Scan barcode
fbroom's review
5.0
Davis Sedaris is the best! His soothing voice, story telling ability and delivery is superb. I've never read any of his books. I've only listened to them over and over again.
katykelly's review
5.0
Deliciously dark collection of adult short stories for the festive season.
I've had these waiting on my phone for months, deciding to listen to this in December in the run-up to Christmas. While it doesn't give much festive feeling, admittedly, I was amused from beginning to end with the subversion and black humour.
Of course, the centrepiece, a narration of a Macy's elf and his work life is very funny. The longest of the stories, it's the reason I bought this collection in the first place and is totally worth it. My other favourites were the 'Round Robin Christmas letter 'that escalates quickly from the usual boasts to a hideously dark story, and the one-man-upmanship that likewise takes on a very, very black turn. The animal story of a Secret Santa with a sting in the tail is also wonderfully morbid. For those alone, this is recommended, but the other stories also have their merits.
I loved listening to this, I got to smirk along with the author as he told me his own stories. They translate very well to audio, some are told to the listener/reader straight anyway. Sedaris is a talented reader, definitely one I'd listen to again.
I just love subversion, especially of traditional themes, so this collection was right up my street. I'll probably listen to it again next December as well.
I've had these waiting on my phone for months, deciding to listen to this in December in the run-up to Christmas. While it doesn't give much festive feeling, admittedly, I was amused from beginning to end with the subversion and black humour.
Of course, the centrepiece, a narration of a Macy's elf and his work life is very funny. The longest of the stories, it's the reason I bought this collection in the first place and is totally worth it. My other favourites were the 'Round Robin Christmas letter 'that escalates quickly from the usual boasts to a hideously dark story, and the one-man-upmanship that likewise takes on a very, very black turn. The animal story of a Secret Santa with a sting in the tail is also wonderfully morbid. For those alone, this is recommended, but the other stories also have their merits.
I loved listening to this, I got to smirk along with the author as he told me his own stories. They translate very well to audio, some are told to the listener/reader straight anyway. Sedaris is a talented reader, definitely one I'd listen to again.
I just love subversion, especially of traditional themes, so this collection was right up my street. I'll probably listen to it again next December as well.
smalltownbookmom's review
3.0
A collection of holiday themed short stories read by the author and one by his sister. Some were more light-hearted than others but all have his trademark dry wit. I enjoyed the stories about his time working as Santa’s helper elf in NYC the most. Overall an entertaining collection sure to delight David Sedaris fans.
sweetramona's review
2.0
There are 2 terrific stories in this collection. There is one extremely racist story, and a couple of iffy ones. So 2 stars. I really wish I had just stuck with the PBS-sanctioned version of Sedaris instead.
allegra_j's review
4.0
I generally like David Sedaris. I have read some Sedaris that I didn't really care for, but this one was great. I was laughing out loud at times. Hard to pick my favorite story. Really like the Christmas Letter story. I also really liked the families trying to outdo each other with humility.
More...