Library Journal (Sept. 1, 1997): In 40 vignette-like chapters, Klein offers unsentimental and often unflattering confessions, showing herself to be an irreverent, funny, tough woman who learned from her wrongheaded decisions, grew in self-acceptance, and was able to say good-bye celebrating her abrasive individuality. -- Carol A. McAllister, Coll. of William & Mary

Booklist (July 19, 1997): In this memoir, Klein recalls first her first-generation Jewish American parents and her father's millinery business, which supported the family through good times and a succession of maids until women's fashions changed abruptly in the mid-'50s and hats were out. She also details the oily piano teacher who sexually assaulted her as a child; being uprooted when in fifth grade to move to a more upscale neighborhood; her burgeoning sexuality and early boyfriends; and a notable freshman college year, when she "slid down the menorah into the melting pot." Graduating from the esteemed Parsons School of Design, she went on to create with her husband Savage Jewelry in Manhattan; to design innovative, thematic jewelry; and to teach at Parsons. She and her son discovered lumps in their necks the same week, but she outlived him and wrote this heartfelt book before her own death at 59 in 1995. -- Whitney Scott Copyright© 1997, American Library Association. All rights reserved

Southern California Senior Life (July 1998): Savage Scruple is written in short, concise episodes. Klein discusses her own life candidly and openly, including her sexual experiences and problems with her first husband . . . At the same time, her own honesty and bluntness make it hard to sympathize with her in some parts of the story. . . . Savage Scruple is well-written, but is definitely not an uplifting or sentimental book. Still, readers may find that its lack of manufactured charm is an interesting change.

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