the Cassandra Chronicles

by Ariel Leve

Hypochondriac, neurotic, habitual worrier, Ariel has always looked on the blighted side of life. She counts it a good day if she manages to get out of bed. If someone should ask, 'What's the worst that can happen?', she has a ready-made list and lives in permanent fear of what's to come. But at least this way she's fully prepared for any eventuality. People who see the glass half full are only a spill away from disappointment. So whether you've been dumped by the love of your life, lost your job, said the wrong thing at a party entirely, Ariel is here to remind you that it could be worse...you could be her.

289 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Ariel Leve is an author and award-winning journalist. Born in New York City, Ariel grew up with her mother, a poet, in Manhattan. At the age of five, she began traveling to Southeast Asia, where she spent part of the year living in Bangkok, Thailand, with her father, a lawyer.

She was a columnist for The Guardian and subsequently for the Sunday Times Magazine. Her memoir An Abbreviated Life was published by HarperCollins in 2016.

Reviews

[Skye · Rating 2 out of 5]

At first I was amused... then I got more and more depressed. It's relaxing only because she doesn't buy into the whole 'busy is the norm' kind of thinking, and fights that notion. Of course, she chronicles all the people who frown on her lifestyle too. The excessive worrying turned me off though, but overall I guess at least this book was honest and self-deprecating.