to read this book?” I’ve got six friends on GR with the beautiful name of Julie but it was the clever one that wanted to be certain to stand out, the Julie preceded by a flower, that finally gave me the push to read this book. Thank you.
Heartburn, published in 1983 was my first encounter with Nora Ephron. I remember this as a funny, romantic read. Though humor is subjective Ephron’s sense of mirth is fine with me. Never having read any of her other books I certainly am familiar with her films, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle,, and You’ve Got Mail. There are many others.
Though I don’t feel bad about my neck anymore many other things have taken its place. Who knew I should worry about the purse I carry, varicose veins, coloring my hair, manicures, pedicures, the food I serve, my skin, and the dreaded post-menopausal hair, especially the bounty of this growing above my lips.
This was the perfect book for a dreary, rainy day. I Feel Bad About My Neck lightened my mood and reminded me how great it is to be a woman, turtleneck and all.
A special voice is gone as Nora Ephron passed away in 2012 but her talent lives on. Treat yourself to one of her books or a movie for which she was the screenwriter, producer or director. Have a good laugh in honor of one classy woman.
Heartburn, published in 1983 was my first encounter with Nora Ephron. I remember this as a funny, romantic read. Though humor is subjective Ephron’s sense of mirth is fine with me. Never having read any of her other books I certainly am familiar with her films, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle,, and You’ve Got Mail. There are many others.
Though I don’t feel bad about my neck anymore many other things have taken its place. Who knew I should worry about the purse I carry, varicose veins, coloring my hair, manicures, pedicures, the food I serve, my skin, and the dreaded post-menopausal hair, especially the bounty of this growing above my lips.
This was the perfect book for a dreary, rainy day. I Feel Bad About My Neck lightened my mood and reminded me how great it is to be a woman, turtleneck and all.
A special voice is gone as Nora Ephron passed away in 2012 but her talent lives on. Treat yourself to one of her books or a movie for which she was the screenwriter, producer or director. Have a good laugh in honor of one classy woman.
February 5, 2022
Every now and then, I need a book that makes me laugh. It became even more imperative when I was wading knee-deep in the philosophical maze in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. Each chapter in this collection of humorous essays served as a refreshing palette cleanser when I needed lighter fare.
This is my first acquaintance with Nora Ephron (1941 – 2012), an American journalist, writer, and award-winning filmmaker. I was thrilled to learn that she wrote the screenplay for two movies I loved: ‘When Harry Met Sally’ and ‘Sleepless in Seattle.’ I most appreciated these essays for giving me a glimpse of the person behind the writer. Her tone was candid, disarming, and charming.
The thrust of these personal essays is on aging and the indignities women suffer when they are no longer looking their best. The eponymous title story is a grand introduction to a problem any women past their prime will find relatable. ”We all look good for our age. Except for our necks.” According to Ephron’s dermatologist, ”the neck starts to go at forty-three, and that’s that.” Oh help!
With self-deprecating good cheer, Ephron regaled us with anecdotes of her life, crises, and challenges. She told us unabashedly about her failed marriages, divorce, and the horrors of parenting. She shared the inspiration behind her first job as a journalist and then as a writer. A chapter I greatly enjoyed, titled ‘Rapture’, extolled the joy of reading. I learned about her most rapture-inducing book, which I must now read. I was amazed at how much honesty there was in these stories and I nodded in appreciation. A hilarious chapter, ‘I Hate My Purse’, sent such a shock of recognition, I promptly re-organized mine.
Below are snippets I enjoyed:
‘I Feel Bad About My Neck’
“Our faces are lies and our necks are the truth. You have to cut open a redwood tree to see how old it is, but you wouldn’t have to if it had a neck.”
Parenting
“Your adolescent has changed… And you have changed too. You have changed from a moderately neurotic, fairly cheerful human being to an irritable, crabby, abused wreck.”
“The worrying is forever.”
The Story of My Life in 3,500 Words or Less
“I can’t get over this aspect of journalism. I can’t believe how real life never lets you down. I can’t understand why anyone would write fiction when what actually happens is so amazing.”
What I Wish I’d Known
”Anything you think is wrong with your body at the age of thirty-five you will be nostalgic for at the age of forty-five.”
Considering the Alternative
‘Why do people write books that say it’s better to be older than to be younger? It’s not better.
I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman is a fun read. I dare say the gentlemen may like it, too, though I doubt they ever have to worry about their necks. I have to admit, I do.
This is my first acquaintance with Nora Ephron (1941 – 2012), an American journalist, writer, and award-winning filmmaker. I was thrilled to learn that she wrote the screenplay for two movies I loved: ‘When Harry Met Sally’ and ‘Sleepless in Seattle.’ I most appreciated these essays for giving me a glimpse of the person behind the writer. Her tone was candid, disarming, and charming.
The thrust of these personal essays is on aging and the indignities women suffer when they are no longer looking their best. The eponymous title story is a grand introduction to a problem any women past their prime will find relatable. ”We all look good for our age. Except for our necks.” According to Ephron’s dermatologist, ”the neck starts to go at forty-three, and that’s that.” Oh help!
With self-deprecating good cheer, Ephron regaled us with anecdotes of her life, crises, and challenges. She told us unabashedly about her failed marriages, divorce, and the horrors of parenting. She shared the inspiration behind her first job as a journalist and then as a writer. A chapter I greatly enjoyed, titled ‘Rapture’, extolled the joy of reading. I learned about her most rapture-inducing book, which I must now read. I was amazed at how much honesty there was in these stories and I nodded in appreciation. A hilarious chapter, ‘I Hate My Purse’, sent such a shock of recognition, I promptly re-organized mine.
Below are snippets I enjoyed:
‘I Feel Bad About My Neck’
“Our faces are lies and our necks are the truth. You have to cut open a redwood tree to see how old it is, but you wouldn’t have to if it had a neck.”
Parenting
“Your adolescent has changed… And you have changed too. You have changed from a moderately neurotic, fairly cheerful human being to an irritable, crabby, abused wreck.”
“The worrying is forever.”
The Story of My Life in 3,500 Words or Less
“I can’t get over this aspect of journalism. I can’t believe how real life never lets you down. I can’t understand why anyone would write fiction when what actually happens is so amazing.”
What I Wish I’d Known
”Anything you think is wrong with your body at the age of thirty-five you will be nostalgic for at the age of forty-five.”
Considering the Alternative
‘Why do people write books that say it’s better to be older than to be younger? It’s not better.
I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman is a fun read. I dare say the gentlemen may like it, too, though I doubt they ever have to worry about their necks. I have to admit, I do.
