Barrel Fever

Barrel Fever

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77  ·  rating details  ·  30,905 ratings  ·  1,058 reviews
In David Sedaris's world, no one is safe and no cow is sacred. Sedaris's collection of essays and stories is a rollicking tour through the national Zeitgeist: a do-it-yourself suburban dad saves money by performing home surgery; a man who is loved too much flees the heavyweight champion of the world; a teenage suicide tries to incite a lynch mob at her funeral; a bitter S...more
Paperback, 196 pages
Published June 1st 1995 by Back Bay Books (first published June 1st 1994)
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Minnie Romanovich
Another "bestseller" from the humorist; I bought this in blind faith only because it was a Sedaris. However, I admit I was a tad disappointed. In some of the essays, it felt like he was trying too hard to be funny; the stories seemed to lack the punch found in "Naked," "Me Talk Pretty One Day," or "Holidays on Ice."

If you must read this, borrow it from a library or buy it used. It works well as a paper-weight.
Caris
I can never get a David Sedaris book to last. I usually measure the time it takes me to read a book in days or weeks, but with Sedaris I'm forced to count minutes and hours.

I attended one of his readings a few weeks ago. I paid something like forty dollars for balcony seating, fearing for my life the entire time. When he finally came out, I had a good view of the top of his head. I was fairly disappointed. I had been looking forward to this for months and all I was going to get to see was the t...more
Jason
Dec 17, 2012 Jason added it
Shelves: read-2008
Definitely Sedaris' worst book. The stories are occasionally interesting and hilarious, but are, more often than not, half baked ideas with a little bit of angst-ridden humor that just doesn't work for the most part. The essays, on the other hand, are were Sedaris succeeds. He is funny and captivating and insightful. The way that Sedaris sees life is staggeringly original and thought provoking and it's no wonder his later books have been so popular and sold so well. It is a shame that his fictio...more
Stacey
First, a disclaimer: I listened mostly to the audiobook which, upon closer inspection is titled "Barrel Fever: and Other Stories," not the subtitle from the print version (Stories and Essays), even though the cover art is the same. I was so confused by the audiobook that I was moved to check out the print version from the library to see what the he-e-double-hockey-sticks was happening. It was like David Sedaris on shuffle and I did not understand it at all. There were these like 5 minute pointle...more
Ensiform
A collection of short fiction pieces – parodies, flights of fancy bordering on the absurd, and the blackest of black-humor riffs on dysfunctional families – followed by Sedaris’ debut and best-known memoir, “SantaLand Diaries,” and a few other humorous essays.

As a great fan of Sedaris, I’ve read all of his work, and enjoyed this book the least. As a fiction writer, Sedaris makes a damn fine essayist; I found his stories to be either too fantastic to be meaningful (“Don’s Story,” in which an obno...more
Alice
It was a curious choice, making this the last part of The Ultimate David Sedaris Audio Collection, considering it was his first publication. It felt a bit like going backwards in quality. While I had the explanation for a number of these stories, they weren't as funny nor as sharply honed as his later essays.

The vast majority of Barrel Fever and Other Stories is fictional tales, mostly about really stupid people. The title story, "Barrel Fever" is about a hateful alcoholic whose mother dies and...more
Tyler Chatelain
For me, Barrel Fever is mostly a love-hate relationship in that in it comprised of many different, mostly insane stories which aren't related to each other. The main component within Barrel Fever is a sardonic satirical style which is used to construct the majority of the stories which details the harshness of humanity, a loss of compassion, and the lack of intelligence within most of society. Sedaris' style differs greatly between the stories but it still manage to make the novel entertaining f...more
Aaron
If you like sarcastic wit and dark humor, then you really should consider giving David Sedaris a try. Previously, I had only read a collection of Christmas essays and stories built to connect with "Santaland Diaries." This was his first book, which is made up of 12 stories and four essays.

The stories are made up of an interesting combination of exaggerated tales such as a speech from an Academy Award winner, a young man who is running through a series of celebrities he may or may not have been i...more
Weston Locher
Jan 23, 2010 Weston Locher rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of David Sedaris
Shelves: humor, essays, 2010-reads
Even though this is one of David Sedaris's earliest offerings, I did not read it first. I came onto Sedaris's sardonic wit through the fantastic essay collection "Me Talk Pretty One Day." After laughing my way through those 200 plus pages I was hungry for more by the author. Being a completest, I usually read everything I can by authors that I enjoy.

