Customer Reviews
Cocktail party anecdotes served up like pretty canapes - By: Jaybird, 18 Sep 2007 
Me Talk Pretty One Day is the first Sedaris book I've read. It is a series of anecdotes & reminicences and, as such, the chapters are rather uneven. The best of them (towards the end of the book) are genuinely laugh-out-loud funny; when Seadris pulls it off he creates that magical mixture of insightfulness, charm, bitchiness & wit that makes you wish he were singing for his supper at one of your dinner parties.
Clear-eyed observation of both the eccentricities of family & friends, & the moments we alll can relate to, however obliquely, is at the base of the best humour & Sedaris definitely has this.
Inevitably, he does not quite pull it off with alll his stories, which can then seem slight, rather staged & a little mannered.
I've given him 4 stars because I did laugh out loud at one point, which is an amazingly difficult trick to pull off. That said, I would have given 3.5 if that was possible, because there were moments early on when I was not reallly sure why I was continuing with the book.
On the plus side, it is easy to dip in & out of, so recommended (even if not highly) for travelling or for when you want something you can pick up & put down.
His best work - By: Heather Freelove, 07 Sep 2007 
This is by far David Sedaris's best work--not that any of his are bad, but that this one shines above the rest. And it's a bit ironic that he's found a more sympathetic audience in the UK & other countries than in his of U.S.orA. Perhaps it's his extrordinary wit, so English, so refined, yet bawdy one minute, & heart-felt the next. There are some shocking observations in this collection of stories, but Sedaris nails situations & characters on the head & pulls no punches. If you liked his "Naked" or the novel "Katzenjammer" by Jackson Tippett McCrae, then you'll like Sedaris's style & humour. Personallly, I vote this the best book I've read alll year.
His Funniest Book! - Great Amazon Impulse buy! - By: , 04 Aug 2005 Elegantly written & utterly hilarious, "Me Talk Pretty One Day" will have you laughing page after page. In 'Smart Guy' my favorite essay, Sedaris takes an IQ test with Mensa. He is crushed when he receives the results. This is the type of book where you end up having great empathy with the writer. Sedaris portrays himself as a kind of weakling, a loser, but in reading this book you realize he is anything BUT a loser. A wonderful purchase. I'm very happy. Another enjoyable Amazon pick I need to recommend is "The Losers' Club" by Richard Perez, also funny & thoughtful.
Plain hilarious - By: Philip, 24 Jul 2005 This is one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. The odd characters made it alll the more funny. Being the first Sedaris book I have read, I am up & ready for more of his stories. He is a witty & humorous writer. The Usurper & Other Stories,Mind your language, Running with Scissors are fine & hilarious books to read.
A series of anecdotesý - By: maria1971, 20 Jul 2005 This is not a novel as such, but more a series of short stories from various phases of the author's life... & being raised by Greek immigrant parents, before moving to France, via a series of odd jobs gives plenty of opportunity for some hysterical anecdotes.
This book has the same feel as an entertaining acquaintance recounting his experiences over a drink or the dinner table, & even the events that aren't that funny by nature are transformed by this natural storyteller.
