stronlibrarianvibes's review against another edition
5.0
I actually got this as a book-on-CD from the library. I needed something to laugh at on my drive to and from work. This fit the bill perfectly. The story is rather intriguing, and it could have been a serious commentary on what constitutes community amongst folks if the book wasn't so dang funny and outrageous. The characters are...well, let's just say I don't think I've encountered their parallels in the annals of literature. Their accounts of life in Wigfield make you want to stay as far away from that godforsaken fictional place as possible. What makes the characters even better is the vocal stylings of the authors: Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris, and Paul Dinello. Hearing their characterizations just makes this book.
murph_the_serf's review against another edition
3.0
While funny, I don't think it lived up to the abilities of Sedaris and Colbert. Part of what makes them great is their performances and, while there's absolutely nothing wrong with be that great of a performer, it does mean something is missing from the writing.
inirac's review against another edition
4.0
Quite hilarious. I can't believe I hadn't heard of this book before as I'm a big fan of the entire Sedaris family. I highly recommend the audiobook as it is read by Stephen Colbert, Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello themselves, and their timing and voices are perfection. (You haven't lived until you've heard Stephen Colbert voice a middle-aged heavy-set stripper.)
A word of warning for future readers: the only detraction was the more-than-occasional use of racial slurs by the characters within the book. It sets a tone for the novel, but I found it more distracting than necessary in some cases.
A word of warning for future readers: the only detraction was the more-than-occasional use of racial slurs by the characters within the book. It sets a tone for the novel, but I found it more distracting than necessary in some cases.
emstearns720's review against another edition
4.0
Short & humorous, the audiobook was a great listen (as read by the authors).
rmwh's review against another edition
5.0
If you like Strangers with Candy, you will lose your mind over this. I have one word for you: "Raven"
bluenicorn's review against another edition
4.0
Well, really I listened to this as an audiobook, and that might have made all the difference. While I didn't get to see the photos that the book has, the audiobook had the advantage of being read by the authors- complete with accents and all. Reading something and pretending like Stephen Colbert is saying it is one thing, but having him read it to you, acting out every inflection is a completely different and wonderful thing. I highly recommend for a car ride.
kickpleat's review against another edition
1.0
Oh, this was so horrible. My husband and I read it together and the book just got worse and worse as it went on. At first there were a few chuckles, but then it just became a pain to read. "Do you want to read Wigfield tonight?" "Me neither". Yikes. Luckily this wasn't a career defining book for any of the writers.
mrsthrift's review against another edition
2.0
I really really wanted to like this book. look at the authors - those are funny people. i have read and loved other books they wrote. i forced myself through this book, laughing out loud occasionally and trying to make the various character/portraits a subject of conversation. my stepson puzzled over the pics, but they didn't seem funny. we read the interviews together. still not funny. every time this book made me LOL (about 6 times in all 205 pages), my spouse would ask "What's so funny?" and every time i had to say, "nothing, really. it's just stupid-funny." not funny-funny, just stupid-funny.
the guy who used to paint stripes and lines on the highway quits his job and somehow gets an advance to write a book about disappearing American small towns. his car breaks down outside Wigfield, an unincorporated, illegal squatter's town at the base of an ecological nightmare of a pork barrel concrete dam. the population of the town appears to be split evenly between truck stop strippers, used auto parts dealers, and damaged, sick people suffering from various environmental toxins. the townspeople hope to receive big payouts for eminent domain when the government wants to blow up the dam. the author interviews people around town to get their perspective on small town life, and how they feel about their town being destroyed. the only problem: their town isn't really what you might call "a town."
i totally understood the reason the writing style is so excruciating. it's supposed to be a guy trying desperately to produce 50,000 words to fulfill his contract. it's so painfully, disappointingly, excruciatingly bad and hard to read. i have no idea how i made it to the end. skip it!!
the guy who used to paint stripes and lines on the highway quits his job and somehow gets an advance to write a book about disappearing American small towns. his car breaks down outside Wigfield, an unincorporated, illegal squatter's town at the base of an ecological nightmare of a pork barrel concrete dam. the population of the town appears to be split evenly between truck stop strippers, used auto parts dealers, and damaged, sick people suffering from various environmental toxins. the townspeople hope to receive big payouts for eminent domain when the government wants to blow up the dam. the author interviews people around town to get their perspective on small town life, and how they feel about their town being destroyed. the only problem: their town isn't really what you might call "a town."
i totally understood the reason the writing style is so excruciating. it's supposed to be a guy trying desperately to produce 50,000 words to fulfill his contract. it's so painfully, disappointingly, excruciatingly bad and hard to read. i have no idea how i made it to the end. skip it!!
cjeanne99's review
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
What a book to have as my first for 2023. While reading the text would probably be enjoyable - this is definitely a book to listen to if you can. The voicings the authors give to the residents of Wigfield add so much to the book.