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It's a Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths About Life in Your Twenties
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.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
18 people are currently reading
1245 people want to read
About the author
Emily Franklin
35 books156 followersGrowing 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 career followed her dancing dreams.
After extensive travel, some “character-building” relationships, and a stint as a chef, Emily went back to school at Dartmouth where she skied (or fished, depending on the season) daily, wrote a few screenplays, and earned her Master’s Degree in writing and media studies.
While editing medical texts and dreaming about writing a novel, Emily went to Martha’s Vineyard on a whim and met her future husband who is, of course, a doctor. And a pianist. He plays. They sing. They get married. He finishes medical school, they have a child, she writes a novel. Emily’s dreams are realized. She writes books.
Emily Franklin is the author of two adult novels, The Girls' Almanac and Liner Notes and more than a dozen books for young adults including the critically-acclaimed seven book fiction series for teens, The Principles of Love. Other young adult books include The Other Half of Me the Chalet Girls series, and At Face Value, a retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac (coming in September 2008).
She edited the anthologies It's a Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths about Life in Your Twenties and How to Spell Chanukah: 18 Writers Celebrate 8 Nights of Lights. She is co-editor of Before: Short Stories about Pregnancy from Our Top Writers.
Her book of essays and recipes, Too Many Cooks: Kitchen Adventures with 1 Mom, 4 Kids, 102 New Recipes ~ A Memoir of Tasting, Testing, and Discovery in the Kitchen will be published by Hyperion.
Emily’s work has appeared in The Boston Globe and the Mississippi Review as well as in many anthologies including Don't You Forget About Me: Contemporary Writers on the Films of John Hughes, When I Was a Loser: True Stories of (Barely) Surviving High School by Today's Top Writers, and Because I Love Her: 34 Women Writers on the Mother-Daughter Bond. Emily writes regularly about food and parenting for national magazines and newspapers. She travels, teaches writing seminars, and speaks on panels, but does not tap dance. Emily Franklin lives outside of Boston with her husband and their four young children.
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 career followed her dancing dreams.
After extensive travel, some “character-building” relationships, and a stint as a chef, Emily went back to school at Dartmouth where she skied (or fished, depending on the season) daily, wrote a few screenplays, and earned her Master’s Degree in writing and media studies.
While editing medical texts and dreaming about writing a novel, Emily went to Martha’s Vineyard on a whim and met her future husband who is, of course, a doctor. And a pianist. He plays. They sing. They get married. He finishes medical school, they have a child, she writes a novel. Emily’s dreams are realized. She writes books.
Emily Franklin is the author of two adult novels, The Girls' Almanac and Liner Notes and more than a dozen books for young adults including the critically-acclaimed seven book fiction series for teens, The Principles of Love. Other young adult books include The Other Half of Me the Chalet Girls series, and At Face Value, a retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac (coming in September 2008).
She edited the anthologies It's a Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths about Life in Your Twenties and How to Spell Chanukah: 18 Writers Celebrate 8 Nights of Lights. She is co-editor of Before: Short Stories about Pregnancy from Our Top Writers.
Her book of essays and recipes, Too Many Cooks: Kitchen Adventures with 1 Mom, 4 Kids, 102 New Recipes ~ A Memoir of Tasting, Testing, and Discovery in the Kitchen will be published by Hyperion.
Emily’s work has appeared in The Boston Globe and the Mississippi Review as well as in many anthologies including Don't You Forget About Me: Contemporary Writers on the Films of John Hughes, When I Was a Loser: True Stories of (Barely) Surviving High School by Today's Top Writers, and Because I Love Her: 34 Women Writers on the Mother-Daughter Bond. Emily writes regularly about food and parenting for national magazines and newspapers. She travels, teaches writing seminars, and speaks on panels, but does not tap dance. Emily Franklin lives outside of Boston with her husband and their four young children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
January 18, 2009
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.
