Having Heartburn?

I was reminded just now that Nora Ephron’s book Heartburn turns 40 this year. I don’t think I ever read it! An article by Tobias Mutter in Shelf Awareness reminded me that the ‘novel’ is a thinly veiled version of Ephron’s own life and her husband’s (THE Carl Bernstein of All the President’s Men) affair. A movie version of the book was released in 1986 and starred Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. Ephron went on to become a celebrated screenwriter who turned out films such as Sleepless in Seatte, You’ve Got Mail and Julie & Julia. Unfortunately, Ephron died of a complications from Luekemia in 2012 at the age of 71.

Bernstein continued his career as a journalist, author and commentator, dating Bianca Jagger, Martha Stewart and Elizabeth Taylor. Wow!! Bernstein threatened several times to sue Ephron because of her novel and movie about him, but he never did. He is now married to former model Christine Kuehbeck. (Just couldn’t resist posting this photo of the two.)

Real reason for this post is to mention that tomorrow, March 7, Vintage Books will release a 40th anniversary edition of Heartburn. Did you know that Ephron put recipes in the novel? A recent bit of gossip about Jason Sudeikis of “Ted Lasso” fame reported that his ex-partner Olivia Wilde makes a ‘special’ salad dressing that she claims as her own but that is, according to Sudeikis, actually featured in Heartburn and is originally Ephron’s recipe.

Enough of this gossip. Read the book for some 80’s nostalgia and the special salad dressing recipe that Jason Sudeikis likes so much.