Call number
814 S
Collection
Genres
Publication
Back Bay Books (2009), Edition: Reprint, 336 pages
Description
Once again, David Sedaris brings together a collection of essays so uproariously funny and profoundly moving that his legions of fans will fall for him once more. He tests the limits of love when Hugh lances a boil from his backside, and pushes the boundaries of laziness when, finding the water shut off in his house in Normandy, he looks to the water in a vase of fresh cut flowers to fill the coffee machine. From armoring the windows with LP covers to protect the house from neurotic songbirds to the awkwardness of having a lozenge fall from your mouth into the lap of a sleeping fellow passenger on a plane, David Sedaris uses life's most bizarre moments to reach new heights in understanding love and fear, family and strangers. Culminating in a brilliantly funny account of his venture to Tokyo in order to quit smoking, David Sedaris's sixth essay collection will be avidly anticipated.--From publisher description.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member melydia
One thing I really appreciate about Sedaris is not only does he share the often unflattering foibles of everyone around him, he never spares himself. Indeed, he often paints himself as the one with the worst intentions and habits. I laughed particularly hard at "In the Waiting Room" and "What I
Show More
Learned". The final and longest essay, "The Smoking Section," goes through his first few months after quitting smoking. It's made more interesting by the stay in Japan during this time. These essays are sometimes poignant, often funny, and always unexpected. All in all, this is one of Sedaris's better collections. It doesn't beat out Me Talk Pretty One Day as my favorite, but it's probably in second place. Show Less
LibraryThing member DevourerOfBooks
I find David Sedaris absolutely hilarious when he appears on This American Life, but when ever I read one of his books, it leaves me with a profound sense of malaise. His written word just doesn’t work for me. It was with this knowledge that I tried the audiobooks of “When You Are Engulfed in
Happily, this was indeed the case. I found “When You Are Engulfed in Flames” to be a very enjoyable collection of essays. I’d say that the title essay, which was the last one and by far the longest, was probably my least favorite. Sedaris does have a tendency to ramble, which is usually mitigated by the short nature of his essays, but it became overly apparent in the long essay. I would forget for long periods that his whole Japan adventure began with his attempt to quit smoking.
A bit slow at the end, but overall the David Sedaris audiobook was a very enjoyable experience.
Show More
Flames,” in hopes that I just needed Sedaris’ delivery to enjoy his book. Happily, this was indeed the case. I found “When You Are Engulfed in Flames” to be a very enjoyable collection of essays. I’d say that the title essay, which was the last one and by far the longest, was probably my least favorite. Sedaris does have a tendency to ramble, which is usually mitigated by the short nature of his essays, but it became overly apparent in the long essay. I would forget for long periods that his whole Japan adventure began with his attempt to quit smoking.
A bit slow at the end, but overall the David Sedaris audiobook was a very enjoyable experience.
Show Less
LibraryThing member booksandwine
Let me preface this by saying I love David Sedaris so much, I cannot read him in public. If you didn't already know, Sedaris writes memoirs, and his memoirs are hilarious anecdotes about his life. Whenever I flipped the page when reading Me Talk Pretty One Day, I would double over in laughter. The
Show More
effect was repeated with his other books, Naked, Dress Your Family In Corderoy and Denim, and Holidays On Ice. I still haven't read Barrel Fever.In terms of When You Are Engulfed In Flames, I felt it was funny, however it wasn't quite as gut-busting as his other books. Some of his anecdotes seemed to just drag on and on, especially his story about moving to Tokyo to quit smoking. However, there were a few gems. For example, his story about Helen -- his crazy neighbor. I think the story of Helen works so well because we all know someone like Helen, we all know someone who is nutty and happy with being nutty. Whereas not very many people can relate to moving halfway around the world just to quit smoking.When You Are Engulfed In Flames contained more stories about Hugh, Sedaris's partner. Hugh is awesome to read about, and I can relate because my boyfriend keeps me functioning as well. My one wish pertaining to this book is that I would have liked it if it contained more stories about his crazy childhood and mother. In his other writings, I find those to be his most touching and funny stories, perhaps it is because I can connect to them more than I can connect to his upper class lifestyle. Show Less
LibraryThing member railarson
Reading David Sedaris while eating has made me almost choke to death several times. You’d think I would have learned—once it’s time to move masticated yet still relatively solid matter into my throat, the same pipe I use to gather air so I don’t die—put down the funny book.
