It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy

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It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy

by Laurie Notaro (Goodreads Author)

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 2,810 ratings · 380 reviews

Everyone’s favorite Idiot Girl, Laurie Notaro, is just trying to find the right fit, whether it’s in the adorable blouse that looks charming on the mannequin but leaves her in a literal bind or in her neighborhood after she’s shamefully exposed at a holiday party by delivering a low-quality rendition of “Jingle Bells.” Notaro makes misstep after riotous misstep as she trie...more

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Published (first published July 26th 2011)

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Oct 14, 2011 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, book-swap, memoir

3.5 stars

I love Laurie Notaro's unique sense of humor and her non-fiction books are so much better than her fictional ones because of the goofy stuff that happens to her on a daily basis. This book is a funny fast read that helped get me through a trip to the DMV to change my address on my license (I was the only person having fun there), as well as, my daily commute this week.

The gems of this collection include:

- Fancy store shirt trapping
- Ambien Laurie (she's hilarious!)
- Getting banned from...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Gail rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After taking my first little nibble of David Sedaris’s work and then binging on everything he’s published, I looked for compilations of autobiographical essays by other well-reputed humorists. I can’t fathom how “It Looked Different on the Model” got great reviews from readers and critics alike. Well, maybe I can. I’m sure Laurie Notaro’s friends got a good laugh when she related these anecdotes at a dinner party. I didn’t. Instead I got the sense she’s started making poor decisions in order to...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Ruth rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was browsing for books at Borders about two years ago. A young salesgirl asked me if she could help me find anything. I told her I was just browsing and she told me that she really enjoyed books by Laurie Notaro. I did write her down in my book where I list books to read and I must say that I found the titles of her books very interesting. Since I was making a long drive, I like to have a book on CD to help pass the time. My daughter was going with me so I needed one that would interest both o...more

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Dec 26, 2011 Jacqueline rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-books, digital

I had not read anything by Laurie Notaro so I was unfamiliar with her style when I checked this out from our digital library. I just liked the name of the book - yes, judging it by it's cover. A quick read, it took just two nights to finish this slight book of essays - granted there were two I skimmed - I can only do so much gross humor.

When I started thinking about reviewing this, I got nervous. We live in a time when authors regularly troll their online reviews. I am sure they have Google aler...more I had not read anything by Laurie Notaro so I was unfamiliar with her style when I checked this out from our digital library. I just liked the name of the book - yes, judging it by it's cover. A quick read, it took just two nights to finish this slight book of essays - granted there were two I skimmed - I can only do so much gross humor.

When I started thinking about reviewing this, I got nervous. We live in a time when authors regularly troll their online reviews. I am sure they have Google alerts set up for every time their name is mentioned. Or they just haunt Amazon and GoodReads waiting to see how many stars people give their tomes. And while thinking of that I started to feel guilty for all the 2 stars I haven given books over the years.

Really guilty. I laid in bed on Christmas and thought about the books I rated poorly. A 2 star books means "it was OK", not exactly a glowing review. I tend to put 3 stars, "I liked it", rather then the dreaded 1 or 2. When I think about liking a book it is mostly due to the mood I am when I am reading it. Sure, there are books I just stopped reading - those awful Twilight books - but usually it is just that the book didn't fit my particular mood. The writing might just be fine, it might have a decent plot, but I might just not be that into it. Kind of like a boy I dated in junior high - he was really nice, but I just wasn't into him. It wasn't his fault at all and he is happily married now so I know he wasn't damaged or flawed to much.

It used to be easy to review books. I could just tell a friend that the book was crap and move on. Now though, with online reviewing you are not just telling your besties you are telling the whole wide world - and the author. They KNOW you thought their book was "just OK". They know that you weren't swooning about it to your book club. They know that you thought the plot was stiff and the characters even more so. And then they hate you. I am sure of that. No, I am not overreacting. If you spent months or years creating something and then some stupid person who has never spent months or years doing anything told the whole world that what they were doing was crap, well, you would hate them.

I don't know. Maybe authors have developed some super skin that they didn't have in the past. Maybe they can handle their horrid readers reviews. Maybe they aren't looking - although I know they are (don't deny it Ms. Notaro, you are reading this to find out what I thought of your book.) My only conclusion is that if I am honest to myself, the random group of people who read my blog, and the authors who stalk their reviews - I have to be kind, but fair. I have to share my real feelings -and yet pray that they are all realizing that I may just have been in a crappy mood when I read their prose. Hell, I hope you think that when you read mine.

