Sister, Mother, Husband, Dog: Etc.
Summary (from the publisher): In Sister Mother Husband Dog, Delia Ephron brings her trademark wit and effervescent prose to a series of autobiographical essays about life, love, sisterhood, movies, and family. In “Losing Nora,” she deftly captures the rivalry, mutual respect, and intimacy that made up her relationship with her older sister and frequent writing companion. “Blame It on the Movies” is Ephron’s wry and romantic essay about surviving her disastrous twenties, becoming a writer, and finding a storybook ending. “Bakeries” is both a lighthearted tour through her favorite downtown patisseries and a thoughtful, deeply felt reflection on the dilemma of having it all. From keen observations on modern living, the joy of girlfriends, and best-friendship, to a consideration of the magical madness and miracle of dogs, to haunting recollections of life with her famed screenwriter mother and growing up the child of alcoholics, Ephron’s eloquent style and voice illuminate every page of this superb and singular work.
Review: Delia Ephron's book is a series of fifteen autobiographical essays that focus on her life including love, family, losing her sister Nora, pets, and more. In a witty, conspiratorial voice, Delia as narrator takes her readers through reflections on largely very heavy topics including the end of her first marriage, her current husband's cancer, her sister's death, and her parents' alcoholism. But she does so by interspersing lighthearted anecdotes about technology downfalls and her favorite pastry shops so just like life, the good is mixed with the bad. Both thoughtful and keenly observant, Ephron brings to this book the wit and tongue-in-cheek writing style that helped make her collaborations with her sister Nora such huge successes.
As in any collection of essays, it's difficult to accurately summarize them in one review. This collection opens strong, with an essay about her famous sister Nora's death. Immediately, Ephron pulls her readers in, allowing them inside a dark moment in her life but doing so in a way that captures the complexity of her relationship with Nora. Ephron's style is certainly meandering and conversational rather than tightly focused on one topic at a time. While I could see that this would be off-putting to some readers, I found it more true to life; Delia felt real to me because I felt as if I was having a long conversation with her as I read through these essays. Delia has a very similar writing style to her sister Nora, and reading this I could see why they collaborated so well together. But I think Delia, unlike her sister, has an easier time writing about what makes her sad and being honest about that reality. She also has a wit that made this book a wonderful collection to read, such as describing the difference between her and one of her friends: "Once she rode all the way across Wales on horseback, camping out at night. I occasionally play Ping-Pong" (117). An absorbing and entertaining collection of essays that reflects Ephron's life experiences in a funny yet thoughtful manner.
Stars: 4
As in any collection of essays, it's difficult to accurately summarize them in one review. This collection opens strong, with an essay about her famous sister Nora's death. Immediately, Ephron pulls her readers in, allowing them inside a dark moment in her life but doing so in a way that captures the complexity of her relationship with Nora. Ephron's style is certainly meandering and conversational rather than tightly focused on one topic at a time. While I could see that this would be off-putting to some readers, I found it more true to life; Delia felt real to me because I felt as if I was having a long conversation with her as I read through these essays. Delia has a very similar writing style to her sister Nora, and reading this I could see why they collaborated so well together. But I think Delia, unlike her sister, has an easier time writing about what makes her sad and being honest about that reality. She also has a wit that made this book a wonderful collection to read, such as describing the difference between her and one of her friends: "Once she rode all the way across Wales on horseback, camping out at night. I occasionally play Ping-Pong" (117). An absorbing and entertaining collection of essays that reflects Ephron's life experiences in a funny yet thoughtful manner.
Stars: 4
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