Product Description
Featuring David Sedaris's unique blend of hilarity and heart, this new collection of keen-eyed animal-themed tales is an utter delight. Though the characters may not be human, the situations in these stories bear an uncanny resemblance to the insanity of everyday life.

In "The Toad, the Turtle, and the Duck," three strangers commiserate about animal bureaucracy while waiting in a complaint line. In "Hello Kitty," a cynical feline struggles to sit through his prison-mandated AA meetings. In "The Squirrel and the Chipmunk," a pair of star-crossed lovers is separated by prejudiced family members.

With original illustrations by Ian Falconer, author of the bestselling Olivia series of children's books, these stories are David Sedaris at his most observant, poignant, and surprising. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (84)

crude
the concept is great but i found the language and portrayal of things very crude; after a few chapters, i was tired of what i perceived as the author's own expression of anger toward all kinds of things and written, as I said, in such crude language, etc. Not for me, although lots of others liked it, since I bought it based on others' recommendation. So I put the book right in the trash bin in new, pristine condition, since I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

A Beastly Book
Misanthropic seems like a strange word to describe a book in which nearly all the characters are animals, but that's what this book is. Almost entirely missing is the tenderness, the hopefulness about the possibility of meaningful relationships that characterizes the rest of David Sedaris' work. The one or two stories -- "Hello Kitty" may really be the only one -- that offer something in this vein aren't enough to redeem the book.

Like so many other negative reviewers, I'm a long-time fan of Sedaris, from his very first appearances on This American Life through all of his published works. I've been to readings and have signed copies of "Barrel Fever" and "Naked".

What's more, I was really looking forward to THIS book. I'd heard one or two of these "fables" on This American Life and hoped Sedaris would put out a volume of them. In fact, I was disappointed that his last book, "When You Are Engulfed in Flames", was not that. (Frankly, I thought "Engulfed" was weak in comparison to his previous three books.)

These stories are brutal, vulgar, even hateful. What's most disappointing is that there is nothing really being said about the hypocrisy, self-centeredness, arrogance, woundedness, ignorance and other negative human traits being lived out by the hapless animals in these tales. The only commentary seems to be that people are awful, and life is misery.

This is so different from Sedaris' previous work. Yes, there's always been a sharp critique of hypocrisy in his stories, but there has also been a sense of hope, and laugh-out-loud humor that we can SHARE in. Only a monster (or someone under an "emperor's new clothes" delusion about Sedaris) could laugh at these stories.

Probably the most repugnant thing about this book is Ian Falconer's illustrations. Not only are they extremely graphic in a way that seems calculated not to illuminate the stories but simply to disgust the reader, but they're often SPOILERS -- turn the page and the picture reveals something we haven't read yet, ruining the story. The book seems almost to hold the reader in contempt.

Moreover, the comic style of the illustrations evinces no sense that there could be any meaning to any of the suffering in these stories; thus they undermine the reader's desperate effort to squeeze something humane out of the stories. The illustrations confirm that this book is pure blood sport.

My hope is that the entire project was just one big, huge mistake -- that Sedaris and his publisher were so blinded by the cleverness of the basic concept here of a book of dark fables that they lost sight of how far off the hook the whole thing had gotten.

But I'm skeptical. If "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" seemed a half-hearted effort, "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk" seems positively phoned in (perhaps with the defiled phone in a Bukowski story I once read). These stories are one-note -- the self-absorbed hypocrite comes to a bad end, usually out of all proportion to their actual crimes. They often feel incomplete.

The foul language and vulgarity that pepper Sedaris' other work in a way that is usually humorous are here Sedaris' primary tools, and as such become quickly tiresome. In place of wit, Sedaris offers us lots of anuses (literal and figurative) -- like a little kid who just learned about poop jokes, only this little kid is a grown man with millions of readers.

Even the book itself, as a physical object, is disappointing. It's a tiny little book to begin with, but the pages are extremely thick; without the illustrations and heaver paper, it'd be nothing but a chapbook.

My advice to Sedaris fans: skip this one. Really. No matter how much you're wanting that Sedaris fix, walk away. Go reread "Naked" or "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim". And then wait hopefully for Sedaris to come back to himself and write something worth reading again.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk
I have always devoured Sedaris books. Looked forward to this newest work. Too dark for me. Disturbing.

David does it again!
I had the fortune of seeing him here at a live event where he read liberally from this book as well as sharing insights and reading other material. I have also purchased the audiobook to listen to during travel.I like the audiobook better because you get to feel his emotion (or lack there of) as he reads through each essay.This time, there's a bit of a switch. He has "guests" reading som of the essays.

I have enjoyed this rather dark book immensely & look forward to his future works........


-- Tim

A disappointed fan
I, like a lot of the other one-star reviewers, eagerly await every new offering from David Sedaris.Me Talk Pretty One Day still has the power to make me laugh until I cry!Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk feels like it was written by a completely different author.It is cruel, humorless (except for one or two lines, but none made me laugh out loud), and often dull.I couldn't even finish it. ... Read more

Product Description
"David Sedaris's ability to transform the mortification of everyday life into wildly entertaining art," (The Christian Science Monitor) is elevated to wilder and more entertaining heights than ever in this remarkable new book. 
Trying to make coffee when the water is shut off, David considers using the water in a vase of flowers and his chain of associations takes him from the French countryside to a hilariously uncomfortable memory of buying drugs in a mobile home in rural North Carolina. In essay after essay, Sedaris proceeds from bizarre conundrums of daily life-having a lozenge fall from your mouth into the lap of a fellow passenger on a plane or armoring the windows with LP covers to protect the house from neurotic songbirds-to the most deeply resonant human truths.  Culminating in a brilliant account of his venture to Tokyo in order to quit smoking, David Sedaris's sixth essay collection is a new masterpiece of comic writing from "a writer worth treasuring" (Seattle Times). 

Praise for When You Are Engulfed in Flames:

"Older, wiser, smarter and meaner, Sedaris...defies the odds once again by delivering an intelligent take on the banalities of an absurd life." --Kirkus Reviews

This latest collection proves that not only does Sedaris still have it, but he's also getting better....Sedaris's best stuff will still--after all this time--move, surprise, and entertain."  --Booklist

Table of Contents:

It's Catching
Keeping Up
The Understudy
This Old House
Buddy, Can You Spare a Tie?
Road Trips
What I Learned
That's Amore
The Monster Mash
In the Waiting Room
Solutions to Saturday's Puzzle
Adult Figures Charging Toward a Concrete Toadstool
Memento Mori
All the Beauty You Will Ever Need
Town and Country
Aerial
The Man in the Hut
Of Mice and Men
April in Paris
Crybaby
Old Faithful
The Smoking Section



... Read more

Customer Reviews (385)

Sedaris is funny
Sedaris is very funny and is able to find and relate humor in everyday circumstances.He is not afraid to take on alcoholism, drug use and homosexuality (often in the same sentence).I am looking forward to more of his works.

Sedaris Bravely, Quirkily Walks and Laughs Through "Flames."
When engulfed in flames you might negotiate with death, swear to give up bad habits, distract yourself with new sights and sounds, console yourself for being better off than those you observe.Mostly you feign bravery by persevering, then realize it's what bravery often is.