Whether it was
That said, there were fewer truly life-threatening incidents in When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and more (how shall I say it?) mature musings on life. Maybe it’s because he’s getting older. In this book Sedaris faces his own mortality upon turning 50, something that never slowed him down before. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older. I read WYAEF in an admittedly piecemeal fashion while having my own slow-motion nervous breakdown (I’ve started teaching high school). Maybe it’s because this is the first Sedaris book he’s put out since I’ve had my very own subscription to the New Yorker and I had already involuntarily aspirated all the beverages I was going to for about half of these stories.
Whether it was
Show More
my first taste of his writing, a slim, non-airway obstructing volume called Holidays On Ice, or one of the meatier collections like Naked or Barrel Fever, each time—almost dead. I’m not talking about a graceful exit from this plane, either. Oh no. To die by Sedaris is to go out blowing milk out of your nose, pounding the table, and upsetting the apple cart (if you happen to live in the foothills where they still have that sort of thing). That said, there were fewer truly life-threatening incidents in When You Are Engulfed in Flames, and more (how shall I say it?) mature musings on life. Maybe it’s because he’s getting older. In this book Sedaris faces his own mortality upon turning 50, something that never slowed him down before. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older. I read WYAEF in an admittedly piecemeal fashion while having my own slow-motion nervous breakdown (I’ve started teaching high school). Maybe it’s because this is the first Sedaris book he’s put out since I’ve had my very own subscription to the New Yorker and I had already involuntarily aspirated all the beverages I was going to for about half of these stories.
Show Less
LibraryThing member dilldill
To be honest, I was a little let down with this book. Still funny, it didn't have the crackle of "Naked".
LibraryThing member Jthierer
These stories were lighter on the humor than previous books, but I found myself emotionally affected by the way Sedaris writes about his relationship with Hugh.
LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha
Having had, like many, my initial exposure to David Sedaris's wit on public radio (in the initial 1992 airing of "The Santaland Diaries," in fact) it is nearly impossible for me to read his essays without hearing his voice. I'm not sure if that makes them funnier or not--it's just a condition of my
My Other Reader says she wouldn't bother to re-read any of these essays, because the value of their effect is rooted in shock and surprise. I don't think I agree. Partly, I go for the extreme contrast between the feeling shown in his insightful reflection on human limitations, and his callous exploitation of those limitations for yucks in practically the same paragraph. For sheer entertainment, I like the deadpan frankness, whether it's honest or blankfaced lying.
It's certainly difficult to know what a reader can credit as fact. The sustained use of the subjunctive mood at the end of an essay on the development of the author's sexual identity leaves an attentive reader inferring a bleak reality. And on the very next page, he launches into the hyperbolically fictitious account of his studies at Princeton during the Stone Age. (71-73) If my dad had struck me on the head with a big spoon at the dinner table because I had laughed at my grandmother's flatulence, I'd like to think that I or anyone else would quit laughing long before the spoon drew blood. (227)
At any rate, all of these essays are eminently readable, and the book is full of characters too odd to be entirely fictitious, not least Sedaris himself.
Show More
reading. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments in this collection, even if the general tone is fairly dark. My Other Reader says she wouldn't bother to re-read any of these essays, because the value of their effect is rooted in shock and surprise. I don't think I agree. Partly, I go for the extreme contrast between the feeling shown in his insightful reflection on human limitations, and his callous exploitation of those limitations for yucks in practically the same paragraph. For sheer entertainment, I like the deadpan frankness, whether it's honest or blankfaced lying.
It's certainly difficult to know what a reader can credit as fact. The sustained use of the subjunctive mood at the end of an essay on the development of the author's sexual identity leaves an attentive reader inferring a bleak reality. And on the very next page, he launches into the hyperbolically fictitious account of his studies at Princeton during the Stone Age. (71-73) If my dad had struck me on the head with a big spoon at the dinner table because I had laughed at my grandmother's flatulence, I'd like to think that I or anyone else would quit laughing long before the spoon drew blood. (227)
At any rate, all of these essays are eminently readable, and the book is full of characters too odd to be entirely fictitious, not least Sedaris himself.