July 19, 2023
El otro día en la oficina un hombre, un señor, un tipo de la oficina paso por delante de mi mesa, vio esta portada y soltó: está sobrevalorada. Podría llegar a pegarme por Nora, qué narices, podría matar por ella. Nora explica en este libro que escribe cartas imaginarias a autores de libros que le han causado ‘arrebato’, yo voy un poco más más allá. Hablo con ella. Le cuento cosas. Hablo con Nora de vez en cuando.
Me pone triste haber leído este libro de ensayos después de su último libro ‘No me acuerdo de nada’, todos sus peores temores se acaban cumpliendo. Lo siento Nora. No he parado de repetir mientras la leía.
Es listísima y lo mejor es que ella lo sabe y le da igual, no hay falsa humildad, joder nos faltan más como ella. Es tan asquerosamente graciosa, en el punto justo, ni desternillante ni a medio gas ¡Es ta atractiva la ironía!
Y habla de lo que ninguna más se atreve por miedo a parecer poco feminista: de las arrugas del cuello, de no poder llevar ya más bikinis y de las amantes de los maridos. Y eso que no puede quedarme más lejos su vida privilegiada, su hablar de pisos de ocho habitaciones y grandes trabajos en revistas. Pero me da igual, podría estar hablando del precio del caviar durante cincuenta páginas y la leería igual.
Tenía un libro siempre al lado para cuando quería escribir algo abrirlo por una página cualquiera y empaparme de la buena escritura de otra. Ahora van a ser dos.
Me pone triste haber leído este libro de ensayos después de su último libro ‘No me acuerdo de nada’, todos sus peores temores se acaban cumpliendo. Lo siento Nora. No he parado de repetir mientras la leía.
Es listísima y lo mejor es que ella lo sabe y le da igual, no hay falsa humildad, joder nos faltan más como ella. Es tan asquerosamente graciosa, en el punto justo, ni desternillante ni a medio gas ¡Es ta atractiva la ironía!
Y habla de lo que ninguna más se atreve por miedo a parecer poco feminista: de las arrugas del cuello, de no poder llevar ya más bikinis y de las amantes de los maridos. Y eso que no puede quedarme más lejos su vida privilegiada, su hablar de pisos de ocho habitaciones y grandes trabajos en revistas. Pero me da igual, podría estar hablando del precio del caviar durante cincuenta páginas y la leería igual.
Tenía un libro siempre al lado para cuando quería escribir algo abrirlo por una página cualquiera y empaparme de la buena escritura de otra. Ahora van a ser dos.
November 28, 2020
This is hands down my biggest disappointment of 2020. Thank god it was only 200 pages and I could just power through in one sitting because it left such a sour taste in my mouth. Just didn’t vibe with this at all. It’s described as funny, feminist and a must read but I didn’t get any of that from this. Ephron has a talent for writing, sure, but that’s about it.
These essays held no substance for me. It was just very off topic ramblings of a rich white woman. It wasn’t relatable, only a handful of sentences were funny, and it didn’t feel very feminist. Honest to god I actually found myself bored halfway through reading this. Full of random celeb name drops and talking about how much money she has and prices of things and blah blah blah.
I’m a tad concerned nobody in these reviews has also highlighted the racism in this book? I mean she literally says she gets lip fillers, then describes herself as looking like a member of an African tribe so she never wants to do that again. Like???? Here:
“Once I even had my lips plumped up with a fat injection, but I looked like a Ubangi, so I never did it again.”
Add to this – saying she’s never seen Asian people have bad hair and she wishes she were Asian and dragging down the physical appearance of a homeless lady. Unnecessary quips that just makes me really dislike the person writing it. Bleurgh.
If you want no-so-engaging discussion of ageing, handbags, cookbooks, divorce and relationships go for it. But I wouldn’t recommend.
These essays held no substance for me. It was just very off topic ramblings of a rich white woman. It wasn’t relatable, only a handful of sentences were funny, and it didn’t feel very feminist. Honest to god I actually found myself bored halfway through reading this. Full of random celeb name drops and talking about how much money she has and prices of things and blah blah blah.
I’m a tad concerned nobody in these reviews has also highlighted the racism in this book? I mean she literally says she gets lip fillers, then describes herself as looking like a member of an African tribe so she never wants to do that again. Like???? Here:
“Once I even had my lips plumped up with a fat injection, but I looked like a Ubangi, so I never did it again.”
Add to this – saying she’s never seen Asian people have bad hair and she wishes she were Asian and dragging down the physical appearance of a homeless lady. Unnecessary quips that just makes me really dislike the person writing it. Bleurgh.
If you want no-so-engaging discussion of ageing, handbags, cookbooks, divorce and relationships go for it. But I wouldn’t recommend.
December 10, 2016
I was so sad for this book to come to an end. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Nora Ephron herself, which I so enjoyed because it was in such an amusing tone that no other narrator could have captured. There were numerous wise and funny lines throughout that had me constantly rewinding...just so I could hear them again. I hadn’t heard of her books until she passed away, and although I was drawn to this catchy title, I don’t think I could have fully appreciated it at that time since I wasn’t quite “feeling bad about my neck”...yet. But I could still relate to a lot just being a woman and a mother. Not all of her essays were on aging, nor could I relate to them all, but I loved every single one of them, because her candid telling and dry sense of humor made them enjoyable. Learning about her career, marriages, mothering, life in New York City, favorite foods, and the wit with which she dealt with such things was fascinating to me. I laughed hysterically when she described the state of her disheveled purse--how she managed to describe my own purse had me in tears. I loved her essay on “Rapture”, describing how the books she loved transported her to another world. I could so relate, even to some of the books and authors she loved. I felt a sense of melancholy many times, especialy the way she talked about her life and her age, and it made me sad that she died. It was deeply affecting to me when she “danced around the ‘D’ word”, talking about the loss of her friends later in life and how there was nothing to be done about it. Definitely makes one think about life. 5 stars and I’ll be listening to this again, possibly with a scarf around my neck.
October 7, 2021
3.5 rounded up.
This book is witty for sure and relatable at times but not always. An easy light read for me.
This book is witty for sure and relatable at times but not always. An easy light read for me.
September 3, 2011
I have to say I'm a little baffled by Nora Ephron. She was in intern in the JFK White House and had a free pass to roam its halls. She was a reporter at Newsweek in the 1960's, before they even had female reporters. She's been married three times. One of her husbands was Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Bernstein of the Watergate scandal. And when he had an affair it wasn't just with any old woman, but with the wife of the British ambassador to the United States. She's been nominated for three academy awards for screenwriting (Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally, and Sleepless in Seattle). She also directed those films.