David Sedaris laughs in danger's face so you can too. He encounters enough in his uncomfortably funny essays forming "When You Are Engulfed in Flames." Again supported by family members and his relatively anchored partner Hugh,Sedaris reasons with his mortality as a gift human skeleton in "Memento Mori."He stares threats his newly discovered sexuality during lengthy travel: first as a youth with a truck driver wanting intimate favors in "Road Trips," then arguing for privacy against a prying New York cabbie in "Town And Country."

Sedaris' displays his gifts of style economy and characterization,walking close to but not crossing the line of deviancy. This is not only at "Town & Country's surprisingly downbeat ending, but throughout his neighborly friendship with an accused molester in "The Man In The Hut." He makes himself the solid nutty center amidst the flakes and nuts to whom he can say, "It - I - could be worse." His airline tales in "Crybaby" and "Solution to Saturday's Puzzle" are less disturbing but no less quirky or funny.

Sedaris' draws and contrasts quick personality archetypes without resorting to caricature. Mrs. Peacock, the greasy, abusive babysitter terrorizing the young Sedaris children in "The Understudy," mirrors Helen, David and Hugh's abrasive foul-mouthed tenant neighbor in "That's Amore.""Little Mike" and his wife, crude drug dealer David explains his sexuality to in "All The Beauty You Will Ever Need," foreshadows the longest, most involved portion of his book.

"The Smoking Section" takes the book's final third, reading like a one-person play or novella more than the swift kicks of Sedaris' hit "Me Talk Pretty One Day." It details his efforts to quit smoking while adjusting to new culture, living in Tokyo with Hugh. His results are painful, petty, funny twists on the traditional "fish out of water" : he experiences a literally stinky barber, comments on the strange taste of crackers and Japan's unusual but refreshing public formality and kindness (not to mention struggling throughout with its language).All to cheat the gift human skeleton's contention "You are going to die....someday."

Sedaris plays fair when it suits his purpose. His allowing himself superiority to the characters he observes/creates - from the struggling student to the old people and children he beats at swimming and outreasons-allow you empathy for them even at their most unsavory. In the end, Sedaris final answer to what you do "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" is the one we've always known. Stop, drop, roll (with life changes), ask for help (from teachers, friends, family) and accept it where you can get it. Recommended.

Boring and whiny
I've heard and enjoyed David Sedaris's essays as read on This American Life, so I picked up this book at an airport hoping it would keep me entertained on a long flight.I don't know if it's a difference in quality between the essays I've heard and those in this book, or the difference between the spoken and written media, but I found this book to be unbearably cloying, tedious and whiny.I understood all the jokes, but they fell flat.Sorry - I really wanted to like this book, but I was so bored with it that I had to put it down halfway through.

David Sedaris is awesome
Like all of his other books, When You Are Engulfed in Flames is absolutely hilarious and all the more so having Sedaris read it himself.

Sedaris at his Best
David Sedaris has always been dry, clever and often quite funny. When You Are Engulfed in Flames starts out familiarly so, with some entertaining stories and some stories falling flat. If you make it through the first half and have had a pretty good laugh but wouldn't put it up there, prepare to be amazed.

In the second half, David Sedaris shows his pure talent, pushing life to the edge with beautiful wit, sarcasm and the best dry humor around.

His Japan segment is sheer brilliance as he recalls his quite interesting and hilarious tales in a foreign country - but the other stories don't disappoint either. A must read, Sedaris ups his game to a sometimes relatable and always hilarious level. Never have I been more enthralled in Sedaris' work and I'm a big fan and have read most.

Throughout the beginning, some of the dry humor just really isn't that funny and at some points it seems almost as if its trying to be funny and loses the dry quality. The Harvard essay just didn't hit me that well, with some well placed jokes but what really came off as an uninteresting, mildly humorous tale. I've often found that Sedaris does his best when observing the life around him, not when creating a fictional world.

His family interactions aren't presented in a new light in the early, yet still funny, chapters and there are some hilarious stories but still nothing compared to the second half, a brilliant observance of mere life. ... Read more

Product Description
Welcome to the hilarious, strange, elegiac, outrageous world of David Sedaris. In Naked, Sedaris turns the mania for memoir on its ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, his family, and his unique worldview-a sensibility at once take-no-prisoners sharp and deeply charitable. A tart-tongued mother does dead-on imitations of her young son's nervous tics, to the great amusement of his teachers; a stint of Kerouackian wandering is undertaken (of course!) with a quadriplegic companion; a family gathers for a wedding in the face of imminent death. Through it all is Sedaris's unmistakable voice, without doubt one of the freshest in American writing.Amazon.com Review
Hip radio comedy fans and theater folks who belong to the cult of Obie-winningplaywright/performer David Sedaris must kill to get this book. Thesewould be fans of the scaldingly snide Sedaris's hilariously describedpersonal misadventures like The Santaland Diaries (a monologueabout his work as an elf to a department store Santa) seenoff-Broadway in 1997. In a series of similarly textured essays,Sedaris takes us along on his catastrophic detours through a nudistcolony, a fruit-packing plant, his own childhood, and a dozen more ofthe world's little purgatories. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (451)

Still funny after all these years
No matter how many times you return to this book, it's still a riot. Recommended always.

Almost got kicked off the plane
Some of the stories in this book are so funny I was crying in my seat on the plane. This is David at his best.

Actually haven't had time to read this yet!!
I received it fairly quickly. But I have not had time to read it yrt.

"Naked" by David Sedaris
I ordered this item on August 11, 2010 and it was shipped within the first 36 hours! It took about a week or so after that to get it, but that was perfectly okay with me. It was carefully packaged and it was in the condition as described. I have done business through this seller before and was just as satisfied with them. I would recommend them to anyone who's in the market for a great book and I would, again, gladly continue to do business with them. Thank you for my book. Two thumbs WAY up!

Side Splitting???
One reviewer rated this as `side splitting'.I totally disagree.Don't get me wrong ... I, too, am a fan of David Sedaris, but not of this particular piece of work.In fact, I'm now feeling pissed at myself for spending $11.95 for this boring story; especially since I'm unemployed.Even without any outside distractions, I could not stayed focused on Naked.Take my advice and save your hard earned money. ... Read more

Product Description
A new collection from David Sedaris is cause for jubilation. His recent move to Paris has inspired hilarious pieces, including Me Talk Pretty One Day, about his attempts to learn French. His family is another inspiration. You Cant Kill the Rooster is a portrait of his brother who talks incessant hip-hop slang to his bewildered father. And no one hones a finer fury in response to such modern annoyances as restaurant meals presented in ludicrous towers and cashiers with 6-inch fingernails. Compared by The New Yorker to Twain and Hawthorne, Sedaris has become one of our best-loved authors.Amazon.com Review
David Sedaris became a star autobiographer on public radio, onstage in New York, and on bestseller lists, mostly on the strength of "SantaLand Diaries," a scathing, hilarious account of his stint as a Christmas elf at Macy's. (It's in two separate collections, both worth owning, Barrel Fever and the Christmas-themed Holidays on Ice.) Sedaris's caustic gift has not deserted him in his fourth book, which mines poignant comedy from his peculiar childhood in North Carolina, his bizarre career path, and his move with his lover to France. Though his anarchic inclination to digress is his glory, Sedaris does have a theme in these reminiscences: the inability of humans to communicate. The title is his rendition in transliterated English of how he and his fellow students of French in Paris mangle the Gallic language. In the essay "Jesus Shaves," he and his classmates from many nations try to convey the concept of Easter to a Moroccan Muslim. "It is a party for the little boy of God," says one. "Then he be die one day on two... morsels of... lumber," says another. Sedaris muses on the disputes between his Protestant mother and his father, a Greek Orthodox guy whose Easter fell on a different day. Other essays explicate his deep kinship with his eccentric mom and absurd alienation from his IBM-exec dad: "To me, the greatest mystery of science continues to be that a man could father six children who shared absolutely none of his interests."

