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Happy-Go-Lucky Kindle Edition
David Sedaris, the “champion storyteller,” (Los Angeles Times) returns with his first new collection of personal essays since the bestselling Calypso
Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask—or not—was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes.But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he’s stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most. To cope, he walks for miles through a nearly deserted city, smelling only his own breath. He vacuums his apartment twice a day, fails to hoard anything, and contemplates how sex workers and acupuncturists might be getting by during quarantine.
As the world gradually settles into a new reality, Sedaris too finds himself changed. His offer to fix a stranger’s teeth rebuffed, he straightens his own, and ventures into the world with new confidence. Newly orphaned, he considers what it means, in his seventh decade, no longer to be someone’s son. And back on the road, he discovers a battle-scarred America: people weary, storefronts empty or festooned with Help Wanted signs, walls painted with graffiti reflecting the contradictory messages of our time: Eat the Rich. Trump 2024. Black Lives Matter.
In Happy-Go-Lucky, David Sedaris once again captures what is most unexpected, hilarious, and poignant about these recent upheavals, personal and public, and expresses in precise language both the misanthropy and desire for connection that drive us all. If we must live in interesting times, there is no one better to chronicle them than the incomparable David Sedaris.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherLittle, Brown and Company
- Publication dateMay 31, 2022
- File size823 KB
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What's it about?
The book is about the author's personal experiences during the pandemic, including learning to shoot guns, visiting flea markets, and reflecting on the changing world around him.Amazon editors say...
Filled with kicky hilarity and poignant observations on the pandemic, loss, book tours, culottes—and everything in between.
Al Woodworth, Amazon EditorPopular highlight
Saul Bellow wrote, “Losing a parent is something like driving through a plate-glass window. You didn’t know it was there until it shattered, and then for years to come you’re picking up the pieces.”319 Kindle readers highlighted thisPopular highlight
It’s night, and a cop stops a car a couple of priests are riding in. “I’m looking for two child molesters,” he tells them. The priests think for a moment. “We’ll do it!” they say.290 Kindle readers highlighted thisPopular highlight
The terrible shame about the pandemic in the United States is that more than nine hundred thousand people have died to date, and I didn’t get to choose a one of them.248 Kindle readers highlighted this
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Carnival of Snackery | The Best of Me | Calypso | Theft by Finding | |
Customer Reviews |
4.7 out of 5 stars
3,740
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4.6 out of 5 stars
5,442
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4.4 out of 5 stars
16,160
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4.4 out of 5 stars
4,168
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Price | $9.72$9.72 | $12.59$12.59 | $8.00$8.00 | $6.99$6.99 |
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Sedaris’ signature wit has always thrived on the macabre, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that Happy-Go-Lucky is some of his darkest—and most astute—writing yet… No topic is out of bounds for Sedaris’ acerbic humor and sharp observations.”―Time
“Sedaris is funny—invariably. That’s his gift… Even amid the overwhelming gloom of the pandemic, a summer of unrest and the death of a father toward whom he still has complicated feelings, Sedaris never loses his wit or his crack timing.”―Tyler Malone, Los Angeles Times
“Consistently funny… when you’re dealing with a talent as outsize as Sedaris’s, even the missteps are fairly negligible… Rather, the lasting impression of “Happy-Go-Lucky” is similar to that of Sedaris’s other books: It’s a neat trick that one writer’s preoccupation with the odd and the inappropriate can have such widespread appeal.”―Henry Alford, New York Times Book Review
“Comically blistering… David Sedaris is the standard against which all other humor essayists are judged, the overwhelming heavyweight of the genre… Happy-Go-Lucky could serve as a textbook to readers dealing with the end times of their own parents with whom they don’t get along.”―Brian Boone, Vulture
“A new collection of poignant, honest and funny essays… Sedaris is simultaneously amusing and brutal while unflinchingly exposing the ironies of his family and life in general.”―Anita Snow, Associated Press
“Engaging… Sedaris recounts his lockdown experience with his customary blend of wry self-deprecation and affable misanthropy.”―Houman Barekat, The Guardian
"Hilarious… much of Sedaris’ humor comes from saying the quiet parts out loud—writing frankly about things most of us never mention."―Collette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times
“Sedaris, a perennial contrarian, has entered into a comfortable late-middle age that could sink a less determined writer… Happily for Sedaris’s fans, it will take more than prosperity to mellow him out: His trademark black humor and puckish misanthropy remain.”―James Tarmy, Bloomberg
“The older Sedaris gets, the funnier he gets—if you don’t mind your laugh out loud humor tempered with self-knowledge and compassion."―Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times
“Sedaris has long been frank about his lifelong disconnect with his father, but he has reflected more openly — and movingly — about it since his father reached his nineties… Happy-Go-Lucky is more somber than Sedaris' usual fare, but there are some fresh, funny bits wedged between the weighty boulders.”―Heller McAlpin, NPR
“Happy-Go-Lucky is like a reminder of an old friend who can still make you laugh out loud, but with a poignance now.”―Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune
“Sedaris's many fans will be filling up reserve lists for a fresh infusion of his unique candor and comedy… though his tone is more poignant than pointed, the essential Sedaris humor reassuringly endures. Amid the barbed quips, there is genuine sorrow, an empathy born of arduous experience.”―Carol Haggas, Booklist (starred review)
“A sweet-and-sour set of pieces on loss, absurdity, and places they intersect… Sedaris remains stubbornly irreverent even in the face of pandemic lockdowns and social upheaval.”―Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
David Sedaris is the author of twelve previous books, including, most recently, A Carnival of Snackery, The Best of Me, and Calypso. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and BBC Radio 4. In 2019, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is the recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, the Jonathan Swift International Literature Prize for Satire and Humor, and the Terry Southern Prize for Humor.