Show Less
LibraryThing member crazy4novels
In my opinion, there is only one way to read this book, and that's with your ears. Sedaris' most recent collection of stories is an absolute gem that glows even brighter when narrated on compact disc by its author. Sedaris is a master of verbal pause and nuance, and his unique voice -- thin, reedy,
Sedaris' childlike voice notwithstanding, this book is his most mature collection of stories yet. He takes on some sobering subjects -- illness, death, the joys and burdens of monogamy, the unpredictable nature of life -- and treats them with a deepening sense of humanity that has always underpinned his humor, while making the listener laugh all the while -- an amazing feat, when you contemplate the subject matter.
Young writers, on the whole, tend to be more brash and judgmental than older ones, and the arc of their craft usually bends one of two ways: they become more prickly and acerbic in their later years, or they mellow with age and decide to make peace with humankind and all of its (and their) foibles. Sedaris has chosen the latter path, as best exemplified by one of my favorite stories in this collection: "The Understudy." In "The Understudy," David's parents go on an adult vacation and leave him and his young siblings in the care of Mrs. Peacock, an overweight, unkempt woman from "across the tracks" who proceeds to tend her young charges by sleeping all hours of the day in a darkened bedroom, downing every bottle of Coca Cola in the house, and occasionally cooking up a skillet of sloppy joes when the kids resort to howling in desperation (9 p.m.: "If y'all was hungry, why didn't you say nothing? I'm not a mind reader, you know"). Worst of all, she insists that the children take turns scratching her back with a long plastic rod that ends in a miniature, fingernailed "hand" resembling an arthritic monkey paw. They gag in disgust as she lays on the bed, stomach down, her tattered, soiled slip pulled down to her waist, sighing in ecstasy as they scrape the vile paw across her oily, pock-marked back. When one of them can't resist commenting on the hairs between her shoulders, she retorts "Y'all's got the same damn thing, only they ain't poked out yet."
Just at the point when Sedaris's caricature of Mrs. Peacock borders on merciless, he pivots. Mrs. Peacock packs the kids into the car and makes a trip to her house (the beloved back scratcher has been broken and must be replaced with a backup model). The siblings realize that Mrs. Peacock's house, an obvious shack to them, is a subject of great pride for her. The backyard garden is beautifully tended, albeit filled with plastic gewgaws and garden gnomes, and she cautions them not to touch her beloved doll collection ("They's my doll babies") as they enter the back door. She shows them her collection of miniatures, and points out two little troll dolls, each sitting in a house slipper by her bathroom, their hair combed back as if blown by a stiff wind: "See, it's like they's riding in boats!" Sedaris' ability to connect the listener with Mrs. Peacock's sense of individuality and self in the face of obvious poverty is powerful; he simultaneously portrays her as an object of comedic derision and a human being deserving of sincere compassion. I laughed until I had tears in my eyes while I listened to "The Understudy," and yet I'll never look at the denizens of Walmart again without wondering whether they, too, have their own version of a doll baby collection at home, or a carefully tended plant collection on their disintegrating back porch. Sedaris ends the story with an adult observation that Mrs. Peacock was probably clinically depressed the entire time she tended him and his siblings, thus the naps, poor hygiene, etc.
Several of Sedaris's stories involve severely dysfunctional people --an aging apartment neighbor with all the charm of a cornered badger, a disabled war veteran accused of molesting his grandchildren, a boarding house full of social outcasts -- but you never get the feeling that Sedaris would prefer a world without them. He even manages to be amazingly gentle and humorous in relating the potentially traumatic story of a middle-aged truck driver who picked up him up when he was a young hitchhiker and then proceeded to proposition him sexually while the truck flew down the road at 65 miles per hour (Sedaris escaped with his virginity). He's content with the rich adventure of a life that forces you to interact with the good and the bad, the tolerant and the hateful, the beautiful and the plain, and then gives you the gift of grace to smile at it all in the end, just as he smiles at his own strengths and weaknesses. How can you not like a person who is honest and self-deprecating enough to invite you to laugh with him at the fact that he once made use of a prosthetic buttocks to flush out his own flat rear end, abandoning it only when the summer heat, combined with latex, caused intolerable sweating?
There's an old saying that laughing is good for the heart. Sedaris brings new meaning to this saying with his humanist/humorist approach to the world. Spend a few hours with "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" over the next few weekends. You'll like what it does for you.
