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When You Are Engulfed in Flames

by David Sedaris
When You Are Engulfed in Flames

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ISBN13: 9780316154680
ISBN10: 0316154687
Condition: Like New


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From Powells.com

25 Memoirs to Read Before You Die

Browse all of the exceptional memoirs that made our list.


Staff Pick

David Sedaris used to dig up his pets’ graves, and is something of a taxidermy aficionado, but in When You Are Engulfed in Flames he discovers his own death. First, a human skeleton he buys as a gift for his partner Hugh begins speaking to him, then he works to quit smoking. The result is a memoir just as funny and idiosyncratic, but more self-aware, more serious, and more emotional than his other work. Recommended By Britt A., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

"David Sedaris's ability to transform the mortification of everyday life into wildly entertaining art", (The Christian Science Monitor) is elevated to wilder and more entertaining heights than ever in this remarkable new book.

Trying to make coffee when the water is shut off, David considers using the water in a vase of flowers and his chain of associations takes him from the French countryside to a hilariously uncomfortable memory of buying drugs in a mobile home in rural North Carolina. In essay after essay, Sedaris proceeds from bizarre conundrums of daily life — having a lozenge fall from your mouth into the lap of a fellow passenger on a plane or armoring the windows with LP covers to protect the house from neurotic songbirds — to the most deeply resonant human truths. Culminating in a brilliant account of his venture to Tokyo in order to quit smoking, David Sedaris's sixth essay collection is a new masterpiece of comic writing from "a writer worth treasuring" (Seattle Times).

Review

"The Sedaris genius is to be incredibly particular, not to mention peculiar, and yet take fantastic and rapid leaps to the universal." New York Observer

Review

"Sedaris once again enchants and amuses with his observations about the absurdity of ordinary life situations in this, his sixth collection of essays." Library Journal

Review

"When it comes to fashioning the sardonic wisecrack, the humiliating circumstance, and the absurdist fantasy, there’s nobody better." Booklist

Review

"The preeminent humorist of his generation...His reluctant charm and talent for observing every inch of the human condition remain intact." Entertainment Weekly

Review

"Older, wiser, smarter and meaner, Sedaris...defies the odds once again by delivering an intelligent take on the banalities of an absurd life." Kirkus Reviews

Review

"This latest collection proves that not only does Sedaris still have it, but he's also getting better....Sedaris's best stuff will still — after all this time — move, surprise, and entertain." Booklist

About the Author

Starting with his deadpan, disarmingly funny pieces on NPR and continuing with his collections of short fiction and essays, David Sedaris is one of the best, sharpest humorists writing today. His quirky history and family are rich material, but he's also just as hilarious simply satirizing Christmas cards or mocking his own vices. Sedaris is the author of the internationally bestselling Barrel Fever, Naked, Holidays on Ice, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim.

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Average customer rating 4.5 (2 comments)

`
Bookwomyn , June 03, 2018 (view all comments by Bookwomyn)
David Sedaris’ new book, “Calypso” brought to mind his “When You are Engulfed in Flames” for me. I remembered laughing until my stomach hurt at some of his essays - especially the cough drop on the plane. So, I found a copy and started reading it again last night. I kept thinking “I have to get to sleep!” But then I’d read one more chapter. I did this until I was bleary-eyed and my stomach was aching. Now I realize that some of his memories are not for everyone (the one about autopsies for example) but there is something for everyone. There’s even a chapter devoted to an old neighbor that will bring you to tears. I belong to a group of senior women who meet weekly to chat and read to each other bits and bobs from books we like. I intend to read some of this book and Calypso when it’s my turn. Thank you David for sharing your life with us!

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`
Pleased reader , December 06, 2009
Great entertainment. I laughed out loud. Sedaris is a genius!!

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780316154680
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
06/02/2009
Publisher:
HACHETTE BOOK GROUP
Pages:
323
Height:
.90IN
Width:
5.40IN
Thickness:
1.00
Number of Units:
1
Copyright Year:
2009
UPC Code:
2800316154682
Author:
David Sedaris
Subject:
Humorous stories, American
Subject:
American essays - 21st century
Subject:
Humor-Anthologies

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