I Can't be Good All the Time

by Anne Taintor

Do you feel a sin coming on? Then comeon in and join the fun. Don't be fooled. Beneath their impeccably ironed dresses and carefully coiffed hairdos, these ladies are "disinclined to play by the rules." Here are the secret thoughts of those naughty gals your mother warned you about, paired with vintage art depicting them in all their good-girl glamour. I CAN'T BE GOOD ALL THE TIME is your personal guidebook to being bad in a good girl's world.

Genres: Humor, Art, Fiction, Chick Lit

106 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2003

Reviews

[Petra -thinks there is a rat behind the stove]

Anne Taintor specialises in retro pictures with captions from the point of view of a rapacious, man-hating lady-who-lunches. She is always beautifully dressed in a 50s style and sees life from an entirely cynical view. A Christmas card showing a small, intimidated child reads, "You saw Santa kissing no one, you understand?". A cosmetic bag says, ""High maintenance" doesn't even begin to cover it." "Just file it under who cares" is another one. They don't read particularly well without the illustration, but you get the idea.

If you enjoy Anne Taintor humour there are endless products displaying it, everything from drinks coasters through address books to messenger bags. One of the really things about the company is that it traces all the original models of these 50s shots and on her web site are their bios. Its a second blast of fame for them and a very female burst of knowing laughter for us.

[Talia]

I picked this up for my 70 year old grandma, who will get a kick out of it. It is a book of classic old time phots of ladies looking like ladies, but the words, which represent their thoughts, are not what you'd think. It's funny. Conversational. A bit too much for me, but Nana will love it!

[Lenore Kuipers-Cummins]

This was Anne Taintor's first book. I love it as much as I have loved all of her other books. They are full of humor, funny illustrations, and when co-ordinating the illustrations and words, can be hilarious and sarcastic, with a little bit of reality thrown in.

[Ellen]

This was so much fun. I stumbled across this at a secondhand store, and after I read it, I found a handwritten note on the inside of the cover. It read,
" Dear Mrs. ___,
This book serves as a reminder, that just because you're a wife, doesn't mean you always have to act like one!"

<3

[Barbara]

Amusing. I tried to look past some of the captions and enjoy the vintage fashion, jewelry and hairstyles.

[Joanne G.]

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The vintage portraits of well-coiffed women paired with discongruent captions make for amusing reading. Not all the quips hit the mark (some are a little too man-hating and/or mean girl for my tastes), but the art is attractive.

[Barbara M.]

Really enjoyed the little gem. Like the caption of one of her own collages, Ann Taintor's work is "neat, but with a twist"! You'll never look at seemingly stupid depictions of women the same way after having experienced the effect Taintor`s un-dumbing text additions. Might inspire you to follow her example!

[Amanda]

Anne Taintor's books are made up of page after page of this:






The moral of the story: "It's not the meat, it's the motion."

[Ce]

Incredible work, although I still don´t understand why many men don´t get the jokes....

[Darth]

Very fast very fun collection of what appear to be old advertising stills with politically incorrect captions

[Kartika]

Wonderful, wonderful book!Witty and amazingly well put. Something I know, I'll pick up many times to read in the years to come.

[Ellice]

Anne Taintor's first collection of vintage photos paired with snappy and risque captions. Cute.

[Paul Black]

Pictures from the 40s and 50s with sassy or rude captions. Insults seem funny, but I no longer recommend them.

[Anne]

I keep this on my coffee table just for a good laugh during the commercials!