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The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life
Introducing Laurie Notaro, the leader of the Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club. Every day she fearlessly rises from bed to defeat the evil machinations of dolts, dimwits, and creepy boyfriends—and that’s before she even puts on a bra.
For the past ten years, Notaro has been entertaining Phoenix newspaper readers with her wildly amusing autobiographical exploits and unique life experiences. She writes about a world of hourly-wage jobs that require absolutely no skills, a mother who hands down judgments more forcefully than anyone seated on the Supreme Court, horrific high school reunions, and hangovers that leave her surprised that she woke up in the first place.
The misadventures of Laurie and her fellow Idiot Girls (“too cool to be in the Smart Group”) unfold in a world that everyone will recognize but no one has ever described so hilariously. She delivers the goods: life as we all know it.
For the past ten years, Notaro has been entertaining Phoenix newspaper readers with her wildly amusing autobiographical exploits and unique life experiences. She writes about a world of hourly-wage jobs that require absolutely no skills, a mother who hands down judgments more forcefully than anyone seated on the Supreme Court, horrific high school reunions, and hangovers that leave her surprised that she woke up in the first place.
The misadventures of Laurie and her fellow Idiot Girls (“too cool to be in the Smart Group”) unfold in a world that everyone will recognize but no one has ever described so hilariously. She delivers the goods: life as we all know it.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2002
300 people are currently reading
16694 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Notaro
20 books2,261 followersLaurie Notaro is a New York Times best-selling American writer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,243 reviews
May 20, 2013
Frigging hilarious.
I, in the five short years since initially discovering this gift to reading, have purchased no less than five copies of this book. Five, because every time I give it to a friend to read, it doesn't come back to me. It will be six shortly, when my mother fails to return the copy I gave her last week.
In fact, this book is so funny it caused me to disown her.
I gave her a copy to glance through, but she actually started to read, and began to laugh with quick bursts of air. Then bursts of air and full-on laughing. By the time I tried to prevent a scene, she was laughing so hard her face had turned red and people were staring.
Rather than admit I was with the nut laughing to herself, I walked away.
This is how much I love this book.
I, in the five short years since initially discovering this gift to reading, have purchased no less than five copies of this book. Five, because every time I give it to a friend to read, it doesn't come back to me. It will be six shortly, when my mother fails to return the copy I gave her last week.
In fact, this book is so funny it caused me to disown her.
I gave her a copy to glance through, but she actually started to read, and began to laugh with quick bursts of air. Then bursts of air and full-on laughing. By the time I tried to prevent a scene, she was laughing so hard her face had turned red and people were staring.
Rather than admit I was with the nut laughing to herself, I walked away.
This is how much I love this book.
January 22, 2008
Maybe I need to give this one a re-read, but I was pretty disappointed. It tried a little *too* hard for my taste...(take a look at the titles of all of her books--you'll see what I mean about trying too hard)...didn't ring quite true...too self-congratulatory without being truly funny or anything I could really relate to--which was sad, because with a title like *that*, I thought I'd struck gold. It just struck me as too over the top--very "look at how goofy and silly and clumsy I am!", with none of the subtlety that you need to pull off something like this...Reminded me of the stand-up comics that you see that are just kinda flailing around onstage, making you more embarrassed than you are entertained...
February 23, 2009
So, I don't know why, but I was underwhelmed. I guess it didn't really make me laugh as much as I'd hoped. I feel like Notaro is that absolutely hilarious friend in your life that you totally think should capture all of your group hijinks in a way only she can. You know the ones. Only your friends never do that, because as it turns out, you kind of had to be there. I felt like most of this stuff would be funny if you knew the people involved, or if you were drunk when it happened.
It did have it's funny parts though, and I like the irreverence of much of it. I think part of the problem for me was the structure, I like short stories, but these felt . . . forced, somehow? Anyway, like I said, funny at times, I definitely chuckled, but maybe it had been built up too much for me.
It did have it's funny parts though, and I like the irreverence of much of it. I think part of the problem for me was the structure, I like short stories, but these felt . . . forced, somehow? Anyway, like I said, funny at times, I definitely chuckled, but maybe it had been built up too much for me.