As for, It Looked Different on the Model - seriously laugh out loud funny. My husband thought I was bonkers for laughing silently while reading. And Ms. Notaro, please never stop taking Ambien.(less)

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Aug 27, 2011 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, chicklit, ebook, 2011-favorites

Have you ever wondered if a size "M" truly is smaller than a size "L"? Laurie Notaro did, and in her new memoir It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy she recants the entire tragedy from being stuck in the shirt to the bloody aftermath in priceless hilarity. Laurie Notaro's new memoir is a story about the life of an average woman dealing with average daily struggles & situations, but with a twist. It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending S...more Have you ever wondered if a size "M" truly is smaller than a size "L"? Laurie Notaro did, and in her new memoir It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy she recants the entire tragedy from being stuck in the shirt to the bloody aftermath in priceless hilarity. Laurie Notaro's new memoir is a story about the life of an average woman dealing with average daily struggles & situations, but with a twist. It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy is a memoir that Chick Lit readers everywhere will be nodding their heads in agreement with and shaking with laughter page after hilarious page.

It's rare that a book has me continually laughing from page one to the very end, but It Looked Different on the Model did. Laurie Notaro takes situations that we all encounter and exploits every possible hilarious angle to make this memoir one of the funniest books I've ever read. The story is made up of short essays, but I had no problem making a connection between each one. Each essay seemed to flow directly into the next and was just long enough to have you in tears but were ready to start all over again with the next story.

As I stated, from the very beginning Notaro starts off leaving you in stitches. Her first essay relates to the title of the book as it's her experience trying on a shirt in a posh store where she normally wouldn't shop. Being that the store is miraculously open and a shirt she loves there is also on sale she decides to take the plunge by trying it on. What ensues from that point on is non-stop hilarity beginning at her comparison of the shop to the popular chain store Anthropology. Just take a look at this excerpt where she describes the experience of the aftermath of horrible lighting in Anthropology's dressing rooms...

As a result of that experience, I do think all Anthropologies should provide a courtesy volcano just outside their dressing rooms so every woman who is revealed as completely inadequate by the lighting can throw herself in rather than contaminate the store staging for any long than absolutely necessary. (p. 14 of It Looked Different on the Model by Laurie Notaro)

Absolutely hilarious and thoroughly honest. Laurie's experience in the dressing room is certainly one I could relate to and I think most women can. You go in thinking one thing and come out completely torn up, in Laurie's case she's literally torn up.

For fans of Jen Lancaster, Susan McCorkindale and Sandra Beasley, Laurie Notaro's unrelenting truth filled hilarious memoir is one they absolutely fall in love with. Take every situation you've ever been in and turn it into a comedy tale with side-splitting laughter and that's where you'll find Notaro's memoir. With essays that run the gamut from Halloween heimlich disasters to baking offenses that all of us will inevitably make or have made, It Looked Different on the Model by Laurie Notaro is one that readers everywhere will relate to with ease. This is the perfect read for Chick Lit fans everywhere and especially good if you are looking for an afternoon filled with tears that only hysterical laughter can produce. Run to pick up your copy now, you won't regret it!

Originally reviewed at my review site Chick Lit Reviews.(less)

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May 03, 2013 Leah K rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy by Laurie Notaro

★★★★★ + ♥

I’ve pretty much read every Laurie Notaro book, and as usual, this one did not disappoint in the least. In fact, I would say that this is one of my favorite by her. She is hilarious. If you enjoy Jen Lancaster, this is no way you can’t enjoy Notaro and vise versa.

The situations that Laurie gets herself into are too funny, I found myself laughing on several occasions while reading this book. They...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humor

I've started reading the humorous essay collections and the silly little humor books when I have downtime at work. I liked this title so I figured I'd give it a shot.

I had never heard of Laurie Notaro, still have not come across anything else by her (though I admit I have no really looked). After reading this I feel as though she and I could be friends. I love this collection of awkward stories that I think any awkward person can relate to.

I've read some books that are so awkward that you just...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Annika rated it 3 of 5 stars

Notaro is one of those rare authors who can make a reader sit up and pay attention and then suddenly, without any warning, bark with laughter. Like a hypnotist.

