Technical Details
- hardback
- David Sedaris
- Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk
- 0316038393
Product Description
Featuring David Sedaris's unique blend of hilarity and heart, this new collection of keen-eyed animal-themed tales is an utter delight. Though the characters may not be human, the situations in these stories bear an uncanny resemblance to the insanity of everyday life.In "The Toad, the Turtle, and the Duck," three strangers commiserate about animal bureaucracy while waiting in a complaint line. In "Hello Kitty," a cynical feline struggles to sit through his prison-mandated AA meetings. In "The Squirrel and the Chipmunk," a pair of star-crossed lovers is separated by prejudiced family members.
With original illustrations by Ian Falconer, author of the bestselling Olivia series of children's books, these stories are David Sedaris at his most observant, poignant, and surprising.
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Customer Reviews
2010-10-16
By David J. Zussman (Washington DC)
I've read most of David Sedaris' writings. This one is different. If you are looking for his funny anecdotes and personal tales, then this is the wrong book for you (let me suggest 'Me Talk Pretty One Day', one of Sedaris' funnier collection of essays). If you just love his style of writing, then you will still enjoy 'squirrel seeks chipmunk'. The writing is pure Sedaris, written in a humorous way, but without the punch lines I've come to expect from his other novels. Really, it is the format of this book that keeps him from chasing the usual laugh. As a bestiary, this book is like Aesop's fables, but without the morals. Or rather, the stories have morals, but they aren't clear cut. Perhaps this is for the better. A lack of real lessons makes the stories more realistic and thought-provoking than they might otherwise have been. The brevity of each story is also welcome. I found myself finishing the book in an afternoon.
This book is worth buying, but it is not the share-it-with-your-friends, laugh-out-loud sort of compilation I have come to expect from Sedaris. If you haven't read Sedaris yet, this isn't the place to start.
2010-10-15
By K. Orvis (Pasadena, California United States)
This is not at all what I expected .. I thought it would be wry and funny, or at least amusing. Instead, it's a very strange compilation of weird and often brutal tales of anthropomorphic animals behaving in beastial ways that indeed reflect the worst of human nature. I must say that I am not enjoying this work at all. The best I can say is that I'm glad I'm listening to it on an audio-book; the readers are excellent. There'd be no saving grace at all if I were simply reading these unappealing tales.
2010-10-15
By M. Nichols (West Chester, OH United States)
I love - LOVE - every book David Sedaris has published previous to this one. We keep a set of his CDs on hand for long trips and any contribution he makes to "This American Life" always seems to be the high point of the program. So, with no hesitation whatsoever, I grabbed "Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk" as soon as I saw it on the shelf.
I got halfway through. This is a book I would guess you could finish in under 90 minutes. Maybe the second half redeems the first. What I got through were a number of sad, dark and disgusting tales (and this is coming from someone who found the early Sedaris story, "Big Boy," to be an absolute hoot). Depressing, dejected and ugly animals living out very human conversations and activities (and it is worth noting that Falconer's illustrations are, perhaps appropriately, as unappealling as the stories they accompany). A set of fables turning a mirror on ourselves? Perhaps. Art? Maybe. Enjoyable entertainment? Not at all.
It is close-minded and selfish of me to expect Sedaris - or any author - to continue to churn out sameness tome after tome. That said, with each author one follows comes a flavor that after several books one has grown to enjoy and expect, albeit with variations, each time a new volume is served. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, however, is simply downright rotten.
2010-10-15
By lokey (Chicago, IL United States)
I read this book quickly and found each little morsel to be more twisted than the next. I saw him speak last time he was in Chicago and he read samples of some of these stories that went over great with the crowd. The low star reviews are confusing to me; what don't you get? He's transposing all the human issues we deal with on a daily basis to the animal world, where it's a bit more violent...and real. Mr. Sedaris is a riot and I could immediately relate to the ideas he wrote about. Open your mind and you may as well. And, about kids reading his books... really?
2010-10-14
By Addicted to Kindle!!!
Love David Sedaris! BUT, this book is just plain wierd and stupid. If you are a Sedaris fan you will most likely be very disappointed with this book.
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