Me Talk Pretty One Day

By: David Sedaris

Narrated by: David Sedaris

Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

David Sedaris' new collection of essays - including live recordings! - tells a most unconventional life story. It begins with a North Carolina childhood filled with speech-therapy classes ("There was the lisp, of course, but more troubling than that was my voice itself, with its excitable tone and high, girlish pitch") and unwanted guitar lessons taught by a midget. From budding performance artist ("The only crimp in my plan was that I seemed to have no talent whatsoever") to "clearly unqualified" writing teacher in Chicago, Sedaris' career leads him to New York City and eventually, of all places, France. His move to Paris poses a number of challenges, chief among them his inability to speak the language. Arriving a "spooky man-child" capable of communicating only through nouns, he undertakes language instruction that leads him ever deeper into cultural confusion. Whether describing the Easter bunny to puzzled classmates or watching a group of men play soccer with a cow, Sedaris brings a view and a voice like no other to every unforgettable encounter.

©2000 David Sedaris, All Rights Reserved (P)2000, 2001 Time Warner AudioBooks

Critic reviews

"At his best, he makes you laugh out loud, which indeed may be worth the price of admission." (The New York Times)

Loved it

Where does Me Talk Pretty One Day rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

How does a guy get so funny. Loved every word of this book. Definitely my best so far.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Me Talk Pretty One Day?

Too many to list

What about David Sedaris’s performance did you like?

Everything. The writing, his delivery, his self-deprecation (so refreshing compared to so many people these days), his pathos, his empathy. He is just a great writer across the board.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

His writing about learning French in Paris. That was not only funny but helpful for me because I'm a language teacher and it really helped me to empathise more with my students.

Any additional comments?

I just hope my next audio book will be even half as good as this one.

His sense of humour

I enjoyed listening to him. David reading it made it a whole lot more authentic. I found it quite surprising how well articulated his words were; those random intrusive thoughts that often cross most of our minds but David penned them down capturing their essence in its raw form. It’s a good listen.

Hilarious!

Fantastic narration and very very funny. Very easy to listen to and giggle along with the anecdotes.

Still hilarious twenty years later!

David Sedaris' food-hoarding father sounds exactly like my Chinese parents who did not live through abject poverty! Loved hearing about his years living as the American village idiot also in Normandy, France. Very relatable with my broken French in spite of twenty years of on-and-off French classes!!

I wept

I am a huge recent fan of David Sedaris, and this book didn't disappoint. My whole family was listening to it on a long drive. At one point I thought my husband was going to run off the road he was laughing so hard. I was weeping with laughter, so couldn't even take over the driving. David Sedaris has the best delivery, and the best self-deprecating humour that comes through even when the subject matter is less hilarious than piquant. We'll listen to it more than once.

I thought I would be annoyed.

I thought David's voice would irritate me but no - he is a brilliant reader. His stories are a "slice of life" about growing up in his large family, surviving the education system and bulls****ing his way through various careers, while keeping a firm grasp on his sense of humour. The only irritating bit was the section where he was reading to an audience and we have to hear their laughter - fortunately this is short. I loved the chapter on the family's succession of ill fated pets. The book is well worth listening to.

Hilarious

Would you listen to Me Talk Pretty One Day again? Why?

David Sedaris' short stories are hilarious, and spoken with his dry wit only adds to the overall experience.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Me Talk Pretty One Day?

It was wonderful to listen to the live segments and hear others appreciate the humour too.

Funny and relatable

I am a fan of David Sedaris, amd the books. This book was the first of his books I have read, which got me hooked on the humour genre. It is better when I listen to it.

Disappointing.

I bought this based on the reviews but it didn't resonate with me. Not funny!

No laughs here

Not funny. The author details the adversity he faced growing up as a young homosexual. Not a comedy at all. Very sad at times. Was not expecting an autobiography.