Sellevision: A Novel
by Augusten Burroughs
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in March, 2008
This book is Augusten Burroughs' first novel. The book follows 4 people, all hosts of the popular QVC-esque television channel called Sellevision. The first is Max, who on the very first page of the book gets fired after his penis "peeks" out during a live Slumber Party bathrobe special on the TV station. The book follws him through interviews, friendship and then an unusal career choice.
Next there's Bebe, a very popular host on Sellevision, who finds that she is getting older ...more
Next there's Bebe, a very popular host on Sellevision, who finds that she is getting older ...more
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Alas, I have read every single book by Augusten Burroughs. Luckily, he plans on writing many more. Let me tell you something about Sellevision! It was Augusten's only real fiction novel, the rest of his books are autobiographical stories or essays. It was also the first thing he ever wrote and published, all the way back in 2000. He explained in Possible Side Effects that he wrote this book in a total of one week as he was trying to become sober. And after a few tries, he got it published. It wa...more
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Max is a host on Sellevision, a TV home shopping network. After accidently exposing himself live on the air, he finds himself looking for new work. But is the host of a shopping channel show qualified to do anything else, especially after such a scandal? As Max searches for work, we are also introduced to the other on-air personalities of Sellevision. Peggy Jean is the perfect mother and wife, and host of Sellevision’s most popular jewelry show. But after a viewer points out a shortcoming in h...more
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Read in January, 2007
Three years ago I read Running with Scissors and found it funny, but largely mediocre. Two years ago, I read Dry and found it tolerable. Well, no more books by Augusten Burroughs because Sellevision is awful. The novel focuses on several characters, all of whom are hosts on a fictional home shopping cable television channel. One is fired for accidentally exposing himself on a live broadcast; another is a prim and proper lady who is being stalked by an obsessive fan, and who is completely unaw...more
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When I read this book a few years ago, I remember loving it. I thought it was clever, biting, and witty. I even went as far as to compare it to Tom Perrotta.
Ah, how my tastes have evolved. It is very Tom-Perrotta-like--a diet Tom Perrotta which uses Sweet and Low instead of Splenda. Leaves you with a bad aftertaste and it's nothing close to the real thing.
It's a clever concept in theory--a bunch of people who work in a Home Shopping Network atmosphere, and the complications within it. A few ...more
Ah, how my tastes have evolved. It is very Tom-Perrotta-like--a diet Tom Perrotta which uses Sweet and Low instead of Splenda. Leaves you with a bad aftertaste and it's nothing close to the real thing.
It's a clever concept in theory--a bunch of people who work in a Home Shopping Network atmosphere, and the complications within it. A few ...more
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Read in March, 2008
A very, very typical "airplane book" that was quick and light-hearted.
To enjoy this book, I think you have to be one of two kinds of people. 1) You have to be a fan of Augusten Burroughs already or 2) Be completely new to Burroughs (so you have no bias) and be a fan of airplane books. Personally, I already like Augusten Burroughs quite a bit, so this book was pretty much what I expected. To it's credit, though, I didn't expect this book to be very memorable. I figured I'd read it j...more
To enjoy this book, I think you have to be one of two kinds of people. 1) You have to be a fan of Augusten Burroughs already or 2) Be completely new to Burroughs (so you have no bias) and be a fan of airplane books. Personally, I already like Augusten Burroughs quite a bit, so this book was pretty much what I expected. To it's credit, though, I didn't expect this book to be very memorable. I figured I'd read it j...more
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Read in August, 2003
Fiction, This book is exactly as shallow as the people in it. The story revolves around Sellevision, a home shopping network like QVC, and the people who work there, or, in the case of Max, no longer work there. It's a trashy, unengaging read, and the POV is staggeringly inconsistent. The first two lines give you a pretty good idea about how the rest of the novel works: "You exposed your penis on national television, Max. What am I supposed to do?" This book is filled with cliches. Sev...more
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Read in July, 2007
recommends it for:
Soap opera fans
This book reminded me of the movie "Soapdish" - a comedy about the insanity of being involved in a soap opera. Growing up, I would watch "Days of Our Lives" with my mom. I grew out of that show by about nine years old, but mom, bless her, still watches that drivel to this day. This book brought memories of that show back, only with a home shopping network spin on it. I thought it was expertly written, at times touching, at times hilarious, thoroughly entertaining from beginni...more
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Read in December, 2007
I'm a big fan of Augusten Burroughs and I was pleasantly surprised with Sellevision being fiction rather than memoir. Following the lives of a bunch of folks who all work for Sellevision, a fictional version of QVC, we're able to explore a myriad of different personalities with problems all their own who are all connected to the media conglomerate that they work for. Burroughs's irreverant, snarky writing style is still present, and he even adds a hint of mystery to the story, as we all read o...more
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I was sorry I didn't care for this book since I adore Augusten Burroughs. It wasn't particularly terrible but it was just a cheap, trashy read that I didn't associate with the witty, biting and unflinchingly honest prose of Burroughs' memoirs. As other readers have mentioned this was a typical airplane read - rife with cliques, flat characters and plot lines that manage to be both absurd and predictable. Its zaniness reminded me a bit of a Carl Hiassen paperback. At any rate it appears fiction i...more
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Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
everyone
When I need humor, I pick up any of Augusten Burroughs' books. (Between my partner and I, we own them all.) Even if all I read is a quick chapter, I feel 100% better.
