Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 7504

"Wigfield", by Dave Sedaris, Amy Sedaris, and Stephen Colbert.

Just picked it up. I'm not a big fan of the previous work of the Sedarises (or of Strangers With Candy, which Amy made with Colbert), but trust me, you'll wanna pick this one up. Social satire of a quality that'll make you fall out of your seat.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Location Location
Posts: 26384

I read it a couple months ago. It was pretty good, but a bit too....I don't know. Painting with broad strokes? Slightly over the top? Too obvious? Hard to explain. I guess I see it as funny sort of like I see Reno 9-11 as funny. Sure, it's funny, but at the end of the day, are trailer trash and stuffy beurocrats and whatnot really that edgy of targets to pick?

I liked it, mind (I like Reno 9-11 too). Just wasn't up there in my best of the year.

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Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17889

Strangers With Candy is GENIUS!

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 7504

For me, it wasn't the choice of targets. It was the writing, pure and simple. There were sections of 10-20 pages without a single unfunny SENTENCE.

Plus: note that the single target who gets it worst is the narrator. Not often we get a literary journalist parody of that quality.

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Registered: Dec 2003
Location: a constant state of wrath
Posts: 1284

Have you read Me Talk Pretty One Day?

I haven't read the new Sedaris book, but when I saw the title, his second one sprang to mind.

-- tj

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Registered: Mar 2004
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Posts: 46

quote:

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Originally posted by Paint CHiPs
I read it a couple months ago. It was pretty good, but a bit too....I don't know. Painting with broad strokes? Slightly over the top? Too obvious? Hard to explain. I guess I see it as funny sort of like I see Reno 9-11 as funny. Sure, it's funny, but at the end of the day, are trailer trash and stuffy beurocrats and whatnot really that edgy of targets to pick?

I liked it, mind (I like Reno 9-11 too). Just wasn't up there in my best of the year.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Kansas City
Posts: 7504

"Big Trouble" made me want to tear off my own head. The only unfunny thing Dave Barry has ever written.

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 3030

I read Wigfield recently. If it had been about half it's length, then it would have been wonderful. It was very funny, but after about half way through, it just got old. I just got tired of it I guess. After Wigfield I started The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett. His books are funnier than Wigfield, and they're satirical, AND they are entertaining.

But overall, not a bad way to waste a couple of hours.

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