Take a photo of a barcode or cover
sallyjane823's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
littlemel64's review against another edition
4.0
Sedaris' work is so much funnier when you listen to him read it than simply reading the essays. His delivery makes all the difference. Of course, I listen to audios when driving to work and it adds another level of difficulty to driving when you have tears in your eyes from laughing.
dhause1217's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Sedaris is always funny. This book was a little more depressing than others because it focuses so much on his very deranged childhood. Still a great story teller and still laugh out loud.
nightsdecay's review against another edition
2.0
While I found myself smiling at a few of the jokes, many of the short stories left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I don't mind dark huor, but this humor was often cruel, at the expense of someone less fortunate, the author seemed to have no qualms tossing around racial slurs with the unspoken excuse of these memoirs taking place in "different times", and the final story centered around a suffering animal that finally needed to be drowned.
I've read Sedaris before and enjoyed his writing style, but I'm not sure I'll be coming back for more. Not my cup of tea.
I've read Sedaris before and enjoyed his writing style, but I'm not sure I'll be coming back for more. Not my cup of tea.
numinous25's review against another edition
2.0
As a newcomer to the David Sedaris revolution, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim probably shouldn't have been first on my list. This memoir wobbles on its stunted three legs and delivers a less satisfying version of the requisite dysfunctional family as well as his adult relationships. Every hundred pages or so, there is a spark of something that suggests at Sedaris's muffled talent, but it quickly peters out in a bathos of self-pity and unremarkable prose.
The root of the problem is that David Sedaris is an unlikeable person. He presents himself as a self-centered coward soon after the beginning and continues to reaffirm his assholeish behavior in a half apologetic and half gloating tone (which is infinitely worse than his actual or perceived character). While the first fifty pages or so held some interest and a whiff of charm, the last two hundred were an irritable and slow grind.
The root of the problem is that David Sedaris is an unlikeable person. He presents himself as a self-centered coward soon after the beginning and continues to reaffirm his assholeish behavior in a half apologetic and half gloating tone (which is infinitely worse than his actual or perceived character). While the first fifty pages or so held some interest and a whiff of charm, the last two hundred were an irritable and slow grind.
bookchew's review
4.0
Not my favorite of his collections, but it gets an extra star for including the story "Who's the Chef," and for the line, "The real voice of reason sounds like Bea Arthur." That is does, David.
I'd recommend getting this one in the audiobook version. The stories deliver more impact--and more laughs--when read by Sedaris himself.
I'd recommend getting this one in the audiobook version. The stories deliver more impact--and more laughs--when read by Sedaris himself.
lizziet18's review against another edition
4.0
This book was hilarious. I was listening to it on book-on-CD and laughed out loud during some of the essays. My favorite was Sedaris' description of his younger brother's wedding. The couple were both dog lovers and Sedaris describes the wedding dinner as featuring both wet and dry food. Howlingly funny!
founddrama's review against another edition
4.0
I'm between 4 and 5 stars on this one... There are a couple of stories that don't "do it" for me, stories that I more/less regard as filler for the binding. And then there are the rest of the stories in here which are (all of them) blisteringly, timelessly, laugh-out-loud funny.
Maybe it helps that before this came out, we saw him read several selections from the collection. For that, I'll err on the side of five starts.
"Yes, I am talking about boat trailers. But also, I am dying."
Maybe it helps that before this came out, we saw him read several selections from the collection. For that, I'll err on the side of five starts.
"Yes, I am talking about boat trailers. But also, I am dying."
kimmybikini's review against another edition
3.0
The first Sedaris book to make me giggle without feeling like a snob. Request more!