Show More
and whimsically childlike despite the fact that he is now in his fifties -- bestows a gentle quality that softens his sharper observations and brings a smile to the listener's face even in the absence of obvious humor. Do yourself a favor and go audible on this one.Sedaris' childlike voice notwithstanding, this book is his most mature collection of stories yet. He takes on some sobering subjects -- illness, death, the joys and burdens of monogamy, the unpredictable nature of life -- and treats them with a deepening sense of humanity that has always underpinned his humor, while making the listener laugh all the while -- an amazing feat, when you contemplate the subject matter.
Young writers, on the whole, tend to be more brash and judgmental than older ones, and the arc of their craft usually bends one of two ways: they become more prickly and acerbic in their later years, or they mellow with age and decide to make peace with humankind and all of its (and their) foibles. Sedaris has chosen the latter path, as best exemplified by one of my favorite stories in this collection: "The Understudy." In "The Understudy," David's parents go on an adult vacation and leave him and his young siblings in the care of Mrs. Peacock, an overweight, unkempt woman from "across the tracks" who proceeds to tend her young charges by sleeping all hours of the day in a darkened bedroom, downing every bottle of Coca Cola in the house, and occasionally cooking up a skillet of sloppy joes when the kids resort to howling in desperation (9 p.m.: "If y'all was hungry, why didn't you say nothing? I'm not a mind reader, you know"). Worst of all, she insists that the children take turns scratching her back with a long plastic rod that ends in a miniature, fingernailed "hand" resembling an arthritic monkey paw. They gag in disgust as she lays on the bed, stomach down, her tattered, soiled slip pulled down to her waist, sighing in ecstasy as they scrape the vile paw across her oily, pock-marked back. When one of them can't resist commenting on the hairs between her shoulders, she retorts "Y'all's got the same damn thing, only they ain't poked out yet."
Just at the point when Sedaris's caricature of Mrs. Peacock borders on merciless, he pivots. Mrs. Peacock packs the kids into the car and makes a trip to her house (the beloved back scratcher has been broken and must be replaced with a backup model). The siblings realize that Mrs. Peacock's house, an obvious shack to them, is a subject of great pride for her. The backyard garden is beautifully tended, albeit filled with plastic gewgaws and garden gnomes, and she cautions them not to touch her beloved doll collection ("They's my doll babies") as they enter the back door. She shows them her collection of miniatures, and points out two little troll dolls, each sitting in a house slipper by her bathroom, their hair combed back as if blown by a stiff wind: "See, it's like they's riding in boats!" Sedaris' ability to connect the listener with Mrs. Peacock's sense of individuality and self in the face of obvious poverty is powerful; he simultaneously portrays her as an object of comedic derision and a human being deserving of sincere compassion. I laughed until I had tears in my eyes while I listened to "The Understudy," and yet I'll never look at the denizens of Walmart again without wondering whether they, too, have their own version of a doll baby collection at home, or a carefully tended plant collection on their disintegrating back porch. Sedaris ends the story with an adult observation that Mrs. Peacock was probably clinically depressed the entire time she tended him and his siblings, thus the naps, poor hygiene, etc.
Several of Sedaris's stories involve severely dysfunctional people --an aging apartment neighbor with all the charm of a cornered badger, a disabled war veteran accused of molesting his grandchildren, a boarding house full of social outcasts -- but you never get the feeling that Sedaris would prefer a world without them. He even manages to be amazingly gentle and humorous in relating the potentially traumatic story of a middle-aged truck driver who picked up him up when he was a young hitchhiker and then proceeded to proposition him sexually while the truck flew down the road at 65 miles per hour (Sedaris escaped with his virginity). He's content with the rich adventure of a life that forces you to interact with the good and the bad, the tolerant and the hateful, the beautiful and the plain, and then gives you the gift of grace to smile at it all in the end, just as he smiles at his own strengths and weaknesses. How can you not like a person who is honest and self-deprecating enough to invite you to laugh with him at the fact that he once made use of a prosthetic buttocks to flush out his own flat rear end, abandoning it only when the summer heat, combined with latex, caused intolerable sweating?
There's an old saying that laughing is good for the heart. Sedaris brings new meaning to this saying with his humanist/humorist approach to the world. Spend a few hours with "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" over the next few weekends. You'll like what it does for you.
