Save Me the Plums

My Gourmet Memoir

De: Ruth Reichl

Narrado por: Ruth Reichl

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A delicious insider account of the gritty, glamorous world of food culture.”—Vanity Fair

In this “poignant and hilarious” (The New York Times Book Review) memoir, trailblazing food writer and beloved restaurant critic Ruth Reichl chronicles her groundbreaking tenure as editor in chief of Gourmet.

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Town & Country

When Condé Nast offered Ruth Reichl the top position at America’s oldest epicurean magazine, she declined. She was a writer, not a manager, and had no inclination to be anyone’s boss. Yet Reichl had been reading Gourmet since she was eight; it had inspired her career. How could she say no?

This is the story of a former Berkeley hippie entering the corporate world and worrying about losing her soul. It is the story of the moment restaurants became an important part of popular culture, a time when the rise of the farm-to-table movement changed, forever, the way we eat. Readers will meet legendary chefs like David Chang and Eric Ripert, idiosyncratic writers like David Foster Wallace, and a colorful group of editors and art directors who, under Reichl’s leadership, transformed stately Gourmet into a cutting-edge publication. This was the golden age of print media—the last spendthrift gasp before the Internet turned the magazine world upside down.

Complete with recipes, Save Me the Plums is a personal journey of a woman coming to terms with being in charge and making a mark, following a passion and holding on to her dreams—even when she ends up in a place she never expected to be.

A True Homage to the Joys of Food

Ruth Riehl has the ability to describe a food, a scene or a person to the point that you feel you are meeting them for the first time. Here writing is as delicious asthe foods she savors. All I wanted to do was to rush to the kitchen and cook up something that honored her gusto! It is also an homage to the people who flavor our lives- the friends and family that make life sweet.

This personal sharing of Ruth’s journey at Gourmet is inspiring on many fronts.

After having read her writings over many years, this story further shares the author’s journey. Having taken on a new challenge with Gourmet, her efforts to build a team to lead groundbreaking changes in the way we all cook and perceive food were a success for Gourmet’s readers. Although the magazine was abruptly closed by upper management without any attempts to save it, it is inspiring to read how one can rise from the shock, disappointments, and fear of losing a job and move on. Thank you, Ruth, for sharing.

Delicious story

There is something rich and satisfying about hearing an author read her own work. Listening to Ruth Reichl, you feel you understand her. And, her story telling skill is marvelous. So interesting to hear about Gourmet magazine and Conde Nast and Sy Newhouse. When she spoke about 9/11, I felt my PTSD rising as she described the day. The kind of book you can listen to again and again.

Went With the Wind

Lovely book, wonderful life, daidle, deedle, daidle daidle, daidle, deedle, daidle, daidle, dumb, deedle, daidle

Just, wow!

I loved this so much. The writing is exquisite. Her voice so endearing and you feel like you’re living this journey and cooking with her. Such a good memoir.

Fantastic!

Great insight to the gourmet magazine world and a great performance by the author! Listened to the whole thing in just a few sittings...Looking forward to listening to more of Ruth’s books!

One of my favorite books.

The descriptions are so good and i especially enjoy how the author takes you on a journey and then we come back to an experience or memory of her mother and father. The best though is about the black lace dress and the man she met that evening! Try this, you will savor every bite.

Pull Out Your Old Issues and Start Cooking

If you cook, if you like to cook, if you hate to cook, if you are indifferent listen anyway. I got so excited when she mentioned the Gourmet issue with the chocolate cake on the cover that I danced around the room and pulled out MY old issue. She is a wonderful reader to boot and her matter of fact down to earth manner sails through all reasons why one should try something new and do so with little fear. That speaks to anyone in any field. I am only midway through the book but I had to write something. Her narration makes you feel as though you are about to make a great feast with all the greats in the room with you- Julia, Jacques, Marcella, Jonathan, etc. I apologize for my gushing.

Ruth is a great story of her life.

I’ve enjoyed and learned so much about the life of a magazine. She’s introspective and I appreciate that.

So unexpected and wonderful

I really didn’t know what to expect when I started this book, but I loved it from start to finish. Reichl presents brilliant and mouthwatering descriptions of food, lots of nostalgia for a not so distant past, a peek into a glamorous and exciting world, and poignant insights into the nature of being a working woman. I was sad when it was finished. And a little hungry!