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Tarfumes.com - Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays
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List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $10.19
Your Save: $ 4.80 ( 32% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 814.54
EAN: 9780316779425
ISBN: 0316779423
Label: Back Bay Books
Manufacturer: Back Bay Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 208
Publication Date: 1995-06-01
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Studio: Back Bay Books
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Editorial Reviews:
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Short stories and essays by an apartment cleaner and a popular commentator for National Public Radio highlight the absurd behavior of modern Americans, such as the suburban dad who saves money by performing surgery at home. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: David Sedaris is too funny for color television
Comment: I swear, David Sedaris is one of the funniest human beings alive today. Whether recalling his high school days in Raleigh, North Carolina, or wandering the world from Normandy to Japan with Hugh, he always seems to be able to find the funny side of life. What is remarkable is his ability to find the humor in situations that are sad and tragic. There can a dark side to humor sometimes, a constant reminder that sometimes we laugh to keep from crying, sometimes we laugh while we are crying. I've now read everything the man has written - not a dud in the lot. I can't recommend his work highly enough. I would add one caveat. Some of his stories are rated "R" for language. Even in these lax and liberal days, I would be reluctant to pass his stories along to young children or those of a Neo-Puritan mindset.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mixed emotions, but worth it for several good laughs
Comment: With this being the first David Sedaris book I have read, I had high hopes. It was read after recommendations comparing him to another favorite author. While there are several laugh out loud moments - mostly in the later stages of the book - for the most part I was disappointed by the inconsistent and boring majority of what reads like the diary of a dysfunctional person.
The two best stories, stories which redeem the rest of the book and are substantial on their own, are clearly "Barrel Fever" and "SantaLand Diaries", both of which had me in stitches.
"Barrel Fever" is the story of a man with a twisted sense of humor and a caustic wit. Adolph has an inheritance from his mother, no reason to work, and a best friend with an alcohol problem. His zany observations, hilarious comments and suggestions for others, and the manner in which he can blatantly lie for self-amusement reminded me quite a bit of the Ignatius J. Reilly from A Confederacy of Dunces. Part misanthrope, part crazy man, part comedian, Adolph is someone who could provide countless hours of entertainment if he weren't so lazy and unpredictable.
In "SantaLand Diaries", Sedaris creates his most memorable piece. It's hilarious from beginning to end, with a definite insight into the madness that is a faux-North Pole at a NYC department store during Christmas season. What was even more impressive to me was the ease with which he blended the comedy with the depressing aspects of over-ambitious parents who attempt to gain social status or the perfect moment vicariously, rather than simply allowing a child to enjoy the experience. Also enjoyable is the insight into an employee who would work as an elf, or who would endure the hordes of whining children and irksome parents during peak season at a mall. How anyone could do the job without going borderline insane, or without mocking and berating customers is beyond my patience or understanding.
Aside from the above two stories, the rest of the book is average. There are far too many dull moments between the chuckles and laughs, and the author seems a bit to concerned with creating a gay memoir rather than simply compiling a worthwhile, memorable collection of stories and essays.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Funny, but not his best
Comment: Like the other Sedaris books I've read, this one was at times laugh-out-loud funny. Especially the fictional account of the author's gay love affairs with the people most likely to take offense at being included in such a story: Mike Tyson, Charlton Heston, Bruce Springsteen, etc. The essays and stories in the middle weren't as funny, though, and overall this isn't his best book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: I love this book
Comment: So I feel compelled to write a review. This book is absurd. It is perverse. It sometimes is uncomfortable to read. I didn't love it the first time I read it and it has grown on me like a fungus. I certainly understand why lots and lots of people don't like it but I would like to impress on those who are reading the reviews that the book is not BAD, just a little unpolished. It seems that the speaker is a chain-smoking, neurotic, self-absorbed, outcast whose mind can never slow down. And these are those 3 am rants that pop up in his brain. Any they are funny, in a really dark way.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very good, but not as good as Me Talk Pretty One Day
Comment: I prefer Me Talk Pretty One Day, my husband prefers this one. Both excellent books!
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