Yeah, uh..., no. I didn't like 95% of this book. I have now read all of David Sedaris books and I can unequivocally say this is the book I liked least. I liked it even less than I liked "Naked" - or should I say I disliked it even more than I disliked "Naked".

This is Sedaris' first book and IMO it's obvious. There are twelve "stories" - allegedly fiction - and four essays, supposedly non-fiction. As far as I know, all subsequent Sedaris books are essay collections. I can see why. The difference between the fiction and the essays is night and day. I found the fiction to be just *too* disturbing. Seriously - really disturbing. Happily, it seems Sedaris' *real* life - albeit dysfunctional - is no where near as scary and twisted as his imagination.

My favorite entry in this book is the essay "Diary of a Smoker" - I thought it was very funny. In real life Sedaris is an avowed anti-non-smoker, he has said that's one of the reasons he left New York City for France where he now lives. It also includes his classic "Santaland Diaries", which is phenomenal - but you can read that in "Holidays On Ice" and not have to endure the rest of this book's unpleasantness.

In my opinion, this book is *leagues* away from my favorite "Me Talk Pretty One Day" and I would recommend it, warily, only to Sedaris fans.

A very ridiculous and absurd collection of stories. Once again Sedaris fiction comes through! Sometimes his stories are so twisted that they're hard to enjoy but it's all very funny. Also this book has the Santaland Diaries which is my favorite essay ever.

This is a pretty funny collection of Sedaris short stories, augmented with a few essays. Observant, profane and at times hilarious, the book shows its age a bit as some of the stories are fairly dated. I was a 90s kid but even I wasn't familiar with some of the celebrities he lampoons.

Tre stelle stiracchiatissime.
Si tratta di una raccolta di racconti probabilmente parzialmente autobiografici, che tra loro non hanno nessun tipo di connessione logica o cronologica.
I primi brevi capitoli sono veramente sconclusionati, piccoli aneddoti dimenticabili. Pian piano i racconti si allungano e prendono un minimo di corpo.
Il tutto più che ironico è molto agrodolce, con venature di autentico cattivo gusto.
"Il tarlo del teatro" e "Nudo" sono i brani che mi sono piaciuti e hanno arrotondato le stelline.

The first couple of short stories didn't hit the mark for me so I was a little concerned going in to what I had actually signed up for, but going forward I started to comprehend the authors voice and it fell into place for me, which makes rating this one hard.
Although not all the essays worked for me, I gather from other reviews this maybe isn't his finest work but I can see some glimpses of genius at play. His style is distinct however with many of his characters being mean spirited, down and out seedy characters who most of them happen to be gay, making it quite obvious what the author's orientation is, not that that matters at all in any way, but most of these characters he chooses to portray here are pretty vile leaving a bad taste in my mouth, but luckily that didn't turn me off, so I'm happy to see what else he has to offer and will be keen to explore his later publications as I enjoyed his wicked acerbic characterisations and observations

اولین کاری بود که از سداریس خوندم. بسیار لذّت بردم از خوندن داستانهای کسی از بچگی یادگرفته بود به چیزها طور دیگه ای نگاه کنه. داستان ها اونقدر بوی شخصی بودنمیدادن که انگار خاطرات نویسنده اند، اما وقتی یک داستان تمام می شد و داستان بعدی رو شروع می کردم به یک دنیای متفاوت دیگه می رفتم. ترجمه ی کتاب هم واقعاً خوب بود.

A book of short stories and essays that cover all kinds of subjects. It includes his most famous essay, "The SantaLand Diaries", about Sedaris' stint as a Christmas elf at the Herald Square Macy's. His short stories include the very funny "Glen's Homophobia Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 2", written by a young man who can apply the word "homophobia" to about anything, including his boyfriend. The title story is about a guy who finds the angry letters his mother had written, but not mailed, to he and his sisters after her death.

I had read Sedaris' other books and thought that all of his writing was humorous, and some of these stories are very funny, but others deal with death, obsession and poverty. Sedaris moves from one subject to the next with an ease that seems effortless. Recommended.

I'm a HUGE David Sedaris fan but this was not my favorite. This was written in 1994, his early years of being published, and he has definitely improved with age. He's still trying to find his voice and clearly we all know he does! "Me Talk Pretty One Day", "Naked", and "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" are proof of that.

"Santaland Diaries" is an exception - I give that 5 stars alone, his recollections about being a mall elf at Macy's are hysterical to say the least, and you glimpse true Sedaris wit and satire. If you want to read a better Sedaris book, that also includes "Santaland Diaries", read "Holidays on Ice" and it's also published there for your reading pleasure!

Some bits of these stories are fun and witty, but I found most a bit angry, a little disturbing in parts and somewhat tiresome. The immaturity in his early writing is definitely evident, but it's classic Sedaris at the root of the stories... and we know it only gets better from here. A true Sedaris fan should read it for sure either way.

Old Sedaris, and I think I like his last few books much better than this. But there certainly was some good stuff.

Listened to it on audiobook, voiced by Sedaris (including Amy in a few spots).

Rating 2.56 but can't do half stars. Average based on all stories. Not all were that great but there were some gems. Santaland was by far the best but I had read it in another collection by him.

The essays at the end, especially The Santaland Diaries, are great. The rest of the book is, er, also there I guess. While I liked The Last You'll Hear From Me, most of the other short stories are alright at best, not a scratch on the usual autobiographical/diary-ish stuff.

Some lame dude left this at my house when he was kickin' it to me. After he crossed me I figured I'd keep it and read it before giving it back, but now he doesn't work with me anymore. I would have no problem giving this book back. I really didn't like it. I've read almost all David Sedaris's other stuff and loved it, but this just didn't do it for me. The only redeeming (and I would say 4-star story) part was the "Santaland Diaries." Awesome. Other than that, I wouldn't bother reading this book. Read something else he's written 'cause it's usually awesome.