I Was Told There'd Be Cake
by: Sloane Crosley
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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.
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
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Entertaining Read
A truthful and very funny book of essays about various experiences Crosley's had. From getting locked out of her NYC apartment to being a bridesmaid for a friend she hasn't spoken for in years (my favorite essay, personally), Crosley often finds herself in interesting and definitely noteworthy experiences. She's both self-deprecating and witty. I enjoyed quite a few of these essays (the one about her working in the butterfly exhibit at the Natural History Center was fantastic - those bugs ARE scary), ... Read More
Rating: 
- The worst book I've ever read!!!
I don't usually write reviews for books, but upon reading this book I was inclined to express my boredom.I read 30+ books a year and this is by far the worst.It's boring, dull, monotonous and I barely found a glimpse of humor.This is on my top 10 DON'T READ, or wasteyour time.
Rating: 
- I was told it would be funny
and it wasn't as "hilarious and witty" as the reviews I read raved about this book.I took this book on vacation, expecting to laugh hysterically as I lounged and drank by the pool.Several margaritas later, still no laughs.This book had it's moments that made me smile, like Oregon Trail Day (which was quite funny) but overall, lacked the bite that I expected.The concepts behind the stories were fun and quirky, but they fizzled out after a couple of pages.It seemed like the author took one thought ... Read More
Rating: - A literary Tracy Ullman
Sloane Crosley is like a literary Tracy Ullman: Her ideas probably sound better in her head than they do in the presentation. It's not that she's a bad writer, but the stories are a little pedestrian. She thinks she's a female David Sedaris, but, well, she's not. Except for the pony story and a hilarious piece called "You On a Stick", most of the stories are just okay. Not bad, but certainly not great.
Rating: - No, Sloane Crosley. There is no cake for you.
The thing about David Sedaris is that he frequently uses personal experience to illustrate larger truths about society. From her stories, Crosley appears to be interested only in illustrating how delightfully quirky she is. Regrettably, it is a calculated, constructed quirky. The persona presented by the stories calls to mind that smirky party girl who tells the same stories at every party and laughs over-loudly at her own jokes that aren't even funny. No insight, pure nonsense. The story about Crosley wishing ... Read More
- Entertaining ReadA truthful and very funny book of essays about various experiences Crosley's had. From getting locked out of her NYC apartment to being a bridesmaid for a friend she hasn't spoken for in years (my favorite essay, personally), Crosley often finds herself in interesting and definitely noteworthy experiences. She's both self-deprecating and witty. I enjoyed quite a few of these essays (the one about her working in the butterfly exhibit at the Natural History Center was fantastic - those bugs ARE scary), ... Read More
- The worst book I've ever read!!!I don't usually write reviews for books, but upon reading this book I was inclined to express my boredom.I read 30+ books a year and this is by far the worst.It's boring, dull, monotonous and I barely found a glimpse of humor.This is on my top 10 DON'T READ, or wasteyour time.
- I was told it would be funnyand it wasn't as "hilarious and witty" as the reviews I read raved about this book.I took this book on vacation, expecting to laugh hysterically as I lounged and drank by the pool.Several margaritas later, still no laughs.This book had it's moments that made me smile, like Oregon Trail Day (which was quite funny) but overall, lacked the bite that I expected.The concepts behind the stories were fun and quirky, but they fizzled out after a couple of pages.It seemed like the author took one thought ... Read More
- A literary Tracy UllmanSloane Crosley is like a literary Tracy Ullman: Her ideas probably sound better in her head than they do in the presentation. It's not that she's a bad writer, but the stories are a little pedestrian. She thinks she's a female David Sedaris, but, well, she's not. Except for the pony story and a hilarious piece called "You On a Stick", most of the stories are just okay. Not bad, but certainly not great.
- No, Sloane Crosley. There is no cake for you.The thing about David Sedaris is that he frequently uses personal experience to illustrate larger truths about society. From her stories, Crosley appears to be interested only in illustrating how delightfully quirky she is. Regrettably, it is a calculated, constructed quirky. The persona presented by the stories calls to mind that smirky party girl who tells the same stories at every party and laughs over-loudly at her own jokes that aren't even funny. No insight, pure nonsense. The story about Crosley wishing ... Read More
