*Have You Heard? * Audiobooks For Your Listening Pleasure* Heartburn by Nora Ephron

Heartburn by Nora Ephron
Published by Random House Audio, Vintage on May 28th 1996
Genres: Literary Fiction, Humor & Satire
Pages: 179
Format: Audiobook
ISBN: 0679767959
Goodreads

Is it possible to write a sidesplitting novel about the breakup of the perfect marriage? If the writer is Nora Ephron, the answer is a resounding yes. For in this inspired confection of adultery, revenge, group therapy, and pot roast, the creator of Sleepless in Seattle reminds us that comedy depends on anguish as surely as a proper gravy depends on flour and butter.
Seven months into her pregnancy, Rachel Samstat discovers that her husband, Mark, is in love with another woman. The fact that the other woman has "a neck as long as an arm and a nose as long as a thumb and you should see her legs" is no consolation. Food sometimes is, though, since Rachel writes cookbooks for a living. And in between trying to win Mark back and loudly wishing him dead, Ephron's irrepressible heroine offers some of her favorite recipes. Heartburn is a sinfully delicious novel, as soul-satisfying as mashed potatoes and as airy as a perfect soufflé.

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I think I’ve mentioned this before . . . maybe more than once. Often the things I learn while researching authors and narrators for my reviews are more entertaining than the book itself. I wouldn’t say my research into Heartburn by the late Nora Ephron was more entertaining, but it did make for some enlightening reading about the life of a talented woman and her body of work.  At 5 1/2 hours, this delightful book was definitely worth my time during a busy holiday period. If you need to laugh, you should listen to Heartburn. If you need a good recipe, you should probably buy the eBook with Audible narration because there are some yummy sounding dishes you will likely want to try. I went into this listen totally ignorant of the fact that it is autobiographical and based on the period Ms. Ephron was married to journalist Carl Bernstein – yes, it’s that Carl Bernstein, famous for his coverage of the Watergate scandal. The fictional female protagonist based on the real life Ms. Ephron is an engaging character who will make you want to give her hugs and eat her food as she deals with her philandering husband.  This article, written the day after the author’s passing, is a touching, insightful tribute to Nora Ephron, the book, and its movie adaptation.

Meryl Streep, who plays Rachel Samstat in the movie, also narrates the book so there is no question about the caliber of the performance. It is a tribute to the actress’s talent that she brings equal expertise to comedy and drama. You know the statement people often make about how a performer would be great even reading the phone book? Well, I have to say Ms. Streep brings new depth to reading a recipe!

Heartburn is one of those audiobooks I like to think of as a “little jewel” because listeners aren’t making a huge time commitment when they start listening. For me, it was the perfect thing during the holidays to have a listen that was short and sweet and made me laugh out loud. Now that I know the rest of the story, it also provides a brief and poignant look into the fascinating life of the woman who was Nora Ephron.