Every glimpse we get of Sedaris's family and acquaintances delivers laughs and insights. He thwarts his North Carolina speech therapist ("for whom the word pen had two syllables") by cleverly avoiding all words with s sounds, which reveal the lisp she sought to correct. His midget guitar teacher, Mister Mancini, is unaware that Sedaris doesn't share his obsession with breasts, and sings "Light My Fire" all wrong--"as if he were a Webelo scout demanding a match." As a remarkably unqualified teacher at the Art Institute of Chicago, Sedaris had his class watch soap operas and assign "guessays" on what would happen in the next day's episode.

It all adds up to the most distinctively skewed autobiography since Spalding Gray's Swimming to Cambodia. The only possible reason not to read this book is if you'd rather hear the author's intrinsically funny speaking voice narrating his story. In that case, get Me Talk Pretty One Day on audio. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (796)

Not Laugh out loudbut definately an occasional smirk
David Sedaris has put together many short stories and essays.Some not laugh out loudbut defintely brings a smirk at times, amusing and entertaiing at other times. I found my ratings from each of the storieswent from a6 star, to a 1 star to a 4 star to a3,4,6,4,6,5,1,2,3, and so on.

You will understandif all the brilliant stories were in one bookyes it would deserve a 5 star, but sadly they are scattered through some very average ones. My overall rating on this book is a 3.5 star. Definately worth a listen. Maybe try one of his other ones first.

Unexpectedly dark!
If I had to give it a star rating, I think I'd make it 3 1/2 on one level and 4 on another. I think that's mostly because the book is so unexpectedly dark. Sedaris is very funny and has a unique way of viewing the world but when he describes his years of drug abuse and his experiences in the "art" world, the writing was not so funny. (well, how could it be considering the subject matter!) Until reading this book, I had no idea Sedaris had such a past. It is to his credit, however, that he was able to come out of that part of his life and make such a success!
The title of his book refers to his living in France and trying to learn the language. Having taken French in school myself and trying to use my "knowledge" in Paris and Quebec, I related to his experiences - and was just as embarrassed! His description of Americans he met in his travels who did not realize he was an American, too, made me embarrassed for my fellow countrymen.
If you go into the reading of this book and expect it to be similar to previous works, you will be a bit disappointed (3.5 stars) but if you read the book and marvel at Sedaris' exposure of his lowest moments, you will not be disappointed (4 stars).

YES!
This book is funny and awesome; An easy read. My personal favorite was the story about one Penny Midland.

Finally read this!
People have been telling me for years it seems like that I should give this a read. Finally I did and I had no idea what I was missing all these years. What a wonderful writer!

A little more information please
Given that Amazon includes a track list for CDs, it seems odd that the same information isn't available for audiobooks.This audio version of Sedaris' book is apparently "abridged" -- it would be nice to know what's been left out. ... Read more

Product Description
Live recordings brought to the comfort of your very own den via this quality 12-inch LP, a 33 1/3 RPM vinyl pressing.

SIDE A: "Author, Author"SIDE B: "Innocence Abroad"

Every purchase of this unique collector's item comes with a special code that entitles the bearer to the modern convenience of a DIGITAL DOWNLOADof the entire 75-minute unabridged audiobook, including additional stories "Cat and Baboon,""Laugh Kookaburra,"& Diary Entries.

If you were lucky enough to have caught a performance on David Sedaris's most recent sold-out, 34-city tour, you already know that David Sedaris Live For Your Listening Pleasure is a must-have album! If you didn't hear it live and in person, then you're in for a treat-hilarious brand-new recordings from performances in Denver, New York, Durham, LA, and Atlanta, in one convenient collection.

From the bold feral rabbits of his French backyard to the eating habits of a carnivorous bird Down Under, Live For Your Listening Pleasure takes listeners on a veritable tour of natural wonders, beginning with a fable, "Cat and Baboon," and moving on to the peculiarly American habitat of the "big-box" store. (2010) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Sedaris: live
I bought my sister and I tickets to see this particular tour. We were both excited, giddy to see Mr. Sedaris but the initial looming doubt was there, the "what if he bombs?" or "what if he just stinks?"... Luckily for us, everyone else there and I'm sure for Mr. Sedaris too, he did not. Listening to this CD brings it all back with delightful and sometimes naughty glee. Yes. I said glee. Whether or not you have seen him live, do yourself a favor and own this CD. Great for dinner parties, days alone w/ chores, road trips and holidays if you happen to need an excuse to get away from your lovely relatives and maintain your sanity.

Sedaris for King
If this country had a King, it should be David Sedaris! Funny, sardonic, witty, urbane, and even tragic at times, this is a marvelous collection of his work read by the author live! I can't recommend it enough!!!!

Sedaris is a a master of timing and droll asides making his performance memorable.
Heard DAVID SEDARIS: LIVE FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE, written and read

by the author.

I've read some of his essays in the past, but listening to them was even more fun . . . he's
a master of timing and droll asides, plus the reaction of the live audience made
his performance even more memorable.

The whole thing is little more than an hour . . .it contains three short, funny stories; "Laugh,
Kookaburra," which is longer and more serious (and delightful); and some brief diary entries,
all recorded live at locales throughout the country.

Included was this one digression about his experiences on book tour: He goes to a Costco
with his brother-in-law and puts a giant box of condoms in their cart. He feels like people are
staring at the two guys with the huge box of rubbers, so he asks his brother-in-law to put more
stuff in the cart to cover up the condoms. The brother-in-law picks out a big container of
strawberries and a huge bottle of olive oil. I'm still laughing at the thought of that scene!

Another hit by David Sedaris
It's funny. It makes me laugh. I can't remember the troubles of the day when I'm laughing. If you like David Sedaris' past musings, you'll like this one too.

Hilarious!
I bought this for a 1,000 mile road trip to go back home for the Holidays and I Loved it!! David Sedaris is hilarious and I laughed through the entire CD! ... Read more

Product Description
In this phenomenal #1 bestseller, David Sedaris plays in the snow with his sisters. He goes on vacation with his family. He gets a job selling drinks. He attends his brother’s wedding. He mops his sister’s floor. He gives directions to a lost traveler. He eats a hamburger. He has his blood sugar tested. It all sounds so normal, doesn’t it?