Her accomplishments are staggering. Impressive for any woman of any era, but harder for her certainly, in those times. The sexism alone she must have faced -- at a hard NY newspaper, in the even harder boys club of Hollywood -- had to have been outrageous.
Then why are her essays so flip and shallow? So elitist? Ephron has a dry wit that I find quite pleasing. But the topics? "I Hate my Purse." "I Feel Bad about my Neck." Gah! Vapid and trivial.
I mean, this woman should have some shit to say! Too bad she didn't say any of it.
Her accomplishments are staggering. Impressive for any woman of any era, but harder for her certainly, in those times. The sexism alone she must have faced -- at a hard NY newspaper, in the even harder boys club of Hollywood -- had to have been outrageous.
Then why are her essays so flip and shallow? So elitist? Ephron has a dry wit that I find quite pleasing. But the topics? "I Hate my Purse." "I Feel Bad about my Neck." Gah! Vapid and trivial.
I mean, this woman should have some shit to say! Too bad she didn't say any of it.
October 25, 2025
Catching up…
Believe it or not, this was a Library Book Discussion selection. Normally, I don’t like to select short stories as a discussion book, because the “short” story can come and go so quickly in our memory, as we read and move on to the next ones.
And…When we are in a discussion group, the idea is to be ready to discuss the big picture – which typically is the “whole” story – the novel, itself.
But…Nora Ephron was such a genius with her writing. She touched a realness in all of us.
Each story reflected so much about how we feel or think about things – our lives – our relationships – even though it is what has happened in her life…
It felt so…Relatable to any of us.
In her short story, “I feel bad about my neck,” she doesn’t like it when her friends ask her how they look. Especially, when asked about the neck. She says, “the neck is a dead giveaway.”
How often do we bite our tongue, when someone asks, “do I look fat in this?” Yikes!
Please…Don’t ask me!
This book hits on all the issues that she was dealing with on her own…
Aging. Menopause. Her purse. Food she cooked. The end of her marriage. Her hair.
Even…Wondering if the book would be different if it were written by a man.
She also addresses the various stages of parenting, including parents facing the empty nest syndrome, and how she believes it is “underrated.”
There is even her love affair with an apartment building and the experience of moving on.
So much of her life story is funny, enjoyable, profound, and as mentioned earlier, relatable.
And…This book was truly…Such a great discussion book.
With her passing, her talents have been greatly missed.
Believe it or not, this was a Library Book Discussion selection. Normally, I don’t like to select short stories as a discussion book, because the “short” story can come and go so quickly in our memory, as we read and move on to the next ones.
And…When we are in a discussion group, the idea is to be ready to discuss the big picture – which typically is the “whole” story – the novel, itself.
But…Nora Ephron was such a genius with her writing. She touched a realness in all of us.
Each story reflected so much about how we feel or think about things – our lives – our relationships – even though it is what has happened in her life…
It felt so…Relatable to any of us.
In her short story, “I feel bad about my neck,” she doesn’t like it when her friends ask her how they look. Especially, when asked about the neck. She says, “the neck is a dead giveaway.”
How often do we bite our tongue, when someone asks, “do I look fat in this?” Yikes!
Please…Don’t ask me!
This book hits on all the issues that she was dealing with on her own…
Aging. Menopause. Her purse. Food she cooked. The end of her marriage. Her hair.
Even…Wondering if the book would be different if it were written by a man.
She also addresses the various stages of parenting, including parents facing the empty nest syndrome, and how she believes it is “underrated.”
There is even her love affair with an apartment building and the experience of moving on.
So much of her life story is funny, enjoyable, profound, and as mentioned earlier, relatable.
And…This book was truly…Such a great discussion book.
With her passing, her talents have been greatly missed.
May 2, 2017
It's been a rough couple years...I mean days. I grabbed this book off the shelf in the library and sat behind my son as he played some cartoony anatomy game wherein he places organs in the correct spot on a very happy looking skeleton (even though I have noted several key organs are simply not there...but I digress.). Anyway, I really had to leave the library because I was cracking up. This collection of essays includes some that are very funny and some that are less so but I had several laugh out loud moments in the few hours it took to read this book. There were some seriously funny comments and that is about all I was looking for. My favorite feeling is when my stomach hurts from laughing. Mission accomplished! A light, fun read. 3.5 stars
Update: I have thought of this book so often over the past few months...mainly because I seem to have "tech neck," which is the deep groove from always looking down at phones & iPads. I insist mine is from reading books, but nonetheless lately I can truly relate!
Update: I have thought of this book so often over the past few months...mainly because I seem to have "tech neck," which is the deep groove from always looking down at phones & iPads. I insist mine is from reading books, but nonetheless lately I can truly relate!
August 11, 2021
Multi-talented Nora Ephron was a journalist, director, and author. In her heyday Ephron wrote the screenplays for some very popular movies including 'Julie and Julia', 'You've Got Mail', 'Sleepless in Seattle', 'When Harry Met Sally', and 'Silkwood.'
Nora Ephron
This audiobook - read by the author - contains a collection of humorous essays written when Ephron was 60 years old...and stopped having birthdays. In fact Ephron notes that, upon publication of this book, she'll have been 60 for five years (ha ha ha 😊).
As might be expected, many of the essays touch on the subject of aging. The book's title, for instance, refers to the fact that 'older ladies' in Ephron's circle always wear turtlenecks or scarves to hide those crepey necks. (I think this is an exaggeration but I get the idea.)
Ephron's semi tongue-in-cheek description of her maintainance regime includes regular coloring sessions at the hairdresser followed by bi-weekly blowouts, frequent manicures and pedicures, a rigorous exercise schedule, constant dieting, botox injections, bath oils, and endless containers of expensive lotions for specific parts of the body (hands, face, feet, etc.) - which must NEVER cross over. All this is costly and time-consuming...but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to keep from looking like the bag lady on the corner.
Ephron lovingly describes her large rent-controlled apartment in Manhattan's Apthorp building, which was close to every kind of store, hairdresser, nail salon, restaurant, etc. that a person could want - as well as a playground for the kids. Ephron lived in this heavenly residence for many years until - with the end of rent control - the rent was set to rise to $12,000 a month. Wow!
Apthorp Building
In another entertaining story Ephron speaks about her dismay when cabbage strudel disappeared from Manhattan restaurants and bakeries. Ephron was an excellent cook who - like the character in 'Julie and Julia' - worked her way through much of Julia Child's cookbook. However, hard as she tried, Ephron couldn't reproduce the strudel. The writer goes to great lengths, and even consults friends in high places, to try to find this savory delight. Does she succeed? You'll have to read the book to know.
