Calvin Trillin, Piece by Piece

Rating:
Summary: Classic Trillin
Review: This is a real classic. It's an especial bargain at this price because it's two cassettes of Trillin reading various pieces compiled from his delightful, massive repertoire of work. No single piece stands out. They're all wonderful: funny (of course);humane; brimming with his usual unexpected, brilliant observations on everything from fruitcake to things like an exegesis of the origin of the famous expression, "Smart as a Chinatown chicken". What's more (and unlike alot of other books available on tape), the collection is unabridged (there doesn't seem to be a hardback or paperback equivalent so I guess that goes without saying) but maybe its signal virtue is that it can be listened to over and over and over again. For a Trillin fan, it's impossible to get tired of these tapes. If you have never heard Trillin reading his own work, this is the place to start. His reading is terrific: guileless, self-effacing and perfectly tuned and faithful to his writing as a whole. Also, for the uninitiated, this is a perfect place to make Mr. Trillin's aquaintance because the range of topics covered in this collection really illustrate his top-notch ability to take the reader anywhere and write about it like he'd known about it and thought about it everyday of his life. It seems to me this would be a perfect gift, too. Not just because it's an excellent representative sample but because it provides the listener with a full, clear 'earful' of his seemingly boundless ability to capture and communicate the humorous aspects of just about anything. Maybe even more importantly, if you're aiming to turn someone on to Trillin, it's a perfect place to start because this collection so faithfully reflects his standing as a humorist without malice. Bottom line: it's worth every penny, G-rated and demonstrates Trillin beautifully at what I think he does best: sizzle civilly and weild our language as well (and for the most part better) than anybody else out there. P.S. I gave it four instead of five stars because I wanted MORE and would have gladly paid for it. It lost that star on a mere technicality or, better put, on account of avarice and greed on MY part.