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Synopses & Reviews
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Trailblazing food writer and beloved restaurant critic Ruth Reichl took the risk (and the job) of a lifetime when she entered the glamorous, high-stakes world of magazine publishing. Now, for the first time, she chronicles her groundbreaking tenure as editor in chief of Gourmet, during which she spearheaded a revolution in the way we think about food.
When Conde Nast offered Ruth Reichl the top position at America’s oldest epicurean magazine, she declined. She was a writer and had no inclination to be anyone’s boss. And yet... Reichl had been reading Gourmet since she was eight; it had inspired her entire career. How could she say no?
This is the story of a former Berkeley hippie entering the corporate world and trying not to lose her soul. It is the story of the way restaurants and cooking became an important part of popular culture. And it is the story of how a colorful group of editors and art directors, under Reichl’s leadership, transformed stately Gourmet into a cutting-edge publication. This was the golden age of print media before the Internet turned the magazine world upside down.
Save Me the Plums is a personal journey of a woman coming to terms with being in charge and making her mark, following a passion and holding on to her dreams — even when she ends up in a place she never expected to be.
Review
"Save Me the Plums is Reichl’s account of those halcyon times at Condé Nast before the ax fell....It’s a study in magazine-making, earnest ambition, disappointment, and reinvention. It’s also supremely readable....She’s gathering up the reader in her pocket and taking them along for the ride." The Boston Globe
Review
"Ruth Reichl is the best sort of storyteller — intimate, wise, frank, and completely engaging. Here she beautifully details her ten years running Gourmet, with all the triumphs and tribulations, and it’s a brilliant tale. Every page is rich and delicious; the book is such a treat!" Susan Orlean, New York Times bestselling author of The Library Book
Review
"Endearing...Gourmet magazine readers will relish the behind-the-scenes peek at the workings of the magazine....Reichl’s revealing memoir is a deeply personal look at a food world on the brink of change." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"Save Me the Plums sweeps the reader up in the intoxicating splendor of Gourmet in its glory days, when the smart set was in it for the food, the friendship, and the big new ideas. This is the rare case of an amazing writer living an amazing life, with a book that’s the party I never wanted to end." Ann Patchett, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth
About the Author
Ruth Reichl is the bestselling author of the memoirs Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me With Apples, Garlic and Sapphires, For You, Mom, Finally, and Save Me the Plums; the novel Delicious!; and the cookbook My Kitchen Year. She was editor in chief of Gourmet magazine for ten years. Previously she was the restaurant critic for The New York Times and served as the food editor and restaurant critic for the Los Angeles Times. She has been honored with six James Beard Awards for her journalism, magazine feature writing, and criticism.