How Paul Robeson Saved My Life and Other Mostly Happy Stories

by Carl Reiner

A collection of short stories features a man too handsome for his personality, a lifetime bond created by a football accident, and a widower's nostalgic trip to the live chicken market

Genres: Humor, Fiction

Hardcover

First published December 1, 1999

About the author

Carl Reiner was an American actor, film director, producer, writer and comedian. He has won nine Emmy Awards and one Grammy Award during his career. He has the distinction of being the only person to appear on all five incarnations of The Tonight Show. He is best known for his work in Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, and Ocean's Thirteen.

Reviews

[Phrodrick slowed his growing backlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carl Reiner's How Paul Robeson Save My Life and Other Stories is a collection of about 28 very short stories more like vignettes, that can be comfortably read in one sitting. There is certainly some humor here and a couple pieces that are written as reminiscences that may be true. The title story involves a face-off between a Corporal Carl Reiner and a bigoted Army Sgt. at a time and place when such a face-off may have happened. The remainder of the stories run from faintly amusing to clever little turnarounds. Taken together the term that comes to mind is" bagatelle".

Carl Reiner fans will enjoy the chance to share some lighter moments with the famous comedian and writer. As long as you can savor his sense of irony in his mostly homey touch you will not be disappointed.

[Adam Nunez · Rating 2 out of 5]

As both a casual writer and fan of short stories, I was quite excited to have found this book. Stories from Steve Martin were quite fun, and I'm a huge fan of Woody Allen's style. His humor and turn of phrase are always interesting, and his story ideas are fun and quirky. Surely Carl Reiner should be as entertaining, right?
Wrong.
Whereas some books are books you simply don't want to put down, this one has been very easy to put down and very difficult to pick up again. A few early stories do fairly well. They're lively and fun, with interesting characters and a clear through line from beginning to end.
Somewhere around the middle, the quality begins to wane. What appears to be a fun story ends with a sloppily added ending with some moral message that eliminates the humor. Obscure references are bandied about. Some stories just.... end.... sort of.
If you are a Carl Reiner fan, I cannot recommend this book at all. If you simply enjoy some light reading, it's not the worst thing in the world. It's a shame that some of the tales in here are downright disappointing. A clever idea is set upon, and goes absolutely nowhere. An interesting take on an idea just fizzles out. And in some cases the setup is just so peculiar to begin with, it's hard to buy in.
If you have this on a long list of books to read, drop it to the bottom. You're not missing anything.

[Tammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just didn’t get it... for some reason, I thought the stories would be funny *shrug*

[Brice Fuqua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, humorous tales most with O. Henry type twist endings, by a legendary comedian.

[Pammi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed out loud!
Snortled even!

[Vern Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stories for a rainy day!

2 Thumbs up!! A very enjoyable read that takes us into the mind and life of Carl Reiner. Recommend highly!

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are 25 short pieces in this book and these “mostly happy stories” are mostly funny. A few are somewhat dated, and like his 2000 year old man sketch with Mel Brooks, not all of the sentiments expressed here are politically correct.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carl Reiner's How Paul Robeson Saved My Life is a whimsical collection of short stories. The book is a quick read, but is funniest to fans Carl Reiner's humor. As I read, I kept feeling like I was missing out on some grand joke. The plot twists that occasionally came at the end of the stories were rarely hysterical and I even reread some tales, hoping there was some hidden meaning that would make the book make sense.

Still, the stories are entertaining, with plots that seem like fleshed-out daydreams, such as falling in love with a mercenary or being too beautiful to function in society. It is clear that the book is not meant to be taken as a serious read nor is it pretending to be one. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in Carl Reiner's style, especially if they haven't read much of his work before. I'd also recommend this to anyone looking for inspiration for their own stories, as many of the short stories gave me ideas of my own.

[Dave Gaston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A series of clever comic character studies told in short parables with rye twists of fate. Most of the stories are upbeat and hail from his New York Jewish background. The dialog is lively packing the punch of a seasoned comedian who has perfected his stand-up timing. You yearn to call Reiner Uncle Carl.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever short stories from a very funny man!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute stories.. a fun, quick read..

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of stories that are both funny and poignant.