I FEEL BAD ABOUT MY NECK

Nora Ephron is synonymous with her bittersweet comedy film work, such as ‘When Harry Met Sally’, 'Heartburn' and ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ to name a few. ‘I Feel Bad About My Neck’ is a Wild Card treat for book clubs. A light-hearted read yet offering many words of wisdom in this collection of essays, still relevant for many of us. A book we enjoyed and to be cherished.

In essence, ‘I Feel Bad About My Neck’ is an accessible book of articles that shines a light on women facing the tribulations of getting older covering maintenance, accepting change whilst yearning for yesteryears, coping with menopause and empty nesting.

Ephron’s top tips…
Never marry a man you wouldn’t want to be divorced from.
If the shoe doesn’t fit in the store, it’s never going to fit.
When your children are teenagers, it’s important to have a dog so that someone in the house is happy to see you.
Anything you think is wrong with your body at the age of thirty-five you will be nostalgic for by the age of forty-five.

Nora Ephron is a privileged ballsy writer and her days as a female hack with a stint in the White House under JFK are bound to ignite or unite your Den. The collection is short, punchy and based on the Den’s book club experience bound to stir up conversations, especially for those who are happy to reminisce on their first taste of New York in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Whether you agree or agree to disagree there is definitely something for everyone in her writing.

For Nora fans it will be her acerbic wit and understanding of womanhood that appeals. Interestingly the dynamic podcaster and writer, Dolly Alderton, clearly still a young woman in her prime at 32, sums up ‘I Feel Bad About My Neck’ in the book’s introduction. Nora ‘takes her most distinct qualities as both a writer and a woman and neatly packages them into a pearls-of-wisdom jewellery box, that should sit on every woman’s bookshelf as a life guide.’.

The Den was divided in opinion about Nora. Some didn’t like her privileged lifestyle and opinion. This could set up the perfect book club storm.

To conclude with another wonderful observation that all book clubbers will appreciate;

‘Reading is everything. Reading makes me feel I’ve accomplished something, learned something, become a better person. Reading makes me smarter, Reading gives me something to talk about later on. Reading is the unbelievably healthy way my attention deficit disorder mediates itself. Reading is the escape and the opposite of escape; it’s a way to make contact with reality after a day of making things up, and it’s a way of making contact with someone else’s imagination after a day that’s all too real. …’

And there’s plenty more pithy thoughts but now over to you.