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436th out of 865 books
—
213 voters
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible!
A hilarious re-imagining of the heroes of the Old Testament for a modern world-and the neurotic, demanding reader.
In the beginning...there was humor.
Sure, it's the foundation for much of Western morality and the cornerstone of world literature. But let's face it: the Bible always needed punching up. Plus, it raised quite a few questions that a modern world refuses to ign...more
In the beginning...there was humor.
Sure, it's the foundation for much of Western morality and the cornerstone of world literature. But let's face it: the Bible always needed punching up. Plus, it raised quite a few questions that a modern world refuses to ign...more
Paperback, 256 pages
Published
April 7th 2009
by Riverhead Trade
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Short review.
The Bible is a source for many things. Irrational thought, bigotry, hope and solace, etc., It is also a rich ground for fictional re-workings. It's like the authors of that silly book wanted to leave it open ended enough to ensure a healthy amount of 'fan-fiction' would get written to fill in all of the gaps. Many interesting works have been done that use the rough outlines of stories contained in the pages of that dusty old book to flesh out the vague and weak narratives or to spin...more
The Bible is a source for many things. Irrational thought, bigotry, hope and solace, etc., It is also a rich ground for fictional re-workings. It's like the authors of that silly book wanted to leave it open ended enough to ensure a healthy amount of 'fan-fiction' would get written to fill in all of the gaps. Many interesting works have been done that use the rough outlines of stories contained in the pages of that dusty old book to flesh out the vague and weak narratives or to spin...more
Hilarious and irreverent, Jonathan Goldstein rewrites classic stories from the the Old Testament in an entertaining and engaging way in this book. He makes big-name characters like Noah and Samson accessible to a modern audience by underlining their petty foibles and neuroses, poking fun at their day to day struggles, rather than extolling their virtues or using their pain to illustrate God's ultimate supremacy. What I enjoy about this book is that it's really all about the characters themselves...more
- The book wins at poignant details: it's sweet and sad and funny – I like the first story, which is really snarky about his family, but in a loving way that really discreetly brings out some of what amazes him about his father, while pretending to deride. Sneaky filial affection!
- This is also one of those books that manage not to make anyone unlikeable, even when two characters are pitted against one another
- Perhaps too many stories revolve around awkward, always failing heroes who end up bei...more
- This is also one of those books that manage not to make anyone unlikeable, even when two characters are pitted against one another
- Perhaps too many stories revolve around awkward, always failing heroes who end up bei...more
Utter garbage. Only rated it one star because I couldn't go any lower. First of all, I have no problem with irreverance. (Well, I do, but that's something I have to deal with as a Christian. I find George Carlin hilarious, though, so you can't just dismiss me as an uptight Christian and ask why the heck I'm reading something like this anway.)
I was expecting this to be a good read. I'd read another summary of the Bible by David Plotz (can't recall the name just now), but I remember thinking it w...more
I was expecting this to be a good read. I'd read another summary of the Bible by David Plotz (can't recall the name just now), but I remember thinking it w...more
I first heard about this book on NPR, when Goldstein himself did a reading of the first chapter. His deadpan delivery compelled me to hunt down the book, and to my delight, his voice replaced the default voice in my head as I happily read.
I enjoyed this little gem. The Adam and Eve bit was pitch-perfect and every bit as hilarious as I remembered. In each chapter, common next-door-neighbor character traits are woven into the personalities of the Biblical figures some of us grew up with. I especia...more
I enjoyed this little gem. The Adam and Eve bit was pitch-perfect and every bit as hilarious as I remembered. In each chapter, common next-door-neighbor character traits are woven into the personalities of the Biblical figures some of us grew up with. I especia...more
This book was hilarious.
It is not for those who cannot laugh at religion or enjoy some twists on old tales. For them it may border on offensive, although I wasn't offended not once, not ever.
The author kind of "re-wrote" the Old Testament.
His stories were easier and way more fun to read, and he applied a lot of modern psychology to explain the motives of the characters from Bible stories; I loved it.
The prologue introduces us to the author as a Jewish child learning religious stories from his f...more
It is not for those who cannot laugh at religion or enjoy some twists on old tales. For them it may border on offensive, although I wasn't offended not once, not ever.
The author kind of "re-wrote" the Old Testament.