Show Less
LibraryThing member RandyMetcalfe
The occasional pieces collected here are typical David Sedaris pieces: light, funny, slightly skewed, and warm-hearted. They are also impressively crafted, with balancing echoes and gently threaded motifs. Sedaris writes in a manner that appears almost off-the-cuff, as though the essay in question
Show More
was tossed off late in the evening after a hearty meal and possibly too much to drink. But that level of insouciance takes a tremendous amount of skill and effort, as anyone who has ever attempted it will attest. There is no need to pick a favourite as most, other than the one long selection, “The Smoking Section”, share a common format in tone and length. Dip in and enjoy. Show Less
LibraryThing member littlegeek
Hilarious. I listened to it on an audiobook, which I love since Sedaris is so funny when he reads his work, but now I want a paper copy just to look up all those pithy bon mots. Dude has a way with words and a gentle insight into humans.
LibraryThing member TheBookJunky
Funny funny. He is gentler in this book, not so mean as in the last one. You want to chat over coffee with him for a couple of hours. He is so observant. Reviewers describe his “skewed” outlook, but I think his outlook is dead on accurate, nothing skewed about it all. Clear-eyed, and direct.He
Show More
is mellowing out. His caustic wit pillowed in understanding. But still there. Inside the pillow.**That only took two days to read. I picked up a signed paperback at Bolens, the local indie bookstore. Leftover stacks from Sedaris recent appearance there june 11. Kevin learned from the bookstore clerk afterwards that Sedaris is doing an independent bookstore only tour, with the provision that the events are free to the customers, and that they are held in the store. That is a great boon to the indies! Well done David! Show Less
LibraryThing member keely_chace
Not as laugh-out-loud funny as some of Sedaris' other collections, but still a giggly pleasure. This book finishes strong with the title essay, in which Sedaris journals his experience of going to Japan to stop smoking. Just as he did with his attempts at speaking French in "Me Talk Pretty One
Show More
Day", he offers gut-busting literal translations of some of his efforts at Japanese. Even funnier are the tidbits of bizarre English written by native Japanese speakers that Sedaris shares. Weird but wonderful. Show Less
LibraryThing member bnbooklady
In When You Are Engulfed In Flames, David Sedaris delivers another collection of hilarious stories from his less-than-normal life. I discovered Sedaris's work a few years ago with Naked, which made me laugh out loud so many times that my husband added Sedaris to the ever-growing list of authors
I'm sorry to say it, but I was a bit underwhelmed. All of the essays carried Sedaris's trademark wit and sarcasm, but I just felt like he was trying too hard most of the time. There were a few rather memorable pieces, including his description of the ways in which he and his partner Hugh allow Hugh's mother to cook, clean, and do the heavy lifting around the house when she visits, and his case study of the differences in the ways their familys functioned, especially during holidays, during their childhoods was hysterical. The essay "April in Paris," in which Sedaris gives a detailed account of how he became obsessed with a spider he found living in one of their window sills and set out on a mission to catch flies and insects to feed her--he recalls waking up at 3am and stumbling through the house in the dark trying to catch more food for her--was my favorite of the bunch and served to remind me why I started reading Mr. Sedaris in the first place. However, the book's final piece, "The Smoking Section," was far too long and was much funnier in its shortened form, which appeared in the The New Yorker just before the book was published. I would still recommend this book to established Sedaris fans who will appreciate hearing from him again, but I would use Naked as the best introduction to Sedaris for those who haven't read him before.
Show More
he'd rather I not read while he's trying to sleep (not that that stops me), and I thoroughly enjoyed Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim, so I had high hopes for this one.I'm sorry to say it, but I was a bit underwhelmed. All of the essays carried Sedaris's trademark wit and sarcasm, but I just felt like he was trying too hard most of the time. There were a few rather memorable pieces, including his description of the ways in which he and his partner Hugh allow Hugh's mother to cook, clean, and do the heavy lifting around the house when she visits, and his case study of the differences in the ways their familys functioned, especially during holidays, during their childhoods was hysterical. The essay "April in Paris," in which Sedaris gives a detailed account of how he became obsessed with a spider he found living in one of their window sills and set out on a mission to catch flies and insects to feed her--he recalls waking up at 3am and stumbling through the house in the dark trying to catch more food for her--was my favorite of the bunch and served to remind me why I started reading Mr. Sedaris in the first place. However, the book's final piece, "The Smoking Section," was far too long and was much funnier in its shortened form, which appeared in the The New Yorker just before the book was published. I would still recommend this book to established Sedaris fans who will appreciate hearing from him again, but I would use Naked as the best introduction to Sedaris for those who haven't read him before.
