Rebecca H. (Rebemdee) reviewed on 5/21/2006

Helpful Score: 10

Ms. Notaro is fun to read because she is openly mean and selfish, traits within all of us no matter how we try to disguise them. Reading her book is like watching a car wreck; it isn't GOOD, but you think, "Thank goodness that isn't me!" That being said, I didn't find the book to be interesting or memorable. Sure, I can identify with fat ankles and calves, and having too many books in the house (we fight over my books and his stereo equipment), and even finding a mouse (although ours was a cockroach), but just because I can identify with it doesn't make it funny. There are authors whom I don't identify with at all, like Augusten Burroughs and David Sedaris (I'm not male or gay, nor do I have a history of drug abuse or particularly crazy family dynamics) but I enjoyed their books, because they move beyond admitting their foibles, and actually embrace them and make them into satire. Ms. Notaro almost gets there, but not quite, leaving her stories pithy rather than endearing.

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