This is my first Ephron book. I quite enjoyed the writing. Her pace and snappy humor and sharp observations went well with the themes of this book. 

Heartburn is an autobiographical novel about her own heartbreak, somewhat related to specific foods and recipies, on-the-surface-marriage woes, her two pregnancies, their Judaism, famous people group therapy, and the untapped anger/jealousy/anxiety boiling beneath. Ephron based the novel on her marriage to and divorce from her then husband, Carl Berstein. 


What I did not enjoy about the novel was her dismissive way she spoke about lesbians and her father's wife, Amelia, who was a Black woman. I'd like to say, hey, it was the 80's, but that is still not an excuse to use dismissive language. The terms "dyke" and "high yellow" were used. Very White Woman progressive almost WASP-like. I don't think SHE thought she was using the terms in a derogatory way, but that does not mean it's not the language of the opressor.

Meryl Streep narrates the audiobook version, and she was an absolute delight and performed the reading perfectly.