His stories were easier and way more fun to read, and he applied a lot of modern psychology to explain the motives of the characters from Bible stories; I loved it.
The prologue introduces us to the author as a Jewish child learning religious stories from his f...more
I had such high expectations for this book - perhaps that was the problem (my bad, I guess). Still, the edition I read includes promotional blurbs from David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell, so, what could go wrong? Well, other than the fact that I was bored silly reading it and raced through it just to get get to the finish line, not much. The jacket also says that the author has appeard on "This American Life" (again, what could go wrong?). Admittedly, his *voice* isn't coming to me in my head, unlik...more
While Goldstein is able to breathe considerable life and personality into many well-known biblical characters, I feel that his creativity and ambition generally runs short. Yes, the stories are funny most of the time, but the comedic effect relies on what are more caricature than character. That said, these caricatures do provide the reader with plenty of moments to reflect upon weighty matters of familial love, godly devotion/insanity, etc, but that reflection often comes from undermining what...more
(review from http://Semper-Augustus.blogspot.com)
Jonathan Goldstein, contributing editor to NPR's This American Life, host of Wiretap and author of Lenny Bruce is Dead, has recently published Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible!, a collection of short stories retelling Old Testament parables.
I've seen several reviewers refer to the book as both fun and funny- which it certainly is, but Goldstein's new book is truly so much more than that. The humor of these stories is naturally revealed through Gold...more
Jonathan Goldstein, contributing editor to NPR's This American Life, host of Wiretap and author of Lenny Bruce is Dead, has recently published Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible!, a collection of short stories retelling Old Testament parables.
I've seen several reviewers refer to the book as both fun and funny- which it certainly is, but Goldstein's new book is truly so much more than that. The humor of these stories is naturally revealed through Gold...more
A rather amusing set of stories retold from the Bible, this book lacks that extra special something. I liked the idea and the stories were not bad, just not great. I liked that Adam was a big, stupid man and Eve was frustrated that she only had him to talk to. I liked that Cain and Abel turned into a story about the zen way of living. However, it did remind me of why I often don't like short stories. I don't feel like short stories have enough development, it often feels like authors rush throug...more
My 23 year old son turned me on to "Wiretap," the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio humor program of the author, Jonathan Goldstein (if that is your real name, Jonny).
On Goldstein's radio program, fantasy is blended with reality in such a fashion as to make you question everything you hear.
In the book, "Ladies & Gentlemen: The Bible," Goldstein offers his midrashim, or stories about stories in the Jewish Bible, from the viewpoint of the modern-day hipster.
They are refreshing in t...more
On Goldstein's radio program, fantasy is blended with reality in such a fashion as to make you question everything you hear.
In the book, "Ladies & Gentlemen: The Bible," Goldstein offers his midrashim, or stories about stories in the Jewish Bible, from the viewpoint of the modern-day hipster.
They are refreshing in t...more
After hearing a presenter read a selection from Jonathan Goldstein at TIP (in Saskatoon) (you can listen to the original here), I knew that I had to check out one of his books. "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bible!" did not disappoint. It was, by turns, whimsical, heartfelt, irreverent, and poignant in its retellings of various Old Testament tales (with my favourite being his sympathetic portrayal of Cain). While he occasionally fell victim to a small degree of stylistic predictability, an issue tha...more
Wow, did this book make me angry. It started off with a really dull prologue that I did not find very funny. Then came a retelling of Adam and Eve that was kind of cute. Cute, not terrible funny, though. I picked this book up and was curious about a humorous take on the bible. Then I read David Sedaris's review on the back. I like David Sedaris. David Sedaris is funny. Jonathon Goldstein is not. I spen so much time forcing myself to continue through each of these stories that were just ridiculou...more
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Series of short stories illustrating well known Bible stories, (Adam and Even, Noah, the Tower of Babel, etc,) with a decidedly modern slant. Using the framing device of a young Jewish boy recalling his father's outlandish and frequently unsatisfactory explanations, (David used a sling because it showed more pizzazz than a mundane stabbing), Goldstein ponders timeless questions of ethics and responsibility, often inverting the traditional view of good and bad guys. Would you stay inside the Ark...more
Reading the jacket of the book, I thought this would be a very fun tongue in cheek book. Of course I'd love to know how Jonah didn't get bored living in a whale all those years.