Product details
- ASIN : B09HQLFMVV
- Publisher : Little, Brown and Company (May 31, 2022)
- Publication date : May 31, 2022
- Language : English
- File size : 823 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Sticky notes : On Kindle Scribe
- Print length : 273 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #66,617 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #10 in Sibling Relationships (Kindle Store)
- #29 in Sibling Relationships (Books)
- #32 in Essays (Kindle Store)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
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David Sedaris lives in Paris. Raised in North Carolina, he has worked as a housecleaner and most famously, as a part-time elf for Macy's. Several of his plays have been produced, and he is a regular contributor to ESQUIRE and Public Radio International's 'This American Life'.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the content relatable, honest, and well-written. They also appreciate the great humor and addictive writing. Readers describe the characters as poignant, reflective, and good relationships with their siblings.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the stories delightfully funny, with clever turns of phrase and intimate candor. They also describe the writing as addictive.
"...It is not as gritty as some of his works but has some gentle laugh-out-loud points to it and astute ways of looking at life...." Read more
"Happy-Go-Lucky is another thought provoking and laugh out loud hit from David Sedaris...." Read more
"...Oh, and this book (like all his books) made me laugh out loud. Bravo." Read more
"...Like most of his books this is humorous and also touching...." Read more
Customers find the characters poignant, interesting, and eye opening. They also say the book brightens their mood with its intimate candor, thoughtful observations, and wistful reflection.
"...works but has some gentle laugh-out-loud points to it and astute ways of looking at life. The writer has a great author's voice." Read more
"Happy-Go-Lucky is another thought provoking and laugh out loud hit from David Sedaris...." Read more
"...Sedaris is his usual delightful combination of self deprecating while also looking down on many of his fellow human beings...." Read more
"...as always, laugh-out-loud moments, clever turns-of-phrase and intimate candor that is so intrinsically his style...." Read more
Customers find the content relatable and honest.
"...Very meaty on family dynamics, especially about his dad. Brave and truthful." Read more
"...like a friend that comes to visit once a year bringing laughs and sincere, thoughtful moments...." Read more
"...He absolutely nails it.It's also a brutally honest exploration of his immediate thoughts and feelings after the loss of his father, with whom..." Read more
"...He is so relatable and truthful, honest in a way that I think is rare...." Read more
Customers find the book well written and say it makes them laugh more times than they can count.
"The book is so well written. It will make you laugh more times than you can count...." Read more
"...This is a masterfully executed great read.." Read more
"...Well-edited, more cohesive than most of his books (I've read them all), and a mature bent to whimsy he finds in all things...." Read more
"Yes, it's comedic, entertaining, and truthful but it's also some of the best writing you can wrap you head around...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the emotional tone of the book. Some find it entertaining and heart wrenching, while others say it's downright depressing.
"...Happy Go Lucky reviewed in The Times. This book is subtle and sad in many ways, but then I'd bust out laughing like the good old days...." Read more
"...This one . . . is downright depressing. I slogged my way through it hoping it would improve but it didn't...." Read more
"...but still found it entertaining and at times heart wrenching...." Read more
"...overall tone and content was entirely negative with little or no light heartedness present...." Read more
Reviews with images
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Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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Happy Go Lucky reviewed in The Times. This book is subtle and sad in many ways, but then I'd bust out laughing like the good old days. I'm gonna have to catch up.
Sedaris is his usual delightful combination of self deprecating while also looking down on many of his fellow human beings. Like most of his books this is humorous and also touching. The honest way he talks about his father’s death is engaging and the recent Covid19 lockdowns along with the BLM protests reinforced a lot of feelings I had, but might not express so well.
![Customer image](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/common/transparent-pixel._V192234675_.gif)
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2022
![Customer image](https://cdn.statically.io/img/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71zEX9m19UL._SY88.jpg)
The topics of the essays here are focused on the pandemic and the loss of his father. It doesn’t seem like good fodder for humor, but there is plenty of it here. I am especially taken by what appears to be good relationships with his siblings, despite their typical dysfunction, which is what makes it funny. And there is also his relationship with his long-suffer partner, Hugh. Of course, as always, some of the humor misses but the good outweighs the bad by a solid degree here.
I was surprised to learn recently that my own father reads and enjoys Mr. Sedaris. At first, I thought it a strange thing for him to like, but I realized that he likely finds the family interactions as funny as I do. My father and my tastes rarely seem to coincide. In this case, I think it adds an extra recommendation to my own.
Top reviews from other countries
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He is the master of the brilliantly observed rambling tale, a great story teller who can transport the reader to a different place with consummate ease.
His stories are engaging and funny, and often uplifting.
He did a series on monologues for the BBC radio, they should be available on iPlayer, I would thoroughly encourage you give them a listen, once you've heard his voice and delivery, you will immediately be gifted with the voice that brings the narrative to life.
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