Heartburn by Nora Ephron
A 4.5/5 book about Rachel Samsat, a married woman in her 7th month of pregnancy when she finds out her husband is in love with another married woman. I was thinking I dragged reading this book for longer than I should’ve, particularly because I loved it so much I didn’t want it to be over. It’s now several days after finishing it and I’ve put time and effort into understanding what about this book reminded me so much of the series Fleabag or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. What about it was so interesting to me, as a woman?
I rewatched Fleabag season one and episode one of season one of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and what I could gather from their similarities is that all three of these characters are women stepping out of their “roles” and telling their stories. Fleabag’s role is simply being a “modern” woman, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is being a traditional housewife, and it’s the same with Rachel Samsat from Heartburn. Something about women being pushed to that point of disappointment and misery, to finally be true and intentional and amusingly funny about telling their stories, is my favourite type of narrative.
This book has a sense of humour that I love, and it’s the sense of humour those other characters from the TV series have. A bittersweet kind of humour that makes me think: do we women try to be funny in those moments when we have every right to be angry and sad, just to avoid being labelled as nagging? Or to stop being labelled as hysterical? An angry funny woman is entertaining, to say the least.
Funnily enough, they all made money out of it. Rachel Samsat is a character from a “thinly disguised” book from Nora Ephron’s life. Fleabag is created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel becomes a stand-up comedian after getting cheated on by her husband.
These stories have this in common: all of them are funny, relatable, and authentic; which in an ideal world shouldn’t be as refreshing as I think it is.
Btw my current read is The artist by Lucy Steeds.
Later!