Too dark for my tasteOctober 9, 2007 3 out of 6 found this review helpful
Huge disappointment. I have read three David Sedaris books previously and had found them laugh-out-loud funny. "Holidays on Ice" nearly ended up in the fireplace when I hit a particularly dark chapter. His humor has always been on the sarcastic side, which generally appeals to me, but I didn't find this book amusing. If I want to be horrified, I'll read Dean Koontz.
Holidays on Ice: A Satire on the Holiday SeasonSeptember 21, 2007 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
"This afternoon I sat in the eighth-floor SantaLand office and was told, ` Congratulations, Mr. Sedaris. You are an elf.'" This is one of the many hilarious quotes from David Sedaris' novel Holidays on Ice which contains six enlightening Christmas stories. Also known for his other hilarious books Me Talk Pretty One Day and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, middle aged humorist Sedaris writes about his own experiences and thoughts on the Christmas season. In the first essay entitled "SantaLand Diaries," Sedaris tells his about his crazy encounters working as an elf in the department store Macy's after getting rejected from UPS. He describes the shoppers and fellow employees with sarcastic humor. He tells about his various jobs that he works, and explains about the Magic Window position. He has to stand there and exclaim, "Step on the Magic Star and look through the window, and you can see Santa!" One day he gets bored of saying the same fifteen words over and over again, so he decides to mix things up a bit. "Step on the Magic Star and you can see Cher and Mike Tyson!" People start to get upset when they sacrifice their spot in line to see Santa to go into the Magic Star line. Needless to say, David Sedaris is never positioned in the Magic Star line again. The next essay, "Season's Greetings to Our Friends and Family!!!" is a fictional story about the ridiculousness of long family descriptions on Christmas cards. "He's made the honor roll every semester and there seems to be no stopping him!!! A year and a half left to go and already the job offers are pouring in! We love you, Kevin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" exclaims the narrator Mrs. Dunbar. Mrs. Dunbar's ideal world, however, soon comes crashing down when a stranger named Khe Sahn suddenly comes to live with them. As it turns out, Mrs. Dunbar's "perfect" husband had a daughter in Vietnam named Khe Sahn. As the story unfolds, Khe Sahn turns their world upside down. "Dinah, the Christmas Whore" is another essay describing the bizarre world of David Sedaris. He tells how his sister Lisa brought her friend Dinah home one day four days before Christmas. He describes the humorous way in which his family reacts to her, and the questions they ask her about her interesting life in prison and about her experiences as a prostitute. Another essay, "Christmas Means Giving," tells the fictional story about one family's competition with their neighbors, the Cottinghams. Every year, the neighbors try to out-do the other's Christmas deeds, and as you will see it gets pretty crazy as the families try to be the best and most "giving" in the neighborhood. Holidays on Ice is a hilarious book of essays that will keep you laughing non-stop. I recommend this novel for anyone who wants a good laugh, young or old. I personally give this book two very enthusiastic thumbs up for its dry humor. Each sarcastic and humorous essay will make you want to read the next. By the way, this collection of essays would make a great Christmas gift!
More odd and disconcerting than his usual works..July 3, 2007 1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'm a huge fan of David Sedaris' books, but other than the "Santaland Diaries" and "Dinah" stories, I couldn't get into it. The other stories weren't funny, the pace was plodding despite the fact that these were short stories, and I was actually somewhat uncomfortable reading them.
I'd recommend most of his other books, just not this one.
Revisitations of familiar journeysMay 7, 2007 I enjoyed the opportunity to read David Sedaris' stories, some of which I had read elsewhere. It is a good format to launch someone on 'the good ship Sedaris' but for those who have been initiated, it was all too brief in the newness arena. It rattles along very comfortably, like an old Chevrolet, but we do like the smell of a new car every so often, don't we?
Holidays on IceMarch 24, 2007 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Another collections of hilarious short stories by David Sedaris. All of them were hysterical. I loaned this book to many a friend and have yet to find an intelligent person who does not get this author! He is so well crafted at the art of writing, I laughed so hard I cried reading it!
