“On its own, the diary offers a dusty window into an extraordinary life. With her skillful reporting, fine prose and excellent eye for period detail, Koppel has given it a lovely shine, especially since she miraculously managed to track down—and befriend—Wolfson, who is now in her 90s…A story about not one but two lovable characters—and the city that brought them together.”—New York Times Book Review
“A world straight from the pages of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel. ... The Red Leather Diary is Koppel’s tribute to both the tempestuous girl she came to know on paper and the older, more even-tempered woman she grew to love in real life. It's an extraordinary story about coming of age, following your dreams, and discovering (or rediscovering) who you are, were, and want to be.”—Parade
“Florence’s life reads like E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime in places, with all the famous paths crossed and situations experienced…Together, Koppel and Florence take readers through a world dizzy with new ideas, rhythms and inventions.”—BookPage
“AN AMAZING STORY”—Chicago Tribune
“Sparked by a felicitous discovery in an Upper West Side dumpster, New York Times writer Lily Koppel spins an enthralling true fairy tale about a Depression-era ingénue.”—Vogue
“New York Times writer Lily Koppel’s The Red Leather Diary melds three life-affirming subjects—Florence Wolfson’s journal of life in 1930s Manhattan—Koppel’s discovery of it in a Dumpster decades later, and the meeting of the two women—into one enchanting memoir.”—Elle
“Koppel shows how one single figure from a city’s past can be epic in scope. America’s identity is found in stories like this.”—Bookslut