Prior to its publication, The Observer's front page asked if Misadventures was to be the unlikeliest bestseller of the year. 'Unlikely' because Misadventures is not the most entertaining book you will ever read: nor the wittiest, nor cleverest. However, it may well be one of the most compelling. Written with invigorating economy, Sylvia relates small incidents in her 'normal life', spent in temporary jobs and rented accommodation. Some of these incidents, or 'misadventures' are funny - some thought-provoking, many banal. But as important, or inconsequential, as each 'entry' is, it is the cumulative effect that makes this memoir so memorable.