In reality, I found it pretty offensive. I was not offended because it was about religion but just how crass it was in general. For example when refering to the person who came up with the idea for the Tower of Babel, it goes on and on about how much he loves talking about his supposed medical issues and he talks about h...more
In reality, I found it pretty offensive. I was not offended because it was about religion but just how crass it was in general. For example when refering to the person who came up with the idea for the Tower of Babel, it goes on and on about how much he loves talking about his supposed medical issues and he talks about h...more
Goldstein revisits the most well-known stories from the Old Testament of Bible and tells them in his own words. He doesn't so much "modernize" them as he finds the underlying emotions and motivations for the main characters and polishes these so that we can understand them better. He re-imagines bit characters and through the lens of their understanding, gives us a different idea of who the main characters were.
I haven't had a chance to read the actual biblical passages side-by-side and can't re...more
I haven't had a chance to read the actual biblical passages side-by-side and can't re...more
Religion aside, just in a sense of storytelling I forgot how great and timeless the tales of Old Testament are.
However, this book by former producer of This American LIfe and host and creator of CBC radio show WireTap Jonathan Goldstein is hit or miss with it's satire of the Old T. It's easiest to write that I overall like the premise of the book more then the actual book itself.
The description on the back of the book reads in part "In this collection of short stories, Jonathan Goldstein re-imag...more
However, this book by former producer of This American LIfe and host and creator of CBC radio show WireTap Jonathan Goldstein is hit or miss with it's satire of the Old T. It's easiest to write that I overall like the premise of the book more then the actual book itself.
The description on the back of the book reads in part "In this collection of short stories, Jonathan Goldstein re-imag...more
Jul 26, 2011
Joalby Phoenix
added it
Great book proving that there can be found satire and comedy in anything. The book explores the most well-knows bible stories in a comedic humorous re-imagining and poses the questions How did Joseph react to Mary's initial reports of being spoken to by an angel and his insecurity at being able to put his anger issues aside to raise an "angel baby".
What must Jonah have smelt like for years after coming out of the great whale and why he had never been before married. The golden calf, Cain & A...more
What must Jonah have smelt like for years after coming out of the great whale and why he had never been before married. The golden calf, Cain & A...more
I only made it to page 147 of 239 before deciding that it wasn't worth it to finish this book. Despite Jonathan Goldstein's general awesomeness, "Ladies and Gentlemen" really didn't do it for me, or anyone in my book club for that matter. It felt like he was trying too hard, to the point where it wasn't funny anymore. I found myself reading a page and then realizing that I didn't remember anything I'd just read. I didn't care about the characters or the plot (or lack thereof in this case), I jus...more
This author has appeared on "This American Life" with some of these stories, which are essentially creative retellings of Bible stories. The basic tales are recognizable, but they are reframed in humorous and sometimes slightly irreverent ways. For example, King David's entire life is dictated by his intense desire to be a comedian. Samson is a big, dumb but lovable lug. Issac has issues stemming from when his father tried to kill him. I recommend that either you read this as an enteraining refr...more
Jan 27, 2010
Kate
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who want to laugh
Recommended to Kate by:
NPR
I really enjoyed this book, but at times it became a little too crude for my book liking which is why I rated it 3 stars. I know, as someone who reads Chuck Palahniuk books I can't believe I'm saying that either, however it felt a little off putting with the stories being told. That said, this author makes the Bible stories hilarious, sweet, sad and honest. I really enjoyed the first one about Adam and Eve and the last one about Mary and Joseph. Maybe it's because they both dealt with relationsh...more
Aug 18, 2011
Kristin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Kristin by:
heard it read on NPR
Shelves:
short-fiction
I always love good revisionist writing, and Jonathan Goldstein was brave in re-imagining certain Old Testament stories in this text. While I found these stories somewhat irreverent, and definitely vulgar, I never thought of them as sacrilegious. I never found myself offended at what I read, because the author did not attempt to tell the reader more about God, but instead focused on a deeper description of the people portrayed in these stories. The David series lagged somewhat, as did the story o...more
Jonathan Goldstein takes stories from the old testament of the bible, stories many of us were taught as children, and re-contextualizes and re-interprets them for a modern audience. The biblical characters, originally static and flat characters used simply to advance the bible's plot, are developed into full fledged twentieth century-style literary characters- with all the neuroses, eccentricities and psychological conflicts one would expect. The stories are highly irreverent and sexualized, and...more
Eh. Like the idea of short stories cast as humorous modern retellings of the Bible, but there’s not enough creative spin to add some level of originality and insight to these well-known tales to make this book a worthwhile read. It’s cute and funny, but I wanted more and wish that, mixed with that humor, Mr. Goldstein had kept some of the deeper meaning of these stories. There is, after all, a reason they are well known – even if, on the face of things, the plots are a bit ridiculous. Not recomm...more
I love Bible stories. I have a vague memory of our family doctor's office, and how I would enjoy going there because there was a Children's Bible—or it might have just been the Old Testament—and I loved reading the story of Genesis from it. Of course, I was a child back then, and as my religious tendencies have gone from agnostic to atheistic, one might expect my enthusiasm for the Bible to dim. Quite the contrary, in fact. Regardless of one's religion, the Bible is one of the most important wor...more
I'd heard a couple of these stories on "This American Life" and I just loved them, so I was excited to find this book. I really, really liked it, right up until David's story starts and then it got a little tedious. I'm still giving it four stars, though, because the stories up until that point were so good.
