Rating: 
Summary: Want to laugh--buy it. Don't want to laugh--don't
Review: I have to admit I was a bit hesitant to read this book. My feeling was that this was just a cheap attempt to capitalize on the success of "Naked", and to write a book that was essentially exactly the same. I'm happy to report that my fears were unfounded. Sedaris again proves he is perhaps the funniest writer in America. The best pieces in here are funny to the point that I almost needed an oxygen tank to restore normal breathing after laughing so hard for so long. In fact, the funniest pieces are so good that when you get to a story that merely makes you chuckle softly to yourself, it seems like a let-down. The most consistently hilarious stories in "Me Talk Pretty One Day" are the ones dealing with the odd idiosyncrosies of Sedaris' father. However, by far the funniest story of the bunch had to be "You Can't Kill the Rooster", about Sedaris' foul-mouthed, white trash younger brother. Admittedly, I started to get somewhat disappointed about halfway through the book, as that is where a few stories that can be best described as "filler" seemed to seep in. But I am happy to report that at that point the book quickly moves to the stories detailing Sedaris' experience of living in France, and the hilarity starts all over again. Recommending this is simple...if you like to laugh, read it, if you hate laughing, don't read it.
Rating: 
Summary: a disturbingly funny take on life
Review: In what might be the most unusual autobiography ever, David Sedaris has seamlessly melded his trademark brand of humor with the often bitter truth of reality, and in turn, presents the reader with something almost magical. Divided into two halves, the book traces his life before and after moving to France. The short, defined chapters make this book an excellent summer read, and the content is equally as engaging. His humor is able to transcend the boundaries of what we've come to know humor writing as in the 20th century, and create a new, unique style. Whereas observational humor is typically funny due to its normalcy, Sedaris makes his absurd and bizarre life a disturbingly funny reality. I highly recommend this book to anyone, and would also recommend the equally as good "Naked," also by Sedaris.
Rating:
Summary: Hard to put down,hard to forget
Review: I approached this book with great anticipation, because I had already read any and everything I could find that David Sedaris had written.The book more than met my expectations.My only regret was when I finished it,which,was too soon.Every chapter is a gem.I've done nothing but tell anyone who will listen,even make eye contact,to read this book.The thrill of my life,was to have my copy authographed by David,when he appeared at one of our local bookstores.He was a genuinely nice guy and hearing him in person,is an experience I will cherish forever.
Rating: 
Summary: Not David Sedaris' best, but still damn funny...
Review: The excitement which gripped me when I saw that David Sedaris' new book, ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY, had come out was considerable. After all, this is the author whose comic voice I read as it developed in his first collection (BARREL FEVER). In that collection, Sedaris evolved from a rather aggravatingly shock-oriented short story author, to a man who was able to mine his considerably ridiculous autobiography for such brilliant short stories as GIANTESS and THE SANTALAND DIARIES. Then Sedaris wrote NAKED, a book that I return to once a year because of its amazing critical wit, a vitriol-filled eye that Sedaris does not spare himself from. Balancing this evil eye is a strong sense of humanity and heart (espeically in such short stories as ASHES) that keep the author from seeming too gutless and cruel. And now comes Sedaris' third collection of essays, "Me Talk Pretty One Day". True, the collection has many things going for it. Even though Sedaris is in a happy, well-adjusted relationship, his satirical vision is still intact. The author can crack a joke that bends you to its will, forcing you to laugh. But all of those things are present in NAKED. What this collection lacks are those things present in his earlier collection-- a sense of coherency and the insights that his critical eyes lead him to. NAKED is not framed as a coherent narrative yet it clearly follows the author from young childhood through to adulthood in his various journeys of self, whether hitchhiking with a quadraplegic or house cleaning for a lesbian anti-semite. ME TALK PRETTY ONE DAY is packaged as a coherent narrative of Sedaris' experiences with the language, but rarely do the essays seem to really interrelate until the second half of the book when he gets to France. A lot of the time, the essays seem more catty than observational. Sedaris rests on the laurels of his humor, as opposed to making the kind of brilliant observations that mark his stories as something special. This collection is very funny, but it lacks the backbone that Sedaris' fans have come to expect from him. So, in other words, wait for the paperback, go buy NAKED, and read it a couple of times...