Coming from the high that was "Me Talk Pretty..." I was a little put off by "Barrel Fever," the next title I attempted from the author. Where as "Pr...more
Colin James
Nov 15, 2009 Colin James rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Kirstin Lipka
Although many of his stories are filled with delusions of grandeur and insane self absorption, when Sedaris does it, somehow it's still funny. For example:

"The press is having a field day over my relationship with Mike Tyson. We tried to keep it a secret, but for Mike and me there can be no privacy...We look so good together, everyone wants pictures..."

"Mike and I are arguing over what to name our kitten. For the record, a long haired cat is one thing, but a big white Persian/Himalayan blend na...more
Alex
This is the first Sedaris book that I've read that wasn't just a collection of essays; it's more than half composed of short stories. It's also the first book that he published, so that has to be part of it. Somehow I failed to miss that it was divided between "stories" and "essays" in the contents, and quickly found myself confused because Sedaris doesn't have a bitter ex-wife or a double amputee daughter. To my knowledge.

The stories are a strange mix and, as far as I can tell, were all bar one...more
Kate
I love David Sedaris. Lately I've been listening to more audiobooks but I can really only stand to listen to books that are 5-6 discs or less (I get kind of impatient if they take too long, unless there's a really good narrator). David Sedaris, reading his own work with a little help from his sister Amy Sedaris, is a great narrator. I think most authors reading their own work just know the correction delivery they're aiming for, and David Sedaris is better than most because he's got delivery lik...more
Jamie
After several "WTF" moments, I just let myself enjoy these stories. Sedaris is a humorist, and this book is divided into two parts. The first is a collection of short stories, the second are autobiographical essays.

I'm really not a short story person. I like a story that allows me to really get into the characters, not a one where I finally figure out a character and the story is over. However, the stories were enjoyable. It's just not my thing.

The essays were a bit better, as they give you some...more
Gabriel
David Sedaris has become one of my favorite writers. He's funny, he's brutally honest, and he looks at life through a unique lens that I've grown to love. But I'll be honest: if this had been the first book by Sedaris that I read, I probably wouldn't have found any of this out because I wouldn't have been tempted to pick up another of his books ever again.

Okay, so it wasn't unreadable. In fact, it was often funny and it did shed a light on the stupidity in society, something that I've come to ap...more
PlatKat
Apr 12, 2010 PlatKat rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Sedaris fans
Recommended to PlatKat by: John
The books begins with a tempestuous tabloid recount of the author's numerous affairs with famous figureheads, including boxer Mike Tyson who apparently has a softer, gayer side that none of us knew about. Throughout the first chapter, the most prevalent thought in my mind was "What the fuck am I reading?" But of course, this is David Sedaris we're talking about here, and perhaps the barrage of non-fiction literature I've been reading up to this point hadn't prepared me for the silliness.

Although...more
Tanu
The fiction part is truly horrible, but Sedaris is hilarious in recalling real life encounters. But overall this book is disappointing.
Lana.
Dec 06, 2010 Lana. rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Someone who is a fan of all David Sedaris
David Sedaris was coming to Edmonton. I wasn’t able to go see him speak, so I looked for the next best thing: his books and his recordings. Barrel Fever came up on the library search list and I didn’t remember reading it before – perfect.

Unfortunately, several stories in I realised I have read this one – but I must have blocked it from my mind.

First of all, the stories (75% of the book) were sad in a cruel sort of way. It asks us to laugh at people and characters who were loosing their minds o...more
Patrick
Sedaris' SantaLand Diaries is absolutely hilarious. It is a great critic of middle class consumerism and the absurdity that it brings in what is suppose to be a religious holiday.

I think this is Sedaris at his best when he makes fun of the general middle class culture and himself not anyone in specific. I also tend to prefer his writing his personal experiences over his work of fiction although I did enjoy My Manuscirpt, Glen's Homophobia Newleeter Vol. 3, No. 2, Season's Greetings to Our Frien...more
Marcus
This book is pretty good, though I didn't really find my stride until we moved out of the realm of fiction, and into the world of creative non-fiction. His essays were absolutely great, while his early pieces seemed to be written solely for the author. I'd recommend Me Talk Pretty Some Day, or Dress Your Family in Corduroy above this one.
Melissa Darcey
I'm a bit of a Sedaris virgin but I'd heard great things so I went in with fairly high expectations. Overall, this collection isn't so bad. None of the stories are bad, but they're not fantastically funny either. I will say, this review would have received a lower review if not for 1 story and 1 essay in this collection. The story "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" and the essay "SantaLand Diaries" completely save the collection. I found both to be crazy funny and I found myself l...more
J
(FROM JACKET)In David Sedaris's world, no one is safe and no cow is sacred. A manic cross between Mark Leyner, Fran Lebowitz, and the "National Enquirer, Sedaris's collection of essays is a rollicking tour through the national Zeitgeist: a do-it-yourself suburban dad saves money by performing homw surgery; a man who is loved too much flees the heavyweight champion of the world; a teenage suicide tries to incite a lynch mob at her funeral; a bitter Santa abuses elves.
David Sedaris made his debut...more
Kevin
At first I was alternating this book with short stories from Philip K. Dick. I couldn't handle PKD's total absence of characters, and Sedaris's stories that were ultimately about nothing but character were a great substitute. Then, of course, I would tire of the blaring ego and introspection in Sedaris's stories and go back to something that wasn't just navel-gazing.

