Jewelry Talks A Novel Thesis

Campy, bitchy, outrageous, and quite a bit more than over the top, Abby Zinzo describes himself as "a cross between Auntie Mame and Louis the Sun King." Abby has lived a life dedicated to pleasure, and nothing has given him more pleasure than owning, wearing, or merely contemplating the lustrous objects with which women and men have always adorned themselves. In this sexy, funny book that is part novel and part thesis on jewelry, Abby sits down to record everything he has learned over a lifetime, planning to leave this story along with his collection of valuable stones to his beloved niece, Zeem. He recounts the history of famous gemslike the fabulous Koh-i-Noor and the brilliant blue Hope diamondand regales us with naughty tales of the women who made the beautiful jewelry their own, including Coco Chanel, the Duchess of Windsor, and Elizabeth Taylor. He also narrates his own sensational life, from Harvard undergraduate to dancer in a notorious Paris drag cabaret to his twilight as a man for whom gender is just another glittering ornament. Sharp, fascinating, and sparkling with its own inner fire,Jewelry Talksis precious gem in and of itself.

Richard Klein is the author of <i>Eat Fat</i> (available in paperback from Vintage Books) and <i>Cigarettes Are Sublime</i>. He is a professor of French at Cornell University and lives in Ithaca, New York.<br><br><br><i>From the Hardcover edition.</i>