hannahlouise_'s review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
A re-read as I had already read these snippets in The Fran Lebowitz Reader, I love her mind so much & she encapsulates (i imagine) being a writer in New York in a way that is entertaining & always a joy to read.
maevebeck's review against another edition
3.75
so witty and goofy but in an intelligent and niche way. her voice is awesome but because its just very brief essays it can be almost impossible to pick up. i think i read this book for over a year. it can be a little antiquated at times and i think i like the idea of it more than the book itself but MAN theres something so special about it. i love u fran
scottishben's review against another edition
2.0
I like Fran Lebowitz - not as a person, as I dont know her but there is something about her that is appealing. She can be very funny, with a dry, aserbic wit.
This book though feels like (and probably was) cobbled together from lots of short pieces written for newspapers or other publications. In these forms they would be highlights of the issue, funny and complete without taking up much time or energy.
Put all together they do paint an interesting picture of a person and a time but the lazy ways the writing is put together, over-reliance of lists etc...and just how dated it all is I dont think this is a book people now need to do more than dip into.
It is still very funny in places.
I do like it when humour goes a little beyond laughing at others to encourage change or at least challenge why it isnt there. It is ironic that my favourite thing about a technophobe is her Amazon reviews.
If you want a funny book to dip into to remind you of a different time and dont mind it all being very dated etc. then this at least is both brief and funny. But best to have a good number of breaks.
This book though feels like (and probably was) cobbled together from lots of short pieces written for newspapers or other publications. In these forms they would be highlights of the issue, funny and complete without taking up much time or energy.
Put all together they do paint an interesting picture of a person and a time but the lazy ways the writing is put together, over-reliance of lists etc...and just how dated it all is I dont think this is a book people now need to do more than dip into.
It is still very funny in places.
I do like it when humour goes a little beyond laughing at others to encourage change or at least challenge why it isnt there. It is ironic that my favourite thing about a technophobe is her Amazon reviews.
If you want a funny book to dip into to remind you of a different time and dont mind it all being very dated etc. then this at least is both brief and funny. But best to have a good number of breaks.
canadiantiquarian's review against another edition
1.0
"Having been unpopular in high school is not just cause for book publication."
Had she taken her own advice, perhaps we wouldn't have this collection of superficial notions and jokes that are so much more masturbatory and self-satisfying than they are thoughtful or noteworthy. The entire collection reads like a bunch of half-assed blogs by a smart-assed kid, which is made all the worse by the casual racism, homophobia, and thoughtlessness of her era.
Had she taken her own advice, perhaps we wouldn't have this collection of superficial notions and jokes that are so much more masturbatory and self-satisfying than they are thoughtful or noteworthy. The entire collection reads like a bunch of half-assed blogs by a smart-assed kid, which is made all the worse by the casual racism, homophobia, and thoughtlessness of her era.
iamazoo's review against another edition
3.0
quite funny - my favorite is “a few words on a few words”