By the end of this book, though, I'd finally started to warm to what Sedaris was doing, and some of the later shorts did that magic...more
Ayse Arf
Funny, but the sort of precociously unaware tone of the main character/narrators in many of the stories becomes a bit gimmicky after a while. The story structure become predictable - character starts out sounding entirely reasonable while griping about something or describing a situation, character rambles on as things happen to/around them and based on their reactions to these events we start to realize they might not be all that reasonable, cut to punchline in which character reveals themselve...more
Sarah
I've loved David Sedaris ever since I read "Let It Snow" in my writing seminar last year, but Barrel Fever disappointed me a bit. The characters in his short stories were a little obnoxious, particularly the blatant attempt at formulating a hipster-esque character in "After Malison," though, I did enjoy that one just for its ridiculousness. "Firestone" and "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" were probably my two favorite fiction pieces, but the winner in the bunch is "SantaLand Dia...more
jennifer
A book of short stories and essays that cover all kinds of subjects. It includes his most famous essay, "The SantaLand Diaries", about Sedaris' stint as a Christmas elf at the Herald Square Macy's. His short stories include the very funny "Glen's Homophobia Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 2", written by a young man who can apply the word "homophobia" to about anything, including his boyfriend. The title story is about a guy who finds the angry letters his mother had written, but not mailed, to he and his...more
Jerry
Jul 14, 2010 Jerry rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people with weird senses of humor
Recommended to Jerry by: Marian
I had heard about David Sedaris for a while but I had never read any of his books before. This was the first book of his that I've read and I enjoyed it for the most part. The book is split up into two parts: the first part is fictional short-stories and the second is non-fiction stories/essays.

Between the two, I liked the non-fiction stories/essays in the back part of the book more. I found those to be more funny. "Santaland Diaries" was awesome. (That by itself is five-stars.) The fictional sh...more
Sheryl
I listened to this on audio which apparently is a little different than the print book. We had the print book so I could see that they didn't match up, which I thought was odd. I did read one or two parts in the book that were missing from the audio. The audio, like the print book, is mostly stories with a few essays tossed into the mix. While some of the stories were humorous, I personally prefer Sedaris' essays, especially his laugh-out-loud ones. I also enjoy listening to him way more than I...more
Crystal
I read 90% of this last evening after dinner. I was reading the first few essays thinking...what the hell....this is not like any of his other books. This is the 3rd Sedaris book I've read. I absolutely loved Naked and When You're Engulfed in Flames. This book starts off with a bunch of fictional short stories and then is followed up by a small group of essays in the normal style of the author's work. The book is outlandish and quite funny but STILL...its not as funny as the other 2 books of his...more
Jason Pettus
the classic first book of stories from one of america's premiere living humorists. dark, twisted, cringe-inducing at times, you'll nonetheless find yourself laughing out loud on almost every page here. a great, great introduction to sedaris' work.
Michele
"A collection of stories and essays by humorist and NPR commentator David Sedaris based upon his own experiences and the hidden perversity that can be found in Anytown, U.S.A. Here are images and blasphemies that nice people don't dare look at--blatantly exposed and told with the clear, casual voice of intimate knowledge. Sedaris' humor is born of compassion and his tales range from the sharing of cheery Christmas letters featuring infanticide, to experiences of the Gay and Famous (Charlton Hest...more
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Not Funny 8 23 May 16, 2013 12:18pm  
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Barrel Fever (Paperback)
Barrel Fever and Other Stories (Audio CD)
Barrel Fever and Beyond (Audio)
Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays (ebook)
Barrel Fever

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David Sedaris is a Grammy Award-nominated American humorist and radio contributor.

Sedaris came to prominence in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay "SantaLand Diaries." He published his first collection of essays and short stories, Barrel Fever, in 1994. Each of his four subsequent essay collections, Naked (1997), Holidays on Ice (1997), Me Talk Pretty One Day (2000), Dress Your Fa...more
More about David Sedaris...
Me Talk Pretty One Day Naked Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim When You Are Engulfed in Flames Holidays on Ice

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