I Was Told There'd Be Cake

Reviews (See all 888) Write a reviewfor this

It's a hit!

A very enjoyable read, though at times it did seem a little strange. I definitely did not agree with everything that the narrator does, but its a ... (show more)

A very enjoyable read, though at times it did seem a little strange. I definitely did not agree with everything that the narrator does, but its a wild ride as you go along with her. I found that alot of ideas and topics that she touched on made me think about things in my life a little bit differently. And if a book does that, it's usually worth the read to me. Great for light, fun reading, during lunch breaks or maybe if you're planning a trip to the beach. Her language also flows nicely through the series of essays, and the more you read the better you become at predicting what she's going to do next. I imagine I'll be picking up the book at times on down the road, just to relive one of her crazy situations. Some readers who faster at consuming novels than me could probably get through this in a day or two. Take the chance and pick it up. You'll be glad you did. (show less)

 

 

by Marlena Frank

No, it's a flop!

Everyone has their own drug of choice. Occasionally I cook, other times I read. I headed down to the Public Library this weekend for a pick-me up.... (show more)

Everyone has their own drug of choice. Occasionally I cook, other times I read. I headed down to the Public Library this weekend for a pick-me up. I googled a few key words and out popped I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Ms. Crossley.

The book was reviewed decently, tons of blogs and newspapers claiming it's a must read, must buy, your empty life void will soon be filled if you just buy/read this book, they claim. Since the money in my pocket is reserved mostly for Sir Terry's books and DVDs, I just borrowed the book from the library.

The style of writing is very bloggish. Apparently people are very impressed with it. They hail it as "new style", "searingly honest", "incredibly fresh" but to me it's a blog. It's printed on paper, it's bound in glue and sold in bookstores but in the end it's still a blog. It's very eloquently written, it's decorated in fancy words, it's wonderful but I could have gotten this for free! Okay, correction, I did get it for free, BUT, I could have gotten this for free and get an easy access to it through the internet or by talking to my friends/family.

The content of the essay collection is ... boring. I had expected something like David Sedaris' collection of essays. Sedaris has tons of 'I can't believe this happened/still happened' life stories that kept me interested throughout the books. Her life story is not very exciting to be honest. She is a middle class NY suburbanite, she has a lot of book smarts, (and probably some amount of street smarts, being a New Yorker), she is a vegetarian, she has some quirky views in/about life, socially slightly awkward and she has relatively attractive physical features. Perhaps this is just my experience but I meet these girls and women everyday. In my (old) dayjob, my female connections, my cousins, my friends, etc and so on and so forth. Heck, all I have to do is ring up one of my friends and get them to start writing their own "essay collection" or "autobiography" and their stories would have been more exciting, dangerous and funny! Bottom line is, I'm sure everyone has a more exciting life than she does even when you're in the dumps. Perhaps it's just the way they are written, perhaps her life is that boring.

In conclusion, don't buy it, don't even bother to read it. More power to her to be able to get published but there are far better essayist with more interesting life stories. (show less)

 

 

by Facebook User

More Reviews

• 

  The cover boasts that Sloane Crosley's wit is "from the realm of Sedaris." I see where they're going with that, but she's not quite in Sedaris' realm yet. She's a young writer and this is a good first book. She has some quirky turns of phrase that made me smile and others that left me puzzled. So, it was a bit hit and miss. But I must say that the hits made the book worth my time; it was a fun read and I could relate to a lot of what she was saying. I think she's someone to watch fo... (show more)

  The cover boasts that Sloane Crosley's wit is "from the realm of Sedaris." I see where they're going with that, but she's not quite in Sedaris' realm yet. She's a young writer and this is a good first book. She has some quirky turns of phrase that made me smile and others that left me puzzled. So, it was a bit hit and miss. But I must say that the hits made the book worth my time; it was a fun read and I could relate to a lot of what she was saying. I think she's someone to watch for the future. If she doesn't quite live up to her cover review now, she will in the future, I am sure of it. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Jul 26, 2008 at 08:23AM

  Already read

  Is this review helpful? yes no
   
• 
  

  I hate the quirky part of my personality that won't let me stop in the middle of a book, even a book I'm not enjoying. I have to see it through to the bitter end. This is unfortunately one of those books. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. I read the publishers blurbs that compared her to David Sedaris, etc., etc., but I was cruelly disappointed. First of all, she's not old enough to have that much to write about and ends up writing several essays about her childhood and adolescen... (show more)

  I hate the quirky part of my personality that won't let me stop in the middle of a book, even a book I'm not enjoying. I have to see it through to the bitter end. This is unfortunately one of those books. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great. I read the publishers blurbs that compared her to David Sedaris, etc., etc., but I was cruelly disappointed. First of all, she's not old enough to have that much to write about and ends up writing several essays about her childhood and adolescence, which were pretty unremarkable, honestly. I mean, a whole essay about Oregon Trail, the video game? Really? One of the reviews said she was hit and miss. I slogged through to the very end, but wish I hadn't. (See next to last story about something on her bathroom floor) As another reviewer pointed out, she does have interesting turns of phrase, but on the whole, I think she needs to have lived a little longer to have enough experience to write in the manner she does. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on May 11, 2009 at 08:45PM

  Already read

  Is this review helpful? yes no
   
• See all reviews
  Write a review