April 8, 2008
If this woman can write a book and get published...I can write a book and get published. There's something very awkward about reading a book about such a mess of a woman. The only interesting or funny story within this composition of short stories based on real life events is the one where she runs over her grandfather at 5mph while he jumps out of the car to grab day old bread out of the dumpster. I'm sure there are plenty of people who thought this was a very clever book. I stand by my first statement.
June 3, 2007
I want to be friends with Laurie Notaro. She's rude, cynical, angry, sarcastic, usually drunk, and completey hilarious. The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club is a collection of short stories taken from Notaro's unbelievably amusing life. One of my favorite stories describes Laurie visiting her grandmother in the hospital and having to explain to "Nana" exactly what Monica Lewinsky did with Bill Clinton.
Ohter books from Notaro that are equally hilarious: I Love Everybody And Other Atrocious Lies, We Thought You Would Be Prettier, and Autobiography of a Fat Bride.
Ohter books from Notaro that are equally hilarious: I Love Everybody And Other Atrocious Lies, We Thought You Would Be Prettier, and Autobiography of a Fat Bride.
June 26, 2016
Hilarious!! Found myself laughing out loud. Funny, sarcastic humor. Loved it!!
June 1, 2007
I really wanted to like this book because the title has so much promise. But I had a hard time identifying with the author. She lives a self-proclaimed mess of a life, and doesn't seem to care since it enables her to poke fun at herself. This book would probably be very funny to someone more free-spirited than myself, but it left me quite appalled that I had bothered at all.
February 9, 2009
“I’ve changed a bit since high school. Back then I said no to using and selling drugs. I washed on a normal basis and still had good credit.”
Laurie Notaro offers a collection of the same humor she uses in her Phoenix newspaper column to describe life as it really is. From crashing high school reunions to describing the eight stages of drunk, from arriving at jury duty only to be mistaken for homeless to wearing ex-boyfriend un-washed boxers to the gym, Notaro recounts the misadventures of herself and her fellow Idiot Girls.
The book is a light, quick read. I think Notaro herself might punch me if she found out I read it on the treadmill. There are parts that are funny, and parts that are gross enough to be funny, like an entire section on public bathroom etiquette. She writes lightly, however, with just enough self-control that you could take Idiot Girls’ to read on the bus and still be able to look your co-workers in the eye once you got to the office.
Unfortunately, Notaro belongs to the group of people who are about ten years older than I am – people who were in 6th grade in 1976 when I was born. I call these people “the Seinfeld people,” because they’re people who thought Seinfeld was funny. I was too young; the whole “Master of My Domain” thing was totally lost on me. If you are a Seinfeld people, you will love Idiot Girls Action-Adventure Club. If you are not a Seinfeld people, you will still get enough of a chuckle that it’s a book you should pick up if you can.
Laurie Notaro offers a collection of the same humor she uses in her Phoenix newspaper column to describe life as it really is. From crashing high school reunions to describing the eight stages of drunk, from arriving at jury duty only to be mistaken for homeless to wearing ex-boyfriend un-washed boxers to the gym, Notaro recounts the misadventures of herself and her fellow Idiot Girls.
The book is a light, quick read. I think Notaro herself might punch me if she found out I read it on the treadmill. There are parts that are funny, and parts that are gross enough to be funny, like an entire section on public bathroom etiquette. She writes lightly, however, with just enough self-control that you could take Idiot Girls’ to read on the bus and still be able to look your co-workers in the eye once you got to the office.
Unfortunately, Notaro belongs to the group of people who are about ten years older than I am – people who were in 6th grade in 1976 when I was born. I call these people “the Seinfeld people,” because they’re people who thought Seinfeld was funny. I was too young; the whole “Master of My Domain” thing was totally lost on me. If you are a Seinfeld people, you will love Idiot Girls Action-Adventure Club. If you are not a Seinfeld people, you will still get enough of a chuckle that it’s a book you should pick up if you can.
November 7, 2013
Many funny stories don't equal a particularly funny book.
This is a collection of newspaper columns that Laurie wrote as the humor columnist for Arizona Republic. Each 3-5 page story in itself was pretty entertaining in a whiskey tango kinda way - lots of chain smoking, excessive drinking, and lack of personal hygiene but with a humorous spin. However, the collection of all of the stories in one place, back-to-back, with not even a loose storyline to hold them together ended up being a redundant and quickly lost it's luster. I would have enjoyed them much more reading them in their original, once-a-week format.
