Tender at the Bone

Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I loved Garlic and Sapphires and was so excited to read this book- Ruth’s memoirs. My expectations were probably too high because I didn’t like this one as well. I’m not sure if it was the writing that bothered me (it seemed disjointed- like a bunch of separate incidents rather than a cohesive story) or her actual life that bothered me. She did have a rough life and my heart goes out to her for having to become someone good in spite of her crazy mother. As Jeanette Walls in the book, “The Glass Castle,” Ruth writes a lot about her crazy mother and how she had to raise herself. But unlike Jeanette, Ruth hasn’t forgiven her mother, so the tone of the book made me uncomfortable. But the book is full of interesting characters and good humor, and the recipes look wonderful. I made the Pork/Tomatillo stew (at my friend, Rhonda’s suggestion) and it was delicious!



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