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Interviews | December 28, 2009

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  1. $17.46 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

Me Talk Pretty One Day

by David Sedaris

Me Talk Pretty One Day Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

"As far as I was concerned, the French could be cold or even openly hostile. They could burn my flag or pelt me with stones, but if there were taxidermied kittens to be had then I would go and bring them back to this, the greatest country on earth."

David Sedaris's new collection, Me Talk Pretty One Day, tells a most unconventional life story. It begins with a North Carolina childhood filled with speech-therapy classes ("There was the lisp, of course, but more troubling than that was my voice itself with its excitable tone and high, girlish pitch") and unwanted guitar lessons taught by a midget. From budding performance artist ("The only crimp in my plan was that I seemed to have no talent whatsoever") to "clearly unqualified" writing teacher in Chicago, Sedaris's career leads him to New York (the sky's-the-limit field of furniture moving) and eventually, of all places, France.

Sedaris's move to Paris poses a number of challenges, chief among them his inability to speak the language. Arriving a "spooky man-child" capable of communicating only through nouns, he undertakes language instruction that leads him ever deeper into cultural confusion. Whether describing the Easter bunny to puzzled classmates, savoring movies in translation ("It Is Necessary to Save the Soldier Ryan"), or watching a group of men play soccer with a cow, Sedaris brings a view and a voice like none other.

Review:

"[T]he stronger chapters in this book tend to be the ones that mix satire with sentiment, brazenness with rumination. Those pieces reveal a writer who is capable not only of being funny, but touching, even tender, too." Michiko Kakutani, New York Times

Review:

"Sedaris is Garrison Keillor's evil twin...."Reliable sources" have told Sedaris that he has "tended to exhaust people," and true to form, he will exhaust readers of this new book, too — with helpless laughter." Publishers Weekly

Synopsis:

A recent transplant to Paris, humorist David Sedaris, bestselling author of "Naked", presents a collection of his strongest work yet, including the title story about his hilarious attempt to learn French. A number one national bestseller now in paperback.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:
stephanie, May 22, 2007 (view all comments by stephanie)
GENIUS. The funniest book I think I have ever read. At least in recent memory.
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(39 of 72 readers found this comment helpful)
maizydaze, September 23, 2006 (view all comments by maizydaze)
This was the first book I read by David Sedaris. I have never been much into autobiograpies or essays, but this book made me laugh so hard I cried. Sedaris' dead-pan humor is sure to make anyone a fan.
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(43 of 90 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780316776967
Author:
Sedaris, David
Publisher:
Back Bay Books
Author:
Sedaris, David
Subject:
Essays
Subject:
France
Subject:
Form - Essays
Subject:
Americans
Subject:
Paris (france)
Subject:
Americans -- France -- Paris.
Copyright:
Edition Description:
Back Bay Pbk
Publication Date:
June 2001
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Pages:
288
Dimensions:
8.29x5.58x.75 in. .63 lbs.

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