April 5, 2011

The Red Leather Diary by Lily Koppel

I have always held a fascination for diaries and journals, stories about people's diaries/letters, books about how to be creative in writing a journal, etc. So naturally, when this book popped up on a list somewhere, I was very eager to read it. 

Lily Koppel, a young writer, living in New York and working at the New York Times, walks out of her apartment one morning to find herself looking at a "treasure in the trash" situation.  A dumpster, brimming with old steamer trunks and piled high, staring back at her.  Her doorman tells her that among the chaos, "some girl's diary from the 30's" was found and then gives it to her.  To find out more, "Koppel embarks on a journey into the past, traveling to a New York in which women of privilege meet for tea at Schraffts, dance at the Hotel Pennsylvania, and toast the night at El Morocco. As she turns the diary's brittle pages, Koppel is captivated by the headstrong, young woman whose intimate thoughts and emotions fill the pale, blue lines. She re-creates the romance and glitter, sophistication and promise, of 1930's New York, bringing to life the true story of a precocious young woman, who dared to follow his dreams."

For a reader who is fascinated by New York in the late 1920's and early 30's, this would be enjoyable as it is filled with descriptions of life and the happenings of that time period. It was fascinating to see New York through the eyes of a teenager living in a time that was long ago, and growing up in a city that was also growing up. Florence's life was filled with art, music, writing, experimenting and pushing the boundaries.

 I think I may have appreciated it more if Florence Wolfson had narrated it in her own words, instead of Lily Koppel re-creating it, because somewhere in the middle, a story was lost and a journalistic report was born. It was interesting, however, to get to know Florence and think back to one's own teenage years of potential and possibilities with a whole world to conquer. The photographs, sprinkled throughout the book gives it some visual appeal.  The premise of the book is great - finding it in a dumpster, the contents of the diary makes one curious to know what happens in this girl's life, but the story could have sprung to life if it were written differently - not quite so choppy and all over the place, unimaginative and lacked character development, to a certain extent.

The content was fine but the writing was not for me. I am sure there are people out there who would connect to this book much better than I did, but I found myself skimming over parts of it, just so I could finish it and return it to the library in time.
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Reviewed by Yolanda Taylor at 5:38 PM
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6 comments:

  1. Barbara McDowell WhittApril 5, 2011 at 7:14 PM

    One of the things I enjoyed most about The Red Leather Diary was the author's story of how she managed to find Florence Wolfson, who by then had been married and had a different name, and the friendship that developed between the two women during the time that Lily Koppel was interviewing the diarist.

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  2. Holly (2 Kids and Tired)April 5, 2011 at 11:23 PM

    Thanks for an honest review. I've been curious about this one. It's interesting that it's not in the original voice. I may still check it out!
    2 Kids and Tired Books

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  3. Yolanda TaylorApril 6, 2011 at 9:31 AM

    Barbara, thank you for your comment :) I also liked when Florence told Lily she had a new grandmother, when they first met. That was so sweet :)I can imagine the feelings that went through each of them when they finally met.

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  4. Yolanda TaylorApril 6, 2011 at 9:34 AM

    Holly, you are welcome :) Please post your comment here when you are done reading it. I'd be curious to know what you thought about it :)

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  5. Register Domain In IndiaJune 20, 2011 at 12:35 AM

    It's really honest review about this topic. Interesting topic for all the book readers. After reading this topic i get it new ideas and thoughts for this topic.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Avinash DwivediMay 27, 2015 at 1:16 AM

    Thanks for the sharing such a nice blog.


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    ReplyDelete

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