So, I don't know why, but I was underwhelmed. I guess it didn't really make me laugh as much as I'd hoped. I feel like Notaro is that absolutely hilarious friend in your life that you totally think should capture all of your group hijinks in a way only she can. You know the ones. Only your friends never do that, because as it turns out, you kind of had to be there. I felt like most of this stuff would be funny if you knew the people involved, or if you were drunk when it happened.

It did have it's funny parts though, and I like the irreverence of much of it. I think part of the problem for me was the structure, I like short stories, but these felt . . . forced, somehow? Anyway, like I said, funny at times, I definitely chuckled, but maybe it had been built up too much for me.

Notaro's stories are hilarious. If you need a good laugh, read her books.

I read this one because kristiinthedark made me. (Okay, she made me by saying, "Well, I liked it." But she said it in a very coercive way, trust me.) And I did like this better than the last two books I read by Notaro. This one was truly funny in places, and not nearly so cringe-inducing in the places where it wasn't funny, and if I didn't exactly love it, I'm still giving it four stars because a) hey, it was funny, what more can I want? and b) my problems with it were more idiosyncrasies of mine than they were actual flaws inherent in the book.

But this is my review; I'm going to list those problems.

First, I've seriously, seriously overdosed on Notaro now. I'm DONE with her uneven narrative voice and her incredible self-loathing. I mean, I'm glad I read this, but, seriously: she's told me she's dumb so many times that I now totally and completely believe her, which makes me wonder why I'm bothering to read her books.

Second - um. I'm trying to think of a nice way to put this, but I can't, so I'll just go with it. Notaro's twenties looked just like my early teens: stupid. Filled with drugs (although I drank less and smoked entirely different things), random sex, bad bad choices, and stupid stupid friends. But, well, I grew up and stopped that shit. And we all know that no one judges you more harshly than someone who has been there but isn't anymore. So I had some judgment I had to get over before I could enjoy this book. (Like, a great desire to shriek, "STOP BEING STUPID.") It really helped, though, that this was not the first book of hers I read; I knew while I was reading this that she also grew up. (Thank god. Stupidsville is not somewhere you want to settle.)

Besides those two things - which, again, the problem is all me - this was about as good and about as funny as The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death. Which is the book that got me reading her in the first place. So I thank kristiinthedark for her encouragement/coercion. And I'm really, really, truly done with Laurie Notaro now.

Treat yourself to some sophisticated potty humor! No other book's brought me so close to peeing my pants. Notaro's short stories are self-deprecating, raunchy and honest... and there's one about poop.

This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. If you live in Phoenix this will hit home because the author is from there and mentions some places around town.

Read in an afternoon. Cute and fast read, but not hysterical as I'd expected. Maybe I had my hopes a bit too high.

Laugh out loud book!

Hilarious book!

not a bad book. not as laugh out loud as I thought it would be.

Holli

I love her essays. And she makes me feel like less of a fool and klutz. It's nice to know there are more of us out there.

This may be the funniest book I have ever read. I love Laurie Notaro - I met her at a book signing and she's even funnier in person. I've read this several times and lent my copy to a dozen people.