Yet Sedaris lifts the corner of ordinary life, revealing the absurdity teeming below the surface, exposing a world alive with hidden motives and obscure desires. In DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDUROY AND DENIM, one of the wittiest and most original writers at work today gives us his richest book yet.Amazon.com Review
Whether by nature or by nurture, Ma and Pa Sedaris certainly knew something about raising funny kids. Amy Sedaris has built a cult following for her Comedy Central character Jerri Blank, and David, the more famous of the two siblings, continues to spin his personal history into comedic gold. A good chunk of the material in Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim debuted in other media outlets, such as The New Yorker, but Sedaris's brilliantly written essays deserve repeat reads.

Based on the author's descriptions, nearly every member of his family is funny, although some (like sister Tiffany, perhaps) in a tragic way. In "The Change in Me," Sedaris remembers that his mother was good at imitating people when it helped drive home her point. High-voiced, lovably plain-spoken brother Paul (aka The Rooster, Silly P) has long been a favorite character for Sedaris readers, though Paul's story takes on a serious note when his wife has a difficult pregnancy. The author doesn't shy away from embarrassing moments in his own life, either, including a childhood poker game that strays into strange, psychological territory.Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim provides more evidence that he is a great humorist, memoirist, and raconteur, and readers are lucky to have the opportunity to know him (and his clan) so well. His funny family feels like our own. Perhaps they are luckier still not to know him personally. --Leah Weathersby ... Read more

Customer Reviews (336)

Universal humor, unique voice
David Sedaris's gift is the uncanny ability to turn ordinary events into loosely strung together, laugh-out-loud prose. There is no overarching theme. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is merely a collection of very short stories, semi-autobiographical. The goal is neither accuracy nor moralism. Themes include family, homosexuality, neurosis, prejudice, and long-term relationships, among others. Even the title itself has no discernible relation to the contents.

The amazing thing is that Sedaris has a half-dozen or more books in almost identical formats and with similar themes. Still, there is enough material for each to be worth reading and laughing over. It's almost impossible to review his work without extensive quotation. How can a story about a compulsion to touch people's heads be summarized, except in the author's own unique voice. The most memorable chapter is titled "Six to Eight Black Men" in reference to Dutch Christmas imagery.

Below is a short excerpt of that chapter, where he also discusses small talk in a new town:

"What really interests me are the local gun laws. Can I carry a concealed weapon and, if so, under what circumstances? What's the waiting period for a tommy gun? Could I buy a Glock 17 if I were recently divorced or fired from my job? I've learned from experience that it's best to lead people into this subject as delicately as possible, especially if you and the local citizen are alone and enclosed in a relatively small area."

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is a versatile, hilarious effort worth taking on the plane, the beach, or to the couch just before bedtime.

book
It was a great book.....laugh out loud funny!
Im looking for other books written by David Sedaris...

The. American. Family.
This book will help you look at your own family and smile because, if nothing else, they are yours.Sedaris finds humor with grace and ease in the sometimes painful quirks of his American family.

Laugh out loud parts!
Sedaris did it again by writing down some of the funnier parts of our everyday lives that most of us wouldn't capture.Now Sedaris pulls from a strange set of family years, but I think most of us can relate to the stories which make them that much funnier!

One of the best chapters is called "Six to Eight Black Men.I will have to Google this to see if it is true, but there couldn't have been a funnier Christmas Story.I'm pretty sure it is in another one of his books, or maybe I've read this one before and remember it, but none-the-less my side was hurting from the laughter!

You will love the stories as they twist and turn so that you have a splitting side from Sedaris' views on life.The details of being kicked out of his family house, how his education was paid for from 'Aunt Monie, his secret crush on a boy that hit him with a rock resulting in the need for a root canal, to the vocabulary of a parrot, a mother who locked her children out of the house for some peace and quiet and much more.Each story will keep you turning the pages.

I recommend this book fully, but the only thing you will be left wanting from this book is more; it goes quickly so checking it out from a library may save you some bucks.

Class Sedaris!
I'm only giving this book three stars based on the fact that it in no way comes close to "Naked" or "Me Talk Pretty One Day". I love David's books and I will read anything this guy publishes. But based on my past experiences with Sedaris literature, this one lags far behind it's predecessors. Unfortunately for David Sedaris, he set the bar so high with "Naked" that it's so hard to top it. And that's a good thing.

You won't be disappointed by this book at all. You just might not love it as much as his other work. ... Read more

Product Description
From the #1 bestselling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim comes a collection of the short stories David Sedaris loves most. Containing the work of both contemporary and classic writers, CHILDREN PLAYING BEFORE A STATUE OF HERCULES, edited and introduced by Sedaris, gives his legions of fans a glimpse at the writing he finds inspiring - and helps them discover the truth abut loneliness, hope, love, betrayal, and certain, but not all, monkeys.

David Sedaris fell in love with short stories while living in Odell, Oregon. Sedaris writes, "When apple-picking season ended, I got a job in a packing plant and gravitated toward short stories, which I could read during my break and reflect upon for the remainder of my shift. A good one would take me out of myself and stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit." Featuring such notable writers as Alice Munro, Tobias Wolff, Lorrie Moore, and Joyce Carol Oates, readers will reconnect with classics, as well discover fantastic but lesser-known writers.

Included in CHILDREN PLAYING BEFORE A STATUE OF HERCULES are:

Introduction by David Sedaris

"Oh, Joseph, I'm So Tired" by Richard Yates

"Gryphon" by Charles Baxter

"Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

"The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield

"Half A Grapefruit" by Alice Munro

"Applause, Applause" by Jean Thompson

"I Know What I'm Doing About All the Attention I've Been Getting" by Frank Gannon

"Where the Door Is Always Open and the Welcome Mat Is Out" by Patricia Highsmith

"The Best of Betty" by Jincy Willett

"Song of the Shirt, 1941" by Dorothy Parker

"The Girl with the Blackened Eye" by Joyce Carol Oates

"People Like That Are the Only People Here: Canonical Babbling in Peed Onk" by Lorrie Moore

"Revelation" by Flannery O'Connor

"In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried" by Amy Hempel

"Cosmopolitan" by Akhil Sharma

"Irish Girl" by Tim Johnston

"Bullet in the Brain" by Tobias Wolff

Epilogue by Sarah Vowell

Borrowing the book's name from an Adriaen van der Werff painting, CHILDREN PLAYING BEFORE A STATUE OF HERCULES is David Sedaris's attempt to share his passion for short stories with a wider audience-and his enthusiasm is contagious. "The authors in this book are huge to me, and I am a comparative midget, scratching around in their collective shadow. 'Pint sized Fanatic Bowing Before Statues of Hercules' might have been more concise, but people don't paint things like that, and besides, it doesn't sound as good."

David Sedaris is publishing this book to support 826NYC, a nonprofit tutoring center in Brooklyn, New York. All of his proceeds, after permission expenses, from CHILDREN PLAYING BEFORE A STATUE OF HERCULES will benefit this organization designed to help students ages six to eighteen develop their writing skills through free writing workshops, publishing projects, and one-on-one help with homework and English-language learning. In the book's epilogue, Sarah Vowell describes the fine work done by 826NYC. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

I'll love what he writes, and apparently what he reads too.
I loved this book.I always wonder what my favorites favorite's are, and now I know at least some of David Sedaris' favorites.Nothing I can say any better than (or even close to) what Sedaris himself says about each piece of literature included here so I won't even try.Read the Forward by Sedaris, that will make you want to read the book.
This is an exquisite collection of shorts that reinfected me with short fiction fever!