Cabbage Strudel
Ephron was an intern in President John F. Kennedy's White House and - inspired by one of Kennedy's blabby flings - tells the 'true story' of her relationship with the handsome politician. She also talks about her 'love affair' with Bill Clinton. Nothing scandalous...I don't want to start any rumors. LOL. 😊
John F. Kennedy
Bill Clinton
Other essays mention Ephron's discomfort with aging, her numerous marriages, her kids, her career, her celebrity neighbors, and her sadness when her best friend became ill and died.
Complete honesty: The book lags in places and the author's narrating style - slow with odd emphases - is a little distracting.
The essays are aimed at metropolitan 'women of a certain age', but many people would probably enjoy the book. I'd recommend it to readers who want an entertaining light read.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
December 3, 2025
I’ve now read all five of Nora Ephron’s non-fiction collections, and this one is my favourite.
It’s deeper and more personal than anything else she wrote, except perhaps for a couple of pieces in her last, and (IMO) most uneven book, I Remember Nothing. Perhaps it’s because in 2006, the same year this book came out, she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, and it forced her to look inward and to take stock of her eventful life.
The book begins with the title essay, written with the same kind of frank honesty that characterized A Few Words About Breasts," the 1972 essay that helped make her name in journalism. This time she’s talking about why and how so many women her age cover up their necks. It’s candid and devastatingly funny – all without an ounce of self-pity.
Elsewhere, she discusses why she hates purses (which, if memory serves, made its way into the play Love, Loss, And What I Wore, co-written with her sister Delia), all the maintenance that’s required to look decent, and what it’s like to be blind without reading glasses.
These are all written in Ephron’s signature style: witty, wise, read-aloud-to-your-friends funny. (I should point out that these pieces are relatable whether you’re a woman, man or non-binary. Everyone has some sort of bag they haul around, and we all try to look our best as we get older, even though it’s an uphill battle.)
Then she gets more serious. A piece on raising children is infused with heartbreak. An essay on living with and then moving out of a fabulous rent-stabilized apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is structured as if she’s recounting a love affair. And a couple of political pieces – on being an intern during the JFK years and on falling out of love with Bill Clinton – are very clever.
And then there’s a group of essays that are phenomenal. One synopsizes her life “in 3,500 Words or Less.” Since she’s done so many things, it’s worth studying for the wisdom in its pared-down prose. Another is about her total love of getting lost and immersed in books; this one’s a keeper and will be of special interest to Goodreaders. And the two final essays, “What I Wish I’d Known” and “Considering the Alternative,” deal head on with mortality. Some of her writing here made me laugh and cry in the same sentence.
I don’t often take baths, but when I do, I’m going to take the advice Ephron gives in the book’s final sentences and just luxuriate in the experience. And God (or whomever) willing, I’m going to reread passages from this book for years to come.
***
Here are my reviews of Crazy Salad: Some Things About Women and Scribble Scribble: Notes on the Media
January 26, 2023
a book to read in your 20s, but especially in your 30s and 40s
July 31, 2020
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron is an audiobook read by the author. This is my second reading and it seems that I have enjoyed it more than I did the first time. Could it be that I am now at an age closer to the author’s? Ephron’s humor is as sharp as ever and listening to her had me nodding my head in agreement with many of her ways of looking at life in the midlife lane. The same wit that we enjoyed in her movies is present in this book. Because this is an audiobook, I had the pleasure of listening to a voice like no other: her tone makes her views so serious and yet so comical. Nora Ephron, you are missed, especially in these so unfunny times. Highly recommended.
June 30, 2025
Yikes - this book does NOT hold up in 2025. When Nora Ephron isn’t valuing herself by her appearance (her weight, her hair, her nails, her skin, her clothes), she’s complaining about her very difficult life living in the affluent upper west side neighborhood NYC, her difficulties impressing her friends with the perfect dinner party, her struggles decorating her designer apartment, the devastation of losing rent stabilization, and the impossible choice of what to do with her adult child’s bedroom after they move out (she already has a den, gym, and guest room!).
Nora, on paper, should be inspirational! She’s a successful writer and director. She’s intelligent and acclaimed. She undoubtedly lived an interesting life full of rich stories. But none of that comes through in this book. It is tragically disappointing that such a woman would reduce her own value and contributions to the world down to her looks - and worse - she devalues other women, too.
Nora, on paper, should be inspirational! She’s a successful writer and director. She’s intelligent and acclaimed. She undoubtedly lived an interesting life full of rich stories. But none of that comes through in this book. It is tragically disappointing that such a woman would reduce her own value and contributions to the world down to her looks - and worse - she devalues other women, too.
January 11, 2022
باید بگم من عاشق نورا افرون هستم. نورا فیلمنامه های جولی و جولیا ، شما یک نامه (ایمیل)دارید. رو نوشته.
این مجموعه داستانها مدتهاست دوست داشتم بخونمشون که بالاخره خوشحالم از اینکه خوندمشون.
این مجموعه در مورد کیف،روابط،آپارتمان،تربیت فرزندان،مرگ و زندگی که در قالب طنز نوشته شده به جز داستان آخر
پیشنهاد میکنم حتما بخونین 📚💛
این مجموعه داستانها مدتهاست دوست داشتم بخونمشون که بالاخره خوشحالم از اینکه خوندمشون.
این مجموعه در مورد کیف،روابط،آپارتمان،تربیت فرزندان،مرگ و زندگی که در قالب طنز نوشته شده به جز داستان آخر
پیشنهاد میکنم حتما بخونین 📚💛
September 5, 2012
The thing is this. Nora and I are not sisters.
In "On Maintenance": "When and how did it happen that you absolutely had to have a manicure?" er, never? I also don't care that much about make up or matching handbags or wrinkles. I JUST REALLY DON'T CARE.
What I care about is women being raped, beaten up, paid less,not let in, talked down to and generally fucked over because they are women.
"I Feel Bad About My Neck" adopts a universal voice but talks only about a sliver of privileged society. It is feminism-lite, faux solidarity. Don't mistake it for anything serious.
