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I Was Told There'd Be Cake | 
 enlarge | Author: Sloane Crosley
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $7.75
You Save: $6.25 (45%)
New (49) Used (40) Collectible (2) from $7.05
Rating:  82 reviews
Sales Rank: 614
Media: Paperback
Pages: 240
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 159448306X
Dewey Decimal Number: 814.6
EAN: 9781594483066
ASIN: 159448306X
Publication Date: April 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New and Factory Sealed Item Fast Shipping
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Product Description
Wry, hilarious, and profoundly genuine, this debut collection of literary essays is a celebration of fallibility and haplessness in all their glory. From despoiling an exhibit at the Natural History Museum to provoking the ire of her first boss to siccing the cops on her mysterious neighbor, Crosley can do no right despite the best of intentions-or perhaps because of them. Together, these essays create a startlingly funny and revealing portrait of a complex and utterly recognizable character that's aiming for the stars but hits the ceiling, and the inimitable city that has helped shape who she is. I Was Told There'd Be Cake introduces a strikingly original voice, chronicling the struggles and unexpected beauty of modern urban life.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 77 more reviews...
 What did i miss? December 1, 2008
J. L. Redmon (Fairfield, CA)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Some of you actually liked this book? It was my first time reading essays and might just be the last... I had to force myself to finish this book becase i had hope that I would find something more entertaining. I finished it and ive never been more dissapointed although it did make me wanna say: "I was told there'd be cake"
 Very Funny December 1, 2008
J. Angeli (Princeton, NJ)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I loved "I was told there'd be cake" every essay was funny and I recommend it! Similar to bust magazine and funny ladies like Jenny McCarthy, Chelsea Handler and Margaret Cho. Can't wait for her next book!
laugh-out-loud humor that hits close to the heart November 18, 2008
Julia (In a galaxy far, far away...)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
"I Was Told There'd Be Cake" is a collection of essays by Sloane Crosley. She touches on every subject from childhood obsessions with Oregon Trail to the horrendous experience of moving in Manhattan and just about everything (including the kitchen sink).
She can take the simplest of experiences and turn them into an experience that will leave you rolling on the ground, laughing until you cry. She discusses topics that most people are hesitant to confront and turns it into a situation you can laugh about. Her voice is sarcastic enough to make you chuckle but not sardonic enough to be considered cruel. Most importantly, she writes about things we can relate to.
As you read, you find yourself agreeing with the things Sloane says. We've all had some experiences similar to the ones she writes about. Maybe we don't all keep toy ponies from ex-boyfriends under our kitchen sinks, but we've all been locked out of our house or attempted to bake. When you can relate to things, then they're that much funnier and they really make themselves a place in your heart.
Sloane has a great voice; it's unique but not totally out there. She's quirky and almost poetic with her words and storytelling technique. It's like she's talking to you, and she just seems like one of those people you'd want to be friends with. This chumminess also tightens the bond between you and the author. Crosley delves deep in to the human emotion with the simple tales and tickles your funny bone while she's at it.
I highly recommend this book, and I guarantee you'll love it just as much, if not more than I did.
 Hee hee Not! November 13, 2008
PB&bananas
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book had a catchy title that was a reason I was drawn to it other than that it doesn't have much going for it. It started out a little funny with "the Pony Problem" and I could definitely relate to the Oregon Trail references. After a while I lost interest because the writing wasn't that great and she was not that funny. I began to role my eyes at her pretentiousness then I just had to put the book down. I don't understand how she got such rave reviews for this debut.
 Funny slice of life book of essays November 8, 2008
Casadejunqueinc (los angeles)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
I loved this book and found much to laugh at in a familiar sort of way, especially the author's essay pondering what her loved ones would think about when they found her dirty apartment, the bed unmade, weeks of laundry piled up everywhere, after her untimely death, either during 911 or in some other random urban event, like being caught in the crossfire of a robber holding up a convenience store, and you're just standing there in the path of a bullet, a poor schmuck holding your carton of cigarettes in one hand and your ATM card in the other, waiting your turn in line at the cash register.
Some have criticized the author for her self-absorbed perspective, but this is the truth: most of us live our lives this way. We view large events - 9/11, for instance, from our own point of view. I recall being haunted for years at the falling bodies, wondering what/how I would feel if that was me. I also briefly thought about what my friends and relatives would think and say when they came to pack up my apartment after my untimely death and they went through all of my personal belongings.
These musings are unique to urban America. Any reader who lives in the comfy burbs won't be able to comprehend the true meaning of the word bodega. There is no English equivalent, and much of the value and wit of this book will be lost on many readers who just don't get the inside joke.
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