Review of I Was Told There'd Be Cake

My one-word review for this book?: Meh.

I read this after reading about it on Jen Lancaster's blog, I think. The cover features a quote from Jonathan Lethem comparing Crosley to David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell--3 excellent signs, I thought.

Unfortunately, the book didn't really live up to it. Whereas Vowell and Sedaris ARE quirky, and their vignettes are glimpses into their interesting lives, Crosley seems to spend this entire book trying to convince you that she's quirky, and hip, and funny. The stories are frantic, frenetic, stuffed with unnecessary details and crying out for a decent editor to whip them into shape. The best stories were just mildly entertaining. I had to make myself finish this one, and I found sometimes I couldn't get through even one story in a sitting.

So, meh. It wasn't awful, but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone either.