A treasury of Ephron (1941-2012), this collection contains the writer's best essays, from Crazy Salad to I Remember Nothing, her one-and-only novel, Heartburn, her legendary screenplay, When Harry Met Sally, a selection of her blog entries from the Huffington Post, and her never-before published play, Lucky Guy, about New York City's tabloid journalism. Representing 40-plus years of work, this volume illustrates not only Ephron's dynamic writing career as a journalist-turned-novelist-turned-filmmaker but also her incredible wit. Whether Ephron is writing about politics or purses, sexism or souffle, her appeal is her intelligent, incisive sense of humor. This is also part of what makes her such an icon, not "for America's women," as editor Robert Gottlieb writes in his introduction, but for America. Women may idolize her-she is the major inspiration for funny girl Lena Dunham, creator of the HBO hit Girls-but through her writing and films, she has changed the actual timbre of American humor. VERDICT Although some valuable essays are missed (e.g., "Dealing with the, Uh, Problem" and "Rose Mary Woods: The Lady or the Tiger?"), Gottlieb manages to pack this almost 600-page anthology with Ephron's most timeless pieces. Since we will never have enough of Nora Ephron, the most will have to do.-Meagan Lacy, Indiana Univ.-Purdue Univ. Indianapolis Libs. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Nora Ephron (1941-2012) was an exceptionally smart, funny, and caring journalist, essayist, novelist, playwright, screenwriter, blogger, producer, and director. Her last two books, I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections (2010) and I Feel Bad about My Neck (2006), were best-sellers; her films include Silkwood, Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, and Julie & Julia. No matter how versed in Ephron's cherished work a reader may be, she or he will be dazzled and touched anew by this life-spanning, life-embracing collection that so richly showcases her clarity, brio, and candor. Mining her own intriguing life in Beverly Hills and New York, Ephron wrote about what it means to be female, from her hilarious A Few Words about Breasts in 1972 to her touched-a-nerve laments about marriage, motherhood, age, and persistent sexism. A canny interpreter of the zeitgeist, Ephron threshed topics social, cultural, and political, and shared her passion for food. Nearly 80 stellar essays are accompanied by Ephron's novel, Heartburn; her play, Lucky Guy, and her acclaimed, oft-quoted screenplay for When Harry Met Sally. A tonic and essential celebration of a scintillating and mighty writer. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Ephron's bereft readership will embrace this robust, strongly promoted tribute to her incandescent talent and intensely creative life.--Seaman, Donna Copyright 2010 Booklist

This posthumous collection celebrates Ephron's talent for turning her experiences into material, no matter the medium. Organized by occupation ("The Journalist," "The Advocate," "The Foodie," "The Blogger," and others), the volume contains numerous classics: her novel Heartburn; the screenplay to When Harry Met Sally; and wry essays on aging that made her collections, I Feel Bad About My Neck and I Remember Nothing, bestsellers. Ephron's last work, Lucky Guy, a play about the career of New York tabloid journalist Mike McAlary, is published here for the first time. The book's most delicious offering is Ephron's magazine journalism from the 1970s, with razor-sharp profiles of figures such as Helen Gurley Brown, Dorothy Schiff, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower, and keenly intelligent reportage on subjects that include the 1971 National Women's Political Caucus and the 1973 Pillsbury Bake-off competition. From Ephron's days as a reporter at Newsweek in the 1960s to blogging for the Huffington Post in the 2000s, the book documents the changing culture of the New York media world. "Everything is copy," Ephron's mother always said. This collection fulfills that motto with aplomb, and will likely serve as a perfect holiday gift for Ephron fans. Agent: Amanda Urban, ICM. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.