August 16, 2010
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. Unlike, say, college, where dorms are the platonic equivalent of single bars, where every freshman is looking for a friend, the people in your new town might already have filled their quota." - Leah Stewart
"I just wish I had a syllabus to follow for my life." - Megan McCafferty
"Making friends in a new town when you're twenty-four isn't the same as making friends in school. Unlike, say, college, where dorms are the platonic equivalent of single bars, where every freshman is looking for a friend, the people in your new town might already have filled their quota." - Leah Stewart
"I just wish I had a syllabus to follow for my life." - Megan McCafferty
November 26, 2008
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 degrees struggle in today's job market, and find that the success that both they and their parents expected is unrealistic. Adult relationships are hard, managing money, housing, and finding a career is harder. And happiness? Let's not even go there. It's not just me, and there is an entire generation out there that feels misled and lost. The women who wrote these essays are more or less satisfied with where they are now, and that's encouraging. But they're mostly in their thirties now, which means I've got at least four years to go...
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May 24, 2008This 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, reading about life from others' perspectives never hurts.
December 29, 2011
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 that we just desperately need to get over as a society. Not to mention several instances of the writers using "that's retarded," which is absolutely not ok with me.
If the second half of the book had been what the first half was, I'd have probably given this a four, but the later essays just ruined it for me.
If the second half of the book had been what the first half was, I'd have probably given this a four, but the later essays just ruined it for me.
December 31, 2008
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 from company to company (if we're lucky to have a job in this tanking economy).
Anecdotal at best, but the emotions are universal and resonate with just about anyone with the blues associated with that painful decade known as your twenties.
Anecdotal at best, but the emotions are universal and resonate with just about anyone with the blues associated with that painful decade known as your twenties.
February 20, 2008
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 forward to 30!
July 28, 2010
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.
July 16, 2017
I love the idea of a "quarter-life crisis" and related to a lot of these essays, though also recognize they speak to a certain demographic. I couldn't stomach a few of them because of the writers' sense of privilege. That said, it was a quick, fun read and I'm very glad to have found it (literally, in a little free library).
Some favorite quotes include:
"I charmed him by naming all the Harlequin romance euphemisms for 'penis' and vagina.'" ~Melissa Senate, "The One Who Got Away" (p112)
"Saying yes is like having a perpetual date with the world." ~Beth Lisick, "A Thousand Times Yes" (p135) [an essay on how saying yes is not always a good thing]
"My memorable 'sex talk' with my father concluded with him telling me that men don't know the difference between a vagina, a hand with some lubricant, or a rubber doll." ~Pamela Ribon, "I Can't Have Sex With You" (p161)
"Later on that same year, the marital problems in my family entered the realm of legend: My great-grandpa Simon became the oldest man in the world ever to get divorced." ~Anna Jane Grossman, "The Road Almost Taken" (p241)
Some favorite quotes include:
"I charmed him by naming all the Harlequin romance euphemisms for 'penis' and vagina.'" ~Melissa Senate, "The One Who Got Away" (p112)
"Saying yes is like having a perpetual date with the world." ~Beth Lisick, "A Thousand Times Yes" (p135) [an essay on how saying yes is not always a good thing]
"My memorable 'sex talk' with my father concluded with him telling me that men don't know the difference between a vagina, a hand with some lubricant, or a rubber doll." ~Pamela Ribon, "I Can't Have Sex With You" (p161)
"Later on that same year, the marital problems in my family entered the realm of legend: My great-grandpa Simon became the oldest man in the world ever to get divorced." ~Anna Jane Grossman, "The Road Almost Taken" (p241)
November 14, 2022
I'll share in the common criticism that this book is pretty much limited to the experience of successful female writers in New York City. However, they're really well written essays by successful female writers in NYC. While I wished there were more applicable experiences to, say, the Midwest (especially for the sections about where they lived), this was probably the highest quality collection of essays I've ever read. Each of them felt like a warm cup of coffee telling me "I've been there, sister" regardless of the experience. The women are unapologetic in their admissions of where they messed up and where they succeeded in their twenties. A cozy and well assembled read!
