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121 reviews for:
There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell: A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble
Laurie Notaro
3.39 AVERAGE
121 reviews for:
There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell: A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble
Laurie Notaro
3.39 AVERAGE
I thought this was a cute and quirky book, but if you've read of any Notaro's non-fiction books, you've already read this book (a lot of similar themes).
Oh, Laurie, my wonderful, funny Laurie.... stick to memoirs, darlin'. That's what you're good at.
These reads like a novel based-on-fact, which may sound nutty in a book that involves a Sewer Pipe Queen pageant and spontaneous combustion. The thing is, so much of what "Maye" goes through in this book is what (or at least remarkably similar to) Laurie, herself, describes in her memoirs. Moving from the ghetto in Phoenix to the Pacific Northwest -- yep, Laurie did that. Working out of the houe and having a hard time making friends -- yeah, that sounds familiar. Having some crazy run-ins with the locals? Right. I know they say you should write what you know and Notaro absolutely did. Maybe it just all felt too familiar after reading her other work.
That said, what was obviously fiction seemed either totally far-fetched or incredibly trite. Woman enters contest to (among other things) spite someone who is nasty to her. She finds someone who hates this nasty woman just as much and is willing to help her win the contest. (I mean, really, she even used the totally overdone "I'm going to walk away after being rejected and mumble the name of this nasty person which is what will totally convince this other person to help me" bit.) This new-found enemy-of-my-enemy is a cranky old woman who is won over by the author and they become good friends. Oh, and don't forget the manual-labor-as-a-form-of-training, a la "The Karate Kid". As for the whodunit aspect: painfully predictable.
And what's with the similes?! Good GODS, woman! Maybe she did this in her other books too and I just didn't notice as much, but she compares so many things to other things in long, rambling sentences. Once in a while they're funny, but too many become annoying very quickly.
Disappointed. I so wanted to like this.
These reads like a novel based-on-fact, which may sound nutty in a book that involves a Sewer Pipe Queen pageant and spontaneous combustion. The thing is, so much of what "Maye" goes through in this book is what (or at least remarkably similar to) Laurie, herself, describes in her memoirs. Moving from the ghetto in Phoenix to the Pacific Northwest -- yep, Laurie did that. Working out of the houe and having a hard time making friends -- yeah, that sounds familiar. Having some crazy run-ins with the locals? Right. I know they say you should write what you know and Notaro absolutely did. Maybe it just all felt too familiar after reading her other work.
That said, what was obviously fiction seemed either totally far-fetched or incredibly trite. Woman enters contest to (among other things) spite someone who is nasty to her. She finds someone who hates this nasty woman just as much and is willing to help her win the contest. (I mean, really, she even used the totally overdone "I'm going to walk away after being rejected and mumble the name of this nasty person which is what will totally convince this other person to help me" bit.) This new-found enemy-of-my-enemy is a cranky old woman who is won over by the author and they become good friends. Oh, and don't forget the manual-labor-as-a-form-of-training, a la "The Karate Kid". As for the whodunit aspect: painfully predictable.
And what's with the similes?! Good GODS, woman! Maybe she did this in her other books too and I just didn't notice as much, but she compares so many things to other things in long, rambling sentences. Once in a while they're funny, but too many become annoying very quickly.
Disappointed. I so wanted to like this.
This author is the queen of all things simile, metaphor and long, winding descriptive passages. A bit too much so for my liking. This was a story about Maye, a 30 something woman who moved with her husband and dog from Phoenix, AZ, to Spaulding, WA, so her husband could work in the town’s small university. Maye left loads of good friends and, as a freelance writer in her new home, struggled to make friends. So she starts on a journey to meet people and ends up solving a long-forgotten town mystery. It was a decent story, but a bit too slapstick for me. How on earth do you get a tablecloth, at a fully made up dining table, caught deep enough in your fat roles that the grip is enough to pull the dishes nearly off the table? How do you end up with grazes on your forehead from being unable to remove a pullover sweater not once but twice? I guess Maye was meant to be a bit quirky but came across as more goofy in my opinion. It’s not surprising she struggled to make friends. My favourite character was Mickey the dog. There were too many things that didn’t quite work and a few too many loose ends at the end for my liking too. Readable but not really recommendable imo.
Meh. Somewhat funny, but awfully forced. Methinks Ms Notaro is much more successful with her nonfiction humor.
There were times when I genuinely did laugh out loud, but for the most part the humor trended towards the mean spirited variety. A lot of it was punching down, and that shouldn't be fun or funny.
Ok, so I know Laurie, so I’d read her grocery lists given the chance. I’ve no doubt that there’s humor even in them. We both grew up (?) in the Tempe AZ music scene in the early 90s. Somehow we both also ended up in the PNW. Just want to go on record as saying I got here first. Anyone who’s made the trek from the dry heave of the AZ desert to the Pacific NorthWet will find some great and funny truths here.
A sweet, fast-paced book with a satisfying but mysterious ending. The character development was fantastic and really made me feel like I knew each and every character. With the small town, zany characters, and fast-talking run on dialogue, I can’t help but compare it to Gilmore Girls in the best way!
I was so excited for her first fiction novel. This was not as easy as her short stories, but I'm still a huge fan! Read this (of course!) and then try one of her non-fiction collections - you won't be disappointed.