This was the first book Notaro wrote, I know that she has written many others, and I'm not above giving something else by her a whirl. In the short term though, I will most likely stick to Jen Lancaster and Chelsea Handler. I do have to give these conservative and slightly prudish women some credit though, they tell hysterical stories about trips to the gynecologist!
This is a collection of newspaper columns that Laurie wrote as the humor columnist for Arizona Republic. Each 3-5 page story in itself was pretty entertaining in a whiskey tango kinda way - lots of chain smoking, excessive drinking, and lack of personal hygiene but with a humorous spin. However, the collection of all of the stories in one place, back-to-back, with not even a loose storyline to hold them together ended up being a redundant and quickly lost it's luster. I would have enjoyed them much more reading them in their original, once-a-week format.
This was the first book Notaro wrote, I know that she has written many others, and I'm not above giving something else by her a whirl. In the short term though, I will most likely stick to Jen Lancaster and Chelsea Handler. I do have to give these conservative and slightly prudish women some credit though, they tell hysterical stories about trips to the gynecologist!
August 1, 2018
This is the second memoir by Laurie Notaro that I have listened to., THe first she did herself and I was pleasantly amused. This one has someone else doing the narration. Hillary is dry and boring! That si the LAST thing I want in what is suppose to make me laugh! Also this one seems even more over the top from her last book. Combine this together, along with her other books and it is WAY too unbelievable. I get you make the situations funnier and bigger than the really are but I am starting to question what is remotely real for Laurie. Now some stories did pull a grin or two. And I could even sort of relate to a few moments. But overall, this fell flat for me. And Hillary's voice did nothing for helping me stay awake like I had hoped when I choose this audiobook!
April 27, 2018
This book was a Christmas gift from my coworker. That is relevant here because before this coworker and I met for the first time, we were prophetically assured by someone who'd worked with both of us that we would like each other, but I still wasn't prepared for how instantly that would be true. We have the exact same sense of humor and life philosophy of not taking things too seriously. Now, after three years of working together, she has pictures of my father saved in her camera roll for laughs, and when she's out for more than one consecutive day, I send her the cover of Michael Bolton's "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" album.
We also have talked about the fact that we both felt extremely butch in high school compared to our feminine best friends - the "husband" of the pair, if you will - and so it cracked me up reading this that Laurie Notaro feels the same way about her Pretty Friends.
The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club is pretty good at conveying that human feeling of being a walking disaster, which I'm convinced is just part of the experience of being a person. The thing that Laurie and my coworker Laura and I share is a "what is life if you can't amplify that awkwardness for laughs at your own or others' expense?" philosophy, and I understand why she gifted it to me.
Like many humor collections, it's uneven. Some essays are really funny, like the jury duty one where Laurie is mistaken for homeless, reluctant to go into the courtroom when called because she's watching Jenny Jones, and disappoints her mother by not meeting a "balding, sexually repressed twenty-seven-year old attorney strangled into a Perry Ellis necktie." (I work with lawyers and am the daughter of one. I definitely laughed.) I also loved that Laurie could not eat Lunchable meat after paying $15 to see a roadside attraction mummy, and the way she articulated the humiliations of being a woman on display to the entire staff at the gynecologist. (I've had multiple internal exams where more than one person was in the room for science, at different offices. Also, one time my doctor opened the door without knocking while I was trying to change into the inadequate robe and she and the whole hallway got a full frontal view. That was a good day.)
Any time her friend Jamie shows up, it's a good sign that what follows will be funny.
Other essays were like things I'd read before. I'm thinking of the one about the fear of clowns, mostly, but also yeah, the drinking ones. I also think that some of them suffer from being too scattered, or going in too hard for a cheap laugh. But, humor is subjective, so your mileage may vary.
There are a lot of female humor essayists out there now - Chelsea Handler, Jenny Lawson, Sloane Crosley, Samantha Irby - but I don't think the genre was as popular back in 2002 when this came out. I can only think of Nora Ephron and Erma Bombeck pre-2002. Am I wrong or is Laurie Notaro kind of a pioneer of sorts? That might also be part of my problem of feeling that I had read this type of story from female comedy essayists before.
