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A review by katykelly
Holidays on Ice: Featuring Six New Stories by David Sedaris
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.