However I did read it so it beats Hemingway and gets 2 stars. #shootin'atstars
revised rating - another star
I think I must have been in an exceedingly bad mood when I read this first time. I read it again yesterday and found much more in it. I still don't have time for the handbags or makeup crap but I found a lot to like about women's friendships, in particular the notion of "one away" (read the book); the section on parents and adolescents is very funny; but this, on heartbreak, was my stand-out : "I fly to NY to see my shrink. I walk into her office and burst into tears. I tell her what my husband has done to me. I tell her my heart is broken. I tell her I'm a total mess and I will never be the same. I can't stop crying. She looks at me and says, "You have to understand something. You were going to leave him eventually."
In "On Maintenance": "When and how did it happen that you absolutely had to have a manicure?" er, never? I also don't care that much about make up or matching handbags or wrinkles. I JUST REALLY DON'T CARE.
What I care about is women being raped, beaten up, paid less,not let in, talked down to and generally fucked over because they are women.
"I Feel Bad About My Neck" adopts a universal voice but talks only about a sliver of privileged society. It is feminism-lite, faux solidarity. Don't mistake it for anything serious.
However I did read it so it beats Hemingway and gets 2 stars. #shootin'atstars
revised rating - another star
I think I must have been in an exceedingly bad mood when I read this first time. I read it again yesterday and found much more in it. I still don't have time for the handbags or makeup crap but I found a lot to like about women's friendships, in particular the notion of "one away" (read the book); the section on parents and adolescents is very funny; but this, on heartbreak, was my stand-out : "I fly to NY to see my shrink. I walk into her office and burst into tears. I tell her what my husband has done to me. I tell her my heart is broken. I tell her I'm a total mess and I will never be the same. I can't stop crying. She looks at me and says, "You have to understand something. You were going to leave him eventually."
February 11, 2022
3.5
Ephron had a very interesting life, she was quite accomplished.
I liked this collection of essays. Certain aspects about ageing, purses and a few other things were very on point.
Some essays were more mundane. I occasionally cringed when she bemoaned having to go shopping by herself wondering how do people who have to do it all the time accomplish anything.
This was what I call an "untaxing" read, which is what I was after. I expected it to be slightly funnier.
Ephron had a very interesting life, she was quite accomplished.
I liked this collection of essays. Certain aspects about ageing, purses and a few other things were very on point.
Some essays were more mundane. I occasionally cringed when she bemoaned having to go shopping by herself wondering how do people who have to do it all the time accomplish anything.
This was what I call an "untaxing" read, which is what I was after. I expected it to be slightly funnier.
July 29, 2012
Nora rambles on about the crap in her purse, dying her hair, plastic surgery and her neck insecurities. The specifics of her shallow, self-obsessed life were endless and dull. Oh the poor rich Manhattanite who spends too much on face cream. Yawn.
This book is not a candid hilarious honest truth of aging it is depressing, vapid, shallow, materialistic and so chock full of cynicism it was suffocating. If it is such a burden to keep your hair dyed then stop dying it and let it go grey. Her petty whining over the time it takes to dye her hair and get a manicure are just irritating. Seriously dying your hair and getting manicures are not mandatory!
There is a huge difference between self deprecating honest humor and just plain 'ole complaining. I found her writing to be simple and the essays to be poorly structured. I also found nothing new here - no new light to be shed on the subject.
It was a fast read but it sure as hell was not an interesting one.
-
This book is not a candid hilarious honest truth of aging it is depressing, vapid, shallow, materialistic and so chock full of cynicism it was suffocating. If it is such a burden to keep your hair dyed then stop dying it and let it go grey. Her petty whining over the time it takes to dye her hair and get a manicure are just irritating. Seriously dying your hair and getting manicures are not mandatory!
There is a huge difference between self deprecating honest humor and just plain 'ole complaining. I found her writing to be simple and the essays to be poorly structured. I also found nothing new here - no new light to be shed on the subject.
It was a fast read but it sure as hell was not an interesting one.
-
March 4, 2024
No mi favo pero Nora siempre bien ❤️
February 20, 2022
I listen to the audiobook, narrated by Nora.
15 essays.
Mostly about women’s issues with aging.
She writes about her love of New York, also.. her marriages, and career.
Quite humorous!
I enjoyed it!
15 essays.
Mostly about women’s issues with aging.
She writes about her love of New York, also.. her marriages, and career.
Quite humorous!
I enjoyed it!
July 14, 2026
3.5: Nora Ephron basically pointed at me and said, you're next.
I learned a lot about necks.
Genetics really said, "don't worry bestie, we've got plans for you."
I feel so seen with this book.
The author has such a charming, witty writing style. She's observant and sharp, and occasionally absolutely savage. It reads like your most unfiltered friend after two glasses of wine saying, "Can I tell you something that's been bothering me?" and then, 45 minutes later, you've covered handbags, divorce, necks, cabbage, moisturiser, and the slow collapse of civilisation.
She's so earnest. I find with a lot of essay collections the author goes out of their way to include a grand lesson or convince you every anecdote changed their life. Not here. There's no pretense. Half the essays are just about mundane annoyances, like purses and how they inevitably become full of random shit you've never needed and will never need.
Why is there always a spare lighter when you don't smoke anymore? Loose Tic Tacs. An ancient train ticket. A receipt for something you never used.
Every handbag's just a tiny archaeological dig.
The whole book's a collection of first-world problems. But they're very relatable first-world problems.
...until they aren't.
Every single essay follows the exact same emotional trajectory.
Me: YES. EXACTLY. Finally someone understands me.
Nora: Here's why handbags are terrible.
Me: PREACH.
Nora: Anyway, I solved this by buying a $3,000 bag.
Me: ...oh. Mine cost £14, but continue.
Nora: Meal planning's exhausting.
Me: YES.
Nora: So I made Marcella Hazan's recipe.
Me: Love Marcella's recipes.
Nora: No, no. With Marcella Hazan. She was there. In my penthouse apartment. Then I told Nigella Lawson about it while we were in France...
Me: NIGELLA???
5 minutes ago we were united by the universal female experience of carrying expired lip balm. Now you're casually name-dropping people with Wikipedia pages. The whiplash is unbelievable.
Sometimes she's remarkably out of touch. She's giving Lucille Bluth.
She has an entire rant about how much she hates blow drying her hair. Fair enough. I do too. So twice a week she goes to the salon to have someone else do it.
I love that for her. I really do. But most of us have jobs. And classes. And kids. And... stuff?
She somehow manages to be both the most relatable and least relatable woman alive.
One minute she's articulating an insecurity I've literally never been able to put into words. The next she's accidentally reminding me that her idea of a normal Tuesday bears absolutely no resemblance to mine and we exist in wildly different tax brackets.
But most of the time. it doesn't even matter. Because she's so relentlessly honest about the ridiculousness of ageing and vanity and wanting to get your shit together while also knowing it's all a losing battle.
