Author:David Sedaris Binding: Hardcover Published: 2008-06-03 ISBN: 0316143472 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
"The Wildness..."
"it's okay"
"Eh"
"Yes Sir. This is Good Stuff"
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Editorial Review:
"David Sedaris's ability to transform the mortification of everyday life into wildly entertaining art," (The Christian Science Monitor) is elevated to wilder and more entertaining heights than ever in this remarkable new book. Trying to make coffee when the water is shut off, David considers using the water in a vase of flowers and his chain of associations takes him from the French countryside to a hilariously uncomfortable memory of buying drugs in a mobile home in rural North Carolina. In essay after essay, Sedaris proceeds from bizarre conundrums of daily life-having a lozenge fall from your mouth into the lap of a fellow passenger on a plane or armoring the windows with LP covers to protect the house from neurotic songbirds-to the most deeply resonant human truths. Culminating in a brilliant account of his venture to Tokyo in order to quit smoking, David Sedaris's sixth essay collection is a new masterpiece of comic writing from "a writer worth treasuring" (Seattle Times). Praise for When You Are Engulfed in Flames: "Older, wiser, smarter and meaner, Sedaris...defies the odds once again by delivering an intelligent take on the banalities of an absurd life." --Kirkus Reviews This latest collection proves that not only does Sedaris still have it, but he's also getting better....Sedaris's best stuff will still--after all this time--move, surprise, and entertain." --Booklist Table of Contents:
It's Catching Keeping Up The Understudy This Old House Buddy, Can You Spare a Tie? Road Trips What I Learned That's Amore The Monster Mash In the Waiting Room Solutions to Saturday's Puzzle Adult Figures Charging Toward a Concrete Toadstool Memento Mori All the Beauty You Will Ever Need Town and Country Aerial The Man in the Hut Of Mice and Men April in Paris Crybaby Old Faithful The Smoking Section
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
The Wildness... funny stuff, Sedaris book isnt what i expected, but it was my 1st Sedaris practically every magazine I read reviewed the book and said it was absolutely hilarious and I've always read good reviews for his other stuff i have to agree with some other reviewers, the essay "The Smoking Section" was awesome, the only bad part was that it was 83 pages long......, very, very funny though the guy has a way with words, awesome descriptions of every day things "This Old House", "The Understudy",... more info
it's okay A little dissappointed in this. His concert version in New York has his best stuff. I hate to say this but it is a little to GAY for me. Every character , he goes on and on about every piece of clothing they are wearing, who would even notice this except for a flamer? I only mention it because it detracts from his story. It was only semi-funny, more of a gay guy's observations of daily life and growing up with a bunch of sisters.
Eh I've read all of David Sedaris' books and I feel like he's running out of material. I did not laugh out loud more than two times in this entire book, which cannot be said for the majority of his books. I felt like this book was a letdown and wish that I had not purchased it, in hardcover, no less.
Yes Sir. This is Good Stuff Before writing this review, I read a smattering of other reviews, particularly the one star reviews. Yowza! I didn't realize there are that many people out there that expect so much from a book. Next, they will want Sedaris to rotate their tires and patch their jeans. I found the book to be highly entertaining. Yes, it is a small departure from previous works by the author but for me it shows growth, not regression. As we stumble toward the cemetery we do tend to get more introspective - that's just... more info
