Synopses & Reviews
Whether he's chasing deranged cockroaches around his apartment, kissing a beautiful actress on the set of an avant-garde film, finding himself stuck perilously on top of a fence in Memphis in the middle of the night, or provoking fights with huge German men, Jonathan Ames has an uncanny knack for getting himself into outlandish situations. He's also quite good at finding himself in banal situations and making them extraordinary. In his latest collection,
I Love You More Than You Know, Ames proves once again his immense talent for turning his own adventures, neuroses, joys, heartaches, and insights into profound and hilarious tales.
Jonathan Ames has drawn comparisons across the literary spectrum, from David Sedaris to F. Scott Fitzgerald to Woody Allen to P. G. Wodehouse, and his books, as well as his abilities as a performer, have made him a favorite on The Late Show with David Letterman.
Alive with love and tenderness for his son, his parents, his great-aunt and even strangers in bars late at night in I Love You More Than You Know, Ames looks beneath the surface of our world to find the beauty in the perverse, the sweetness in loneliness, and the humor in pain. Open to what the world has to offer, Ames takes us where we'd be afraid to go alone. As a gentle tour guide, Ames is one of the most brilliant humorists of our day, and a writer whose work continues to astound in its originality and sheer verve.
Review
"Utterly delightful...I had moments of paralyzing laughter while reading these essays, but while Ames is certainly funny, his real gift is his generosity of spirit." Los Angeles Times
Review
"Ames delivers more droll, exhibitionistic essays about his romantic misadventures, his beloved great-aunt and (of course) his underwear. His hyperkinetic readings are never less than joyous." Time Out New York
Review
"As an essayist and storyteller at the former New York City club Fez, Jonathan Ames became Generation X's Woody Allen, a dirtier David Sedaris." Colorado Spring Independent
Review
"[Ames's] latest collection lacks verve, drive and focus. Mostly, it feels lazy, or in need of a strong editor....Rare flashes of wit and energy, mostly drowned out by a sea of self-indulgent ramblings." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"While not all readers will appreciate the oddball humor, Ames is a fine contemporary writer not to be ignored." Library Journal
Review
"[Ames's] self-loathing humor is tops....And while he's unafraid to write about the pleasurable but often embarrassing human body, his lack of heart belies the book's tender title, I Love You More Than You Know. (Grade: B-)" Entertainment Weekly
Synopsis
Jonathan Ames has drawn comparisons across the literary spectrum, from David Sedaris to F. Scott Fitzgerald to Woody Allen to P.G. Wodehouse, and his books, as well as his abilities as a performer, have made him a favorite on the Late Show with David Letterman. Whether he's chasing deranged cockroaches around his apartment, kissing a beautiful actress on the set of an avant-garde film, finding himself stuck perilously on top of a fence in Memphis in the middle of the night, or provoking fights with huge German men, Jonathan Ames has an uncanny knack for getting himself into outlandish situations. In his latest collection, I Love You More Than You Know, Ames proves once again his immense talent for turning his own adventures, neuroses, joys, heartaches, and insights into profound and hilarious tales. Alive with love and tenderness for his son, his parents, his great-aunt -- and even strangers in bars late at night -- in I Love You More Than You Know Ames looks beneath the surface of our world to find the beauty in the perverse, the sweetness in loneliness, and the humor in pain.
About the Author
Jonathan Ames is the author of the novels I Pass Like Night, The Extra Man, and Wake Up, Sir! and the essay collections What's Not to Love? and My Less Than Secret Life. He is the editor of Sexual Metamorphosis: An Anthology of Transsexual Memoirs. He has been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and is a former columnist for New York Press.