January 16, 2024
Though comforting to know that I’m not alone in this feeling of uncertainty in my 20s, it is evident that these stories were written by elder millennials generations before who do not relate as much to the Gen Z lifestyle in the 20s taken over by digital media consumption and online dating.
November 20, 2017
Honest, funny. These women are not afraid of admitting their mistakes and how life is messy.
July 18, 2013
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:
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
May 9, 2013
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 acquaintances seem to be able to relate to, but yet somehow the strangers in this book could verbalize so eloquently.
I think that's why I loved this book. These were women that have done (and lived through) a lot of the crazy things I have. They took jobs on a whim, dated and broke up with people that fit the bill of The One but just weren't, moved from place to place, dealt with vermin in their apartment and basically just continually questioned the direction they were going with their life. What I really enjoyed is that these women were now at varying places in their life- some married with kids in their dream job, some still figuring it out but thoroughly satisfied with life as it is, and so on.
If for no other reason that to know that others have totally been in my shoes, I think this was a great read.
I think that's why I loved this book. These were women that have done (and lived through) a lot of the crazy things I have. They took jobs on a whim, dated and broke up with people that fit the bill of The One but just weren't, moved from place to place, dealt with vermin in their apartment and basically just continually questioned the direction they were going with their life. What I really enjoyed is that these women were now at varying places in their life- some married with kids in their dream job, some still figuring it out but thoroughly satisfied with life as it is, and so on.
If for no other reason that to know that others have totally been in my shoes, I think this was a great read.
November 24, 2008
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 felt connected or felt bolstered by something in one of the stories, but overall I found it to be cliche, condescending ("Don't worry, I'm older than you, and I know it will be okay"), and not even very well written. (Each story was written by a different author so each one was different, but overall I was not impressed.)
I wouldn't spend time on this on less you are SERIOUSLY desperate to do some thinking about your 20s (and if you are that desperate, I'd recommend another book, anyway - The Go Girl Guide, which is more of a reference/how-to book), or you want to read something that's not very well written!
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 felt connected or felt bolstered by something in one of the stories, but overall I found it to be cliche, condescending ("Don't worry, I'm older than you, and I know it will be okay"), and not even very well written. (Each story was written by a different author so each one was different, but overall I was not impressed.)
I wouldn't spend time on this on less you are SERIOUSLY desperate to do some thinking about your 20s (and if you are that desperate, I'd recommend another book, anyway - The Go Girl Guide, which is more of a reference/how-to book), or you want to read something that's not very well written!
September 28, 2013
I don't generally like books in this format. A friend had a copy of it and gave it to me to read when she moved. This one was fun, didn't feel like a self-help book, but offered reassurance that whatever path you are on in life is probably just fine. There were a few chapters that spoke directly to me, credit card debt, having male friends, being a nomad.... And I feel like there is enough variety that there will be essays for every girl in this book. Especially living in the midwest, where the pressure to settle down early is overwhelming, this book could be inspiring to anyone trying to break the cycle. I'm already well on my way to being settled at 26, but I think that is just the path I'm supposed to be on. I've always been a nester, I just never found the place and people with whom I wanted to nest until now. The stories offered by the contributing authors reassures me though that the two engagements, numerous moves, and countless bad decisions that got me here are what made me who I am today and I wouldn't take them back for anything.
September 6, 2007
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. Life in your 20's can be rough. And misery (ok that is exagerating) loves company. It was just nice to know that I'm not alone.
March 16, 2011
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 need to read more short stories - great for the bus. Many of the authors where too similar, as were their tales - struggling writers in New York City.
I liked the short stories. I need to read more short stories - great for the bus. Many of the authors where too similar, as were their tales - struggling writers in New York City.
December 30, 2010
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 plays right into the "I'm a misfit if I don't fit into these 'acceptable' paths" stereotype that the authors were trying to avoid.
