About the Author

Valerie Steiker’s writing has appeared in The New Yorker, Vogue, ARTnews, The Forward, and The New York Times Book Review. A senior editor at Vogue, she lives in Manhattan.

Reviews

"The exquisite handiwork of a deeply appealing young writer. . . . Steiker's understated, moving prose penetrates deep into the interior itself: to the heart, to the mind." –TheWashington Post Book World

“Poignant. . . . a graceful tracing of her mother's life." —Vogue

“Such a beautiful book. . . . It’s about what home means to you and how it can really be embodied in one person who shapes your life, and how to deal with it after that person is gone.” --Anna Quindlen on the Today Show

“Lovely. . . . Vibrant. . . Gisele sought beauty and loved extravagance in a way that made her the most unforgettable character in her daugther’s life. . . . Remind[s] you of Life Is Beautiful.” —San Francisco Chronicle

"Extraordinary. . . . She titles each chapter of her elegantly structured work after an animal or an insect, then subtly and seamlessly weaves metaphors of anthropomorphism into her narrative, as if into a web." —Newsday

“Here Steiker proves the mother-daughter relationship does not have to be fraught with trouble to be memorable.” —Boston Herald

“Poignant. . . . Quite beautiful. . . . A graceful tracing of her mother's life." —Vogue

“Delicious. . . . Don’t be too surprised if you find yourself rereading passages just to enjoy Steiker’s lush prose, rich descriptions, and above all the talent for living she inherited from her mother.” —Bookreporter.com

“Valerie Steiker combines style and substance in The Leopard Hat, an ode to her flamboyant and sophisticated mother, Gisele.” —Time Out New York

“An outstandingly moving valentine to [Steiker’s] dashing and exuberant Belgian mother… What an incredible family album.” —Daily Candy

“Completely charming …. Can there be any loving daughter who won’t see something of her mother in this memoir, or many readers who won’t be taken by its special mixture of the high-hearted and the heartbreaking?” —Adam Gopnik

“A luminously written debut. . . . A loving tribute to a woman who taught her daughters to value beauty and joy.” —Kirkus

"The exquisite handiwork of a deeply appealing young writer. . . . Steiker's understated, moving prose penetrates deep into the interior itself: to the heart, to the mind." -TheWashington Post Book World

"Poignant. . . . a graceful tracing of her mother's life." -Vogue

"Such a beautiful book. . . . It's about what home means to you and how it can really be embodied in one person who shapes your life, and how to deal with it after that person is gone." --Anna Quindlen on the Today Show

"Lovely. . . . Vibrant. . . Gisele sought beauty and loved extravagance in a way that made her the most unforgettable character in her daugther's life. . . . Remind[s] you of Life Is Beautiful." -San Francisco Chronicle

"Extraordinary. . . . She titles each chapter of her elegantly structured work after an animal or an insect, then subtly and seamlessly weaves metaphors of anthropomorphism into her narrative, as if into a web." -Newsday

"Here Steiker proves the mother-daughter relationship does not have to be fraught with trouble to be memorable." -Boston Herald

"Poignant. . . . Quite beautiful. . . . A graceful tracing of her mother's life." -Vogue

"Delicious. . . . Don't be too surprised if you find yourself rereading passages just to enjoy Steiker's lush prose, rich descriptions, and above all the talent for living she inherited from her mother." -Bookreporter.com

"Valerie Steiker combines style and substance in The Leopard Hat, an ode to her flamboyant and sophisticated mother, Gisele." -Time Out New York

"An outstandingly moving valentine to [Steiker's] dashing and exuberant Belgian mother... What an incredible family album." -Daily Candy

"Completely charming .... Can there be any loving daughter who won't see something of her mother in this memoir, or many readers who won't be taken by its special mixture of the high-hearted and the heartbreaking?" -Adam Gopnik

"A luminously written debut. . . . A loving tribute to a woman who taught her daughters to value beauty and joy." -Kirkus

"You'll get to know your mother more as you go through the different phases of your life," a wise friend consoled Steiker, a former New Yorker writer and ArtForum editor, who'd lost her mother before they could connect "woman to woman." In this finely etched memoir, Steiker relives her childhood the family apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side, the Parisian escapes with her mother, the family holidays in India and Nepal in delicious, Proustian detail. The simplest objects (e.g., a favorite dress, an ugly pepper mill, a long-lost Art Deco ring) evoke strong memories; Steiker's mother had a "mania for tchotchkes." Habits and rituals speak, too: her mother's quaint English ("will wonders never seize!"), Shabbat candle-lighting and the family shaking hands with each other before starting every trip abroad. Steiker's "show don't tell" style lets detail make her point, e.g., when her family is at a seaside cafe in Belgium, everyone's playing cards, the waffles are piled high with strawberries and whipped cream and yet many "players have blue numbers on their arms. No one speaks of it." Early in the narrative, Steiker studies a photo her mother took of her and aches for "the sensation, lost forever now, of standing and dreaming and being me before my mother's eyes." This rich, elegantly understated chronicle brings back that very feeling for Steiker and for her readers. Agent, Tina Bennett. (May 3) Forecast: Well-timed for Mother's Day, this memoir speaks to literary readers and those interested in Jewish culture. It should do especially well in New York. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.