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A review by jonscott9
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
3.0
What did I learn from this book? That embellishing your life can be okay when you're a great storyteller, no harm's done to anyone, and everyone who reads it knows it's ridiculous and loves you for the constant chuckles.
David Sedaris knows all about timing and spacing. Many of his essays and quips are built around the perfectly turned phrase, the expertly used grammar, and the flat-out zaniness of the subjects. (He's probably not hurting for ammo with a sibling like Amy Sedaris of Strangers With Candy either--oh my!) How two supremely funny people emerged from one stable is beyond me, but let's enjoy Sedaris for all that he's worth.
And that is a lot. One key to humor writing can be self-deprecation, and Sedaris uses it to elicit guffaws at times from his audience. Tales from the school-age crypt ranging from a speech therapist who laughed at his lisp to taking music lessons from a midget are chuckle-inducing throughout, if periodically sad. But isn't that the mark of a grand comedian? I think it's Robin Williams who said that "Behind every comedian there lies a very sad man"--and he was right.
Sedaris is at his best when making light of (and shedding light on) France and its people, its culture, and its language. Anyone who's ever taken a couple semesters of French will chortle at the nuggets that Sedaris offers from his days in class in France itself.
Some built-up quips and narratives seem to stray, and others such as the pieces about Sedaris as a moving-van worker in New York City are mildly funny, but the book on the whole is worth the time of one who's wondered what all the fuss is about with this writer. Augusten Burroughs should consider himself fathered by this funnyman.
David Sedaris knows all about timing and spacing. Many of his essays and quips are built around the perfectly turned phrase, the expertly used grammar, and the flat-out zaniness of the subjects. (He's probably not hurting for ammo with a sibling like Amy Sedaris of Strangers With Candy either--oh my!) How two supremely funny people emerged from one stable is beyond me, but let's enjoy Sedaris for all that he's worth.
And that is a lot. One key to humor writing can be self-deprecation, and Sedaris uses it to elicit guffaws at times from his audience. Tales from the school-age crypt ranging from a speech therapist who laughed at his lisp to taking music lessons from a midget are chuckle-inducing throughout, if periodically sad. But isn't that the mark of a grand comedian? I think it's Robin Williams who said that "Behind every comedian there lies a very sad man"--and he was right.
Sedaris is at his best when making light of (and shedding light on) France and its people, its culture, and its language. Anyone who's ever taken a couple semesters of French will chortle at the nuggets that Sedaris offers from his days in class in France itself.
Some built-up quips and narratives seem to stray, and others such as the pieces about Sedaris as a moving-van worker in New York City are mildly funny, but the book on the whole is worth the time of one who's wondered what all the fuss is about with this writer. Augusten Burroughs should consider himself fathered by this funnyman.