The Cassandra Chronicles | Granta

  • Published: 01/04/2010
  • ISBN: 9781846273032
  • Granta Books
  • pages

The Cassandra Chronicles

Ariel Leve

Ariel Leve has the ability to turn any personal disaster into a funny, endearing, self-deprecating story. Her ‘Cassandra’ column is one of the most popular in the Sunday Times, and this book gathers together the very best of the pieces, arranging them into themes, ranging from ways of getting through the day, to health concerns, romantic disasters, personality defects and a whole calamitous catalogue of worst-case scenarios. Hypochondriac, neurotic, habitual sweater-of-the-small-stuff, Cassandra is one of life’s worriers. 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, as a pessimist, she’s fully prepared for any eventuality: people who see the glass half full are only a spill away from disappointment. Whether you’ve been dumped by the love of your life, lost your job, said the wrong thing at a party, or forgotten to have children, Cassandra is there to remind you that it could be worse – you could be her.

Winner of this year's British Press Awards for Feature Writer of the Year. Leve's weekly column has 100,000 regular visitors ... Now her columns are collected in book form for the first time

Caroline Sanderson, Bookseller

Ariel Leve's dry and bitter wit highlights the funny side in our everyday negative feelings ... The Cassandra Chronicles is a collection of her hilarious self-pitying and award-winning columns from the Sunday Times

Evening Herald (Dublin)

Ariel Leve's The Cassandra Chronicles is perfect for le crunch - who needs to be upbeat when negativity is this entertaining?

Instyle

The Author

Ariel Leve is an award-winning journalist and columnist with the Sunday Times Magazine. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, Vogue, Elle, the New York Observer, and the Evening Standard. She has twice been nominated for the British Press Awards and in 2008 won Feature Writer Of The Year at the Magazine Design and Journalism Awards. She is based in London and New York and for as long as she can remember she’s been worrying. www.ariel-leve.com

More about the author →

From the Same Author

It Could Be Worse, You Could Be Me

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Hypochondriac, neurotic and a habitual worrier, Ariel Leve 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, as a pessimist, she’s fully prepared for any eventuality: people who see the glass half full are only a spill away from disappointment. Whether you’ve been dumped by the love of your life, lost your job, said the wrong thing at a party, or forgotten to have children, Ariel is there to remind you that it could be worse … you could be her.

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‘Pretentiousness was non-existent. Morals were unambiguous and pure.’