This is my second time to venture into Laurie Notaro's writing, "Idiot Girls" being my first.

The book reads more like several articles or essays as chapters. It isn't a story, it's a blog. It's well done, and pretty light. She writes like she talks, like you'd imagine she would if she were just sitting across the table from you having a...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, humor

I had actually bought another book of Laurie Notaro's, The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death, at a book fair last year, but I'd never been able to finish the whole thing. I got about halfway through before growing too bored to carry on - there were more stories than humor. When I saw the title for this book, though, I was willing to give Notaro another chance. I mean, how often had I been there myself, trying on clothes and wondering why a dress on a model with no hips and no boobs had...more
I had actually bought another book of Laurie Notaro's, The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death, at a book fair last year, but I'd never been able to finish the whole thing. I got about halfway through before growing too bored to carry on - there were more stories than humor. When I saw the title for this book, though, I was willing to give Notaro another chance. I mean, how often had I been there myself, trying on clothes and wondering why a dress on a model with no hips and no boobs had ever persuaded me to take the damn thing into the dressing room?

It Looked Different on the Model kept my interest and had me eagerly looking forward to my lunch breaks so I could read more from her. A collection of short, humorous stories about her everyday life, it had me laughing awkwardly in public over her mother's insistence on terrorizing her children with safety precautions, her Ambien-fueled alternate personality, and her long-standing feud with the mail lady over her request for more postage stamps. I found myself relating to a lot of her stories in a "hey, that's going to be me one day" kind of way.

It's true, though. Laurie could really be me in the future: married, more or less happily, childless but with a dog, and surrounded by idiots. I've got my mother, who once had a hissy fit because I wouldn't tell her when Cinco de Mayo was ("UNO, DOS, TRES, CUATRO, CINCO! DE MAY-O! MAYYYYYY-O!" "JUST TELL ME WHEN IT IS, DAMN IT!"), my boss, who thinks that the term "flagged" was invented by our credit card company and that normal Americans cannot understand it, and my dog, who refused to even eat breakfast this morning unless I hand-fed him. Actually, scratch that, I was probably the idiot in that situation.

Altogether, I had an enjoyable time reading it. I wouldn't recommend Idiot Girl, but this wasn't half bad. I'd still probably advise my friends to pick up something by Celia Rivenbark first, or, if they want something a little less PG, Chelsea Handler, but altogether, this book's humor wasn't too bad. I think I might even give Idiot Girl another shot because of it. (less)

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Mar 06, 2012 Miss Anderson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Last year I read My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler. In my review, I said I didn't like it because it wasn't as funny as Laurie Notaro's books. Well, that's how I felt about this book. Just not as funny as the old Laurie stuff.

Laurie Notaro's books are non-fiction and feature different essays about her life. Like David Sedaris, but for straight girls. The essays included in this volume include:

Trying on a super-cute size M shirt and finding out that she's really a size L
Ambien Laurie
Teaching...more Last year I read My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler. In my review, I said I didn't like it because it wasn't as funny as Laurie Notaro's books. Well, that's how I felt about this book. Just not as funny as the old Laurie stuff.

Laurie Notaro's books are non-fiction and feature different essays about her life. Like David Sedaris, but for straight girls. The essays included in this volume include:

Trying on a super-cute size M shirt and finding out that she's really a size L
Ambien Laurie
Teaching her mom about urban legends in email forwards
Getting blacklisted from the neighborhood Christmas party
Dog bark translator
Those aren't chocolate stars on her husband's pillow...

(those aren't the titles of the essays, just the topics).

While there were a few funny moments in this collection, I was mostly disappointed. I LOVED Notaro's earlier books, especially The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life and Autobiography of a Fat Bride: True Tales of a Pretend Adulthood, but this one fell short. I think Laurie's self-depricating, dorky, clumsy, awkward, and sometimes crude stories were funnier when she was a single twenty-something. Now that she's married, it seems like she's stretching the humor a bit and that she should have grown up a little bit more.

Don't get me wrong -- there are funny moments in here. It was an enjoyable, light read in the car. No pressure. If you were browsing the public library and came across it, I would certainly recommend taking it home to read or listen to. But I was glad that I just borrowed the book and didn't pay money for it. My biggest issue was that many of the stories seemed to ramble on. I got lost while listening because I couldn't quite grasp if I was at the climax of the story or why it kept going on and on after I thought the point had been made.

