Reviews

Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld

mordeezy's review

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5.0

Seinfeld is one of my idols, comedy or otherwise. His show is my all-time favorite as well. Since I've followed him for decades now, I've heard many of the jokes but it was entertaining to hear them again -- along with some new jokes along the way (hello COVID!). The book also shows that irreverent comedy has no shelf life because as long as people exist, some things will never change.

kpbake427's review

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4.0

I highly recommend listening to the audiobook. He reads it.

klanca's review against another edition

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3.0

Happy I listened to it. Felt like I was just at a show. I would give it a 3.5.

sarahbaileyreads's review

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5.0

This is an audiobook must! Seinfeld reading his own jokes is gold. I’ve never read a book like this before, but I can tell you it’s a slice of pure joy. The setup of a collection of jokes from the past few decades was really original and enjoyable. Be prepared to get weird looks if you listen to it with headphones because people will wonder why you keep laughing out loud— so worth it.

doritobabe's review

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1.0

So I finally picked up a book I was looking forward to (this book) - thinking it was an autobiography (it's not) and was so surprised it wasn't I started skimming through to see if it turned into anything.

It didn't.

But I did spend a solid 30 minutes of my life skimming a 250+ page book. Should I could it as read, dear Goodreads? Yes. Because I deserve that time back.

I say this because I've been a Seinfeld fan for years. I have watched countless episodes of his shows, numerous times; I quote him often, and I've seen him live... Long story short I am very familiar with Seinfeld's material and am more interested in the process, his life.. the man behind the legend.

Did this deliver? No. That's why I give you one star, Jerry.

Oh, and not to mention: was there a reason for the double spacing other than page count for a hardback???

I love you, Jerry, but this book is making me thirsty for something else.

kafarkas's review

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2.0

2.5. It was fine! Not a big Jerry Seinfeld fan in general, but it had its moments.

tatterededges's review

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2.0

If you watched Seinfeld then you’ve heard 90% of these jokes before.

I thought this was going to be a memoir but it’s actually a book of his stand up which is also fine except that a large part of comedy is the delivery and it fell flat. I listened to the audio book and while it’s read by Seinfeld himself, it is just that: him reading the book rather than delivering the comedy as though he was doing he stand up so sadly, most of it didn’t work.

Also a lot of it is really dated and some of it is a bit racist/sexist and honestly the rape jokes were just appalling and should have been left out altogether.

crackel's review

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3.0

This book wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. I think it had its moments but ultimately I'm not the biggest fan of Jerry Seinfeld's standup. I enjoyed listening to him explain how he got started in the industry and his natural progression through it though!

lahendren's review

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

2.0

mmeagan's review against another edition

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4.0

I don't know why anybody would read this, books written by comedians should always be listened to if read by the author! The jokes are delivered much better, and it's clear his jokes were written to be spoken aloud to an audience so you get the pleasure of his performance and timing.

This audiobook offered an interesting glimpse into how his humour developed over the decades, which I really enjoyed. Some jokes hit some didn't, but that's the nature of comedy - it's subjective. And also the point of the book - it was a kind of collection of scrap material.

I enjoyed listening to this and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a quick pick-me-up.