I don't consider this a religious book, but people who are already familiar with the bible stories will probably find it funnier than those who are not.
I don't consider this a religious book, but people who are already familiar with the bible stories will probably find it funnier than those who are not.
This book was a real disappointment. I had visions of something clever alà David Sedaris, who had a glowing blurb on the back of the book, but nothing of the sort. Goldstein riffs on familiar bible stories - Adam and Eve, Noah, Jonah - in what I think was supposed to be a funny, yet insightful fashion, but unfortunately he succeeds at neither objective. There were a couple of brief smiles, a moment of insight or two, that kept me reading, but by the end I was bored and angry I'd wasted my time o...more
The Bible! suffers from the sin of repetition, especially if you read more than one story a day. The stories all have the same deadpan wit, which becomes a trifle monotonous. There's a lot of good in Goldstein's stories - at times, he achieves the transcendent satire of early period Woody Allen at his most surreal - but when placed all together, they can be exhausting.
Read the rest of the review here.
Read the rest of the review here.
I will confess (hahaha) that I haven't read the bible, so it was fun to read Goldstein's humorous parody of some of its stories. I felt like I was learning a little as I read. One problem I had though was that it felt like some of the stories were just wry retellings that were not funny enough. Perhaps not ridiculous enough. It was almost like reading the actual bible at times and I wanted something beyond that, a real religion/Goldstein comedy mash-up.
Maybe after the greatness of Lenny Bruce i...more
Maybe after the greatness of Lenny Bruce i...more
Jun 09, 2010
Gef
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
borrowed-from-library,
humor
Jonathan Goldstein is an accomplished writer and humorist, as I quite enjoy his work on the radio show "Wire Tap," but this book turned out to be a bit of a disappointment for me. Perhaps I was expecting too much hilarity aimed at and through religion--I do still cherish Monty Python's Life of Brian to this day, after all. The funny passages in this book are indeed funny, but I found them too sparse for my tastes, and I thought there were a few stories offered that really avoided the comedic ele...more
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Radio Work
Many of Goldstein's pieces have been featured on the PRI radio show This American Life where he is a contributing editor. From 2000 to 2002 he was also a producer of the show.
Currently, Goldstein hosts a show on CBC Radio One called WireTap, a program featuring stories told over the phone. He was also the host of the CBC summer radio program Road Dot Trip in 2000 and has contributed to s...more
More about Jonathan Goldstein...
Many of Goldstein's pieces have been featured on the PRI radio show This American Life where he is a contributing editor. From 2000 to 2002 he was also a producer of the show.
Currently, Goldstein hosts a show on CBC Radio One called WireTap, a program featuring stories told over the phone. He was also the host of the CBC summer radio program Road Dot Trip in 2000 and has contributed to s...more
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“When he heard his father call out for Abel and he saw his borther go forth, it made him feel like he was nothing. He couldn’t even say that he felt like Cain anymore. One could not feel like Cain because it had no flavor. Cain was the absence of flavor. Cain was like saliva or a Wednesday.”
—
2 people liked it
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Jul 26, 2011 03:02pm
Jul 27, 2011 09:57pm