cmaw63's Full Review: Laurie Notaro - We Thought You Would Be Prettier: ...
In my Laurie Notaro book marathon, I recently finished We Thought You Would Be Prettier. Notaro is best known for her hilarious "true tales" of her life. Does she continue her sparkling run with this book?
We Thought You Would Be Prettier: True Tales of the Dorkiest Girl Alive
In her usual no one is safe, sarcastic look at life, Notaro strikes again. This time around she brings an element of the melancholy instead of the laugh out loud humor I was used to. The memories she shares about the house her nana is moving out of and the times the family has had there holds a hint of sadness that overshadows the humor.
The closing of Long Wong's, the bar where she met most of the friends featured in her stories, her family moving out of her childhood home, and the realization that she is becoming her mother bring this book into the realm of a diary rather than funny stories you want to tell your friends. While I could still identify with and understand her feelings, I read her books for the "feel-good" factor. This one left me smiling, but with that tinge of sad, but happy, memories of people and places of the past.
I still had some chuckle moments, especially with the prescription drug smuggling across the Mexico border story. Yet, I had none of the laugh out loud moments I have had with her other books. Notaro is still poking fun at her family, friends, strangers, and herself, it just seems to be in a more mellow way. Some of the advice her father gives her "wrapped like a slice of bacon around a filet mignon" were smile worthy. Ninety-five percent of the people you meet will be complete idiots. Find the other 5 percent and stick to them like glue. Even if they don't agree that you're in the 5 percent." and others based on the idiot theory kept me amused.
We Thought You Would Be Prettier is worth reading. Just be aware that the tone of it is more mellow, with that tinge of sadness, than her previous books. As with the other books there are (possibly) offensive words, scenarios, and situations. Most are presented in such a way as to fit the story without making me question the use of them. With 28 short stories in 220 pages, this is a fast paced read. Each story is independent of the next making it possible to put the book down without worrying about losing your place or forgetting a detail.
She thought she'd have more time. Laurie Notaro figured she had at least a few good years left. But no - it's happened. She has officially lost her ma...More at HotBookSale
She thought she d have more time. Laurie Notaro figured she had at least a few good years left. But no-it s happened. She has officially lost her marb...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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