Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Calypso: 'Unquestionably the king of comic writing' Guardian by David Sedaris

11 reviews

isabelwillems's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content

Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, Racism, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent

Minor: Drug use, Rape

aboo99's review against another edition

3.5

emotional funny sad fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Death of parent

Minor: Rape

charliec5995's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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A collection of short stories that offer insight into Sedaris’ life but also insight into the extremely human struggle with mortality. Dark and funny, Calypso offers an unapologetic view of the world around Sedaris and at large.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Minor: Rape

withemilyrose's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional funny medium-paced

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It has taken me a long time to write this review because I have forgotten a great deal of what actually happened in this book but do find myself still thinking about moments or feelings from this book. I don’t recommend this as someone’s first foray into the world of David Sedaris as he writes as if you are already familiar with him and his family (luckily, I am.) I appreciate that Sedaris doesn’t try to make himself more likable or more digestible and is willing to show all kinds of funny and disturbing thoughts that I believe we all have, if we are honest. Trigger warning:

there is one very graphic description of a suicide that still disturbs me to think about- read with caution. Still, I do think it was necessary and effective in how it impacted me as a reader.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Suicide, Medical content

Moderate: Homophobia, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt

Minor: Rape

2016 election, trump

jennifermreads's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

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For years, a cousin has been telling me to read David Sedaris. When I retired from my librarian job, two of my teen volunteers gifted me a hardback copy of Happy-Go-Lucky. For whatever reason, I delayed reading his work. And then I borrowed Calypso for a road trip—and now I get it! Wow! Wow! Wow! 

Initially, I was like “This is heavy. I thought it was supposed to be funny.” For those who need content warnings, be aware that the second essay concerns the suicide of one of David Sedaris’s sisters. As with any life-event that is this big, the loss of his sister and his tenuous relationship with her resurface many times in this collection. And, thus, readers get a look at how some use humor to get through grief. 

Because the humor did come. In tidal waves. My husband and I laughed so hard that, at times, we had to rewind the audiobook because we missed the next line. We enjoyed his recollections so much that I have downloaded (Me Talk Pretty One Day for the next road trip. Yup, I’m hooked, I’m a fan, and I’m going to read his entire backlist! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide

Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent

Minor: Rape

ssummar's review against another edition

4.0

dark funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Vomit

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Fatphobia, Rape, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis

bookwitch's review against another edition

2.0

challenging dark funny reflective sad medium-paced

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Some of this was really funny, but some of it was REALLY terrible and cringey. I don't think I will be reading anything else from this author; our sense of humor doesn't completely line up, and if his other books are anything like this one, I will not enjoy any of them.
His one essay about his mother, and how even with such a large family (of outspoken people), NO ONE said anything to her about her alcoholism. That felt pretty personal, as did his essay about how depressed he was after the 2015 election results.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicide

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Cancer, Rape, Suicide attempt

abigailgrims's review against another edition

3.75

emotional funny reflective

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Content Warnings

Minor: Racism, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt

geraldinerowe's review against another edition

4.75

challenging dark emotional funny fast-paced

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This is possibly David Sedaris's darkest collection of essays, covering among other topics his sister's suicide and his father's decline into old age. It also has very moving passages: remembering his last conversation with his sister, his changing relationship with his father, and the way he dealt (or rather didn't) with his mother's alcoholism. And yet it also manages to be one of his funniest. Be prepared for some frank lavatorial humour though. And worse.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Excrement, Vomit

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death

Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Cancer, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Rape

taylor_annotates's review against another edition

3.5

dark funny fast-paced

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this was simultaneously uninteresting and yet very interesting to me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Suicide

Minor: Racism, Rape, Xenophobia