Final Grade: C Often funny, sometimes hilarious, with a dash of boring, this book didn't live up to my expectations. I don't regret reading it, but it was quite average and not memorable. I still love Laurie Notaro and want to be her friend, but I guess I will just go back to reading her earlier books. Of course, this is an adult book so I wouldn't recommend it to my students. For my readers, I do recommend Notaro's books...just not this one (or her fiction books). Start with Idiot Girls' Action Adventure Club if you're looking for a real funny read!

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Aug 25, 2011 Samantha rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I should start out by saying that I had never read a Laurie Notaro book before so I didn't have any grand expectations like some of the other reviews, but I can say just one thing if it's meant to be funny, it probably should be. The opening essay follows the author through the dressing room shame of not being able to fit into GASP a size medium shirt. Seriously, woman? A medium? That's where you lost me. The very first essay and I'm gone even as you're slitting yourself open and practically han...more

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Feb 28, 2012 Terry Southard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the reviews I read said that Notaro has sledgehammer humor (or something to that effect). Nothing is treated subtly. I agree. But I think the problem with reviews like this is more the way the reader *read* the book, and not so much with how the author *wrote* the book. Here's what I mean: The book is not a novel. It is a series of humorous anecdotes and rants. If you read the book all at once, the way you'd read a novel, it *does* run together and get old. But I do not believe that's the...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There were some LOL moments, and it's a fast, fun read, but I wish the order of the stories had been switched. The Ambien stuff, early on, was a turnoff for me, mostly because I know someone who was addicted to Ambien and had some dangerous incidents as a result of it. So it was really hard for me to find the humor in the Ambien-related jokes, and then it took me awhile to warm up to the narrator after that. I also didn't like the Halloween party chapter being placed early on. The fact that a wh...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Stephanie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned

I did not actually read this. I listened to the audiobook and I've made it through about half of the first disc. And now I am abandoning it. DO NOT bother with this crap. First an essay about trying on a shirt and how she can't get the shirt off because she's too fat? And now the next essay is about having woken up in a hotel room with snack packaging around her and she's unknowingly bought some cute shoes online in the middle of the night?

I absolutely HATE women like this and will not be listen...more

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Oct 03, 2011 MissSusie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, reviewed, funny-stuff

Another fun book from Laurie Notaro! The chapter where she realizes that size M and an L are very different and her dressing room antics had tears running down my face!

And who hasn’t gotten those FWDFWDFWDFWD from your parents or in-laws with every hoax available to man and no matter how many times you tell them it’s a hoax they still send them along to you!

Ambien Laurie is freaking hilarious and makes me wonder what this drug is supposed to do because it didn’t seem to help her sleep!

I enjoy L...more

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Nov 11, 2011 Robin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, 2011

Yay, Laurie Notaro! I read her first two books many years ago. But somehow, she had completely fallen off my radar. I'm happy to have rediscovered her and her wacky hijinks. Many of her vignettes are laugh-out-loud funny. On the down side, this book felt a little front-loaded-- the second half seemed to fall a little flat in comparison. And, frankly, the first chapter is the best one, though "Ambien Laurie" makes a few memorable, and hilarious, appearances later on that are definitely worth wait...more

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Aug 17, 2012 Mary Ellen LaRochelle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've read other stories by Laurie Notaro, and while some of them are quite funny, a lot of them are stretched too thin. The title story is the best example. These are anecdotes. Some are clever, others, not so much. In the first essay, Notaro tries on a shirt that's too small, and gets her arms stuck. It could be a great sight gag on a sitcom, but it drsgs and feels forced as an essay. Also, it's hard to believe the hyperbole when she's a large trying on a medium. It's not like she was a manate...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was entertaining and fun. It wasn't quite as good as Notaro's earlier books, several of which made me laugh so hard that passengers on three planes had to wonder if an escaped mental patient was on board. I can't put my finger on exactly why "It Looked Different..." didn't live up to the hilarity of Notaro's previous books of essays, but maybe it seemed she was trying a little too hard this time. It can't be that we get less funny as we get older, can it? Still, this book is a pleasant...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: essays-memoirs

Amusing! Ambien Laurie had me laughing out loud - I don't take the stuff and this would be why! And the story of getting stuck in the dressing room I was cracking up as well - because i have had that happen and it's horrifying!

