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alongapath's review against another edition
3.0
I have dabbled in David Sedaris over the years but this collection of short stories seemed to be the missing glue for all his other wacky tales. Told in a loosely chronological fashion, David gives some background to who he is, how he grew up and what his family is like. The little snippets were fun, silly and serious.
simonlitton's review against another edition
5.0
My first Sedaris, although I'd read one of the pieces, "Six to eight black men" before. A near-perfect mix of humour and pathos. To judge from some of the other reviews this isn't considered his best work, as it isn't laugh-out-loud funny on every page, but I don't think it's supposed to be. A lot of it is funny-sad, wistful, or even painful, in kind of the same way that Mike Leigh films can be.
I certainly plan to read all his other collections now.
I certainly plan to read all his other collections now.
kats05's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars if GoodReads would let me.
5 stars for 6-8 Black Men which has got to be one of my favourite Sedaris essays ever. A few years ago, a Dutch lady in one of my book clubs told us the story of "Sinterklaas" in the Netherlands, and I thought it sounded really quite dodgy and a bit sinister, though the "Samichlaus" in Switzerland isn't much better.... there is also talk of taking away and some caning for the "bad kids".
However, Sedaris' incredulous retelling of this tradition made this my new favourite Christmas story, plus the quote of "People who traditionally open gifts on Christmas Eve seem a bit more pious and family oriented than those who wait until Christmas morning. [...] Gifts are generally reserved for children and parents tend not to go overboard. It's nothing I want for myself but I suppose it's fine for those who prefer food and family to things of real value." is absolutely priceless.
There are a couple of other gems, once again showing Sedaris' astute observations and verbal wit, but also an awful lot of toxic family anecdotes some of which made me cringe more than they made me laugh, namely the ones about his brother Paul and his sister Tiffany. I wonder if these siblings have actually given their consent about being the made the laughing stock in the book.
One family quote from his childhood days was very funny, though, as well as the story that went with it:
"We were the family that never shut down. The family whose TV was so hot we needed an oven mitt to change channels."
I definitely prefer the essays based outside his family life, even the ones taking on his long-term relationship with his partner, Hugh.
"Hugh and I have been together for so long that, in order to arouse extraordinary passion, we need to engage in actual physical combat."
I look forward to reading (or rather listening to) more of his backlist soon and am very excited to listen to him live from my front row seat booked yesterday in Zurich in September. Can. Not. Wait!
5 stars for 6-8 Black Men which has got to be one of my favourite Sedaris essays ever. A few years ago, a Dutch lady in one of my book clubs told us the story of "Sinterklaas" in the Netherlands, and I thought it sounded really quite dodgy and a bit sinister, though the "Samichlaus" in Switzerland isn't much better.... there is also talk of taking away and some caning for the "bad kids".
However, Sedaris' incredulous retelling of this tradition made this my new favourite Christmas story, plus the quote of "People who traditionally open gifts on Christmas Eve seem a bit more pious and family oriented than those who wait until Christmas morning. [...] Gifts are generally reserved for children and parents tend not to go overboard. It's nothing I want for myself but I suppose it's fine for those who prefer food and family to things of real value." is absolutely priceless.
There are a couple of other gems, once again showing Sedaris' astute observations and verbal wit, but also an awful lot of toxic family anecdotes some of which made me cringe more than they made me laugh, namely the ones about his brother Paul and his sister Tiffany. I wonder if these siblings have actually given their consent about being the made the laughing stock in the book.
One family quote from his childhood days was very funny, though, as well as the story that went with it:
"We were the family that never shut down. The family whose TV was so hot we needed an oven mitt to change channels."
I definitely prefer the essays based outside his family life, even the ones taking on his long-term relationship with his partner, Hugh.
"Hugh and I have been together for so long that, in order to arouse extraordinary passion, we need to engage in actual physical combat."
I look forward to reading (or rather listening to) more of his backlist soon and am very excited to listen to him live from my front row seat booked yesterday in Zurich in September. Can. Not. Wait!
neilcake's review against another edition
1.0
I know I'm not very far in, but I'm giving up on this (40 pages). It's pretty clear that this is what it's like and it isn't going to get any better. Reading it just makes me so depressed... and angry even. I just don't need that kind of influence in my life.
If you want to know why it makes me feel that way, I think it's that there's such a lack of warmth in the stories. The characters are little more than cardboard cutouts who exist purely for the author's entertainment. He shows no empathy for them. It's like reading the adolescent musings of a serial killer - like The Wonder Years with Jeffrey Dahmer. That would be interesting because it'd be an insight into the mind of a serial killer. As it is, it's just a guy who writes these bitchy stories about his family and neighbours.
If any of this makes me seem like a humourless curmudgeon, then so be it, but I can't even understand why someone would portray themselves like this. And then let other people read it.
If you want to know why it makes me feel that way, I think it's that there's such a lack of warmth in the stories. The characters are little more than cardboard cutouts who exist purely for the author's entertainment. He shows no empathy for them. It's like reading the adolescent musings of a serial killer - like The Wonder Years with Jeffrey Dahmer. That would be interesting because it'd be an insight into the mind of a serial killer. As it is, it's just a guy who writes these bitchy stories about his family and neighbours.
If any of this makes me seem like a humourless curmudgeon, then so be it, but I can't even understand why someone would portray themselves like this. And then let other people read it.
akovach's review against another edition
5.0
SO funny. David is probably the most witty writer I've ever read. His stories and analogies are hilarious with multiple laugh out loud moments.
erinrouleaux's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't laugh as hard in this one as his most recent...but I loved Six to Eight men along with some other essays. I especially love his essays that end on a tragic note. I loved the one that was about his visit to his sister Lisa's house. It was a very heartfelt essay and I loved the ending..."Forgive me. Forgive me. Forgive me." I found it beautiful, although some might have found it sad or depressing. I'm not really sure how others would perceive it. But I don't think many would laugh.
Six to Eight Men though....too funny. What a great question to ask others when visiting their country. I love it.
Six to Eight Men though....too funny. What a great question to ask others when visiting their country. I love it.
janinam's review against another edition
5.0
I love this book so very much, and I love the audio version even better. I am typically not a fan of audio books, but in the case of this book I make the exception. I laughed out loud while reading this book - and laughed even harder when I listened to Sedaris read it. "Us and Them", "Seven to Eight Black Men", "Rooster at the Hitchin' Post", "Put a Lid on It" and "Baby Einstein" are among my favorites in this collection. I dare anyone to not be saying "I ain't getting dressed up to eat no fish-assed tastin' chicken!" after reading "Rooster at the Hitchin' Post". However, hearing Sedaris impersonate his very Southern younger brother and saying that makes it even better.
There are gems in every story, little bon mots to take away and chuckle to yourself about later.
There are gems in every story, little bon mots to take away and chuckle to yourself about later.