An Excellent Anthology
So, short stories. I do like them, but have trouble reading several by one author as they end up feeling like Faberge eggs. You know, you see one and it's exquisite. And then you see the next one and, hey, it's quite nice too, but by the third or fourth, any elements of surprise are gone and after a half dozen I'm a little bored and looking forward to the cafe. An anthology of some sort is a different matter. Each author spins their perfect little tale and then is finished. I don't become jaded with a dozen instances in a row of subdued disappointment or witty dialogue, but get to be astonished all over again with the next story.

This book is a collection of short stories gathered by David Sedaris. There is the expected Dorothy Parker (Song of the Shirt, 1941), but there's also Richard Yates (Oh, Joseph, I'm So Tired), Joyce Carol Oates (The Girl with the Blackened Eye) and Jhumpa Lahiri (Interpreter of Maladies). Sedaris favors stories with emotional resonance over clever wordplay, and the best two stories in the book were amazing; Revelation by Flannery O'Connor and Cosmopolitan by Akhil Sharma.

I loved rediscovering how a short story can compress all the emotion and heft of a novel into a dozen or so pages. I think I may start reading from all those Collected Stories of I have sitting around, but one at a time, with a few months between each story so that I can be newly astonished with each one.

Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules
I am a big fan of David Sedaris.Unfortunately this book, despite having his name on it, was not written by him.It is an anthology of works by other writers.If you are looking for a book by David Sedaris do NOT buy this book.I think Amazon could have done a much better job of making it clear that he did not write this book.I am very disappointed.

An Incredibly Pleasant Surprise
Like some others that reviewed the book, I hastily ordered it and failed to realize that the collection was simply edited and introduced by Mr. Sedaris, not written by him.But I decided to read the book despite my mistake, and I was rewarded instantly.From the first story by Richard Yates to the last by Tobias Wolff, I was entranced; I had to limit myself to a story or two a day so that I could savor the collection longer. Of all the books I have ordered on Amazon, this is the first I have felt compelled to review.

My wife loved it
She reads Sedaris a lot and this one was chewed down in a little over a week. ... Read more

Product Description
David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favoritesas the diaries of a Macy's elf and the annals of two very competitive families, are Sedaris's tales of tardy trick-or-treaters ("Us and Them"); the difficulties of explaining the Easter Bunny to the French ("Jesus Shaves"); what to do when you've been locked out in a snowstorm ("Let It Snow"); the puzzling Christmas traditions of other nations ("Six to Eight Black Men"); what Halloween at the medical examiner's looks like ("The Monster Mash"); and a barnyard secret Santa scheme gone awry ("Cow and Turkey").

No matter what your favorite holiday, you won't want to miss celebrating it with the author who has been called "one of the funniest writers alive" (Economist). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

Christmas at its best
David Sedaris is an absolutely hysterical writer and this book does not disappoint.His stories are always quirky but yet truthful and make me laugh out loud.The only thing better than reading a story he has written is listening to the audio version of it b.c there is just something about his slightly annoying voice that makes the stories sing.

Good But Me Talk Pretty One Day is MUCH Better
The first book I read of Sedaris's was Me Talk Pretty One Day, which was a mistake since I think it is probably the funniest book I have ever read.Holidays On Ice is still a good read, although it pales in comparison.It is funny, and if your family is as twisted as mine, then you could use it as a stocking stuffer.The best essay was clearly the Santaland Diaries, but Six to Eight Black Men was also extraordinarily funny.

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Love, love, love David Sedaris.It's a great take on the holidays: snarky and dark and it fills a void in the sometimes over-merrified season.The recording of Holidays on Ice is worth checking out, too.It's fun to hear how he interprets his work.

Fun, fun, fun
An easy to read collection of essays about the holidays.This book was so much fun, laugh until you cry fun.Because it's a collection, it's perfect to pick up and read when you need a break from the chores that surround the holidays... all of them.

Mostly Reprinted Stories, And Some New Fiction
Seven out of the twelve stories in this book have appeared in other books by Sedaris and are reprinted here. The reprinted stories are all his typical non-fiction, commentaries on his life. The other five stories are fiction, and while they are creatively written I don't find them as interesting as Sedaris' true accounts of his own life. The fiction stories are over-the-top ridiculous. They're not bad, just not what I'm used to and not what I expected.

Here are the stories:
"SantaLand Diaries" (from Barrel Fever)
"Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" (fiction)
"Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol" (fiction)
"Based Upon a True Story" (fiction)
"Christmas Means Giving" (fiction)
"Dinah, the Christmas Whore" (from Naked)
"Jesus Shaves" (from Me Talk Pretty One Day)
"Us and Them" (from Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim)
"Let It Snow" (from Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim)
"Six to Eight Black Men" (from Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim)
"The Monster Mash" (from When You Are Engulfed in Flames)
"The Cow and The Turkey" (fiction, new story for this edition)

If you want to read something really unusual from Sedaris, namely fiction, then check out this book. The non-fiction stories reprinted in this book are also very good with a couple of them being some of my favorites by Sedaris.

This is a new edition of this book. The original edition, which is a few bucks cheaper, only contains the first six stories, while this one has twelve. ... Read more

Product Description
Short stories and essays by an apartment cleaner and a popular commentator for National Public Radio highlight the absurd behavior of modern Americans, such as the suburban dad who saves money by performing surgery at home. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.Amazon.com Review
A collection of stories and essays by humorist and NPR commentatorDavid Sedaris based upon his own experiences and the hidden perversity thatcan be found in Anytown, U.S.A. Here are images and blasphemies that nicepeople don't dare look at--blatantly exposed and told with the clear, casualvoice of intimate knowledge. Sedaris' humor is born of compassion and histales range from the sharing of cheery Christmas letters featuringinfanticide, to experiences of the Gay and Famous (Charlton Heston andElizabeth Dole, for example),to the lives of siblings named Hope, Faith,Charity and Adolph and to alcoholics and chain smokers you can laugh with. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (127)

Odd, odd, above all things odd.
The fictional stories that comprise most of this book are just odd. I didn't find myself enjoying them much at all, especially the ones that are about imagined relationships with celebrities.

Not nearly as funny as his recent stuff.
This collection is unlike his others because it's all fantasy.Usually, when I read a Sedaris essay, I get a big laugh every few pages, but this was much less funny.When You Are Engulfed in Flames is worth every penny, though!

Sedaris' humble beginnings (review contains a spoiler)
Having started my Sedaris infatuation with "Naked," I vowed to eventually become a Sedaris completist. And--since I like order and sequence--I went back to his publishing beginnings and picked up this book. It is a rather mixed bag. The book contains twelve short stories (which I suspect draw quite heavily on Sedaris' own experiences and his flights of fancy concerning revenge and ambition) and four essays, three of which are very brief (4-6 pages) and the last of which, "The Santaland Diaries"--recounting Sedaris' stint as a Christmas elf at Macy's in New York City--is probably the best piece in the collection. Now, although I have read only two of Sedaris' books (and I do intend to read everything else he has published), I have already resigned myself to his utter unpredictability. Indeed, it's often one of the main sources of his humor. SPOLIER ALERT! There was, however, one story in this collection that featured accidental infanticide, which--even for Sedaris--seems like a real stretch. I'm no prude, but there are plenty of other irreverent ways to get a laugh. That story, "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" is the only real blight in this otherwise entertaining group of stories and essays. I'm sure this book is not his best, but I suspect that Sedaris is a lot like pizza--even when it's bad, it's still pretty good.

