Life’s Accessories
A memoir (and fashion guide)
Rachel Levy Lesser can relive almost every significant life event through an accessory. A scarf, a pair of earrings, a bag, even a fleece pair of socks―each contains the elements that put together the story of a life. Life’s Accessories is a funny, sad, touching, relatable, shake-your-head-right-along-as-you-laugh-and-wipe-away-tears, coming-of-age memoir. In fourteen essays, Lesser tackles sensitive issues like anxiety, illness, and loss in a way that feels a bit like having a chat with a good friend. Out of the stories comes solid life―and fashion―advice. About far more than just a hair tie, a bracelet, or a belt, Life’s Accessories is a window into the many ways in which Lesser has come to understand life―in all of its beauty, its joys, its sorrows, its heartaches, its challenges, and its absurdity.
Praise for Life’s Accessories
‘I’d like to be one of Rachel Levy Lesser’s best friends even though I’ve never met her. You would too after you read about how honestly she writes about her young life. She’s smart, funny, savvy and knows what she wants in best friends, men you can trust, mothering, and classy high fashion choices.’
Ilene Beckerman
Author of Love, Loss and What I Wore
‘Lesser imbues each anecdote, centered around a piece of clothing, jewelry, or accessory, with humor, wisdom, and memory. She excavates her own personal history through particular objects in her closet, and makes the personal universal. I laughed, I cried, I nodded vigorously in agreement as I read. I loved this book.’
Lindsey Mead
Writer and Editor of On Being 40(ish)
‘I fell in love with Rachel on page one, and by the last chapter I was convinced she was my long lost BFF. She writes with humor and grace, and takes us on her life’s journey with vulnerability and wit. Rachel is as real and authentic as it comes.’
Ali Katz
Author of One Minute to Zen
‘Rachel Levy Lesser had me on page one. Her storytelling is heartfelt, engrossing, entertaining, and as addictive as reading a friend’s diary. Life’s Accessories will undoubtedly leave readers wanting Lesser to add to her collection.’
Amy Blumenfeld
Author of The Cast
‘Rachel Levy Lesser paints a relatable, compelling picture of her highs and lows, and beautifully writes about the loss of her mother. Life’s Accessories is this season’s must-have accessory for your best girlfriend’s bedside table.’
Zibby Owens
Writer, Creator/Host of Podcast, “Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books”
‘In fluid, engaging prose, Rachel Levy Lesser draws readers into her episodic coming-of-age from prep school student to mature mother and writer — accessorized charmingly throughout by symbolic talismans. Through grieving for her lost mother, she exudes a palpable joie de vivre, attracting a lively coterie, including us who read as Best Friends Forever.’
Paula Deitz
Editor, The Hudson Review
‘In this episodic memoir, worn talismans give Rachel Levy Lesser the strength to claim her voice, weather grief, and navigate a rich and full life. Reminiscent of Ilene Beckerman’s classic Love, Loss, and What I Wore, Lesser captures the pressures and pleasures of a new generation of women as her warmth and wisdom shine through.’
Andrea Jarrell
Author of I’m the One Who Got Away: a Memoir
‘Reading Lesser’s memoir is like sifting through a closet with a friend, stopping to pause over certain items and remembering why they meant so much in the first place. She artfully reminds us how even just thinking about an object can immediately transport us right back to a moment in time.’
Beth Ricanati
Author of Braided: A Journey of a Thousand Challahs
‘Through both her sheer bravery and evident joy from mining years’ worth of coming of age memories, Rachel Levy Lesser has proven that the term ‘grief book’ is anything but a one note category. I smiled with tears in my eyes throughout this entirely creative paper journey documenting the LOL-worthy and poignant moments from adolescence and young adulthood, and the hard lessons some of us get schooled in earlier than we might expect.’
Rebecca Soffer
Coauthor of Modern Loss: Candid Conversation About Grief. Beginners Welcome.