Show Less
LibraryThing member manadabomb
I love this man.
I've listened to his interviews about this book on NPR and The Daily Show and just love this man. I would have rather listened to this book as read by him but that wasn't feasible at the beach. So I took the new hardback (sans dust jacket) every day to the beach and laughed
I'm still shaking sand from the pages.
Sedaris tells us the stories of Hugh, the worm growing out of his leg, Paris and the spiders in his home, and traveling to Japan just to quit smoking. It is pretty bad when all the good hotels go non-smoking and only a semen covered remote jolts him into realizing that maybe he should just stop smoking.
I particularly loved the line about his finding new snacks in Japan that "tasted like penis". Lord. I can't even comprehend that.
Another good book by Sedaris.
I've listened to his interviews about this book on NPR and The Daily Show and just love this man. I would have rather listened to this book as read by him but that wasn't feasible at the beach. So I took the new hardback (sans dust jacket) every day to the beach and laughed
Show More
hysterically while people glanced at me in apparent fear.I'm still shaking sand from the pages.
Sedaris tells us the stories of Hugh, the worm growing out of his leg, Paris and the spiders in his home, and traveling to Japan just to quit smoking. It is pretty bad when all the good hotels go non-smoking and only a semen covered remote jolts him into realizing that maybe he should just stop smoking.
I particularly loved the line about his finding new snacks in Japan that "tasted like penis". Lord. I can't even comprehend that.
Another good book by Sedaris.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ferdinand1213
This is good because it's David Sedaris, but is not that good as David Sedaris goes. Fans will enjoy it, but I wouldn't use it to start someone off with Sedaris.
LibraryThing member jeniferbal
This was definitely not my favorite David Sedaris book. I am a big fan but I think that this time I was looking for something new and exciting; When you are Engulfed in Flames is the same old Sedaris. I heard him speak a couple of years ago and was excited about the animal fairy tales that he said
Show More
he was writing. When you are Engulfed in Flames is not that. It is the same style essay that we have grown to love him for but...I was a little disappointed that we didn't get to see him stretch his boundaries and I think that I read or heard at least five of the essays in other places before I read the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member agirlandherbooks
A collection of essays from the New Yorker, it's probably not possible for David Sedaris to be unfunny. If you don't find some humor within these pages of life, love, boils and trying to quit smoking, then you have a problem.
LibraryThing member awriteword
I have been a dedicated David Sedaris fan ever since I first discovered his book, Naked. Sedaris writes so candidly about his life and inner monologue that the reader feels like s/he knows the writer intimately. He lays himself bare with only a glamour of dry wit to cover the truth.
The vingettes in
The vingettes in
Show More
"When You Are Engulfed In Flames" discuss Sedaris' insecurities and discomforts, his relationship with his long-time boyfriend, Hugh, his travels, and his quest to quit smoking in Japan. Wry and always slightly self-conscious, Sedaris will make you smile and cry all in the same story. I always feel his books end too quickly, and this one was no different, but as I closed its cover, I felt deeply satisfied. "When You Are Englufed In Flames," is an entertaining and self-reflecting read. Well-balanced and thoughtful, it's words will remain with you long after you have finished reading the last page. Show Less
LibraryThing member jennyo
Fair warning, you're not likely to get an unbiased review of a Sedaris book from me. I absolutely love his writing and actually bought this copy of his new book at BookPeople when he was speaking there in June. I also have the audiobook version. So, um, yeah...I like him. Lots.
And I thoroughly
So, if you haven't ever heard Sedaris or read his stuff, do. He's funny and poignant. Definitely worth your time.
And I thoroughly
Show More
enjoyed this book. It seems like he's gotten a little gentler than he used to be, but maybe that's just my imagination. I think my favorite story this time around is "Old Faithful" which is gross and hysterically funny and touching all at the same time, as the best of his stories always are. I also got a big kick out of "Buddy, Can You Spare a Tie?" The bit about buying a fake ass really made me laugh, maybe because I could totally relate. Well, not about actually owning a fake ass, but about not having much in the way of a real one. Oh, you know what I mean.So, if you haven't ever heard Sedaris or read his stuff, do. He's funny and poignant. Definitely worth your time.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mojomomma
Typical Sedaris short stories that had me laughing out loud.
