Lisa's review
Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me? by Jen Lancaster
Lisa's review
rating:
recommended for: no one, really
status: Read in June, 2007 — I have a copy to sell/swap
rating:
recommended for: no one, really
status: Read in June, 2007 — I have a copy to sell/swap
I allowed a humorous title and promising amazon blurb to build up my expectations for this dreary collection of essays.
OK, irritating point #1: In one of the first essays, there's this guy from Texas who refers to everybody, including people in the second person singular, as "y'all." I've lived in various parts of the Southeastern U.S. and have yet to meet anyone who does this (unless it's a southerner imitating a non-southerner attempting a southern dialect--a la "Steel Magnolias.")
Wait, I'll just go ahead and skip to the worst offense: The author is sure to include reactions of other characters whenever she makes a joke. And the reactions range from loud giggles to hysterical laughter. Seriously, the woman inserted a laugh track into her book. I'm surprised she didn't include characters going "whoooooo" and wild applause whenever she opened a door.
I'm willing to swap this book for something that is actually funny (including MST3K DVD
OK, irritating point #1: In one of the first essays, there's this guy from Texas who refers to everybody, including people in the second person singular, as "y'all." I've lived in various parts of the Southeastern U.S. and have yet to meet anyone who does this (unless it's a southerner imitating a non-southerner attempting a southern dialect--a la "Steel Magnolias.")
Wait, I'll just go ahead and skip to the worst offense: The author is sure to include reactions of other characters whenever she makes a joke. And the reactions range from loud giggles to hysterical laughter. Seriously, the woman inserted a laugh track into her book. I'm surprised she didn't include characters going "whoooooo" and wild applause whenever she opened a door.
I'm willing to swap this book for something that is actually funny (including MST3K DVD
I beg to differ on one point... Having lived in Texas for oh about 15 years, you hear the words "Y'all" thrown about quite often. Interesting point to note- "Y'all" is singular. If you want to address a bunch of people, its "All Y'all"
Lisa, I couldn't agree more on your Bright Lights, Big Ass review. The snarkiness and the jokes were all so forced and mundane.I am a huge fan of Laurie Notaro, who is also a writer of the humorous personal essay collections and I was expected something of that magnitude from Lancaster and she just does not deliver.
The Republican overtones and all of the "I used to be rich as hell" comments really wore on me.
