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24th out of 40 books
—
3 voters
It's a Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths About Life in Your Twenties
by
Emily Franklin,
Jill Kargman, Megan Crane (Goodreads Author), Anna Maxted, Melissa Senate (Goodreads Author), Shannon O'Keefe, Beth Lisick, Rebecca Traister
,
more…
In this original collection, critically acclaimed female writers pull back the curtain on being twenty-something. Entertaining and enlightening, this anthology speaks honestly about that unique time in life when expectations are not always realized, yet surprises are plentiful and thrilling.
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
January 3rd 2007
by 5 Spot
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I admit I didn't read the entire book cover to cover, but it's a collection of essays, so I figured I could get away with it. Each essay tells of the trials and tribulations of being a recent college grad in today's world. It was a little one sided as all the essays were written by female authors. Despite the biased perspective, I still found it comforting to read about how disappointing it was for other people to graduate from college and find out that no one cares. Even twenty-somethings with...more
The danger of collecting a series of essays from people in their 30s about life in their 20s is that the tone walks a fine line between helpful and condescending. The people that concentrated more on the end result of living "the life" in New York City (where almost everyone in the book seemed to live) were less helpful. But there were some great nuggets in the book that I really related to, like:
"Making friends in a new town when you're twenty-four isn't the same as making friends in school. Un...more
"Making friends in a new town when you're twenty-four isn't the same as making friends in school. Un...more
While mostly cliche, there are some nuggets here--especially the interesting concept of our generation suffering from a quarter-life crises as opposed to the traditional mid-life one. Comparatively, it makes sense. Generation Y (or whatever bracket I fall into) suffers from the luxury of abundance (affluenza, if you will) and have too many options in front of us. Whereas our grandparents worked with the same company for fifty some odd years and got the golden watch retirement package, we flit fr...more
This book had all the right ingredients for me to love it - female-centric, short stories, multiple perspectives - but fell short. I was frustrated by the similarity in end points of the protagonists - all wound up as authors, editors, etc. I suppose, given that they were short stories written BY the protagonists, I should have been able to guess that in the beginning...hindsight is twenty-twenty. Definitely worth the read if you have a literary ambition of your own, but otherwise I think it pla...more
This book was recommended to me by a friend who is sick of listening to me question myself and my progress in life. She said "It's a Wonderful Lie" is insightful and makes you feel better about being a woman in your twenties. I'm not sure I agree. While the handful of authors do stress the fact that not having a solidified game plan in your 20's is okay, I am now terrified that I won't figure out my life until I turn the big 3-0. So, if you're a woman in your twenties and are looking for affirma...more
The first couple of sections were great, but the ones on love and friendship got really upsetting. Some of the essays were just miserably heteronormative and very hard to relate to, as someone whose romantic life and friendships have always been non-standard. Frequent references to the sorts of people who you just don't consider partners (almost never based on personality), or "every girl needs a gay guy friend," or "men and women can't relate without men wanting sex," or...any number of things...more
I wanted to a wait a day before writing my review on this and I'm glad I did. I think I needed some time to reflect on the various stories and life lessons this book had to offer. I'm at the age where 1) a quarter-life crisis seems totally possible to me, 2) most of my friends seem to have their shit together on a level I find difficult to comprehend, and 3) I've made a lot of life-altering decisions in the last few years ranging from boyfriends to crosscountry moves that very few of my acquaint...more
This was a relatively low ** for me. There were a few moments I really enjoyed when I would have considered a 3, but more that I was bored or annoyed and considered a 1.
First of all, there are not 26 truths, but something like 5 "myths" and then short stories that fall into the myth "categories" that do not have clear-cut "truths." For some reason that was really annoying to me - I felt like it was false advertising before I even started the book.
As I said above, there were a few moments where I...more
First of all, there are not 26 truths, but something like 5 "myths" and then short stories that fall into the myth "categories" that do not have clear-cut "truths." For some reason that was really annoying to me - I felt like it was false advertising before I even started the book.
As I said above, there were a few moments where I...more
This book is definitely not for everyone. But it is for me, and I love, love, love this book.
Since I'm (embarrassing to say) currently going through my own quarter life crisis right now, this book is exactly what I need. It doesn't have answers, necessarily, but it lets me know I'm not alone. Which is probably the most cliched thing I've ever said. But ya know what, I'm not ashamed, because this book--even if only momentarily--helped me feel better about where I am in my life.
Since I'm (embarrassing to say) currently going through my own quarter life crisis right now, this book is exactly what I need. It doesn't have answers, necessarily, but it lets me know I'm not alone. Which is probably the most cliched thing I've ever said. But ya know what, I'm not ashamed, because this book--even if only momentarily--helped me feel better about where I am in my life.
some of these stories were wonderful and inspiring and made me feel less alone in thw world, and some of these stories were about how people were JUST LIKE carrie bradshaw. i did not read the second type. i also did not read the one that was about how men and women can't be friends (fuck you, i am not defined by my vagina) and stopped reading a few more that were just about how the writer needed a man in her life.