We also have talked about the fact that we both felt extremely butch in high school compared to our feminine best friends - the "husband" of the pair, if you will - and so it cracked me up reading this that Laurie Notaro feels the same way about her Pretty Friends.
The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club is pretty good at conveying that human feeling of being a walking disaster, which I'm convinced is just part of the experience of being a person. The thing that Laurie and my coworker Laura and I share is a "what is life if you can't amplify that awkwardness for laughs at your own or others' expense?" philosophy, and I understand why she gifted it to me.
Like many humor collections, it's uneven. Some essays are really funny, like the jury duty one where Laurie is mistaken for homeless, reluctant to go into the courtroom when called because she's watching Jenny Jones, and disappoints her mother by not meeting a "balding, sexually repressed twenty-seven-year old attorney strangled into a Perry Ellis necktie." (I work with lawyers and am the daughter of one. I definitely laughed.) I also loved that Laurie could not eat Lunchable meat after paying $15 to see a roadside attraction mummy, and the way she articulated the humiliations of being a woman on display to the entire staff at the gynecologist. (I've had multiple internal exams where more than one person was in the room for science, at different offices. Also, one time my doctor opened the door without knocking while I was trying to change into the inadequate robe and she and the whole hallway got a full frontal view. That was a good day.)
Any time her friend Jamie shows up, it's a good sign that what follows will be funny.
Other essays were like things I'd read before. I'm thinking of the one about the fear of clowns, mostly, but also yeah, the drinking ones. I also think that some of them suffer from being too scattered, or going in too hard for a cheap laugh. But, humor is subjective, so your mileage may vary.
There are a lot of female humor essayists out there now - Chelsea Handler, Jenny Lawson, Sloane Crosley, Samantha Irby - but I don't think the genre was as popular back in 2002 when this came out. I can only think of Nora Ephron and Erma Bombeck pre-2002. Am I wrong or is Laurie Notaro kind of a pioneer of sorts? That might also be part of my problem of feeling that I had read this type of story from female comedy essayists before.
February 11, 2009
I CAN see why Laurie Notaro is an admired serial newspaper columnist. Her wit is tailor made for quick, snappy visits into her own past Sex In The City-type lifestyle. (Thankfully, minus anything overly explicit in this one.) Each chapter reads as such: extended, random, personal articles. I, too, am quite well-versed (even fluent) in sarcasm, though I prefer mine sprinkled with a tad less angst. I believe Laurie uses this as a device to intrigue, but the humor feels forced at times. Frankly, the title is one of the most intriguing and charming parts of the entire book. Don't get me wrong, I am not trashing her effort, in fact, there were many parts to which I found myself relating to her and coming away with a good chuckle!
One such chapter was really quite funny, entitled: How Much It Costs for a Room of One's Own. It begins ... Martha Stewart told me that I needed my own space. She insisted that in a single afternoon, I could create a private and productive environment for myself by picking a spot somewhere in my house and tailoring it to fit my needs. She showed me how by transforming a mud room off her kitchen into a spectacular office, and, in a single afternoon, she painted the office, stenciled it with gold leaf, refinished the floor, and built a wooden wall unit from trees she had planted that morning. Laurie may have gone a little too far with her Martha envy, as the rest goes on to tell us she takes profound comfort (even delight) in the fact that Martha, at least, is divorced.
I just can't bring myself to recommend this book to anyone looking for more than a mildly humorous diversion while having their morning cup of coffee. If you still feel compelled, perhaps read it over a few weeks, one chapter, one morning at a time.
One such chapter was really quite funny, entitled: How Much It Costs for a Room of One's Own. It begins ... Martha Stewart told me that I needed my own space. She insisted that in a single afternoon, I could create a private and productive environment for myself by picking a spot somewhere in my house and tailoring it to fit my needs. She showed me how by transforming a mud room off her kitchen into a spectacular office, and, in a single afternoon, she painted the office, stenciled it with gold leaf, refinished the floor, and built a wooden wall unit from trees she had planted that morning. Laurie may have gone a little too far with her Martha envy, as the rest goes on to tell us she takes profound comfort (even delight) in the fact that Martha, at least, is divorced.
