I found this very entertaining to listen to.I enjoyed all the shenanigans.

I find Augusten Burroughs's writing style very entertaining, and while I adore his books, this one was just meh for me.

Well, after reading several of Burroughs’ works, I can’t say I have an overly high opinion of his contributions. When I first asked a friend who this Burroughs person was and if I’d enjoy reading him, they told me that he was similar to David Sedaris and that if I liked Sedaris, I’d like Burroughs. Well, the truth is that I LOVE Sedaris, and tolerate Burroughs.

They both seem to draw largely on personal experiences to weave humorous stories that people can relate to. How can that go wrong, you might ask. I think the difference boils down to style. Sedaris, when speaking of himself, does not come across as taking himself too seriously and is not afraid to lampoon himself along with his family and friends. Burroughs, on the other hand, always strikes me as someone who thinks very highly of himself and doesn’t to a great job of hiding this in his writing. Even when I think he has written a worthy and humorous story, I’ll trip over a sentence or comment within the work where Burroughs blows smoke up his own ass destroying the magic he was previously able to conger.

All that said, Sellevision was mildly amusing and somewhat predictable.

I’m sure many will disagree with me, but all in all, Burroughs is at best a B author.

Trash

Sellevision by Augusten Burroughs is a behind the scenes look into the lives of the quirky hosts at Sellevision, the premier home shopping network. Readers are introduced to Peggy Jean, the conservative Christian being stalked by a viewer; Max, fired for accidentally exposing himself on air; BeBe, the shining jewel in the network’s crown, Trish, a rising star on the network; and Leigh, a young host sleeping with the boss. If only QVC was more like this book.

Sellevision is a fun book, though near the end the plot seems to have run out of steam. Much like the thrill one might get from buying a cheap bauble peddled on TV that fades once the box is opened, the initial thrill of this book fades soon after reading.

There were several funny parts and good insights, as expected from Augusten Burroughs.

However, there were chances for growth and decency for characters near the end that I don't feel were taken advantage of. I feel like his biases were loud, which works better/makes more sense in his memoirs.

This is a fun read, though! It kept me interested and made me smile several times. He will always be one of my favorite authors.

I was sorry I didn't care for this book since I adore Augusten Burroughs. It wasn't particularly terrible but it was just a cheap, trashy read that I didn't associate with the witty, biting and unflinchingly honest prose of Burroughs' memoirs. As other readers have mentioned this was a typical airplane read - rife with cliques, flat characters and plot lines that manage to be both absurd and predictable. Its zaniness reminded me a bit of a Carl Hiassen paperback. At any rate it appears fiction is not Burroughs strong suit.

Fast, enjoyable read. Like brain candy -- shallow, funny at times, and easily digestible.

If you’re familiar with Burroughs you know he isn’t afraid of any topic, no matter how impolite. Sellevision is dark and outrageous and stupid funny. Loved the symmetry of the novel and how you start developing sympathy of the most unsympathetic characters.

I've been "reading" an awful lot of audio books I wouldn't have bothered to pick up, otherwise. It's a good way to spend all the driving time I have through work, for the most part. But sometimes, I have a book that's so puzzling I don't even know what to rate it.

I loved the satire in this book. I loved that it poked fun at consumerist culture, shallow Christianity, hypocrisy, and sensationalism. I liked the main character, Max, even though he didn't have much more personality than the other Sellevision hosts I wanted bad things to happen to. He, at least, didn't bring his troubles on himself. I liked that, in the end, almost everyone got what he or she deserved.

I didn't like how shallowly everyone was portrayed. I suppose in a satire novel, you need that surface-only reading, and characters who stand for aspects of the culture rather than fully-realized human beings. But I wanted desperately to be able to relate to SOMEONE in this book, and I never got it. They were all shallow, self-absorbed, self-destructive people, even Max, who I kind of liked. I didn't like how dated the book felt; it was published in 2000, and its constant peppering of culture and technology tidbits made it sound like thirtysomething parents pining for the good old days. I didn't like the romance plotline of the book, either; it was too cute, and I kept waiting for one or the other of them to realize they wouldn't last. All the cutesy romancing just made my heart sink, as I considered whether this was the straw that broke the potential mate's back. When the obstacle does arrive, it seems like it was just plunked in there, to justify that subplot.

I especially didn't like that the most explicit sex scenes in the book are between a man in his forties and a fifteen-year-old girl. That actually made my gorge rise, a couple of times. That entire relationship gave me the creeps, and the fact that it's still intact at the end of the book bothers me.

I think, overall, that listening to this book wasn't a total waste of time. But I also think I won't remember having read it in a couple of years, and I'll read this review like a soap opera character suffering from amnesia - "I don't remember doing this at all!"

This is SO funny if you aren't offended by the obscenities and very adult subject matter. One of the funniest I've read in a long time.

Eh, what a disappointment. This was predictable, trashy, and played on too many stereotypes. I kept waiting and waiting..and waiting..for it to get better. Things started to turn around at the end ('one year later'), which was written similar to his memoirs - proving there's nothing wrong with sticking to what you know.

Being a huge Burroughs fan, the one redeeming factor here was being able to recognize how people encountered in his life/memoirs so obviously influenced the characters in this book.