I don't often read 921 books as most biographies and autobiographies are just a retelling of the timeline of a persons life. This book is different. We all remember Gourmet magazine and this story of the editor of that magazine in it's last 10 years is delightful. Ruth is a wonderful writer and gives you an insight to her love of food and how it focused her life. You learn a little about the politics of the industry but she does not involve you in the politics as she herself remained outside the political play of the field. I want to start to read the magazines that are archived on line and enjoy the history and flavors that were ahead of their times.

Save Me the Plums. a foodie memoir by Ruth Reichl, is fantastic, quick paced and easy to read. It takes you inside the monied, glitzy world of Condé Nast while Ms. Reichl was editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine. This memoir deserves a 5-star rating.

If you have followed Ruth Reichl through her memoirs, this takes place between Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise and My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life, telling the story of her experience as the editor for Gourmet Magazine up until its shocking closure. I feel this memoir is for foodies first, but will also be of interest for anyone in publishing or the arts. The people working for Gourmet cultivated an environment of creative exploration and perfection that made the magazine what it is, and I loved reading about each person's contributions and how the magazine reflected the changing culture of food in the United States. There's an entire chapter, for instance, about the publication of "Consider the Lobster" by David Foster Wallace, which I had no idea was first published in Gourmet!

In a different voice, I can see how this story could be obnoxious. So many famous people, so many fancy meals and expensive restaurants, so many trends in food and fashion. But Ruth Reichl is so direct, honest, and open that the story transforms into something more heartwarming than it feels it has the right to be.

Unlike My Kitchen Year which is sometimes referred to as a cookbook (although I personally still feel it is more memoir than recipe), this memoir only has 3-4 recipes. I had my eye on that chocolate cake that helped her establish kitchen credibility with her staff, so I made it and posted to Instagram and JennyBakes.

One of a number of memoirs by Ruth Reichl, <i> Save Me the Plums</i>, was my first introduction to this well-known food writer and restaurant critic. In this book, she shares her somewhat risky decision to accept the position of editor of <i>Gourmet</i> magazine and her journey as she learns the ropes of the publishing world while balancing her family life.

This was an intriguing look behind the scenes at two worlds - that of food/cooking and publishing. Even though I’m not a foodie by any means, I actually found the food side to be more interesting perhaps because I already had knowledge of the publishing side. I’ve already decided to read some of Reichl’s earlier books to pursue that theme. Her descriptions of various foods, recipes, and taste testing were delightful as well as tempting!

However, this book definitely focuses more on the inner workings of the publishing world. As a novice to her new position, we learn a lot about that world right along with Reichl over her ten years with the famed magazine until it ceased publication in 2009.

Written in a very personal and engaging style, this book will definitely appeal to foodies and fans of Ruth Reichl. Beyond that, it also gives a look back at part of our literary culture that is/has changed dramatically.




FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ruth Reichl returns with a memoir about the heady days as editor in chief of the prestigious Conde Nast Gourmet Magazine. Becoming an integral part of this magazine was always her dream. When her dream comes true she puts her epicurean expertise to work but soon learns that putting together a monthly magazine involves areas that she had somehow placed on her back burner! Ruth, with a cadre of efficient and loyal staff members and associates soon takes the magazine to places (subscribers) it has never been before. Unfortunately, Gourmet’s success is only as good as the highflying economy it exists in. When things take a downturn, Ruth and her crew try novel ways to fight back. And sometimes, the fight, memories and camaraderie are all one may have left.

Each chapter could be a stand-alone essay. The best ones include a recipe! Two favorite chapters include ones focusing on her son, and a trip to Paris to rediscover the simplicity of finding the heart of her mission. Although some of the food and flavors will be very strange and new, Ruth’s enthusiasm and determination make you want to swallow this book whole! Recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I love Ruth Reichl books! I love how she describes her experiences with food and makes your mouth water. I like how she always takes her time before choosing a new path or decision. This book, much like her others, didn't disappoint. I loved the trip to Paris and just her exploration.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I am not a foodie. My husband is pure meat and potatoes,and I only look adventurous next to him. I didn’t subscribe to Gourmet and was basically intimidated by the title when I was a young woman. However I knew Ruth Reichl and her reviews for The NY Times and I had read some of her earlier writings. This particular chapter of her many volume memoir focuses on her ten years leading Gourmet to the front of the food revolution and then presiding over its demise. It is a fascinating story and she is a remarkable writer.
Nowadays even our local restaurant reviewers wax elegiac about cuisine with the most pretentious descriptions of rather ordinary fare. Ruth Reichl can create a tone poem that will have you salivating about sea creatures and calves’ brains and sauces so obscure you don’t recognize half the ingredients. Whether a five course dinner from a three star restaurant or pancakes she whipped up in her own kitchen, Reichl uses language as the great chef she is - seasoned to perfection and shared with the readers in a great feast.
When she is not writing about food, she is talking about the people behind the food — the chefs and writers and her friends and family who share her love for a good meal and the camaraderie found around a table. Despite her power and influence, she comes across as the most unpretentious of souls, and her stories are the kind you enjoy, sitting around after a good meal.
I am so glad to have had the chance to read this story of what was clearly a very special publication, but this book is a treasure for another reason, Whether you are crazy about food or just enjoy a good meal. Reichl creates a desire in the reader to embrace life like a feast, tasting it with all your senses and sharing your pleasure with others. I hope there are more stories to come.

