It's a Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths about Life in Your Twenties

by Emily Franklin

Alexandra Robbins (Foreword)

• ISBN10: 0759516766
• ISBN13: 9780759516762
• Publish Date: 3 January 2007
• Publish Status: Unknown
• Out of Print: 11 April 2013
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Imprint: 5 Spot
• Format: eBook
• Language: English

Reviews

[Joséphine]

This book contains a healthy dose of realism with a hearty dash of hope. I enjoyed reading this collection of essays because I fit the demographic to a large extent. I'm in my twenties, on the verge (half a year from now) of going out there into the Real World. As with many of the lovely authors, I'd be ecstatic if my future job would allow me to read and write as my whims and fancy strikes me. But I know life doesn't always pan out how we wish, so it's great reading about women who experienced what I still have ahead of me.

What the title and cover of the book don't reveal though is that most of these authors were aspiring writers, trying to make it big in New York City. This resulted with a very limited scope on the "truths about life in your twenties" because clearly, they didn't have a great variety of goals. Their actual experiences may have varied but eventually, most of them became respected authors. Plus, they were women. I'm not sure how applicable then these essays may be to men per se. This slight misrepresentation led me to dock one star at least.

I recommend reading an essay her and another there. They're good for those short spans during the day that call for quick fillers. 10 minutes reading an essay or two surely will satisfy a reader looking to remind herself that while life may not be easy, there are ways to find fulfilment in what she does. This especially when very little is yet cast in stone, as in her twenties when she is still trying to figure things out. When reading everything in one shot though, it does get a little tiring to plough through essays telling you you have the whole time right before you and your worries may not be as life-consuming as you think. Clichés like these do come across a little more concentrated than ever thought possible in a collection like this. Nonetheless, there are nuggets to be appreciated:

"You can't plan for the truly significant moments in life. They're moments. They happen. They creep up unexpectedly and defy reason." —Shannon O'Keefe in Twenty-eight is the New Eighteen