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ekb523's review
3.0
Some funny stories - I especially enjoyed the diary entries of "Elyot Vionnet"; great for a pick-me-up read of a collection of short stories
gwhg's review
adventurous
funny
informative
fast-paced
5.0
“Ferrety moist earnestness”
This book is laugh out loud funny and reading it after Ferrell Covington and the Limits of Style?! So many of the stories or even specific word choices are connected to that book (also by Rudnick). The nuns, the gay house histories, Delores Hart, lesbian nun histories, the living room motorcycle thing and his brother, the nuns project in Hollywood slipping out of Rudnick’s grasp, Piscataway, the clit piercing at Pride. Again, all of the nuns.
What a delightful unofficial duology.
This book is laugh out loud funny and reading it after Ferrell Covington and the Limits of Style?! So many of the stories or even specific word choices are connected to that book (also by Rudnick). The nuns, the gay house histories, Delores Hart, lesbian nun histories, the living room motorcycle thing and his brother, the nuns project in Hollywood slipping out of Rudnick’s grasp, Piscataway, the clit piercing at Pride. Again, all of the nuns.
What a delightful unofficial duology.
kimberly28's review
2.0
This guy seems really annoying. Most of the anecdote sections this was mostly funny, but I can’t imagine what kind of person would write the Vionnet sections and include them in their memoir? Weird to include fictional “essays” in your memoir, but I assume that would be because it somehow reflects your view of yourself, or is at least a situation that you imagined and felt would further a readers conception of who you are. And the person who sees themself as Vionnet, if they could tell any story to reflect on themselves without even really having to live through it, I just simply don’t understand. I ended up skipping the Vionnet sections after I was halfway into the third one and just was confused and not having a good time.
literallykristen's review
2.0
Parts were amusing but for most of the time I had a hard time getting over the author's voice. It was very distracting. I think I would have enjoyed it better if I had read rather than listened to it.
teaandbooklover's review
3.0
After reading the excerpts online, I quickly bought the book. I found it just okay, and not too funny. The first chapter was the funniest for me (and from the online excerpt) so after that it just went downhill for me. I had a few laugh out loud moments throughout the book, after the first chapter, but too few and far between.
mkat303's review
3.0
Some of it is really, really funny. Great writing. Couldn't get into all of it, though.
blair74's review
4.0
Maybe it is the Jersey in me, but this book actually made my laugh out loud. A collection of stories featuring the author and excerpts from the diary of a funny, self-absorbed, well-dressed, murderous man this book will go quickly and warm your Jersey sensbilites.
larabobara's review
3.0
I don't quite know what to say about the book. I liked it, but didn't looooove it - but I'm hesitant to say that because I'm beginning to suspect that I simply don't "looooooove" any sort of memoir/collection of essays type of book, and I fear that my criticism is more one of genre than of the book itself. I chose this book partly because it's fun to make fun of New Jersey (even though they DO sell beer, wine, and liquor all in one store as opposed to Stupid Pennsylvania) and partly because I figured that it was bound to be funny since the author wrote the screenplay for the movie In & Out and I laughed a lot in it. The essays in the book fit a few different categories: (1) general wit and wisdom; (2) anecdotes about famous people and making movies and plays and stuff; and (3) what I presume are fiction vignettes from the "diary" of a character named Elyot Vionnet. In general, I loved the essays that fell into categories 1 and 3 and found myself skimming those in category 2.
There's no denying that Paul Rudnick is a funny dude, and his book makes me want to go back in time so I can participate in some of his escapades (most notably, I would like to attend the party his friend William threw at The Chelsea Hotel. I'd also like to meet William's sister Laura), but I'd also be content just to have a drink with the guy one day. Anyone who subsists on treats like Peeps is pretty ace in my book.
There's no denying that Paul Rudnick is a funny dude, and his book makes me want to go back in time so I can participate in some of his escapades (most notably, I would like to attend the party his friend William threw at The Chelsea Hotel. I'd also like to meet William's sister Laura), but I'd also be content just to have a drink with the guy one day. Anyone who subsists on treats like Peeps is pretty ace in my book.
ninkadp's review
4.0
Started this book on vacation in the DR and was so not into his narratives; picked it up again back in NYC and thoroughly enjoyed some of these stories. Some were better than others.
mikolee's review
2.0
Lured into this book by both the silly cover and the quote of support from Steve Martin and the cover comparisons to David Sedaris. A mix of the playwright/screenwriter Paul Rudnick's personal life and then his imaginary more gutsy character. I was less enchanted with the latter persona and only somewhat intrigued by his personal story. Disappointment.