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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
My first Sedaris book. I see the skill, but I guess just not my cup of tea.
Sedaris hand-selected this collection, so it’s his opinion of “best.” I agree with many, but would’ve likely nixed the fiction. His short stories are decent, but he is such a master of the personal essay. That said, this was just what I needed right now! There’s an insightful interview at the end of the audiobook (brilliantly narrated as usual). Naturally, I needed a physical copy, too. It’s beautiful!
emotional
funny
fast-paced
As with a lot of the rest of Sedaris' work, this essay collection is pretty hit-or-miss for me. Some of the essays were so good I found myself laughing out loud (and even crying at one of them). I'd definitely say that Sedaris has a knack for writing relatable yet still very weird & funny essays about all sorts of stuff, although mostly his family. I will say that, as these essays are arranged chronologically, I felt there was a definite increase in quality as I read through the book. So, maybe it would've been better if I'd just bought one of his more recent collections, although in my defence this was the only David Sedaris book they had in the Oxfam I bought it from. Anyway, I also dislike (almost) all of the fictional stories because they're just too weird and I often feel like I'm supposed to get some message from them but I don't. The best ones are where Sedaris tells an extremely weird story but for some reason you find yourself relating to a guy who spent a lot of time trying to buy a taxidermied owl. I complained about the fictional stories, but there really aren't that many of them. My real problem is with the essays that end up mean-spirited, and at least one that is just straight-up transphobic. Hey, I get what his points are and he's trying to be real and human and whatever, but I guess I just can't enjoy that. Luckily, I do think that really good ones outweigh the bad, and on the whole his view of humanity comes across as nuanced but mostly generous. It's definitely nice to have this big collection, and maybe I can read the collections that some of my favourite essays from this set came from originally.
Excellent collection of short stories. You see the growth of Sedaris, not just in his topics, but in his willingness to be open about his life and short-comings. I enjoyed his perspective on family relationships.
Having binged his books at the beginning of the year, this collection of Sedaris’ self described “best works” was a culmination of pre and post COVID memories. Much like his stories, this pandemic has gotten darker and harder to sit through. What once was a simple story about child like wonder of a family with no television quickly becomes the story of losing a sibling to suicide. Sedaris’ voice and humor is masterful, his stories are unique and sometimes gut wrenching, and I found myself satisfied with the pieces picked. I would say that this is a good book for those looking to jump into Sedaris and those who are seasoned readers.
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Reading Sedaris' 'best-of' essays is a trip down memory lane for people like me who has read most of his books. By turns funny and tragic, his essays run the gamut of the complications of family dynamics which is relatable to so many.
I had to read this a few essays at a time because it’s just not the type of book I can devour. But it was funny! Some essays were ‘meh’ 3 stars for me, and some were hilarious 5 stars.