galentorrey's review
4.0
entertaining, funny and twisted---as always. read this in one day...quick read.
murph_the_serf's review
2.0
Short story collections are usually hit or miss given the form itself but this collection falls much more often on the "miss" side. I'm not sure what made Sedaris choose these pieces to include other than better works by these normally very adept authors. The Dorothy Parker and Jhumpa Lauri pieces stand out as two of the worthwhile pieces but overall I would skip this and just read a Sedaris-penned book.
nicolec417's review
3.0
I decided to stop this with two stories left. The collection had some really strong pieces, and I can see how David Sedaris is inspired by some of these, but others were dull and just haven't stayed in my brain long enough to make an impression.
pipercurda's review
3.0
sedaris is one of my favorites and I mistakenly thought this was another of his books. in fact, it is a collection of essays and short stories that are some of sedaris’ favorites and, upon learning this, i was still just as intrigued to read the words that someone I enjoy enjoys.
some of the stories were great, some were less great. there wasn’t much cohesiveness, though I’m not sure that should be expected of an anthology. more than anything, it was good exposure to some more prolific writers that i’ve yet to read.
would give 3.5 stars if possible.
some of the stories were great, some were less great. there wasn’t much cohesiveness, though I’m not sure that should be expected of an anthology. more than anything, it was good exposure to some more prolific writers that i’ve yet to read.
would give 3.5 stars if possible.
rhiannoncs's review
2.0
This was a fine collection - some stories I had read, most I hadn't. A lot of the selections are very much what one expects from the "literary short story" - starkly written stories about children learning a hard life lesson, adults struggling with the futility of daily existence, etc. Not that there's anything wrong with those kinds of stories per se, but I sort of felt like I had already read this book at least once a semester for the five years I worked on my English degree, if you know what I mean.
There were a couple of standouts for me, though - "The Best of Betty" springs to mind.
There were a couple of standouts for me, though - "The Best of Betty" springs to mind.
judyward's review
4.0
One of the reasons that I love David Sedaris is that he shares my love of reading and books. In his introduction, Sedaris reflected about books and wrote that, in his opinion, "a good one would take me out of myself and then stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit. This led to a kind of trance that made the dullest work, the dullest life, bearable." And he claimed that "I believed, and still do, that stories can save you." Exactly! David Sedaris wrote the introduction to this book and he has picked his favorite short stories to be enjoyed by readers. The authors are as varied as the stories and include Alice Munro, Dorothy Parker, Tobias Wolff, Lorrie Moore, Patricia Highsmith, and Flannery O'Connor. I picked up this book expecting it to be authored by David Sedaris and, after my initial surprise, found myself engrossed in the wonderful short fiction.
lizburny's review
4.0
It's difficult to rate a compilation of stories such as this. There were several 5 star short stories, a slew of 4s, and a couple of 2s. Overall, I loved it and it gave me a great list of authors whose work I want to pursue.
katepowellshine's review
4.0
With David Sedaris as the editor, I was expecting more of the stories to be humorous, and I was surprised to find so many stories that were, frankly, depressing. That didn't prevent me from thoroughly enjoying the collection, though. I suppose it would be difficult to go wrong with that collection of authors. Very enjoyable.
agruenbaum's review
3.0
It wasn't his work. It was the collected work of others. Not really my thing...
manadabomb's review
4.0
I had the audio book for this one and since it was under 3 hours and short stories, I tackled it. David Sedaris is just awesome, so awesome, I'm happy to listen to him reading other people's work.
Color me surprised then when I see that the printed book version had many more short stories than the audio book. Now I feel like I missed something.
The audio book covered
"Where the Door is Always Open and the Welcome Mat is Out" by Patricia Highsmith, read by Cherry Jones
"Bullet In the Brain" by Tobias Wolff, read by Toby Wherry
"Gryphon" by Charles Baxter, read by David Sedaris
"In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried" by Amy Hempel,read by Mary-Louise Parker
"Cosmopolitan" by Akhil Sharma, read by the author
I am having difficulty choosing which story I liked best, not that I am forced to choose, mind you. All were really excellent and read incredibly well.
I do think I need to get the printed version because if the selection for the audio book was this good, I don't think I want to miss the others.
Color me surprised then when I see that the printed book version had many more short stories than the audio book. Now I feel like I missed something.
The audio book covered
"Where the Door is Always Open and the Welcome Mat is Out" by Patricia Highsmith, read by Cherry Jones
"Bullet In the Brain" by Tobias Wolff, read by Toby Wherry
"Gryphon" by Charles Baxter, read by David Sedaris
"In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried" by Amy Hempel,read by Mary-Louise Parker
"Cosmopolitan" by Akhil Sharma, read by the author
I am having difficulty choosing which story I liked best, not that I am forced to choose, mind you. All were really excellent and read incredibly well.
I do think I need to get the printed version because if the selection for the audio book was this good, I don't think I want to miss the others.