I've always found it intriguing that we often are able to associate certain memories with various items. Life's Accessories takes this fact and runs with it; creating a stylish and honest memoir.



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.
 


Standard disclaimer: A copy of this book was provided by the publisher and my friends at BookSparks in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

"Had I been wearing a hat, I would have thrown it up in the air. I had made it after all."

What a fun memoir! This is how my mind operates. Life's Accessories showcases Rachel's life in a way that speaks to me on a specific level. I have this theory that everyone has at least one item in their possession (or, had one item in their possession) that they associate with a very specific, very vivid moment of their life. Memory is a tricky, tricky thing, but I've always found it interesting that some of my most prominent memories all tie back into something else.

With sensory memories, I hear a song or smell a perfume or see a yellow dress and just like that, I start reminiscing. So, reading Life's Accessories was not unlike walking down memory lane myself. The experience was fun and light, but still intimate and thoughtful. Whilst it's not the same story--the way that this memoir unravels reminded me very much so of a more in depth version of Love, Loss, and What I Wore.

Not only do we learn a great deal of Rachel Levy Lesser's heart and soul, and what items she is able to associate with memories good and bad, Life's Accessories gives a spark of inspiration to jot down memories of our own. Immediately after finishing, I found myself thinking of the many memories I have.

It goes without saying: I really enjoyed this one.

Life's Accessories is only as good as its author and the life she has lived thus far. Which is what makes this memoir stylish, memorable and beautifully written. Rachel Levy Lesser comes across on page as truly alight with life. Life's Accessories is all that a memoir should be--thoughtful, charming and humorous; it was a wonderful treat to curl up with during the first snow of the season.