This book is absolutely hilarious. As a man, I never quite grasped the dilemma women had about being a woman: neck, purse, cream, bath oil, child labor, pedicure, manicure, cooking, food obsession and etc. The material presented in this book can be used in a very funny comedy monologue. The “falling-in-love” to the apartment is probably something people living outside of New York city are difficult to relate to. But I can probably relate to the how she feels about aging and wish I have done more of the things that I cannot do now – liking showing off your body while you can. It’s also a warning to us that we should treasure what we have taken for granted like good eye sight (not needing reading glasses), not having as many wrinkles and etc.
The wisdom from her mother about “everything is a copy” strikes a chord. She interpreted it many ways. For me it means nothing is really new, though we want to perceive it as new – it’s just a refinement of some old things. Most of our knowledge nowadays are simply copied from the old knowledge passed from the past generations. Quite true. Technology works the same way. 99.9% of the technology is simply a refinement of the past technology.
Nora’s brush with greatness – JFK and Bill Clinton was written with a great sense of humor and disappointment (about Bill). This is a similar experience to her two marriages: one to the guy with strong connection to his cat and another to one that cheated on her while she was pregnant.
Her proclamation that everyone is dying is truly sad, especially about the death of her best friend or more like a sister/mother/daughter. I can appreciate that it could be really scary that people who you love and care are dying around you. It’s not funny but it cast a morbid humor about human life – just when you’re most settled in your own way and most comfortable about yourself, you’ll be checking out of this world.
Overall, this book is very funny and insightful – worth listening to a couple of more times, especially in the car when stuck in traffic.
