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Description edit
"David Sedaris' ability to transform the mortification of everyday life into wildly entertaining art," (The Christian Science Monitor) is elevated to wilder and more entertaining heights than ever in this remarkable new book. Trying to make coffee when the water is shut off, David considers... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
David's collection of short stories describing his life in small sections, and all leading up to his many attempts to quit smoking.
Characters/People edit
- David Sedaris: Add a description of this character.
- Hugh: Sedaris' longterm partner
- Helen Ann
- Mrs. Peacock
- Lisa
- Jackie
- Lou Sedaris
- Ma Hamrick
- Amy Sedaris
- Rosemary Dowd
- Becky
- Gretchen
- Mr. Davis
- Chaz
- Keith
- Ronnie
- Little Mike
- Paul
- Patsy
- Joan
- Ruth
- Sister Sykes
- Mrs. Oakley
- Dick
- Mrs. Byrd
- Bob
- Beth
- Mary Frances
- Clothilde
- Leslie
- Phillip
- Ava
- Sang Lee
- Mrs. Robbins
- Joe
- Eric
- Curtis
- Naomichi
- Joyce
Quotes edit
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“But he only did in bulk what I did piecemeal”
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“In a city you tell yourself that someone will clean it up, someone who wouldn't have a job unless you dropped that butt onto the sidewalk”
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“I was always outraged when a driver would empty his ashtray onto the asphalt”
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“Not only were they huge, they were also green with Playboy emblems embossed on the stems”
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“Squinting is timeless, but so, unfortunately, are the blinding headaches that often accompany it”
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“Then too, it never felt like real litter, like tossing down, say, a broken lightbulb”
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“Though design may reach an apex, it never settles back and calls it quits”
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“Time is cruel to everything but seems to have singled out eyeglasses for special punishment”
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“What looks good now is guaranteed to embarrass you twenty years down the line, which is, of course, the whole problem with fashion”
Setting & Locations edit
- North Carolina
- Paris
- New York
- France
- Tokyo
- Raleigh
- Normandy
- United States
- Chicago
- Princeton University
- Japan
- London
- England
First Sentence edit
My friend Patsy was telling me a story.
Table of Contents edit
1. It's Catching
2. Keeping Up
3. The Understudy
4. This Old House
5. Buddy, Can You Spare a Tie?
6. Road Trips
7. What I Learned
8. That's Amore
9. The Monster Mash
10. In the Waiting Room
11. Solution to Saturday's Puzzle
12. Adult Figures Charging Toward a Concrete Toadstool
13. Memento Mori
14. All the Beauty You Will Ever Need
15. Town and Country
16. Aerial
17. The Man in the Hut
18. Of Mice and Men
19. April in Paris
20. Crybaby
21. Old Faithful
22. The Smoking Section
Themes & Symbolism edit
Authors & Contributors edit
- David Sedaris (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Little Brown & Co
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2008
ISBN: 0316143472
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Little Brown & Co
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2008
ISBN: 0316143472
Page Count: 336
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PS 3569 .E314 W48 2008
- Dewey: 814.54
Subjects edit
- Books › Entertainment › Humor › Essays
- Books › Literature & Fiction › Essays
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