I found that refreshing. There are so many books about ageing and adulting that eventually arrive at, "well, age brings wisdom and perspective." Meanwhile Nora's like, "yeah, sure, but do I have to be happy about it?" Respect.
I've seen this described as feminist, and... I don't really see it? Not because it isn't about women's experiences, but because it never feels like it's trying to make a broader argument. It isn't a manifesto. It isn't trying to reinvent how you think about womanhood or ageing. It's just one very privileged, occasionally funny, moderately self-aware woman complaining about getting older. And sometimes that's enough.
I learned a lot about necks.
"There are chicken necks. There are turkey gobbler necks. There are elephant necks. There are necks with wattles and necks with creases that are on the verge of becoming wattles. There are scrawny necks and fat necks, loose necks, crepey necks, banded necks, wrinkled necks, stringy necks, saggy necks, flabby necks, mottled necks. There are necks that are an amazing combination of all of the above."I was a happier person before I knew there were this many categories of neck.
Genetics really said, "don't worry bestie, we've got plans for you."
I feel so seen with this book.
The author has such a charming, witty writing style. She's observant and sharp, and occasionally absolutely savage. It reads like your most unfiltered friend after two glasses of wine saying, "Can I tell you something that's been bothering me?" and then, 45 minutes later, you've covered handbags, divorce, necks, cabbage, moisturiser, and the slow collapse of civilisation.
She's so earnest. I find with a lot of essay collections the author goes out of their way to include a grand lesson or convince you every anecdote changed their life. Not here. There's no pretense. Half the essays are just about mundane annoyances, like purses and how they inevitably become full of random shit you've never needed and will never need.
Why is there always a spare lighter when you don't smoke anymore? Loose Tic Tacs. An ancient train ticket. A receipt for something you never used.
Every handbag's just a tiny archaeological dig.
The whole book's a collection of first-world problems. But they're very relatable first-world problems.
...until they aren't.
Every single essay follows the exact same emotional trajectory.
Me: YES. EXACTLY. Finally someone understands me.
Nora: Here's why handbags are terrible.
Me: PREACH.
Nora: Anyway, I solved this by buying a $3,000 bag.
Me: ...oh. Mine cost £14, but continue.
Nora: Meal planning's exhausting.
Me: YES.
Nora: So I made Marcella Hazan's recipe.
Me: Love Marcella's recipes.
Nora: No, no. With Marcella Hazan. She was there. In my penthouse apartment. Then I told Nigella Lawson about it while we were in France...
Me: NIGELLA???
5 minutes ago we were united by the universal female experience of carrying expired lip balm. Now you're casually name-dropping people with Wikipedia pages. The whiplash is unbelievable.
Sometimes she's remarkably out of touch. She's giving Lucille Bluth.
She has an entire rant about how much she hates blow drying her hair. Fair enough. I do too. So twice a week she goes to the salon to have someone else do it.
I love that for her. I really do. But most of us have jobs. And classes. And kids. And... stuff?
She somehow manages to be both the most relatable and least relatable woman alive.
One minute she's articulating an insecurity I've literally never been able to put into words. The next she's accidentally reminding me that her idea of a normal Tuesday bears absolutely no resemblance to mine and we exist in wildly different tax brackets.
But most of the time. it doesn't even matter. Because she's so relentlessly honest about the ridiculousness of ageing and vanity and wanting to get your shit together while also knowing it's all a losing battle.
I found that refreshing. There are so many books about ageing and adulting that eventually arrive at, "well, age brings wisdom and perspective." Meanwhile Nora's like, "yeah, sure, but do I have to be happy about it?" Respect.
I've seen this described as feminist, and... I don't really see it? Not because it isn't about women's experiences, but because it never feels like it's trying to make a broader argument. It isn't a manifesto. It isn't trying to reinvent how you think about womanhood or ageing. It's just one very privileged, occasionally funny, moderately self-aware woman complaining about getting older. And sometimes that's enough.
August 10, 2025
#WIT Month
Quando os filhos são adolescentes, é importante ter um cão em casa para que alguém fique feliz quando entramos.
A argumentista e realizadora Nora Ephron publicou “Não gosto do meu pescoço” em 2006, quando tinha 65 anos, seis anos antes de morrer, um livro em que a sua franqueza sobre a idade e os seus efeitos no corpo e na personalidade surte um efeito cómico muito eficaz. Ephron era famosa pelo seu humor, sendo sobejamente reconhecida pelos argumentos de comédias românticas como o mítico “When Harry Met Sally”, com Meg Ryan e Billy Crystal, e também “Sleepless in Seattle” e “You Got Mail”, em que só os seus diálogos argutos conseguiram fazer brilhar, ainda que palidamente, a pessoa mais aborrecida do mundo, e quiçá arredores: Tom Hanks.
Em pessoa, não faço confidências sobre estes assuntos; em pessoa, sou alegre e simpaticamente optimista, mas, para ser sincera, é triste ter mais de 60 anos. As sombras estão por todo o lado – os amigos morrem ou lutam contra as doenças. Um miasma de melancolia paira sobre a nossa cabeça, obrigando-nos a encarar o facto de que a nossa vida, por muito feliz e bem-sucedida que tenha sido, está cheia de desilusões e erros, pequenos e grandes. (…) A verdade é que je regrette beaucoup.
A questão do pescoço flácido a que o título se refere pouco mais é do que um pretexto desta mulher, que afirma ser a única estagiária a quem o Presidente Kennedy nunca se atirou, para proceder a desabafos tipicamente femininos, que podem incluir a escolha de roupas…
O preto simplifica muito a vida. O preto combina com tudo, especialmente com o preto.
…e malas…
As malas de noite, por motivos que só um marxista conseguirá descortinar, custam ainda mais do que as normais.
…ou até mesmo a queixas que creio ser universais, como ter de usar óculos para poder continuar a alimentar o vício da leitura.
A leitura torna-me mais esperta; dá-me matéria para poder conversar depois. A leitura é (…) escape e o contrário de escape; é uma maneira de descer à realidade ao cabo de um dia a inventar coisas e de entrar em contacto com a imaginação de outra pessoa ao fim de um dia demasiado real. A leitura é alimento. Ler é uma bênção, mas a minha capacidade de pegar numa coisa e lê-la – e que toda a minha vida se manteve intacta até há pouco – depende agora por completo do paradeiro dos óculos.
Acredito piamente que a capacidade de nos rirmos de nós mesmas/mesmos é um dos maiores sinais de inteligência emocional que podemos demonstrar, pelo que é fácil identificarmo-nos com as pequenas futilidades que não matam mas moem e também anteciparmos parte do nosso futuro.