Strange...
I have read several of David Sedaris's books. I absolutely loved Naked, but Barrel Fever was just so...strange!!I found it a little more disturbing than funny. Yes, there were funny parts, but mostly, I just kept hoping that the next stories would be better; they weren't. I still think he is a great writer, but this is not at all along the same lines as Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, When Engulfed in Flames or Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim.

funny but not his best
David Sedaris is an absolutely hysterical writer and this book does not disappoint.His stories are always quirky but yet truthful and make me laugh out loud.The only thing better than reading a story he has written is listening to the audio version of it b.c there is just something about his slightly annoying voice that makes the stories sing. ... Read more

Product Description
If you are driving, pull over.If you are at work, close your door-unless you don't mind your colleagues seeing you doubled over, in tears, on your office floor.With this CD, taped before a delirious sold out audience at Carnegie Hall, you are there as David Sedaris performs new stories from his upcoming book.A parrot who mimics an ice maker, lovers quarreling over a rubber hand, and a Santa Claus who moonlights from his job as bishop of Turkey-the cast of characters in these stories is like no other.This new work will appeal to David's loyal fans as well as admirers of the classic comedy albums of George Carlin, Bill Cosby and Steve Martin. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (44)

Classic Sedaris
Fans of David know it is even more fun to hear him on radio or CD than read his books, although they are entertaining also.
Some classic tales here, especially with his sisters Amy and Gretchen. My favorite is the Christmas story told him by a Dutch man.

funny!
Sedaris speaking off the cuff, not a reading of any of his material I have read elsewhere. Poking fun at Amy, overall very funny, great for roadtrips!

David Sidaris at Carnegie Hall
David Sedaris is just as funny in person - if not more so, than on the printed page.

The Best Sedaris Live Recording, Laugh your Butt off!
this is the best recording of david sedaris ever.. he does old stuff, newer stuff, his voice and style makes it super extra funny, Don't miss this!

FUNNY!!!!
My sister-in-law gave us this cd a few years ago to listen to on our trip home after a visit with her and my brother-in-law.We had a 5 hour drive from Dallas to home.It was a good thing we visited the restroom before we left.We were in Dallas traffic laughing so hard at Mr. Sedaris' stories, we would have peed our pants otherwise!He is a treasure!!!!I gave this purchase as a Christmas gift to a friend of mine.She loved it! ... Read more

Product Description
HOLIDAYS ON ICE collects six of David Sedaris' most profound Christmas stories into one slender volume perfect for use as a last-minute coaster or ice scraper.This drinking man's companion can be enjoyed by the warmth of a raging fire, the glow of a brilliantly decorated tree, or even the backseat of a van or police car. It should be read with your eyes, felt with your heart, and heard only when spoken to. It should, in short, behave much like a book.And, oh, what a book it is!Amazon.com Review
Holidays on Ice is a collection of three previously published stories matched with three newer ones, all, of course, on a Christmas theme. David Sedaris's darkly playful humor is another common thread through the book, worming its way through "Seasons Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" a chipper suburban Christmas letter that spirals dizzily out of control, and "Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol," a vicious theatrical review of children's Christmas pageants. As always, Sedaris's best work is his sharply observed nonfiction, notably in "Dinah, the Christmas Whore," the tale of a memorable Christmas during which the young Sedaris learns to see his family in a new light. Worth the price of the book alone is the hilarious "SantaLand Diaries," Sedaris's chronicle of his time working as an elf at Macy's, covering everything from the preliminary group lectures ("You are not a dancer. If you were a real dancer you wouldn't be here. You're an elf and you're going to wear panties like an elf.") to the perils of inter-elf flirtation. Along the way, he paints a funny and sad portrait of the way the countless parents who pass through SantaLand are too busy creating an Experience to really pay attention to their children. In a sly way, it carries a holiday message all its own. Read it aloud to the adults after the kids have gone to bed. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Customer Reviews (185)

Blah....
Holidays on Ice was really a slight waste of time for me. Again, Sedaris set the bar SO high with his previous publications that anything else will simply not do. I forced myself to finish this and did so with barely a chuckle. I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for Mr. Sedaris, but his missed the mark on this one. But just a wee bit. If you're a Sedaris fan, by all means, read this book. Just don't expect too much.

Holidays on Ice
I love David Sedaris, but honestly this particular compilation of short stories was beyond dark.

(1) "SantaLand Diaries." By far the funniest of the bunch. This is an extremely comical recollection of time spent working as a Macy's Santa elf. The essay has a rather abrupt ending, but it'll make you laugh out loud.
(2) "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!!" Here the collection already starts to take a toll for the morbid and frightening. Written in a holiday-letter form by a desperate, murderous housewife this story stretches the limits of dark humor to places that are just wrong. Infanticide + attempt at humor = bad, not funny.
(3) Dinah, the Christmas Whore. Sedaris almost redeemed himself. Almost. The story was okay. It wasn't a laugh-out-loud tale like "SantaLand," but it was decent.
(4) "Front Row Center." At least it's short. In this short story, a "reporter" gives reviews for all the Christmas-themed school pageants. Kinda creepy that someone would go to all of them, and there's only so much kid-acting-bashing one can take. Guess that's why it was short
(5) "Based Upon a True Story." This was absolutely criminal. A TV producer pays the local town preacher off in order to give one of the most insulting, degrading, soul-less "sermons" in history.
(6) "Christmas Means Giving." This one had potential. Sedaris at least was creative in his exaggerations. However, it did seem once again to go a little over the line.

These essays had potential. The biggest problem was that Sedaris frequently confused sarcasm with humor. It won't exactly put you in the Christmas spirit, but if you like Sedaris, you'll probably still manage to find ways to like the book.

Disturbing, loses connection to the insanity that is Xmas for most of us
His previous books were laugh-out-loud funny; I once had to stop my car because I was laughing too hard when listening to one of his books on tape. But this one was sad and disturbing. I struggled to keep reading after the woman killed her grandbaby in a clothes dryer, in an attempt to frame her husband's newly discovered adult illegitimate Vietnamese daughter (yes, that classic Xmas story). There were funny moments in the department store elf piece, although even that just sounded angry by the end.

Gifted humorists make us laugh at our own shortcomings, but they do this from our side of the line. It feels like Sedaris has crossed the line, really rather hates most people, and believes he can only top previous writing by developing more outrageous and darker plots -- ones that I can't relate to at all. It's a shame because there's a wealth of information to be mined from day to day 'normal' human interactions around the holiday season.

Sedaris
I really liked the Macy's Elf portion of the narrative but the remaining tracks left something to be desired.

Darkness you can enjoy....
Classic Sedaris!The first vignette is the best, I even burst out loud reading "Season's Greeting to our Friends and Family."It is perfect if you think your family is screwed up, they do not really measure up.Sedaris moves on to what is actually an uplifting, yet disturbing act of charity in his short entitled " Dinah, the Christmas Whore."