Like any book of essays, some are better than others - but overall I liked most of the stories in the book. I enjoy writers who can take a snippet from everyday life and expand on all the juicy details that make that brief encounter with life rich and juicy and funny - Lau...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Kathy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-nonfiction

There are few things worse than reading a review that makes a book sound amazing and laugh-out-loud funny, wait for weeks until it's actually in the system, wait all day until there's time to curl up and start reading said hilarious book, and don't laugh. Not even a slight smile. The author's sense of humor is not mine and I'm still trying to find humor in getting stuck in shirt that was clearly marked as a size too small and getting blood on it. The only word that comes to mind is "whatever". G...more

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Jul 28, 2012 April Kane rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read Laurie Notaro's It Looked Different on the Model on a borrowed IPAD. This book is a collection of Ms. Notaro's essays. I read much of the book while at the doctor's office. Her stories made me laugh out loud, which doesn't happen very often. I had to repeatedly try and stifle my inappropriate giggling in the doctor's office. Ms. Notaro had me at the first essay, "Let it Bleed", which is about her adventures in the dressing room trying on clothes. I think many women will enjoy and be able...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Meg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011, memoir, humor, non-fiction

Ambien shenanigans. Tweekers falling asleep on your front lawn. Getting into a fight with a size “M” shirt at a boutique store — and losing. All just moments in the life of Laurie Notaro, a humor writer transplanted from sunny Arizona to the hippie-laced suburbs of Oregon. And in her latest memoir, It Looked Different On The Model, Notaro welcomes us again into the zany world that is her no-holds-barred brain.

Notaro has been my hero for quite some time — and though I couldn’t get into her recent...more Ambien shenanigans. Tweekers falling asleep on your front lawn. Getting into a fight with a size “M” shirt at a boutique store — and losing. All just moments in the life of Laurie Notaro, a humor writer transplanted from sunny Arizona to the hippie-laced suburbs of Oregon. And in her latest memoir, It Looked Different On The Model, Notaro welcomes us again into the zany world that is her no-holds-barred brain.

Notaro has been my hero for quite some time — and though I couldn’t get into her recent novel, I’m still a huge fan of her true-to-life, hilarious stories. No one makes me giggle like Notaro, and some of her scenes in this one — especially those including “Ambien Laurie” — will forever be embedded in my brain. Her line about a monkey rooting through purse trash? Comedy gold.

That being said, is this Notaro’s finest work? Nope. Laurie is at her best when she’s making fun of herself and relating stories of “impending shame and infamy,” as her title suggests. The only problem here is that while a few of her recent tales had me in stitches, the vast majority just sort of . . . rambled along with no real goal or intention. Just between you and me, friends, I may have skimmed over a few. Like the open letter to her alleged iPhone thief? I mean, I love my phone — I really do. But page after page of that drivel? Eh.

But I still love you, Laurie — and I still desperately wish you could be my BFF. We’d make snarky comments about our neighbors and speculate over which crazy acquaintance is really a drug addict and gripe about our weight. It would be a grand old time.

I read this book quickly and recommend it — and her — to fans of Jen Lancaster and Valerie Frankel. If you’re looking for laugh-out-loud memoirs that remind you we really are all human, Laurie Notaro could well be your girl. I recommend starting with We Thought You Would Be Prettier, my first experience with Notaro — but if you’re a stickler for reading chronologically, first check out The Idiot Girls’ Action Adventure Club. Laurie doesn’t take herself too seriously, and that’s what I love about her. She’s a hilarious mess.(less)

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Jan 03, 2012 Chanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A friend of mine recommended another book by her, but it wasn't available at the time so I thought I'd give this one a try. My husband now thinks I'm a crazy person because I was laughing out loud, almost to the point of crying, while reading this book. I love her sarcastic sense of humor - right up my alley. Each chapter is a short story so it's great to read when you only have a few minutes, like waiting at the doctor's office or picking up kids from school. I will definitely read some of her...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Julie (julie37619) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humor, essays

Laurie Notaro has always been an author that I highly recommend for humor, although I have to say that my experiences with her have been a bit iffy. After reading this one I think I might need to reread some others and remind myself why I love her - or show myself why she was just a phase. Since we're talking humorous essays, I'm not dividing my comments up this time, just giving you my thoughts. Humor is way to subjective to assess from a critical point of view (at least for a non-expert like m...more Laurie Notaro has always been an author that I highly recommend for humor, although I have to say that my experiences with her have been a bit iffy. After reading this one I think I might need to reread some others and remind myself why I love her - or show myself why she was just a phase. Since we're talking humorous essays, I'm not dividing my comments up this time, just giving you my thoughts. Humor is way to subjective to assess from a critical point of view (at least for a non-expert like me). I'm sure there are literary experts in the field who could give a detailed overview of what good and bad humor writing looks like, but for me its either it makes me laugh or it doesn't.