Oh, como lamento não ter usado biquíni o ano inteiro quando tinha 26 anos. Se alguma mulher jovem ler este texto, vá já a correr vestir o biquíni e não o dispa até ter 34.
Mas “Não Gosto do Meu Pescoço” é também um livro de memórias, em que a autora discorre sobre as casas onde viveu, as lojas que deixaram de existir e lhe deixaram saudades em Nova Iorque, os seus casamentos e divórcios, bem como o seu percurso profissional de jornalista e colunista até chegar a argumentista de cinema. É preciso que se diga que Nora Ephron era uma típica nova-iorquina branca de classe alta, cuja maior tragédia é viver no Upper East Side e não no Upper West Side, por isso, são de esperar vários “white people problems” que, se estivermos dispostos a aceitar como aquilo que são, garantem algumas risadas. Mas, enfim, eu também me rio de tudo… o que, se pensar bem, faz rugas.
Há pescoços escanzelados e gordos, pescoços moles, pescoços estilo papel 'crépon', pescoços estriados, pescoços enrugados, pescoços fibrosos, pescoços descaídos, pescoços flácidos, pescoços às manchas. (…)Sem chegar à cirurgia, não há nada que possamos fazer em relação ao pescoço. É um inimigo silencioso. Os nossos rostos são uma mentira e o pescoço é a verdade.
Quando os filhos são adolescentes, é importante ter um cão em casa para que alguém fique feliz quando entramos.
A argumentista e realizadora Nora Ephron publicou “Não gosto do meu pescoço” em 2006, quando tinha 65 anos, seis anos antes de morrer, um livro em que a sua franqueza sobre a idade e os seus efeitos no corpo e na personalidade surte um efeito cómico muito eficaz. Ephron era famosa pelo seu humor, sendo sobejamente reconhecida pelos argumentos de comédias românticas como o mítico “When Harry Met Sally”, com Meg Ryan e Billy Crystal, e também “Sleepless in Seattle” e “You Got Mail”, em que só os seus diálogos argutos conseguiram fazer brilhar, ainda que palidamente, a pessoa mais aborrecida do mundo, e quiçá arredores: Tom Hanks.
Em pessoa, não faço confidências sobre estes assuntos; em pessoa, sou alegre e simpaticamente optimista, mas, para ser sincera, é triste ter mais de 60 anos. As sombras estão por todo o lado – os amigos morrem ou lutam contra as doenças. Um miasma de melancolia paira sobre a nossa cabeça, obrigando-nos a encarar o facto de que a nossa vida, por muito feliz e bem-sucedida que tenha sido, está cheia de desilusões e erros, pequenos e grandes. (…) A verdade é que je regrette beaucoup.
A questão do pescoço flácido a que o título se refere pouco mais é do que um pretexto desta mulher, que afirma ser a única estagiária a quem o Presidente Kennedy nunca se atirou, para proceder a desabafos tipicamente femininos, que podem incluir a escolha de roupas…
O preto simplifica muito a vida. O preto combina com tudo, especialmente com o preto.
…e malas…
As malas de noite, por motivos que só um marxista conseguirá descortinar, custam ainda mais do que as normais.
…ou até mesmo a queixas que creio ser universais, como ter de usar óculos para poder continuar a alimentar o vício da leitura.
A leitura torna-me mais esperta; dá-me matéria para poder conversar depois. A leitura é (…) escape e o contrário de escape; é uma maneira de descer à realidade ao cabo de um dia a inventar coisas e de entrar em contacto com a imaginação de outra pessoa ao fim de um dia demasiado real. A leitura é alimento. Ler é uma bênção, mas a minha capacidade de pegar numa coisa e lê-la – e que toda a minha vida se manteve intacta até há pouco – depende agora por completo do paradeiro dos óculos.
Acredito piamente que a capacidade de nos rirmos de nós mesmas/mesmos é um dos maiores sinais de inteligência emocional que podemos demonstrar, pelo que é fácil identificarmo-nos com as pequenas futilidades que não matam mas moem e também anteciparmos parte do nosso futuro.
Oh, como lamento não ter usado biquíni o ano inteiro quando tinha 26 anos. Se alguma mulher jovem ler este texto, vá já a correr vestir o biquíni e não o dispa até ter 34.
Mas “Não Gosto do Meu Pescoço” é também um livro de memórias, em que a autora discorre sobre as casas onde viveu, as lojas que deixaram de existir e lhe deixaram saudades em Nova Iorque, os seus casamentos e divórcios, bem como o seu percurso profissional de jornalista e colunista até chegar a argumentista de cinema. É preciso que se diga que Nora Ephron era uma típica nova-iorquina branca de classe alta, cuja maior tragédia é viver no Upper East Side e não no Upper West Side, por isso, são de esperar vários “white people problems” que, se estivermos dispostos a aceitar como aquilo que são, garantem algumas risadas. Mas, enfim, eu também me rio de tudo… o que, se pensar bem, faz rugas.
Há pescoços escanzelados e gordos, pescoços moles, pescoços estilo papel 'crépon', pescoços estriados, pescoços enrugados, pescoços fibrosos, pescoços descaídos, pescoços flácidos, pescoços às manchas. (…)Sem chegar à cirurgia, não há nada que possamos fazer em relação ao pescoço. É um inimigo silencioso. Os nossos rostos são uma mentira e o pescoço é a verdade.
April 21, 2021
Award-winning journalist and screenwriter Nora Ephron spills about her daily life, her battle with aging and how she and her friends ward off the passage of time, children and parenting in an age of ever more parental involvement, and other nuggets of wisdom she accumulated along the way.
I'm afraid that saying how unrelatable Ephron's daily life is to me is admitting how low-maintenance I really am. Honestly, I spent this entire book wondering how she ever actually got anything done.
She writes candidly about her beauty regimen which seemed to consist of several hours every week at one salon or another in addition to a couple of hours of daily at home with various moisturizers, creams, lotions, and oils. On top of this, she often spent hours in the kitchen trying the latest cooking fad, and more hours pouring through parenting books and practicing what the current gurus told her she should be doing on that front as well.
I was exhausted just reading about her routine. There were funny moments, but it seemed more sad overall. I was glad the book was short because I don't think I could have taken more than those 137 pages of the author doggedly following the latest fads for every aspect of her life. I hope she was exaggerating, but I got the feeling she was not. I can't help but look at this book as a cautionary tale of how not to live one's life.