LibraryThing member bigorangemichael
While I was aware of the titles of David Sedaris’ books before (they just kind of jump out at you when you’re browsing in the bookstore), I have to admit I’d never really jumped on the bandwagon before now. For some reason, it seemed that everyone was buzzing about this book when it came out
Listening to this series of essays, I have to wonder if the experience might not be different from reading them in printed form. The collection is a mixture of Sedaris reading them in a “studio” as it were and to an audience. I have to admit the ones that Sedaris reads or performs to an audience worked a lot better and were a lot more memorable. One story in particular about Sedaris’ encounter with a couple who was dressed nicely but had potty mouths was particularily intriguing.
Sedaris writes with a sarcastic wit, which I think comes across better when you hear the stories read aloud. There are some writers who just work better when you can hear them tell their stories as opposed to reading them. (Garrison Keillor is an example for me). The stories all range from short, quick essays to a longer two-disc length story on Sedaris’ attempts to quit smoking.
With this being my first exposure to Sedaris, I will admit I enjoyed what I read/heard enough to want to seek out his previous works and see what I’ve been missing.
Show More
and that generated some curiosity. Then, one day while browsing the free audio book downloads at my local libary, I saw the book had just been returned and decided to give it a chance.Listening to this series of essays, I have to wonder if the experience might not be different from reading them in printed form. The collection is a mixture of Sedaris reading them in a “studio” as it were and to an audience. I have to admit the ones that Sedaris reads or performs to an audience worked a lot better and were a lot more memorable. One story in particular about Sedaris’ encounter with a couple who was dressed nicely but had potty mouths was particularily intriguing.
Sedaris writes with a sarcastic wit, which I think comes across better when you hear the stories read aloud. There are some writers who just work better when you can hear them tell their stories as opposed to reading them. (Garrison Keillor is an example for me). The stories all range from short, quick essays to a longer two-disc length story on Sedaris’ attempts to quit smoking.
With this being my first exposure to Sedaris, I will admit I enjoyed what I read/heard enough to want to seek out his previous works and see what I’ve been missing.
Show Less
LibraryThing member figre
There is something almost too voyeuristic about David Sedaris’ writing. He lets us into his life too completely. I have heard it commented on before (I think by him) that his family is constantly asking if something they have just done will be the next essay. And, if your brother or friend was
However, no one is safe. As in past collections, any passing event (any passing person) may be the fodder, the jumping off point - a sobbing man on a plane, a couple forced to sit in separate seats on a plan, an elegant foul-mouthed couple on a plane. (He travels a lot. This collection shows more plane-centricity than other collections) These are only the beginnings – the jumping off points – to explorations and sometimes seemingly random musings that take on more meaning than may first be expected.
And the reason his style works is that these articles say as much about us as they do about Mr. Sedaris. You see, that is the ultimate success of his writing. Go all the way back to “Santaland Diaries”, one of first articles that put Sedaris’ name on the map. (If you haven’t read it, go do it now. We’ll all wait right here……Okay, done? Let’s move on then.) Very few (if any) of us will find ourselves working as elves during Christmas. And we definitely won’t go through the rigors and trials that beset Sedaris. But we are intrigued by his experiences. He tells it funny. So we are entertained. But if that were all that occurred in this piece, then it would be fluff. Instead, the tale is told in a way that, while we won’t ever be elves, we see that elf experience in day-to-day interactions we experience. Likewise, in the new collection. These are funny, sobering, engrossing stories that, while they will never happen to us, we can see those experiences in our own life.
Take the last part of the book “The Smoking Section”. This series of writing takes up the final fourth of the book, and discusses how Sedaris quit smoking. It starts with how he started smoking, and ends with the quiet realization of success. In between is the story of a trip to Japan. I have never been a smoker – I can never understand what it is like to try and quit – and I’ve never been to Japan. Yet there are so many other touch points in the description of his travails – events related to why people start down certain roads, how it feels to be the odd person out, what it means to succeed without really knowing you have had success - that the stories resonate. And that is the ultimate point and the ultimate success of his writing. The surface-level reader might be tempted to say, “It’s all about David”. But the rest of us wouldn’t enjoy this writing if it were nothing but navel-gazing.