I just can't bring myself to recommend this book to anyone looking for more than a mildly humorous diversion while having their morning cup of coffee. If you still feel compelled, perhaps read it over a few weeks, one chapter, one morning at a time.
July 9, 2007
This woman has a grasp on hilarity. Not only is she unashamed of herself, she embraces who she is- and I love her for it!
November 2, 2011
I can’t honestly remember how I found this book. But a few weeks ago I saw it sitting on the bookshelf that I devote to books I intend on reading. So, I picked it up and read a few pages and busted out laughing! I then proceeded to voraciously read this collection of essays by Laurie Notaro about her effed up life and what it means to be a member of the Idiot Girls’ Action-Adventure Club. Laurie Notaro is my new idol, actually idol is probably not the best word because she’s made some pretty stupid decisions. Like when she decided that it was OK wearing just tights to an appointment with a doctor that was treating her for back pain, only to realize afterward there was a huge hole in the crotch–which the doctor got to see up close because he had to run different tests that involved moving Notaro’s legs around and checking her reflexes. She also once drove from Roswell to Phoenix eating nothing but Taco Bell with her friend Jeff, with the expected results.
Notaro is a humor columnist and its amazing how she can make anything sound hilarious. Like when she becomes the new person of interest by two kids from her neighborhood, Casey and Staci, and their need for Notaro’s constant attention. I guess I would really not want to find myself in some of the situations she’s been in. Like when she was the sober friend for once (because she was broke and failed getting guys to buy her a drink) and she had to drive her friend Chris home and inadvertently had Chris’ ex’s head stuck in the car window because she was a psycho drunk. And when she had to wake up at an ungodly hour in the morning for jury duty, so she didn’t put too much effort into looking good and when she arrived at the courthouse a woman gave her some food…because she thought Notaro was homeless. But I would love to be able to have the wit and sense of humor that Notaro has, she even makes clearing out a room that has turned into a black hole of junk funny. Especially when she tries to be Martha Stewart and make it her office by purchasing a huge antique desk…that doesn’t actually fit through the door.
Pick this book up if you want a good laugh!
Notaro is a humor columnist and its amazing how she can make anything sound hilarious. Like when she becomes the new person of interest by two kids from her neighborhood, Casey and Staci, and their need for Notaro’s constant attention. I guess I would really not want to find myself in some of the situations she’s been in. Like when she was the sober friend for once (because she was broke and failed getting guys to buy her a drink) and she had to drive her friend Chris home and inadvertently had Chris’ ex’s head stuck in the car window because she was a psycho drunk. And when she had to wake up at an ungodly hour in the morning for jury duty, so she didn’t put too much effort into looking good and when she arrived at the courthouse a woman gave her some food…because she thought Notaro was homeless. But I would love to be able to have the wit and sense of humor that Notaro has, she even makes clearing out a room that has turned into a black hole of junk funny. Especially when she tries to be Martha Stewart and make it her office by purchasing a huge antique desk…that doesn’t actually fit through the door.
Pick this book up if you want a good laugh!
October 19, 2008
Laurie Notaro is one of those self printing success stories. After failing to find a publisher for a collection of her humor columns she turned to print on demand. The success of her book caught the eye Random House who offered her a two book deal. She now has seven books.
The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club is Laurie Notaro's first book with Random House. It contains a series of short stories from her life. They can be divided up for the most part into tales about drinking, tales about the effects of drinking, and tales about being repressed about sex. Where are the "tales from a magnificent and clumsy life" promised by the subtitle and illustrated by the delightfully fully cover photograph? I don't know because I didn't see any in the book.
My favorite chapter from this mediocre book is "Dead in a Box." It covers Laurie's cleaning binge of the "scary room." A roommate had left the ashes of a departed loved one in a box under a bed. Then the roommate had left and forgotten the box. How she deals with the situation made me grin.
The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club is Laurie Notaro's first book with Random House. It contains a series of short stories from her life. They can be divided up for the most part into tales about drinking, tales about the effects of drinking, and tales about being repressed about sex. Where are the "tales from a magnificent and clumsy life" promised by the subtitle and illustrated by the delightfully fully cover photograph? I don't know because I didn't see any in the book.