In this book, Notaro made me smile. There weren't any laugh out loud moments like I experienced in Autobiography of a Fat Bride or We Thought You Would Be Prettier. But I also enjoyed it much more than The Idiot Girls' Action Adventure Club. I think it really depends for me on finding something about Notaro's essay that I can identify with. The Idiot Girls' Action Adventure Club were about Notaro's drunken escapades as a young adult. I had no drunken escapades, so nothing to identify with there.

This one, however, gave me several good identifying moments, especially during the essays in which Notaro describes her Ambien habits - eating, shopping, sending emails, etc. and forgetting by the morning. Because, yeah. Been there, done that. Obviously, the essays I found less funny were the ones I couldn't identify with (trying on too-small clothes in a fancy boutique - not in a million years).

Overall, it was a hit or miss for whether or not I really found it funny. I truly enjoyed a good 50% of the essays, but the other 50% were just meh. They'd make good blog entries, but weren't so great for a book, unless you're already a fan of the author and get her schtick. If you've read her before and love her, you'll want to read it. If you haven't read her before, I'd start with We Thought You Would Be Prettier or Autobiography of a Fat Bride and see what you think from there.
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Sep 22, 2011 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There isn't much to say with this review. (What a terrible way to start a review) I always find essay books kind of hard to review. There's no real plot, setting etc. It's a short book of essays, just like her other books. There are some really funny ones in here and some not so funny ones. I have read everything that Laurie Notaro writes. Her books are always funny and make me laugh. So even though this wasn't my favorite book of hers I still thought it was good.

Her honesty is so refreshing. In...more

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Oct 14, 2011 Eliza rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, library-book

I picked this up off the New shelf at the library the same time I got In the Garden of Beasts off the Hold shelf. I figured I might tire of pre-WWII Nazi atrocities before Larson's account of them did. Sure enough...

The essays are cute, crass, funny, and occasionally offensive. Not really my genre. I will say I like Notaro's writing better than Jen Lancaster of the same style. She just seems less narcissistic, somehow, and downright heart-warming in the essay about the post office.

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Aug 27, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was the first book I have read by Laurie Notaro and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised! I laughed out loud at several parts- which was a bit awkward since I was at the Dentist Office waiting for my sons' teeth to be cleaned... Thoroughly enjoyed and totally got her humor! Love the picture at the end of the book - with Blu the Ox - as I have sons - I can totally see myself forcing them to do the same thing! Definitely recommended and am looking forward to reading more from this author!

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May 07, 2013 Ken rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I listened to a few Chelsea Handler books before Laurie Notaro was recommended to me, so when I heard this book, I felt as though Laurie was borrowing from Chelsea, but it may well be the other way around. Chelsea may be a hipper, single Laurie Notaro. I liked the way, at the end, Laurie tied several things from earlier in the book, together as she explained that even though she has complaints, she's willing to keep her family.

I didn't come away with any major new information, but I did enjoy t...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Maggie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Didn't finish it. This was another 'tweener I found while waiting on another book to be available in my queue. She calls herself an idiot. I call her a dumbass. I enjoyed the little story about her geriatric cat stamping her husband's pillow with its anus, but then I came to the chapter where she disparages a "working boob" for not being as perky as her own and says she will bully her nephew if he follows through on his plans to do well in math and play in the school band. Grow up.

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Sep 10, 2011 Brian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dear Laurie Notaro,

I've loved most of your books, except your last fiction book. I was very excited that you were putting out another collection of humorous short stories. However, I felt that some of the stories in this book were a bit lacking. There were plenty of funny ones, sure, but a couple of them were very tough to follow and didn't make a lot of sense. I would give this book lower, but it gets three stars because it did have a few stories that made me chuckle.

Your sort of fan,

Brian

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title link	preview: It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy
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It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy

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