Rating:
Summary: Hilarious! Deliciously Irreverent! Wickedly Absurd!
Review: Delightfully twisted collection of Sedaris' off-beat tales and observations. As most other reviewers have noted, you will laugh out loud again and again. The stories are quite brief though. I adored 'Barrel Fever' and 'Naked.' I was left somewhat disappointed only because I wanted more! (I highly recommend all three books, but BF is the best of the lot.) David Sedaris has a way of presenting the absurd much like his sister Amy, of 'Strangers with Candy' fame. Sedaris is like early John Waters - either you love it fanatically (as I do) or you don't get it at all. A word of caution...if you are sensitive to political correctness, are easily offended by left-leaning irreverence or scatological humor, or vote Republican, then this book is definitely not for you! FYI: You will NEVER think of Jodie Foster quite the same way again.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: "Laugh out loud funny" seems to be a recurring description of this book, and for good reason. I tried to stretch out the book by only reading a few chapters every night in bed, but the laughs I tried to stifle turned into snorts and kept waking my partner. I then tried reading parts to him, but had trouble getting the words out without cracking up. I finished the book a few days ago and he is trying to read it now, but I keep stealing it from him to re-read my favorite parts (which include most of the book). I will never look at some of David Sedaris' topics (speech therapy, learning French, American tourists) again without thinking about his astute and/or warped comments. Buy it and enjoy.
Rating: 
Summary: me talk pretty someday
Review: This new collection of real-life accounts of the life and times of David Sedaris was an amazing bore. If there ever was an example of the Emperor's New Clothes, me talk pretty, tops the list, evidenced by the heights it has scaled on the best-seller list. Clearly a book need not have any true quality to achieve best-seller status but just clever marketing and previous reputation. Unlike the wacky but fascinating, self-depricating Naked, me talk pretty is a collection of stories one might over hear and tune out during a morning commute. If I were Mr.Sedaris, and thank goodness I am not, I'd be more than embarassed. In fact, me talk pretty is the kind of book that, in better circumstances, Sedaris himself would have used his sharp wit to make fun of.
Rating:
Summary: Something for Everyone
Review: This is the first book by David Sedaris I've read and I have to say it certainly is among the funniest. The brilliance of his wit lies within his ability to find the humor in everyday situations and people, whether it be the humiliation of a young boy having to attend speech therapy class for his lisp or the awkward embarrassment of screwing up French translations in a language class run by a teacher who would have been more suitably employed as a Gestapo agent, Sedaris finds the ridiculous in the everyday. One minor criticism, I found the book peters out towards the end. The last two or three stories aren't nearly as interesting or humorous as what comes before them. But gay or straight, there's something for everyone in this book.
Rating:
Summary: A bit inconsistent, but the payoff is worth it
Review: My reactions to David Sedaris's new book ranged from a slight smile, to such hysterical laughter that I was asked to leave the ICU of a hospital where I was visiting a relative. The book is split into two parts. The first is made up of stories about his family, including his foul-mouthed but tender brother, and his father, who apparently will eat no food before its time. The second half concerns his life in France, especially his attempts to learn the language. A million writers have used this theme before, but I've never read anyone who does it so well. The short dialogue of cowed language students trying to comfort each other before their teacher attacks again is worth the price of the book. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: A Typo Away from a Fiver
Review: I'm withholding a five star rating because of the typo on page 269: "We used to returned home for Christmas every year . . . " Is there no one at Little, Brown and Company whose responsibility it is to make sure errors such as the above don't ruin the reading experience? I feel cheated.
| 
