Rating:  Summary: The first book that made me laugh out loud. Review: I often find that when others claim a book is funny, it usually isn't very humorous. However, Me Talk Pretty One Day is the exception to this rule. Sedaris' short essays about small things in life are much like a Seinfield episode. His telling style and honesty about himself makes you feel as humble and as human as he is throughout the book. It is extremley well done, and it extremley hilarious.
Rating:  Summary: Very, very funny Review: ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY is second only to NAKED. It's a very funny read.
Rating:  Summary: Weep with laughter - it's good for your health! Review: My cousin, Lisa, and I share many satisfying and hilarous experiences (college roommates being just one), and for whatever reason, we are David Sedaris soulmates. After she read my review of "Naked" [...] she has been a fan. This year for my birthday, she paid me back ten-fold with "Me Talk Pretty One Day," the best Sedaris yet. Most of Sedaris' work is what you might call "sort of" autobiographical. I say, "sort of" because it is a little hard for me to believe all of what he writes is true - embellished truths? Absolutely. From his childhood in North Carolina (filled with wise-cracking, drinking, smoking mother, psycho younger brother (The "Rooster") and odd-ball father (to whom he dedicates the book), we read these funny short pieces about his speech therapist (a speech 'nazi'), his midget guitar teacher (his father had dreams of the kids being a famous musical group), his drug abuse experiences, and finally, a number of pieces about learning French and living in France, where he finds himself having followed his partner. I ended up reading pieces of this book (while on vacation) to whichever member of my family I could capture, and the two of us were generally reduced to tears. Believe it or not, the drug use pieces were a scream - incredibly pathetic but hysterical. The best was toward the end when Sedaris describes being in a French subway (obviously looking very French) and listening to a loud American man warn his wife that she should watch her pocketbook because this shifty-looking French guy (Sedaris!) behind her was likely to snatch her purse. All in all, like much of what I've read of Sedaris, any author who can reduce me to tears is a god-send. The best physical therapy in the world is to weep with laughter.
Rating:  Summary: David very, very funny writer! Review: Mr. Sedaris has done it again. His wit, warmth and irrevent style, had me laughing, crying and reflecting. The essay entitled "Big Boy" had me recalling a similar incident, which happened to me on a friend's boat! Mr. Sedaris has the capacity to make his readers uncomfortable. Why? Because his reality is not so far removed from ours, if we are honest. He is wonderful and so is this book.
Rating:  Summary: wonderful -- irreverent and uniquely twisted Review: If you've never read David Sedaris, or heard his radio pieces (often featured on National Public Radio) then start now. A friend of mine recommended him to me and he is one of the funniest authors I have ever read. He views the world from a perspective that not only have most people never heard, they've never even conceived of it. To some, he might seem crude or offensive, but he is also sharp, witty and unique. He writes about topics that one would never expect to find an essay on, but he always hits the nail on the head. I recommend him to everyone, no matter what you like to read, because there has to be an essay in here that speaks to you.
Rating:  Summary: WHAT FUN! Review: I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THIS GUY. WHAT A TWISTED, HYSTERICAL TAKE HE HAS ON EVERYDAY OCCURENCES. I HAVE ENJOYED ALL HIS BOOK AND Me Talk Pretty One Day LIVED UP TO MY GREAT EXPECTATIONS. IT DELIVERED LAUGH-OUT-LOAD GEMS IN EACH AND EVERY CHAPTER. THE EXAMPLES GIVEN FOR A PEOPLE MAGAZINE CROSSWORD PUZZLE...HIS PATRIOTIC PRIDE IN EXPLAINING JODY FOSTER'S "PACKAGE"......IN THE WORDS OF MRS. SEINFELD: HOW COULD ANYONE NOT LIKE HIM? WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?
Rating:  Summary: Great for a Laugh Review: I took this book with me on a plane trip and found myself laughing out loud! I hope the people next to me didn't think I was crazy. A couple of chapters fell flat with a dull "thud", but the majority of the book was quite entertaining. I was amused by how he is able to rank on the French culture without coming off as an entirely arrogant American. Remembering how I felt in Germany having studied the language only two years, "Me Talk Pretty One Day" really hit home. David Sedaris is able to describe situations we can all relate to, and then put is own unique twist on them. I'm now inspired to read "Holidays on Ice".
Rating:  Summary: Not so funny Review: Having enjoyed the humor of Molly Ivins, P J O'Rourke, Dan Jenkins, and Larry McMurtry.... not to mention George Carlin and Steve Wright.... I kept waiting for the laughs to begin. Imagine my surprize when the book ended (thank God) without as much as a chuckle. Oh well..... can't win them all. Anyone need a slightly used book..... can't pass it along to my friends either.
Rating:  Summary: Overrated, thank you Review: Sorry, but I had high hopes after reading all the positive reviews for this book. My boyfriend and I bought the audio and played it on a recent trip. I remember giggling once, sort of. What's the deal -- hilarious? What am I missing? It's not that it was horrible, it's just that it was flat -- purported to be funny, but to me a real disappointment. Maybe it picked up after the first two tapes, but we couldn't sit through any more than that.
Rating:  Summary: Amusing stories, many hits, some misses. Review: I realize that David Sedaris books are supposed to be 'really' funny, and I consider myself to have a great sense of humor, but overall I found 'Me Talk Pretty One Day' amusing at best. In this best selling book, the reader is exposed to a collection of short stories that take on a humorous spin of mundane topics, or everyday subjects that the Sedaris family has placed their own 'unique and warped' spin on.Though most stories were entertaining, I often asked that though many of these snippets of Mr. Sedaris's life were plausible, some seem to be somewhat exaggerated or embellished. Perhaps that is the authors attempt to really try to make something funny, which ordinarily isn't. Now, don't get me wrong, there are some funny stories. The book is worth it's price in three or four of these snapshots: "I'll eat what he's wearing", "Big Boy", and the one that had me rolling on the floor crying to catch my breath "You can't kill the Rooster." This last story about his younger brother is movie material! The collection overall covers a wide variety of subjects, however, there seem to be two recurring theme's that I observed. First, a decent portion of the book is devoted to his experiences living in France. Though one can make the argument that this book is about his life and it's funny moments, and he did actually live in France; for someone who has never been there to identify French absurdity I found myself saying "Oh, another story France, again". The redeeming aspect for me here was the story about learning French with a bunch of students (characters in their own right), taught by a dictatorial and stereotypical rude French teacher. Secondly, the author seems to have what I would consider some issues of reservation of his life and choices. Autobiographical in nature, the stories often reflect the author's acknowledgement of his low self-worth. He often talks about how many deplorable jobs he has had, how cheap his father is, how smart he isn't, his life with an alcoholic mother, how he got mixed up into drugs and just shuffled through life. However, he takes these normally depressing attributes and attempts to shroud them in humor, hoping that the reader can look past these events on the surface and praise Mr. Sedaris for his wit. Though this does work at times, I wasn't sure whether to laugh or feel sorry for him at times. I hope I am not giving an impression that this is a bad book. It is not. It is funny and an easy read. But it was more 'amusing' than 'hilarious' in which most people would expect.
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