After those first two, the remainder of the book takes a familiar Sedaris dark turn, especially the disturbing look at competitive "giving".You will probably still enjoy it, but the final chapters seem to sputter out compared to the first couple of chapters.
... Read more

Product Description
David Sedaris, who regularly appears on NPR, isfun, satirical and brazen. A wonderful collection of his greatest work. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

live performances are terrific!studio readings are just ok
This box set is an easy and economical way to get most all of David Sedaris releases.Bought this for a cross-country drive.The live performances in front of an audience are mostly great, some are terrific!The studio recordings are good but are naturally they don't have the same energy.I'm pleased with the purchase.

Awesome set - if you overlook the flimsy packaging.
I love all things Sedaris. I've heard him on the radio. I've seen him in person. I've loathed him for his success because it seems to come to him see easily and I resent him for that. Putting my personal issues aside I would have to say that this is some of the best money I've ever spent in my life. Did I say, ever? Yup. You get everything with this set, which includes the envy of those who know you. It's sort of like owning an iPad in a room full of stone tablets and chisels. Am I making sense? Probably not, but that's because I'm giddy listening to Slumus Lordicus for the eighth time. The only thing that sucks about this set is that the packaging is flimsy and useless. The set is broken down into four individual folios which hold a half dozen CDs each (something like that). This is bad because his books are between one and four CDs each and so you have "books" which must be sleeved into two different folios. Also, the folios have no information on them whatsoever so in order to find what you're looking for you have to open up all of the folios and pull out each of the CDs. This is a minor irritation only until you upload your files digitally, then it's not a problem. However, for me it remains that a set so pricey should have come in more robust packaging.

Sedaris box set
It was a bit diassapointing when listening to the cd's there were some skips in what appeared to be damaged areas. But the seller did warn that the condition was not pristine. It arrived quickly and generally I was satisfied with the honesty of the seller. The not paying attention is on me.

Amazon needs a better grasp of what "new" means...
For the material and David Sedaris, 5 stars, no question.BUT - I bought this as a "new" product directly from Amazon, not from a third party seller, yet when I checked out all of the discs to make sure everything was in good condition, it was very clear that this was used, re-packaged merchandise.5 or 6 of the discs had obvious fingerprints and dirty/greasy smudges.3 of them had a sticky, glue-like residue on them which I managed to clean off with some lighter fluid and a tissue; this may have been glue from the packaging, I didn't really look further into that yet (that has been a problem on a few box sets I've owned).Overall, the packaging had plenty of scuff marks and was obviously worn - not that it was ripped to shreds or anything like that, but it just looked like something that had been used for a few weeks, then repackaged (the flimsy shrink wrap should have been my first clue).

Anyways, I was able to clean everything up and there were no fatal scratches on any of the discs, so I'm not going to make any further issue of it with Amazon... besides which, I'm just not in the mood to pack it all up again, send it back, and wait for another set - just wanted to share this experience in a public forum.

A great collection, although lacking much organization
I don't have any other David Sedaris audio books, so this was a wonderful chance for me to get a lot of Sedaris, for a great price! I knew from prior reviews what I was getting, and it really doesn't matter to me that it is not organized in any particular fashion and that you can't figure out from the packaging where you can find which book. I just want as much Sedaris as possible to listen to when I drive long distance in the car. This collection is comprehensive and kept me laughing for many, many hours. It's a great way to get a lot of Sedaris audio books in one economical collection if you don't need or want corresponding written material to guide you. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

not up to the typical sedaris level
I totally love both Amy and David Sedaris, but I have to say this was very disappointing,I'm not even sure why they published this.It seems like it would be the kind of thing you would put together just for family members who were there, get it and love whatever you do because you are family.I would caution anyone else from purchasing this.

Gift
The delivery was quick. This was something my daughter had on her Christmas list. She was very happy I was able to get it and read it the next day. Thank You!

It's Sedaris
How could other people find this reading too short. IT'S A PLAY. What's more, It's Amy AND David Sedaris. In other words, funny funny funny-you can't go wrong with those two.

Great Play
I saw the play in San Francisco a few years ago.It was very funny.The bit about the AA members running the restaurant is very tongue in cheek.

A Quick Chuckle
Another Sedaris chuckle fest. This short script is a view into his twisted mind. ... Read more

Product Description
All of David Sedaris' best in one box set, now on CD and at 20% off the combined CD prices of individual titles! The set includes ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY with a full hour of bonus tracks not available on cassette; NAKED; HOLIDAYS ON ICE; and BARREL FEVER AND OTHER STORIES. This timeless collection combines poignancy, humor, and the sparkling imagination of one of America's best-loved humorists.Amazon.com Review
Star radio storyteller David Sedaris presents his collected works in one audio box set. The longest (at five hours) is his latest, Me Talk Pretty One Day, which contains two live performances from San Francisco. Welcome to a world where dogs outrank children, guitars have breasts, and Sedaris's fellow language-class students try to convey the concept of Easter to a Moroccan Muslim in their fledgling French (translated into English): "It is a party for the little boy of God," says one. "Then he be die one day on two ... morsels of ... lumber," says another. Sedaris is hilarious, and his Billie Holiday impression is amazing.

The three-hour, Christmas-themed Holidays on Ice is the gem of the collection. It has his greatest hit, "SantaLand Diaries," a chronicle of his stint as an elf at Macy's, covering everything from the preliminary group lectures ("You are not a dancer. If you were a real dancer you wouldn't be here. You're an elf and you're going to wear panties like an elf.") to the perils of inter-elf flirtation. Other hits feature the crazed newsletter "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" and the prostitute coworker his sister brought home one Yuletide, giving "the phrase 'ho, ho, ho' whole different meaning." Barrel Fever contains the fulminatingly funny "Glen's Homophobia Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 2" and "Parade," discussing the narrator's perhaps not fully plausible gay relationships with Bruce Springsteen, Mike Tyson, and Peter Jennings. Naked describes his adventures in a nudist colony, but his family tales are, as ever, nonpareil. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Road trip with your parents
If there's anything worse than a root canal or a tax audit, it's an 18 hour road trip with your parents. Why aren't you married yet? How are your finances? When are you going to quit smoking? All of these questions can be deferred by popping in one of these CDs. This has to be one of Sedaris' best work thus far. A decade ago I fell in love with "me talk pretty" but was disappointed with "Barrel Fever." I'd just about given up when I stumbled upon this recording.

Fabulous
The CD's "Naked" and "Me Talk Pretty One Day" were worth the price of the CD.I don't know if I'd spend the money on the other ones, but these were priceless.

I love this box set.
I have it loaded on all my computers and every iPod. Because you cannot have enough Sedaris. And what if I need to listen to "Me Talk Pretty One Day" and it was on the other computer? Huh? What then?!?!

The books are hilarious but hearing them read by David Sedaris himself is even better.

Thus far, absolutely brilliant
I adore David's writing and can't imagine anyone more suited to reading it. His impressions are simply wonderful!

One tiny complaint/question: where's his Billie Holiday doing the Oscar Meyer Weiner song? Getting ahold of that was one of the main reasons I bought this collection. Who's taken it out and why?