Only read the first few stories in this book. I really liked the premise of the book and thought it would be kind of fun to read it right before I turned 30 this year but I just did not relate to the stories in the beginning of the book at all. I think they are aimed a bit more toward women living in large cities, not someone like me in a small town in the midwest.
When a coworker gave me this book I was hesitant about touching what I thought was a self-help book. But one night when I got bored enough I picked it up and found the first few stories (sadly so?) to be just the situation I was in. It was a cute read - a bit overly cliche (in both writing and "moral of the story") but a quick pep talk never hurts anyone.
I tried to read this book. Really, I did, but it really felt like the essays were written by the characters of Girls. I would occasionally come upon something slightly relatable, but not being a hipster in the big city, I found that most of it didn't apply to me. The one bright spot I found was "I Can't Have Sex With You". That one was hysterical.
This is a worthwhile collection of essays from female writers about life in your twenties. The essays hit on all of the assumptions and expectations women have for their lives during their twenties. I laughed outloud and felt as though I were listening to friends share their stories.
Filled with great stories about life in your twenties...it's not always sunshine and roses like some would like us to believe! Some of the stories were still a little too happy...and everything always worked out in the end, but maybe that's good news. It can only get better, right?!
Some of the essays are better than others but they all give positive messages about being a twenty-something and what to expect (realistically). Overall, a good book to pick up when you want to read something short and uplifting.
I read this just in the nick of time. Since I was barely holding on to my 20s at the time. Even though I was twenty-nine this book no longer applies to me. Since my life appears to be following the track of "people who know what they are doing and have a plan." That is completely bogus though. I was just luckily enough to snag a spouse with a plan. I wish I knew about this book when I was 24, when I was more unsure, less established, and really had no freakin idea.
I liked the short stories. I n...more
I liked the short stories. I n...more
This was a terrible book, for me anyway. It should be called "26 Truths About Life In Your Twenties if You Live In New York City and You Want to be a Writer" because all the authors wrote about was city life and how they finally ended up realizing their dreams of being writers. There was absolutely no advice or comfort in here for me.
Sep 06, 2007
Amy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone going through a quarter life crisis
Shelves:
mustread,
non-fiction
The only complaint I had about this book was that every "truth" was written by a writer. I would have liked to see more variety as these women came to their epiphanies and were able to acheive their dreams. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the book and found it to be both empowering and positively depressing (if there is such a thing) at the same time. I say positively depressing because it would do me little good to have another motherly book to hold my hand and tell me that everything will be ok...more
Great idea, sub-par execution. Everyone in this book was lost, until they found out they were destined to become a writer. I think the forward was my favorite part.
A Sheriff Milt Kovack mystery. In this story, Milt deals with murder, a cult, and family members.
this helped make me feel a little more normal about the crazy thoughts that were going through my head.
Great for all 20 something women. There's at least one author in this book that will speak to you.
Nov 19, 2009
Ashley
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
all of my gurls!!
Recommended to Ashley by:
myself
I learned that everything I was told about how life would be during my 20's was all a lie. No surprise there...I've learned that on my own. It was pretty funny to read though!
Wonderful stories that capitvate the confusing times of being in your 20's.
This was an uncomplicated read that adapted well to snatched sessions of reading-as-distraction during lunch at work and racking up the minutes of cardio in the gym. Many of the contributors are very deeply annoying, but it's a fun read, especially if you're able to be amused by others' self-obsession. I can't really say that any were really truths about my "life in your twenties", and I don't really think I'd identify with the essays more as I experience more of life in my twenties. Nonetheless...more
Some of the stories were good, some weren't. Good, but not amazing.
A nice read for anyone going into or in their 20's!
Very entertaining and insightful. I've heard the complaint that all the essays are from writers, and not just your average run-of-the-mill woman looking back on her 20's (or in her 20's), but of course writers are often more insightful than just your average chick and often funnier. I related to a lot of it, and it was a nice feeling to know I wasn't alone as I struggled to figure out what I've been doing for the last decade. I'm happily moving on to my next. That's right--I'm actually looking f...more
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Growing up, Emily Franklin wanted to be “a singing, tap-dancing doctor who writes books.”
Having learned early on that she has little to no dancing ability, she left the tap world behind, studied at Oxford University, and received an undergraduate degree concentrating in writing and neuroscience from Sarah Lawrence College. Though she gave serious thought to a career in medicine, eventually that ca...more
More about Emily Franklin...
Having learned early on that she has little to no dancing ability, she left the tap world behind, studied at Oxford University, and received an undergraduate degree concentrating in writing and neuroscience from Sarah Lawrence College. Though she gave serious thought to a career in medicine, eventually that ca...more
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Nov 14, 2008 06:14am