In this tender loving memoir, Valerie Steiker evokes a magical childhood on the Upper East side of New York with a woman whose own losses led her t...
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reviews
Nov 09, 2009
Sandy
rated it: 
This is a marvelous memoir... rich in wonderful detail of a happy child's family and life in 60's New York. Her opening descriptions of her mother's beauty parlor was right out of my childhood... not so much the 'going to', as my mother did not, but of the knowing about and imagining the lives of those who DID patronize such places.... and the images of her family's apartment on Madison Avene, of her mother's wonderful foibles and eccentricities, of her eclectic tastes and her standards of behav
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Dec 29, 2011
Heidi
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Reviews on Amazon were mixed because of the writing style but I really enjoyed the book. If you stopped in the first section, you might go away thinking Steiker was telling the same old tale of Upper East Side privilege, but that isn't the most important part of the story at all. The shelter that her parents provided to Valerie and her sister was remarkable to me - emotional and physical. Perhaps the truest part of the memoir is the ending, when both her parents - now dead - can be remembered in
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Jul 09, 2007
Kate
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I picked this up randomly from the Memoir shelf at the library. So far it is has a basic, pretty uninspired writing style. The author clearly had an interesting mother, but there is a sense of worship that I find a little disconcerting. The author's mother did die when she was in college, so perhaps that leads to really only knowing your mother from a child's perspective which is why there seems to be such an uncritical eye. Sadly, most of the book just seems to be an outlining of how cool
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Jun 12, 2010
Lauren
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I read The Leopard Hat during a very lonely summer in college, spent in a strange city with few friends. I can remember being very engrossed with this book (possibly because of my lacking social life, but more likely because this book was really good!), and admiring Steiker's bold yet vulnerable voice as she investigates her own identity through her mother's history. There were parts that moved me to tears. From what I can remember, Steiker's voice was really the compelling aspect of this nov
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Nov 01, 2011
Hannah
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I appreciate the concept of writing a glowing memoir about your idealized mother -- but it should probably be kept just for family. Writing style aside (simplistic) I thought this book was overly sentimental and only parts of it were truly interesting.
May 27, 2009
melanie (lit*chick)
rated it:
I remember Anna Quindlen recommending this (along with Beekeeper's Apprentice) on the Today show a few years ago and it has taken me all this time to read it.
A lovely counterpoint to all the hard knock life memoirs currently filling up the shelves. The book shines when the author is describing her mother, less so when she talks about herself, but still a worthwhile read.
A lovely counterpoint to all the hard knock life memoirs currently filling up the shelves. The book shines when the author is describing her mother, less so when she talks about herself, but still a worthwhile read.
Aug 28, 2009
Jill
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I think that the author needed a better editor (again). There were really good parts of this, but the lack of unity, lack of any sort of organizing principle didn't work for me. It was as if she wrote a series of essays, rather than a non-fiction memoir. I actually wanted to know her mother better, rather than hear so much about the author.
Oct 16, 2008
Liga
rated it:
good, good. this is another book that easily conjures (do i put 'up' after 'conjure'?) images from films, other books, other cities, places, new york, of course, among them. however, there were a little too many things in there - in those images, in the story. things that i found hard to relate to. due to the soviet past, i think.
Jul 07, 2008
Amy
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I loved this book as a reflection on how we become who were are through our mothers. One of my favorite quotes, "To create something meaningful as an adult is all the more precious because you know how ephemeral life is, how painful and difficult and even ugly it can be." It is really good.
Apr 23, 2011
Gina
rated it:
A well-written and enjoyable account of a woman and her relationship with her mother. There are ups and there are downs, and the author doesn't sugar-coat the past. There is a sentiment tone, but it never overshadows the quality of the work.
Jul 01, 2008
Julie
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I loved this book, too. Valerie Steiker is one of those amazing writers who happens to be a brilliant editor, too.
Dec 31, 2011
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