While all of his books, save this one, are autobiographical, this one work of fiction is my absolute favorite.
There's nothing like learning about the inner workings of television shopping networks from the p.o.v. of a shopaholic, a gay man with a career isssue, a mistress, and a over bearing christian woman with a stalker an...more
While all of his books, save this one, are autobiographical, this one work of fiction is my absolute favorite.
There's nothing like learning about the inner workings of television shopping networks from the p.o.v. of a shopaholic, a gay man with a career isssue, a mistress, and a over bearing christian woman with a stalker an...more
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Read in September, 2007
Although I have LOVED every other Burroughs' book, this one didn't do a thing for me. Don't get me wrong, I finished it, and quickly at that, but found it tawdry and trashy really. I actually found myself skipping over sentences at a time, which I do not usually do. I bought this book thinking it was going to be like his other books, without realizing it was entirely fictional, not to mention superficial in every way, (plot, characters and writing). In my opinion, Burroughs should stick to me...more
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Read in February, 2008
Eh, what a disappointment. This was predictable, trashy, and played on too many stereotypes. I kept waiting and waiting..and waiting..for it to get better. Things started to turn around at the end ('one year later'), which was written similar to his memoirs - proving there's nothing wrong with sticking to what you know.
Being a huge Burroughs fan, the one redeeming factor here was being able to recognize how people encountered in his life/memoirs so obviously influenced the characters in this...more
Being a huge Burroughs fan, the one redeeming factor here was being able to recognize how people encountered in his life/memoirs so obviously influenced the characters in this...more
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Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
no one
If you've ever read any books from The Babysitter's Club, you'll know that every other word in each book was "giggle." Now, if it was possible to turn that series into an adult book about TV Shopping Networks and the drama amongst the hosts lives, Sellevision would be it.
I rolled my eyes during the majority of the book and found myself yawning as I read the last 50 pages in 15 minutes while on the stationary bike at the Y.
Don't do it. I want my 4 days back.
Overall Grade: C-/D
I rolled my eyes during the majority of the book and found myself yawning as I read the last 50 pages in 15 minutes while on the stationary bike at the Y.
Don't do it. I want my 4 days back.
Overall Grade: C-/D
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in February, 2007
I adored both Running with Scissors and Dry- both memiors of Burroughs. As he plunged into his first novel, I became excited--- with such an interesting memoir that's extremely well written and entertaining, his fiction would have to be fantastic. Right?
Wrong.
This book was an easy read, no hard topics- mostly soap opera fluff in book form. Merely somethign to read while at the gym. Not recommended, unlike every other book I've devoured by this author.
Wrong.
This book was an easy read, no hard topics- mostly soap opera fluff in book form. Merely somethign to read while at the gym. Not recommended, unlike every other book I've devoured by this author.
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Read in April, 2008
This book was funny but other than a few laughs I would label it just OK. I'm definitely a fan of Augusten Burroughs but I enjoy his memoirs much more than I enjoyed this novel. The plot seemed disjointed and I found some characters and story lines more developed than others. I'll definitely read more of his work but I wouldn't recommend this over Running with Scissors, Dry,Possible Side Effects or Magical Thinking which I highly recommend.
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Read in June, 2007
recommends it for:
Sense of humor required
I loved his trilogy of memoirs - Running with Scissors and the other 2 - Dry and Magical Thinking. Still haven't read Possible Side Effects - saving it for a treat. Anyway, this one was not autobiographical and was very funny. Absurd in a way, as always. Quick read and laughed out loud several times. The others are sooo funny but can make you cry. His memoirs would be much funnier if you didn't know they were true. Still great reads.
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
everyone
This was great, not as deep and intense as other I have read by him but equally as well written and enjoyable. I loved how dark the comedy was and that I hated 90% of the characters! What talent he has to write such convincingly stupid cruel people that I find myself rooting for in the end. I finished this in a day, it is a great read. Look for the background news alerts, hilarious content and totally randomly bizarre!!
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The first fictional tale in Augusten Burrough's repertoire (and his first book), "Sellevision" is a tongue-in-cheek look behind the scenes at a home shopping network. Rife with quirky characters and on-and-off-camera hijinks, "Sellevision" is a quick read, and a fun retreat from reality. Light and clearly written, this is an enjoyable book, but one you probably won't mind leaving on the beach after you've finished it.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
This was an unfortunate Augusten Burroughs experience. It was his first novel and it reads like one. The characters are all a bit unbelieveable and underdeveloped. In his later novels, he writes about people he knows and loves (or hates) so his storis are both bitterly funny and endearing. You can skip this book of Burroughs and you shouldn't feel like you missed anything. It was written before he found his voice.
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