"Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris: A Hilarious and Heartfelt Novel

kokokathi02: I used to have all his books and loved them so much I lent them to sad friends. I never got them back (so sad) so now I’m replacing them all! Rereading is almost as good as the 1st time. Highly recomend the earlier books.

United States on Oct 01, 2023

G. D. Roche: Mr Sedaris is witty as always with stories that bring you through a range of emotions. Gifted at finding just the right word, his books, interviews, and lectures are a gift to the recipient.

United States on Sep 07, 2023

abhishek kr: I never laughed so much in the foreword itself.

India on Sep 05, 2023

Amazon Customer: Pristine original edition.

India on Aug 22, 2023

marco carrara: If you are on the beach, your brain is on vacation somewhere else and you are bored to death you can read this book. It won’t hurt you and won’t require more than a few spare neurons left by your vacationing brain on emergency duty.

Italy on Jun 26, 2023

Brian: The first half of the book contain personal stories of David from his time in the US ever since he was a child. Some of the stories were compelling and interesting while others seemed to fall flat and I questioned what was the point of these stories. Even when trying to find the humor that everyone claims that is in this book, I have had laughed seriously for only one part in this book. Maybe it's because I am out of touch since this book was written in 2001 and I am reading this in early 2023, but I did not find any of his humor to be as compelling as I thought.

The second half of the book is where the book definitely seems to shine, since this is supposed to be about his time France and his struggles with the French language. I loved all of those essays with the exception of two.

I feel like my biggest issue with this book is that even though David is supposed to be the main center of attention with his personal narratives, I tend to feel no sympathy for the guy and he seems rather arrogant to me in his story telling. Maybe that is his personal way of telling funny jokes, but he does seem to be quite self-centered and arrogant in the way these stories are written....

United States on Apr 03, 2023

Derrell Lacey: This brand of humour just didn't appeal to me although I know the author is very popular. Along with other reviewers I did laugh at the section where he is learning French but other than that, read the rest without wanting to laugh at all. In fact I just thought he seemed odd. Maybe this is just not my thing!

United Kingdom on Dec 26, 2022

Joseph J. Truncale: It is true that reading the many books of the ramblings of David Sedaris is an acquired tasted. His earthy and irreverent memories and commentary can make one laugh and sometimes cringe; nevertheless, I have found him to be an entertaining writer who has the ability to pull you into his humorous realm.

In this book (Me talk pretty one day by David Sedaris), his commentary on learning the French language, and the difficulty he had grasping the fine grammatical nuances was very funny to me. His commentary on the French also shows his insight about the country and its people. I have never been to France, but my wife, who is also a fan of Sedaris, and has been to France, found that part of this book amusing, funny and true.

I found this book to be amusing, funny and insightful. Fans of David Sedaris should check this autobiographic book out for themselves.
Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Martial Art and Warrior Haiku and Senryu).

United States on Mar 02, 2022

Mark D. Walker: I’d heard enough about the author’s wit and humor to finally purchase one of his books. I didn’t realize it was a compilation of his short stories which was initially confusing but I found a number of them hilarious. Although he’s no Mark Twain, I found his insights and cultural euphemisms and political correctness helped lighten up my day.
I can’t imagine him trying to convince family members to share some of the more outrageous stories about them. He’s teamed up with his sister Amy on several projects. She was brilliant when in one of his stories, she imitated a family friend and propositioned their father—making Sedaris one of the kings of parental grief giving.
On the whole, the author’s childhood memories were quite entertaining although I bought the book for his cross cultural witticism and stories of how language—or a lack of understanding it can have dire and very humorous consequences.
His insights into the French was entertaining and insightful although not as well developed as Sixty Million Frenchmen Can’t be Wrong: Why We Love France but Not the French by Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Bartow. But I enjoyed his quips about French...

United States on Mar 26, 2019

Louise Nielsen: This amusing book is a compilation of various short autobiographical stories which span the author’s life from the time he was a young boy, to more recent events as an adult, although it is not always in chronological order. Much like everyone, the author has had high points and low points in his life. In this book, the stories range from being innocent and endearing, to others that are a little more serious with its mature themes.
 
Some of the memories the author shares include such topics as: overcoming a speech impediment, being forced as a child to learn a musical instrument, trying to learn the French language, trying his hand at becoming an artist, various stories of his family and friends, his experiences at some of the jobs he has had, and his struggles with addiction. Throughout these stories, the author consistently pokes fun at himself, which makes this a humorous read.
 
Some readers may be offended by the material, or simply consider it to be too juvenile. There is some extremely course language, and a lack of political correctness at times. But, it is all presented in an honest and comical way that makes this an interesting book. This is not...

Canada on Apr 06, 2018