A few weeks ago the nice people at Harper Collins sent me a copy of Amy Ephron’s latest book Loose Diamonds: …and Other Things I’ve Lost (and Found) Along the Way
I’m really lucky that good books have this way of finding me at exactly the right time. Loose Diamonds is no exception. I really loved this book. The weather in BC has been warm, sunny and summery & I have spent a couple mornings over the past week either out on my Mom’s balcony or cuddled up on the couch in the sun-filled living room pouring over this book.
In Loose Diamonds, Amy Ephron weaves together the most insightful, profound, and just plain funny stories of her life to form a tapestry of a woman’s experiences from childhood through young adulthood, marriage, divorce (and remarriage), and everything in between. I like my personal essays witty and insightful. With Loose Diamonds Ephron delivers: each story is told with perception, wit, candor and humor in a pared down writing style that never veers towards cheesy. I liken Ephron’s essays to those bags of bite sized brownies you can buy in the grocery store. They’re these delicious little bites of joy. You tell yourself “I’ll just have one more!” but before you know if you’ve eaten the whole bag. However, unlike the brownies, Ephron’s writing doesn’t come with a side-order of remorse and increased thigh girth. At worst you’ll end up with a mild reading hangover from consuming these stories late into the night, or people giving you funny looks when you giggle out loud at lines like this:
“I have a theory that single women who buy champagne by the case rarely end well. Disclaimer: I’ve been known to make generalizations based on a case study of four”
Since I started blogging three years ago I’ve become obsessed with reading memoirs and personal essays written by smart, funny, women. Recent reads have included everyone from Tina Fey, Sloane Crosley and Mindy Kaling to Zadie Smith. If the essay makes me want to reach out and hug the author and beg them “Can we be friends?!” then I consider it a good essay. Ephron’s writing is the stuff that creepy fan-girl declarations of friendship are made of.
As I mentioned the other day, the one year anniversary of my break-up is approaching and I’ve been doing a lot of self-reflection & assessing my own collection of “loose diamonds” (things I’ve lost and found along the way.) There’s something very comforting about reading stories by women who have experienced life and have managed to maintain their sense of humour. Ephron’s stories reminded me that amidst the highs & lows of life, you can always find a little bit of sparkle if you look for it.
It could just be that I’m obsessed with all things vintage (including doll figurines), but can we just take a moment to acknowledge how cute the book cover is?!
By the way, this isn’t a sponsored post. I just thought I would share the book with you guys since I really enjoyed it and thought some of you might too!
PS. Thank you Almie Rose for introducing me to this book & Amy’s writing.
xox
S.
