Monday, May 5, 2008

I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley

Sloane Crosley is a "twenty-something" New Yorker whose collection of 15 essays are humorous, clever, and easy to relate to. From stories of being locked out of her apartment in New York on moving day to becoming the maid of honor to a childhood friend she hasn't seen in a decade, Crosley shares her stories in a unique way.

I read this book during a weekend of travelling, since I knew it would be easy to start and stop, and wouldn't require too much concentration. Some of the essays were enjoyable, funny, and I could picture myself in the same situation, or reacting in the same way (i.e. The Pony Problem). However, there were others that were a bit annoying to me, simply because my thoughts are on a completely different wavelength on that particular subject (i.e. One-Night Bounce). Also, I found it a bit difficult to read the essays one after another. I think I can only take so much sarcasm and cleverness at a time. This book would be a great one to have on hand to bring to a doctor's office or to get an oil change-reading an essay here and there to really appreciate the humor. There were times I had to show my sister (and travelling companion) particularly funny passages, and she laughed along with me even though she didn't know the story. Overall, I think this book will be a hit or miss--some people will see themselves in the stories and really enjoy them, whereas others could be a little annoyed.

Date Completed: May 5, 2008
# of pages: 228
2.5/5

4 Comments:

Trish @ Love, Laughter, Insanity said...

Looking forward to hearing more about The Pony Problem! I have a difficult time reading essays, but there have been a few that I enjoyed. Seems to be the same thing, though, where I can only take one or two at a time.

Katherine said...

I read and LOVED this book. I guess we agree to disagree...

Laura said...

~Trish--These essays were easier than most to read, and I think you would laugh at some of them!

~Katherine--My 2.5/5 rating might be a bit harsh, but I liked about half of the essays and the other half irritated me a bit--thus half the rating. I can understand that many people would love this book, though.

Susan O'Bryant said...

I recently added this book to my PBS wish list (along with 171 other people!) because I thought it sounded funny/neat/different. I'm sorry that only half of the essays were appealing to you. I think I'll give it a try anyway, whenever I'm able to get a copy for cheap or free.

Thanks for sharing your review!