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When You Are Engulfed in Flames
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
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Publisher's Summary
He tests the limits of love when Hugh lances a boil from his backside, and pushes the boundaries of laziness when, finding the water shut off in his house in Normandy, he looks to the water in a vase of fresh cut flowers to fill the coffee machine.
From armoring the windows with LP covers to protect the house from neurotic songbirds, to the awkwardness of having a lozenge fall from your mouth into the lap of a sleeping fellow passenger on a plane, David Sedaris uses life's most bizarre moments to reach new heights in understanding love and fear, family and strangers.
Culminating in a brilliantly funny account of his venture to Tokyo in order to quit smoking, David Sedaris' sixth essay collection has been avidly anticipated.
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David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favorites as the diaries of a Macy's elf and the annals of two very competitive families, are Sedaris's tales of tardy trick-or-treaters ("Us and Them"); the difficulties of explaining the Easter Bunny to the French ("Jesus Shaves"); and what to do when you've been locked out in a snowstorm ("Let It Snow").
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In David Sedaris' world, no one is safe and no cow is sacred. A manic cross between Mark Leyner, Fran Lebowitz, and the National Enquirer, Sedaris' collection of essays is a rollicking tour through the national Zeitgeist: a do-it-yourself suburban dad saves money by performing home surgery; a man who is loved too much flees the heavyweight champion of the world; a teenage suicide tries to incite a lynch mob at her funeral; a bitter Santa abuses the elves.
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If you are driving, pull over. If you are at work, close your door, unless you don't mind your colleagues seeing you doubled over, in tears, on your office floor. With this recording, taped before a delirious sold out audience at Carnegie Hall, you are there as David Sedaris performs new stories from his upcoming book. A parrot who mimics an ice maker, lovers quarreling over a rubber hand, and a Santa Claus who moonlights from his job as bishop of Turkey, the cast of characters is like no other.
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Love! Love! Love! 👌
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What the critics say
"Older, wiser, smarter and meaner, Sedaris...defies the odds once again by delivering an intelligent take on the banalities of an absurd life." (Kirkus Reviews)
"This latest collection proves that not only does Sedaris still have it, but he's also getting better....Sedaris's best stuff will still - after all this time - move, surprise, and entertain." (Booklist)
What listeners say about When You Are Engulfed in Flames
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Derek T Eide
- 2020-09-29
Top tier
The cough drop landing in her lap? His shattered perception of the foreign taxi cab driver - it was a blast! Loved it.
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- Sharron padden
- 2019-12-18
Not to be missed!
A laugh out loud book! It is difficult to make me laugh but Sedaris did it.
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- A. Vernon
- 2019-08-08
Hilarious!
David Sedaris narrates well, and I enjoyed the bass between stories. Laugh out loud moments.
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- Amazon Customer
- 2023-02-04
Excellent! Keep writing!!
Ann in Toronto & Dorset Ontario
We listen while we throw clay pots up here inMuskoka
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- Erin Littlejohn
- 2020-01-14
Can you beat that?!
Can you beat that!!!!
Hilarious.... as always David Sedaris knocks it out of the park.... and leaves me wanting more!
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- Donna
- 2020-08-25
Brilliant
I love all of his writing & this book is no exception. Poignant, insightful and hilarious - a great listen with his inimitable delivery.
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- Michelle Holmes
- 2018-02-15
Witty and Poignant
This collection of short stories, read by the author, is precisely the sort of entertainment fans have come to expect from David Sedaris. While not as laugh-out-loud funny as "Me Talk Pretty One Day," the stories are still compelling, and at times even nostalgic. Overall, this collection is a very satisfying aural experience.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Shirley's awesome reads
- 2020-10-26
When You Are Engulfed in Flames
The main character is a snob, but he's honest about it. He behaves like a real human being. He makes snap judgment, then judgment, then mentally reconsiders. He behaves charitably, then think that maybe the person in need brought it on themselves. He'll refuse help, then mentally berate himself because he doesn't know their story. He'll criticize litterbugs and selfishness but then behave in the same manner. BUT HE CONFESSES IT. in short, he's human and one with enough self-awareness to be honest about his shortcomings. Often humorous, ALWAYS relatable, you should probably check this book out
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