Could use more "live" tracks
David Sedaris is truly one of my favorite authors and I love to read his work.However, if you have never HEARD Mr. Sedaris' voice before, it takes some getting used to.At first it is almost painful to listen to because his voice is so... so... um... he sounds like Woody Allen doing a Woody Allen imitation.

Nevertheless, his live tracks are hilarious - a little less "in the microphone," if you will.If I could read and drive at the same time on my long business trips, that would be my preferred method of receiving David Sedaris' material. ... Read more

Product Description
David Sedaris's readings on National Public Radio made him one of US radio's most popular storytellers. With pitch-perfect sarcasm mingled with an underlying empathy, this collection of his best stories captures the essence of our secret preoccupations and delusions. Barrel Fever is like a blind date with modern life, and anything can happen. ... Read more

Product Description
David Sedaris' first collection of comic stories and essays.Performed by the author and his sister Amy Sedaris, this program is described by the New York Post as "a nuclear barrage of humor you could never replicate by reading this material on your own." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Short stories that make you laugh out loud!
I have owned and lost all of David's books, at least once.I loan them out and people won't give them back!They're that good!I would recommend reading any of his books!His sister Amy also has a couple of good ones out there!

One of my favorite authors...
I picked up on Sedaris later than the 'in' crowd and began reading his books chronologically backwards- from 'Engulfed in Flames' to 'Barrel Fever' and can't say enough about this book. Usually when you start readig most works by an author some pale in comparison to others and by the end of the adventure you realize most authors have 'hits' and 'misses' and you should vet a bit more carefully before buying someone's entire collected works.This was the last Sedaris book I had left to finish reading his entire body of work and it was just as funny as anything else I read of his.I would recommend anyone who is a fan of Sedaris or dark comedy in general pick this up.

Well Read by Sedaris & Sister, and Very Funny
The reviews of the audiobook are much more positive than the reviews of the written work, the latter of which struck readers as not as good as Sedaris' more recent work.One does get the sense from some of the stories that Sedaris was cleaning out his bottom drawer to capitalize on the success of his Santaland Diaries by pasting together a book-length work.

But Sedaris' reading, with the help of his sister who does the female or young boy parts, makes the book exceptionally funny.The "Rooster" story is just terrific.I also loved the "Homophobia Newsletter" as a wonderful bit of irony about those who embrace victim-hood a bit too easily.That and the "Rooster" made me laugh the most.

The alcoholism theme runs in a number of stories and is dealt with the most in "Barrel Fever."I found this story to be quite interesting in its use of irony, including the heresy of poking fun at the 12-steppers whose cure is sometimes almost as bad as the disease.

These stories are good and the reading even better.

My Favorite Sedaris!
This is the best of the best, as far as I'm concerned. "You Can't Kill the Rooster" will crack up anyone raised in or currently living in the South - we all have known guys like David's younger brother Paul, a.k.a. The Rooster.

Sensational Sedaris...
David Sedaris is one funny, talented man. It's one thing to read his work, but I heartily recommend you listen to him on audio cassette or CD...his delivery is nothing short of sensational. The only problem is, once you listen to one book on CD/tape, you are compelled to get them all...which I have, much to the delight of amazon.com! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Santaland Diaries
As a writer myself it's encouraging to see that David Sedaris was once not a very good writer, who became a very good writer.But in this book his skills are weak.

Everyone should be required to read this during the holidays!
I laughed out loud reading these plays!Seriously, David Sedaris is one warped individual who has given all of us the gift of sharing his experiences!You will not be sorry you read this.Unless, of course, you are really uptight.If you need a good laugh, a good irreverent laugh... this is for you!

Very funny, sarcastic.
It would appear many of stories are somewhat based off the authors life. Some of the stories are just sarcastic takes on society and how people act though. I liked this book, the first of the authors I had ever read. I was compelled to make my purchase after hearing the author on NPR giving an interview and reciting a few paragraphs from the Santaland story. I wasn't disappointed. If you like to l laugh and think, this is for you. It probably helps to be a bit jaded and appreciate a darker humor.

Good, but not quite as insanely hilarious as expected...
I bought this compilation because after purchasing "Strangers With Candy" Season One on DVD, this kept showing up in my Amazon recommendations every day for over a month. I read the reviews, and decided it couldn't be that bad. It wasn't. It just wasn't that super, either. Sure, there are funny parts, and sure I could envision some of this on the stage, but the truth is that David Sedaris' storytelling is good but somewhat short of other NPR geniuses like Garrison Keillor.

I'll keep reading him, in search of the comedy stroke that so many others seem to have found, but I guarantee no milk was coming out of my nose while choking out laughter during this read. It kind of seems like the sort of writing a high school kid might do on a sitcom (the character Warren P. Chestwick from NBC's "Ed" comes to mind) to blossom his stage career, but it just doesn't hold up well on its own. Call me uncultured if you want, but I just don't think he's worth the salt of some of the other NPR favorites. But like I said, I'll keep reading.

Well worth reading
I picked up this book at the library after recognizing the title of "The Santaland Diaries" from posters I had seen in downtown Pittsburgh at Christmastime. Figuring it would be a quick read, I borrowed it and started paging through it.

I don't think I ever stopped laughing.

"The Santaland Diaries" is a hilarious one-man play about the author's experiences working as an elf in Santaland at Macy's department store in New York City. Chronicling everything from his dismay at having to choose an 'elf name' to be referred to as, to his questionable co-workers (including profiles of all the Santas and the woman who desperately wanted to wear her costume home everyday), the quality of visitors, and his final relief at the end of the season, Sedaris has put together a brilliant piece of work.

I only regret that I missed the chance to see this performed at Christmastime, and hope that I have a chance to see a future show. It's worth a read, at the very least, and you may find yourself quoting it as I have ("It breaks my heart to see a grown man dressed as a taco" is one of my favorite lines, and I find ways to use it in conversation entirely too often). Great for a quick pick-me-up. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

Depends on your tastes, but honestly kind of dry.Almost too broad in scope.
This books covers airplanes from a wide variety of angles...inventing, making, flying, working on, etc.Most of the stories seem to consist of creative non-fiction, though there are plenty of fiction stories as well.Some are by the actual flight legends, others are about them.Some are about the passenger experience, others merely take place on planes...or around them.Some never get in the air at all...staying on the ground and looking up.

That said, I can't help but feel a bit disappointed.I ended up skimming a lot of the tales as maybe it's just me, but most of them seemed horribly dry.Some of the historical ones were the worst at this, I fear.Not all will appeal to all audiences either.For instance the one where the boy is fingering the older woman wearing the feminine hygiene pad as they fly in adjacent sets in a jet airliner (sorry, but that is what the story is about).

Anyway, considering the variety of stories, this book is good in some ways, but I would be careful who I recommend it to.For instance, those interested in flight history or airplanes won't like a lot of the stories where planes are merely settings or tangential items. Those who are pilots will possibly think likewise (some might not completely care about a story where the main character is dating a pilot but never goes in the plane?)That's not that much different than a romance, really.For those who like short stories, this may run to boring. For those that like non-fiction or historical, the fictional or personal stories might grate.It's almost precisely because the collection of stories is so broad that while anyone might find one or two stories in here they like, I doubt most people will find themselves liking the whole book...or even most of it unless your tastes are incredibly broad. ... Read more