Reading a Ruth Reichl book is like a hot cup of tea paired with a warm cozy blanket. In this book Ruth discussed the years she served as the Editor of Gourmet. This a fascinating look at the world of magazines, publishing , and the food industry. Her stories of the characters of New York and the behind the scenes of Gourmet magazine were a great read. I'm still thinking about her story about Bill Blass and her friend Stevie. After reading this I want to go open my Gourmet cookbook and pore over the recipes. 5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC to review.

Ruth Reichl, every time I see a new book by you I have a total fan girl moment! Why? Because I am mesmerized by how you write about food. No one comes close to your beautiful, vivid descriptions of every bite that you take.

Of the memoirs that Ruth Reichl has written, and I've read them all, this was my least favorite, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't still a wonderful read. Save Me the Plums is written about Ruth's years at Gourmet magazine and since most of the book focuses on the experience at the magazine, it was a bit dull when compared to other life adventures she has shared in her prior memoirs. All of that doesn't matter though when she writes about some of the dishes she gets to experience. The highlight for me was the toward the end of the book when she returns to Paris, but this time on a small budget. It was so magical, she could have written a whole book on just this trip.

This is a great read, and I would definitely recommend it to others! Also make sure to read her other memoirs, you won't be disappointed!!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC provided for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Save Me The Plums. I have adored Ruth Reichl's writing for as long as I can remember. I love a behind the scenes look at almost anything but when you are taking a reader behind the scenes of food and writing it becomes the BEST EVER. The telling of her life from the time that she was the restaurant critic for the NY Times until her tenure at Gourmet ended is a fascinating tale. I like to call myself a foodie but after reading about everything that Ruth eats and where she goes I can no longer classify myself as that. If you love knowing more about food and the publishing world this is your book. I devoured this book like a slice a chocolate cake - all in one sitting! #savemetheplums

I felt like Christmas came early when I was approved for an ARC of Save Me The Plums. I really did! I have been a huge fan of Ruth Reichl since I read the first book she wrote.

I had no idea she was writing another one, but wow, what a book this was! It covers her being hired on at Gourmet and the eventual closing of that magazine. The world lost a great magazine when Gourmet closed and in reading Ms. Reichl's memoir, I felt everyone's pain as if I were a Gourmet writer or staffer.

Ms. Reichl has a wonderful talent in describing meals, people, her environment and pretty much anything so that the reader feels they are there. While many of the decadent meals she described had many foods I wouldn't eat, I still felt as if I were there, enjoying the conversation, the wines and the meals.

Not only will someone reading this get to experience world class meals, but they'll experience the running of a magazine, the work that goes into it and the juggling act we all struggle with, life/work balance.

I cannot recommend this book strongly enough, especially if you're a fan of the author, of cooking and/or celebrity chefs. This book has it all.

Thank you goes to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC. My thoughts and review are my own.

I devoured this most recent Ruth Reich’s memoir. Just like the recipes that she writes, this book is simple and yet so rich. She writes in a way that reads like a compelling novel, in a language and with a voice that makes you almost taste her life. Having read My Kitchen Year, I knew the ending to the story of her life with Gourmet. My favorite aspect of this memoir is how cyclical her life with Gourmet magazine was. It was fascinating and I read how her life circle back to the magazine that introduced her to food and throughout her life at The Four Seasons and how her life changed and came back in Paris. What I will take away most from this book was just a tiny section, but like Ruth 9/11 changed all of us. “Chili would be one of the ways I offer thanks.” I hope to share my thanks and love for and to others through simple gifts, like chili.

Ruth Reichl delivers another richly descriptive glimpse into her life in the world of food. Made me want to go digging into past issues of Gourmet as well as the ones that were published under her leadership. What I love about her books is what we learn about the people in her life through the lens that food provides.

I really enjoyed this look at Ruth Reichl’s evolution from food critic to editor of Gourmet magazine. As one would expect from Ruth, the writing is witty, full,of foodie insider knowledge and intelligently honest. It is a personal story 0f how she tried, amd didn’t always succeed, in juggling her work and family obligations. Her trademark humor abounds. I would recommend this for foodies

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41644326-save-me-the-plums see link next to this or below for my review on Goodreads

Can't wait for our Library cookbook bookgroup to read this next fall! As usual, Ruth Reichl's food writing reads like a novel and keeps us hungry for more!

I had no clue who Ruth Reichl was before reading her latest memoir. Although the author has a propensity for name dropping (people I've never heard about), it was both entertaining and enlightening to read about the publishing world and all its fickleness. I'd never seen or read a Gourmet magazine, but the name was not unknown to me. One of the best things about her memoir was the nostalgic look back at how things were twenty years ago, which was just yesterday. I like Reichl's writing style.

I'm not much of a cook myself, but I love books about food and cooking. This book did not disappoint me. It tells about the author's time at Gormet magazine and the chef's she met. It also has recipes which are a huge plus, I can't wait to at least try to make them, as I said, I'm not much of a cook. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves food and cooking.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

This was the first of Ruth Reichl's books that I had read. It's a memoir of her years at Gourmet magazine with some favorite recipes inserted when they appear in the story. Great story-it made me really sad that I did not follow this magazine during the length of her tenure there. It was interesting to get an insider's view of the Conde Nast empire. I got a little lost with her mentions of some of the staff there-there were people moving in and out of some of the jobs there just like with any other corporation. I would forget who was who. It wasn't material to my overall understanding of the memoir though.
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

I have read the other Ruth Reichl books and found "Save Me the Plums" equally engaging. This book chronicles her life at Gourmet Magazine. There are even recipes included! Bonus!