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heyt's review against another edition
3.0
This was my first foray into the world of humor essays and I enjoyed it. Notaro's conversational style helped to highlight the humor in everyday situations. You can't help but identify with most of the situations she finds herself in. I found a couple spots a little problematic but not enough to ruin my enjoyment of the whole.
shinychick's review against another edition
3.0
Lots of funny read alouds, which is pretty much what I look for in a Laurie Notaro book. The last story was very sad, though, and kind of threw me.
bellebelly's review against another edition
3.0
I will always love Laurie Notaro for introducing the phrase "chub rub" into my life, but I did not love this book. The chapters were hit and miss, and perhaps my timing was bad with some of them (the chapter about food poisoning ended up being my lunch break reading one day, etc.) I love a snarky narrative, but a lot of this crossed the line into too bitchy. I did not find myself wishing I would bump into Laurie and become her new BFF which is...kind of what I'm looking for from a humor writer.
acinthedc's review against another edition
2.0
This collection of stories was not as funny as I had been expecting. The first few stories were pretty amusing, but the running theme and tone throughout was angry. This made for an overall uneven and disappointing read.
wallflower11216's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoy her snarky and cynical humor. She's not looking at the world through rose colored glasses and I appreciate it. So she doesn't like Foodies and yoga people. She writes what everyone has probably thought at one time or another. It's refreshing.
missriki's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a big fan of Laurie Notaro's unflinching sarcasm and biting wit, and I continue to be entertained by her books. In her latest book, The Potty Mouth at the Table she continues to impress with some of her funniest stories yet. No subject is off-limits in this awesome collection if humor writing. Notaro makes everything from Pinterest to food poisoning laugh-out-loud funny. I literally had tears streaming from my eyes as she described a telephone conversation with her mother and sister about a freak Diet Vanilla Coke trauma. I'm glad that Notaro feels no qualms about writing down her family's everyday dramas because that stuff is just plan funny. She has a very patient and loving husband who also makes me laugh as he puts up with her rants.
The last story in the book takes a turn for the serious and discusses her friend Kartz's experiences with a brain tumor. The story has all of the joys of humor wrapped up in the big heart Notaro clearly has. I loved the way she shared this story.
If you're looking for laughs, get this book in your hands! Each story is short and to the point, and every one of them is hysterical. I dare you to contain your laughter!
The last story in the book takes a turn for the serious and discusses her friend Kartz's experiences with a brain tumor. The story has all of the joys of humor wrapped up in the big heart Notaro clearly has. I loved the way she shared this story.
If you're looking for laughs, get this book in your hands! Each story is short and to the point, and every one of them is hysterical. I dare you to contain your laughter!
courtney_mcallister's review against another edition
3.0
Most of the essays in The Potty Mouth at the Table felt uninspired. Foodies can be irritating, but that doesn't mean I want to read three whiny essays about them! Aside from a few chuckles, I felt unmoved. And then the last essay, "Rewinding," happened. The tone is much darker than Notaro's usual fare, which may partially account for why I enjoyed it so much. Mostly, though, I was impressed by Notaro's nuanced discussion of her dear friend's brain tumor. There's plenty of melancholy and fear, but also an understanding of how humor helped Notaro and her friends navigate desperately uncertain times. I hope "Rewinding" is indicative of the type of writing Notaro will undertake in the future.
hlavigne82's review against another edition
2.0
Didn’t really care for this one. I’d read a Notaro a while back which I also didn’t like, but thought I’d give this a try. While some describe this as laugh-out-loud funny, I found her snarky and mean in most of the stories. It just wasn’t a feel-good book for me.