• Tender at the Bone

  • By: Ruth Reichl
  • Narrated by: Ruth Reichl
  • Length: 6 hrs
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (466 ratings)

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Tender at the Bone  By  cover art

Tender at the Bone

By: Ruth Reichl
Narrated by: Ruth Reichl
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Publisher's summary

At an early age, Ruth Reichl discovered that "food could be a way of making sense of the world...If you watched people as they ate, you could find out who they were." Her deliciously crafted memoir, Tender at the Bone, is the story of a life determined, enhanced, and defined in equal measure by a passion for food, unforgettable people, and the love of tales well told.

Beginning with Reichl's mother, the notorious food-poisoner known as the Queen of Mold, Reichl introduces us to the fascinating characters who shaped her world and her tastes, from the gourmand Monsieur du Croix, who served Reichl her first soufflé, to those at her politically correct table in Berkeley who championed the organic food revolution in the 1970s.

Spiced with Reichl's infectious humor and sprinkled with her favorite recipes, Tender at the Bone is a witty and compelling chronicle of a culinary sensualist's coming-of-age.

©1998 Ruth Reichl (P)1998 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.

What listeners say about Tender at the Bone

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this book!!!!!

What a great escape into a delicious read! It’s hard to believe the editor of Gourmet magazine lived this life! Her storytelling and love of food is out of this world.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

As delicious as it sounds

I enjoyed every morsel of Ms. Reichl's book.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

It was fine, not great

I guess I should have paid more attention to where I was in the book, but it didn't seem to have a climax, it just ended suddently.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

I loved the variety and depth of her life, in addition to the joy of listening to a fellow gourmand. Goes great with Peter Mayle's books.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story but bad recording

This is a wonderful book by Ruth Reichl and I love the fact that she narrates it. My only complaint is the quality of the recording is very poor.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fabulous for food lovers and cooks

Would you listen to Tender at the Bone again? Why?

Have already listened to it twice. I stayed up way too late two times because I couldn't stop listening. A friend who loves to cook and cooks superbly recommended it. I have since recommended it to six people.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Since it's a fictionalized autobiography, Ruth Reichl is the heart and soul of it, but I loved her first husband too.

Which character ??? as performed by Ruth Reichl ??? was your favorite?

Can't say.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Title sums up both a theme and her topic.

Reichl's earlier memoir is both heartbreaking and clever. The daughter of a bi-polar mother, she exhibits all the emotional distress of these children but deals with them mostly with humor. Later, in "Save me the Plumbs," she manages to resolve one of her major symptoms of having grown up with a mother who was always changing. I'd advise reading "Bone" first and then "Plus."

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

What a life!

I just want to go travel and eat good food. Ruth’s story of growing up and growing into a relationship with food is brilliant .

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Perfect book to listen to while cooking!

I was happily surprised that I liked this book just as much if not more than Comfort Me With Apples. Reichl is a natural born storyteller who easily and masterfully paints rich scenery from the memories of her life. And she does it while also giving you vignettes of foods and meals that make your mouth water!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Funny and fascinating.

So glad I got this. Well written and well read. Highly recommended. I look forward to the rest of her books.

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