I'm afraid that saying how unrelatable Ephron's daily life is to me is admitting how low-maintenance I really am. Honestly, I spent this entire book wondering how she ever actually got anything done.
She writes candidly about her beauty regimen which seemed to consist of several hours every week at one salon or another in addition to a couple of hours of daily at home with various moisturizers, creams, lotions, and oils. On top of this, she often spent hours in the kitchen trying the latest cooking fad, and more hours pouring through parenting books and practicing what the current gurus told her she should be doing on that front as well.
I was exhausted just reading about her routine. There were funny moments, but it seemed more sad overall. I was glad the book was short because I don't think I could have taken more than those 137 pages of the author doggedly following the latest fads for every aspect of her life. I hope she was exaggerating, but I got the feeling she was not. I can't help but look at this book as a cautionary tale of how not to live one's life.
December 1, 2007
Nora Ephron is, hands-down, one of the funniest women in America. Her novels, movies, and essay collections have brought me to tears by way of laughter more than once. That's why I was a bit disappointed by this collection of essays, loosely tied around the topic of aging.
The essays on aging were amusing, but not particularly funny or fresh. It was like eating a day-old doughnut -- still tasty, but probably not worth all the calories. The weird thing -- her non-age-related essays were brilliant. The piece on her love affair with her apartment was a treasure, as was the one about her life in 3500 words or less. I almost felt like her agent or publisher told her she needed to write about getting old, so she did lip service to the topic but snuck in "other stuff" that in actuality is the best part of the book.
If you're an Ephron fan, check it out. Not as great as "Scribble Scribble," but still worth a read.
The essays on aging were amusing, but not particularly funny or fresh. It was like eating a day-old doughnut -- still tasty, but probably not worth all the calories. The weird thing -- her non-age-related essays were brilliant. The piece on her love affair with her apartment was a treasure, as was the one about her life in 3500 words or less. I almost felt like her agent or publisher told her she needed to write about getting old, so she did lip service to the topic but snuck in "other stuff" that in actuality is the best part of the book.
If you're an Ephron fan, check it out. Not as great as "Scribble Scribble," but still worth a read.
August 27, 2011
For most of you who are my Goodreads friends, you will be too young to really appreciate the humor in this book -- after all, you still have firm, unwrinkled necks which you have probably never even given a single thought. BUT take my word for it, someday you will. And then, you should run right out and find a copy of this book. (Perhaps you can find one cheap in the garage sales that members of my generation will be having as we downsize into assisted living apartments!) Anyway, when it comes to the realities of middle-age, it's always better to laugh than to cry, and this book will make you LOL. (There, I'm using a texting acronym. Do I seem younger now?)
June 5, 2023
Some books should be read without any conjecture, especially when you feel bad about your neck.
As the neck is an important organ in reading. Reading a bulky book while sitting in the same posture for a longer duration can take hold of your neck!
How long can you keep your neck bent on a bulky book?
A light book will work as a remedy in such a case. Like this. It will have a calming effect on your reading habits and on your necks too!
The book is a collection of 15 essays by the author, which are written in a light and jubilant mood.
She talks about the case of her neck in the first essay, then she says that she hates her purse and writes for women whose purses are a morass of loose Tic Tacs, solitary Advils, lipstick without tops, Chapstics of unknown vintage, and so on. Talks about her insane culinary episodes. Talks about the maintenance of hair, hairdryer, and nails. She says in one of the essays that at the lowest point of her adult life she had been rescued by a building, talking about her days when she shifted from Newyork to Washington D.C., and in one essay she writes the story of her life in less than 3500 words. She also talks about her connection with JFK.
These essays are her intimate personal account, her views, and her changing worldview with aging.
I recommend it for having a light reading experience!
Not a bad book! Keep Expectations low though, in the beginning.
As the neck is an important organ in reading. Reading a bulky book while sitting in the same posture for a longer duration can take hold of your neck!
How long can you keep your neck bent on a bulky book?
A light book will work as a remedy in such a case. Like this. It will have a calming effect on your reading habits and on your necks too!
"Oh the necks. There are chicken necks. There are turkey gobbler necks. There are elephant necks. There are necks with wattles and necks with creases that are on the verge of becoming wattles. There are scrawny necks and fat necks, loose necks, crepey necks, banded necks, wrinkled necks, stringy necks, saggy necks, flabby necks, mottled necks."
The book is a collection of 15 essays by the author, which are written in a light and jubilant mood.
She talks about the case of her neck in the first essay, then she says that she hates her purse and writes for women whose purses are a morass of loose Tic Tacs, solitary Advils, lipstick without tops, Chapstics of unknown vintage, and so on. Talks about her insane culinary episodes. Talks about the maintenance of hair, hairdryer, and nails. She says in one of the essays that at the lowest point of her adult life she had been rescued by a building, talking about her days when she shifted from Newyork to Washington D.C., and in one essay she writes the story of her life in less than 3500 words. She also talks about her connection with JFK.
These essays are her intimate personal account, her views, and her changing worldview with aging.
I recommend it for having a light reading experience!
Not a bad book! Keep Expectations low though, in the beginning.
August 7, 2024
I spend a lot of time on my #walkntalkwednesdays bemoaning the fact that I can’t seem to find more humorists who deliver the quality of essays as My Darling David. And then the library recommendation feature finally conjured this one up for me . . .
Due to the combination of the weather breaking, my reluctance to stop listening to this one and it being so short, I ended up starting and finishing it on one monstrous trudge. Ephron was the driving force behind no romance ever being as satisfying in real life as her movie versions were during my coming-of-age and now that I’m in the hellscape which is perimenopause she was here to guide me once again while I “come of age” . . . old age, that is LOL.
Coincidentally, I ended up following this one up with Sandwich - a book also about menopause that even gave a shout out to Ephron’s “Neck.” Highly recommended both! I will 100% be checking out Nora Ephron’s other non-fiction books and plan on giving Heartburn a re-watch as soon as I can find where it is streaming.
Due to the combination of the weather breaking, my reluctance to stop listening to this one and it being so short, I ended up starting and finishing it on one monstrous trudge. Ephron was the driving force behind no romance ever being as satisfying in real life as her movie versions were during my coming-of-age and now that I’m in the hellscape which is perimenopause she was here to guide me once again while I “come of age” . . . old age, that is LOL.
Coincidentally, I ended up following this one up with Sandwich - a book also about menopause that even gave a shout out to Ephron’s “Neck.” Highly recommended both! I will 100% be checking out Nora Ephron’s other non-fiction books and plan on giving Heartburn a re-watch as soon as I can find where it is streaming.
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