January 11, 2011
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 affirmation that you're not the only one out there floundering, this book is for you. Just don't go expecting answers.
June 11, 2013
It's a Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths About Life in Your Twenties is a collection of 26 essays by twenty-something survivors that reads more chic-lit memoir than inspirational self-help manual. The message: "Life is continually evolving, and the search for self rarely culminates in a tidy, perfect bow." My favorite stories were "The One That Got Away" for it's depth and truth, and "The F-word" for it's juxtaposition of hilarity and relatability. The books ends hauntingly with the final author unpacking her boxes in Hollywood, ready to commit to one city, one life, one identity, and finally put down roots after a decade of wandering through life in her twenties.
October 23, 2007
This is a collection of essays from 26 mostly chick-lit authors about being in your twenties and usually living in New York though never the glamorous life you expected.
While it was nice to know that the disappointment from lofty expectations was not uncommon, I wonder if this book leaves readers overly optimistic. Afterall, these women were selected because they overcame the odds and became successful bookwriters.
Great pick-me-up, but one can only read so many epiphanies in one sitting.
While it was nice to know that the disappointment from lofty expectations was not uncommon, I wonder if this book leaves readers overly optimistic. Afterall, these women were selected because they overcame the odds and became successful bookwriters.
Great pick-me-up, but one can only read so many epiphanies in one sitting.
August 5, 2009
2.5 stars. Can we please just give half stars already??
Some cute stories, some downright awful. (i.e. the story where the credit card is talking to the girl "we have had such great times together"- I mean, I would have thought that was a novel concept when I was about 8. Needless to say, I am not 8).
Nothing terribly insightful; the stories in the second half of the book were probably twice as good (with an exception here and there, the first half were pretty bad), and some funny scenes overall.
Some cute stories, some downright awful. (i.e. the story where the credit card is talking to the girl "we have had such great times together"- I mean, I would have thought that was a novel concept when I was about 8. Needless to say, I am not 8).
Nothing terribly insightful; the stories in the second half of the book were probably twice as good (with an exception here and there, the first half were pretty bad), and some funny scenes overall.
July 26, 2007
Everyone goes through the same crap as they get older and gain experience. My twenties so far have been all about ups and downs, dreams and reality. We make goals, lose sight of them, achieve them and modify them. I enjoyed this book because it really spoke of how the rest of the 20 and 30 somethings came through this transitional period known as "your twenties". It was funny, insightful, entertaining and easy to relate to. Great read!
Currently Reading
July 31, 2007Masih dalam tahap membaca.. ngerasa "jalan" barengan sama buku ini.. the exact feeling, the exact hopes, exact naive feeling towards the world and yet that is still the one thing that keep us going..
MEANT for something BIG, working life is elegantly beautiful, own money to spend like crazy, beutiful and branded wardrobe, and a damn good place to call my own VS real world..lets face them gurls, nothing is that beautiful!
MEANT for something BIG, working life is elegantly beautiful, own money to spend like crazy, beutiful and branded wardrobe, and a damn good place to call my own VS real world..lets face them gurls, nothing is that beautiful!
March 29, 2013
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.
March 2, 2007
Anj - Nico - Caitlin - I found this book when I was feeling confused and a little lost about my age and who I was supposed to be right now. It made me laugh and cry (well almost); the important part is I could REALLY relate! like I was talking to a best friend - soooo gals pick it up - or read the first story in the book store - its hilarious.
June 13, 2007
just finished this one-- a collection of averagely-written gripes about being in your 20s and not having your shit together. some were good, some better than others-- and most had something i could glean from them. worth a read if you're feeling depressed about your shitty apartment, shitty social life, shitty job or anything else sub-par in your life.
September 5, 2007
There's something to be said for a book that'll take a day or two to read. A lot of the essays were poignant, but overall, this anthology made me feel like I should be having a quarterlife crisis like every single neurotic contributor to the collection. Which maybe I should be, but I think crises are best when they arise organically, as opposed to literary-induced.
November 4, 2009
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.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews