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Book Jacket

Loose Diamonds:
...and other things I've lost (and found) along the way
by Amy Ephron

Publisher: William Morrow
Publication date: 09/06/2011.
Short Stories/Essays, 176 pp.

Number of reader reviews: 23
Readers' Consensus: 3.5
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First Impressions: Page 3 of 4
Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Jinny K. (Fremont, CA)

Yawning
I looked forward to this book being warm, witty and wise. I was disappointed on all fronts. I never really connected with any of the essays and stories. It reminded me of reading a five-year-old people magazine about folks I never heard of. Probably would give it a 2 1/2 if possible.

Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Rachel B. (Waynetown, IN)

Very nice concept, but did not follow through
I loved the idea of the book, and looked forward to reading it. However, like most of the other readers here I found the name-dropping and constant references to brand names extremely distracting and irritating. It would have been a quick read, except that I kept putting it down. It had it's moments of wit and some touching revelations, but overall I was extremely disappointed at the gap between what is described on the back cover, and what is actually written on the pages.

Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Angelique H. (York, PA)

(Some of ) The writing sparkles - if only the subject matter did too.
How do you take in a book whose author claims she was tutored by a famous architect as a child; was paid to interview Squeaky Fromme at 19; is capable of telekinesis? The elitist references to a life full of caviar and Cristal and the name dropping are jarring juxtaposed with her observations that our pieces of jewelry are part of our identity - which is as true for a woman wearing $20 silver cross as the author's antique diamond and emerald ring (which she "earned" for 39 hours of labor). The subject matter was fantastical but not in a way that invited the reader to imagine a F. Scott Fitgerald lifestyle; rather it inspired this reader to Google the author for verisimilitude. The writing sparkled in some places while in others it sparked and flared out. Perhaps because it's a gallery proof - the overall effect was of impressions bubbling up sweet and almost satisfying like chocolate fudge just before the "ball" stage.

Rated 3 of 5 of 5 by Lyn M. (charlotte, NC)

A Light Read
I enjoyed Amy Ephron's book, Loose Diamonds, for what it was: A light, entertaining diversion. It was humorous and had some heartwarming moments, but was not ground breaking in any way and not something I would convince someone to go out and purchase. I would certainly tell them to read it if someone lent it to them.

Rated 2 of 5 of 5 by Irene B. (Denton, TX)

loose diamonds
This is not a good book. I would not buy nor recommend it to anyone. It is the equivalent of a movie magazine, a me,me, me book.

Rated 2 of 5 of 5 by Joan V. (Miller Place, NY)

Lumps of coal
This book was very disappointing. I expected the writing to be charming and witty. “Loose Diamonds” has absolutely no substance and very little style.

The constant name dropping was extremely annoying. When Ms. Ephron was not dropping names of famous people it was high end brand names she was brandishing about.

Instead of warm and approachable Ms. Ephron came across as very self-centered; a “poor little rich girl.”

Rated 2 of 5 of 5 by Bea C. (Liberty Lake, WA)

Loose Diamonds
This book is a collection of stories and musings from the author's life. It is like reading a bunch of newspaper columns that have a little humor and not much feeling or intrigue. I would rather read one of them a day with the morning newspaper than try to read them all at once since I hardly remember any one of them. They are not terribly interesting, but they are filled with name dropping. It is definitely not like reading a collection of quality short stories. I would recommend this book to anyone trying to get to sleep.

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