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. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]