6/13/10

How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley (Book Review 2010-95)

Product Description

A brand-new book of hilarious and insightful personal essays by the iconic, irresistible Sloane Crosley.

From the author of the sensational bestseller I Was Told There'd Be Cake comes a new book of personal essays brimming with all the charm and wit that have earned Sloane Crosley widespread acclaim, award nominations, and an ever-growing cadre of loyal fans. In Cake readers were introduced to the foibles of Crosley's life in New York City-always teetering between the glamour of Manhattan parties, the indignity of entry-level work, and the special joy of suburban nostalgia-and to a literary voice that mixed Dorothy Parker with David Sedaris and became something all its own.

Crosley still lives and works in New York City, but she's no longer the newcomer for whom a trip beyond the Upper West Side is a big adventure. She can pack up her sensibility and takes us with her to Paris, to Portugal (having picked it by spinning a globe and putting down her finger, and finally falling in with a group of Portuguese clowns), and even to Alaska, where the "bear bells" on her fellow bridesmaids' ponytails seemed silly until a grizzly cub dramatically intrudes. Meanwhile, back in New York, where new apartments beckon and taxi rides go awry, her sense of the city has become more layered, her relationships with friends and family more complicated.

As always, Crosley's voice is fueled by the perfect witticism, buoyant optimism, flair for drama, and easy charm in the face of minor suffering or potential drudgery. But in How Did You Get This Number it has also become increasingly sophisticated, quicker and sharper to the point, more complex and lasting in the emotions it explores. And yet, Crosley remains the unfailingly hilarious young Everywoman, healthily equipped with intelligence and poise to fend off any potential mundanity in maturity.

About the Author

Sloane Crosley is the author of the New York Times-bestselling I Was Told There'd Be Cake, which was a finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor and is in development as a series at HBO. She lives in New York City.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover (June 15, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1594487596
  • ISBN-13: 978-1594487590
SOURCE; PUBLISHER

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

Sloane Crosely does it again.  I adored her first collection of essays, I Was Told There'd Be Cake and this one continues the tradition.  There has to be a place in heaven for someone who can spin a globe, point and then actually go to that destination.  She is so open and frank with her essays that they spark your own need to do things you wouldn't normally do and not be afraid.  Or at least don't worry about the failing part since that can make for a very humorous theme.

Crosley is quietly funny...not the laugh out loud kind, but the thoughtful, I wish I had written that type. It all looks so effortless.  My favorite essay has to be her trip to Alaska and the bear story which I assume sparked the cover.  Every time I hear a bell ring, I think of that one essay in which everyone must where a bell in order keep the bears away.  If you enjoy David Sedaris, or Agusten Burroughs, you will probably like this as well.


3 comments:

  1. Mary, glad to know you liked this. I've been wondering about it after seeing it around.

    Have a good week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I picked up her first book purely because of the title! Glad to hear this one is good too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I've never read this author, yet anyway.
    Sounds like i should try her out...

    ReplyDelete

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