This review has covered as much about Sedaris’ other writing as it did the actual book. But that may be the point. If you already enjoy David Sedaris, you will enjoy this book. If you don’t like his writing, this collection will not change your mind. And, if you have not discovered David Sedaris, this is as good a place to start as any. (Wait a minute. Didn’t you tell me you read Santaland Diaries before going on with this review? You mean you lied to me?)
Show More
writing like this, you would probably not only write him out of your will but also just try your best to avoid him at all costs.However, no one is safe. As in past collections, any passing event (any passing person) may be the fodder, the jumping off point - a sobbing man on a plane, a couple forced to sit in separate seats on a plan, an elegant foul-mouthed couple on a plane. (He travels a lot. This collection shows more plane-centricity than other collections) These are only the beginnings – the jumping off points – to explorations and sometimes seemingly random musings that take on more meaning than may first be expected.
And the reason his style works is that these articles say as much about us as they do about Mr. Sedaris. You see, that is the ultimate success of his writing. Go all the way back to “Santaland Diaries”, one of first articles that put Sedaris’ name on the map. (If you haven’t read it, go do it now. We’ll all wait right here……Okay, done? Let’s move on then.) Very few (if any) of us will find ourselves working as elves during Christmas. And we definitely won’t go through the rigors and trials that beset Sedaris. But we are intrigued by his experiences. He tells it funny. So we are entertained. But if that were all that occurred in this piece, then it would be fluff. Instead, the tale is told in a way that, while we won’t ever be elves, we see that elf experience in day-to-day interactions we experience. Likewise, in the new collection. These are funny, sobering, engrossing stories that, while they will never happen to us, we can see those experiences in our own life.
Take the last part of the book “The Smoking Section”. This series of writing takes up the final fourth of the book, and discusses how Sedaris quit smoking. It starts with how he started smoking, and ends with the quiet realization of success. In between is the story of a trip to Japan. I have never been a smoker – I can never understand what it is like to try and quit – and I’ve never been to Japan. Yet there are so many other touch points in the description of his travails – events related to why people start down certain roads, how it feels to be the odd person out, what it means to succeed without really knowing you have had success - that the stories resonate. And that is the ultimate point and the ultimate success of his writing. The surface-level reader might be tempted to say, “It’s all about David”. But the rest of us wouldn’t enjoy this writing if it were nothing but navel-gazing.
This review has covered as much about Sedaris’ other writing as it did the actual book. But that may be the point. If you already enjoy David Sedaris, you will enjoy this book. If you don’t like his writing, this collection will not change your mind. And, if you have not discovered David Sedaris, this is as good a place to start as any. (Wait a minute. Didn’t you tell me you read Santaland Diaries before going on with this review? You mean you lied to me?)
Show Less
LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
It is heartening to find an author whose work improves with each subsequent publication. Some of Sedaris's stories take a more serious turn this time around, but rather than wrecking a humorous tale, these moments have a way of adding to the overall enjoyableness of the essays -- probably something
Show More
akin to the well-roundedness public schools are always trying to achieve in their students. Meanwhile, Sedaris' humor is still spot-on, and at times I found myself literally laughing out loud. The couple of fiction samples thrown into the mix showcase an improvement in Sedaris's writing in this department as well, although I am still not the hugest fan of his fiction. Even Sedaris' vocal impressions and inflection have risen a notch (no pun intended), for those listening to the audio version. Overall, a good read -- quick enough to read in one or two sit-downs, but also (especially since it is written in essay format) perfect for short (and complete) reads here and there. Show Less
LibraryThing member eggsnhm
David Sedaris is never so funny as when reading his own material, so I was particularly delighted to have received this audio book as a gift. However, while his delivery is hysterically funny in the 4 tracks that were performed in front of a live audience, the rest of the book, recorded in the
Show More
studio, has its moments, but generally falls flat. Show Less
LibraryThing member moonstormer
Another brilliant collection from David Sedaris. This book made me laugh out loud on many occasions, and i thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I would certainly recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor, and it is a must read for anyone who has lived or traveled abroad.
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — 2009)
Pages
336
ISBN
0316154687 / 9780316154680