“I’ve never bought
loose diamonds but the idea of them appeals to me,
sparkling stones that I imagine come wrapped in a velvet
cloth . . . ”
With her wonderful sense of humor, marvelously candid
voice, and astonishing perception, 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. Writing with great honesty and exacting prose,
Ephron gives us an evocative, engaging, and often piercing
look at modern life.
Along the way, we meet colorful and unforgettable
characters such as the Birdman, who invited Ephron when she
was a young girl into his Spanish-style home that he’d
magically turned into an exotic aviary. And there’s Honey,
the Cristal-loving Southern beauty, who struggles in her
affairs with men and who orders “champagne by the case.”
Ephron also recounts the afternoon she spent with the
infamous Squeaky Fromme, and describes what happened after
one of the mothers at her son’s school rear-ended her car.
Did it have anything to do with Ephron’s soon-to-be ex-
husband? And through it all is Ephron’s mother, whose
perspectives on everything—from shoes to egg cups—pervade
this book, and whose alcoholism was a constant challenge,
forcing Ephron out on her own at an early age. Finally,
Ephron professes her lifelong love affair with Saks Fifth
Avenue in New York City, a touchstone and a companion in a
world that always moves too fast and is sometimes upside
down. It is an ode to a simpler time of elegance and style,
and an incisive look at today’s times.
Throughout Loose Diamonds, Amy Ephron celebrates these
memories and her friendships, as well as her romances and
marriages, and the things that make life livable (such as
her Filofax, which she would be lost without). She writes
unflinchingly about the fragility and tenuousness of life,
how fortune can turn on a dime and circumstances aren’t
always in our control. She explores the enduring effects of
parental wisdom, the complications and rewards that
marriage can bring, and the intricate ups and downs of
friendships—all with a quick wit and a delicate eye.