I Was Told There'd Be Cake

Anyone curious about what Carrie Bradshaw ("Sex and the City") was like in her twenties need only listen to Sloane Crosley's essays of life, love, and anguish in the big city. The collection opens hilariously and uniquely with Crosley's tale, "The Pony Problem," about her stash of plastic ponies, and ricochets into apartment blues, strained relationships, a disastrous first job, a major boo-boo at the American Museum of Natural History, and a wild "Bring Your Machete to Work Day." Fast, funny, nostalgic vignettes never lose their momentum and are captivating even when Crosley's remarks seem petty and childish. But then, she IS young, and will get better as she matures. The collection is gloriously enriched by the author's reading. M.T.B. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Starred review from November 26, 2007
This debut essay collection is full of sardonic wit and charm, and Crosley effortlessly transforms what could have been stereotypical tales of mid-20s life into a breezy series of vignettes with uproariously unpredictable outcomes. From the opening “The Pony Problem†to the hilarious “Bring-Your-Machete-to-Work Day†(which will ring true for any child of the early 1990s who played the first Oregon Trail computer game), Crosley is equal parts self-deprecating and endearing as she recounts her secret obsession with plastic ponies and the joys of exacting revenge via a pixilated wagon ride. In less capable hands, the subjects tackled—from unpleasant weddings of long-forgotten friends to horrendous first jobs—could have been a litany of complaints from yet another rich girl from the suburbs. But Crosley, who grew up in Westchester and currently lives in Manhattan, makes the experiences her own with a plethora of amusing twists: a volunteer job at the American Museum of Natural History leads to a moral quandary, and a simple Upper West Side move becomes anything but. Fans of Sarah Vowell’s razor-sharp tongue will love this original new voice.

Starred review from September 29, 2008
Crosley's dry, ironic narration is the perfect match for her collection of essays about her struggles and misadventures as a 20-something gal in New York. Her reading brings a personal touch to her reminiscences. She never hams it up or overdoes it, telling her stories in an understated but arch tone (the aural equivalent of a raised eyebrow), and her timing and delivery are unerringly on-target, making humorous lines even funnier. She's especially effective in her self-deprecating moments, as when ruefully recounting the time she managed to lock herself out of her apartment twice in one day—one can hear the horrified realization in her voice as the door closes and the lock ominously clicks, and the disbelief and frustration in knowing she's made the same careless mistake, again. Her tone and voice bring out all the humor and personality of her writing, making this collection even more enjoyable on audio than in print. A Riverhead paperback (Reviews, Nov. 26).

Starred review from October 15, 2008
Vintage Books publicist Crosley (sloanecrosley. com) is a modern diarist with attitude, at once opinionated, witty, and raw. Her personality and spark lend her reading of her own debut essay collection intimacy and authenticity, as though she were the listener's friend dishing over a cup of tea. Highly recommended for public library nonfiction collections. [Audio clip available through us.penguingroup.com; HBO recently optioned the rights to the Riverhead pb original, a "New York Times" best seller described as "a refreshing, original reflection on modern life recommended for public libraries," LJ 2/15/08.Ed.]Judith Robinson, Dept. of Library & Information Studies, Univ. at Buffalo

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