I Was Told There'd Be Cake

by Sloane Crosley

Book Overview

Hailed by David Sedaris as "perfectly, relentlessly funny" and by Colson Whitehead as "sardonic without being cruel, tender without being sentimental," from the author of the new collection Look Alive Out There.

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 159448306X
• ISBN13: 9781594483066
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Riverhead Books
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Very Funny

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

"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.

Fantastic Reading for a Light Dinner Alone

Bravo to Sloane Crosley, who has achieved an incredibly high sales ranking for her debut book. This collection of humorous and sometimes-surprisingly-insightful essays has the sort of edge that cuts profoundly with anyone who has a funny bone, remembers their 20s, or simply refuses to grow older than twenty four in their minds. It's best read alone where you can laugh out loud as long and hard as you want; I recommend over a light dinner alone, when you can mindlessly chew in one world while cavhorting through another with a fantastic, fresh new tour guide.