My favorite chapter from this mediocre book is "Dead in a Box." It covers Laurie's cleaning binge of the "scary room." A roommate had left the ashes of a departed loved one in a box under a bed. Then the roommate had left and forgotten the box. How she deals with the situation made me grin.
March 5, 2011
This book was disappointing for some reason, although it should have occurred to me that a book filled with essays about drunken escapades doesn't make for the best reading; one is advised, rather, to participate in drunken escapades of their own. Mostly I can't believe that this is a book. I mean, really? If I wrote stories about all the times I got drunk and dragged grocery carts up to rooftops and hurled them off, or got drunk and shot bottle rockets at crack dealers, or got drunk and peed my name on a wall but ran out of "spray paint" at R-O-B, then broke down and started sobbing hysterically at the injustice of it all, would you really want to read that book? I mean, really? Is this what it takes to get published these days?
But hey, at least my escapades were funny. Laurie Notaro? Amateur, that's what.
But hey, at least my escapades were funny. Laurie Notaro? Amateur, that's what.
April 14, 2009
Laurie Notaro has put together a funny collection of what seems to be columns from her newspaper work. Some are laugh-out-loud (the candy apple incident, and Laurie explaining Monica Lewinsky's escapades to her grandmother!); some are mildly uncomfortable. Some I related to immediately (ashes of the old lady left in her house by an ex-boyfriend -- you'll have to ask me for specifics!); some I got tired of -- all the drinking stories. But she created some memorable characters, especially the little sisters, nicknamed 'the midgets' who try to adopt Laurie because their own mother seems to be a real loser. Notaro's voice is distinct and she speaks for many of us in these pieces.
June 5, 2018
The shopkeeper at the local bookstore picked this book out for me describing the author as the female equivalent of David Sedaris. I'd say that was a fair assessment. It got me to read it, and I'm glad I did. I thought it was hilarious. There were several parts that made me laugh out loud, and a couple that made me squirm. The cast of colorful characters made these misadventures come to life. The author's tales and writing style got me to relate to her. At times, I pitied her, and at other times, I envied her. But throughout the whole book I adored her.
June 19, 2015
Laurie Notaro was billed to me as the new, female David Sedaris, or Augusten Burroughs (sp?) because of her autobiographical vignettes and smart wit. Some parts of this books (which I think was her first) made me laugh out loud, but lots of parts just made me cringe. I hope she has dealt with her drinking issues in ways besides just writing about them! Not necessary to read cover-to-cover, although some stories build on previous info.
July 19, 2007
Laurie Notaro is my hero. She's abrasive, brash, and completely unapologetic. Her stories are the ultimate test of my laughing-hysterically-while-holding-my-bladder capabilities.
The female answer to David Sedaris. Only ten times more offensive.
The female answer to David Sedaris. Only ten times more offensive.
June 30, 2007
This book is so much fun and it reminds me of one my best friends. I read it in a day and couldnt stop laughing.
April 27, 2009
For a book that is supposed to be funny, it wasn't funny at all. Couldn't read past page 30. I guess, it just not my cup of tea...
July 25, 2016
Nie da się tego czytać, niestety.
January 27, 2019
Everything she writes is SO funny!!!
January 23, 2023
It seemed to me to be "humor" of the lowest class.
May 30, 2017
Ha! This book reminded me a lot of my college days, er..late 20s, early 30s...Shit, who am I kidding, there are still parts of current life that I can relate! Quick, funny read based off of her real life newspaper column.
July 23, 2017
Laurie is a walking disaster. it was a funny and quick read. Kept me entertained for part of an afternoon!
August 6, 2017
A funny, quick read. Very light anecdotes for the author's early twenties. I found myself unable to put it down and get to bed.
May 23, 2018
Funny compilation of essays/newspaper columns. Laurie Notaro has made me laugh out loud. Looking forward to reading more of her books.
August 22, 2018
I had to look up when the heck this was from, and now that I see it's 2002, it makes a bit more sense. It does read like redneck Jen Lancaster - not my favorite book, but amusing enough to listen to the whole thing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,243 reviews