One of the most anticipated books of 2017: Boston Globe, New York Times Book Review, New York’s “Vulture,” The Week, Bustle, BookRiotAn NPR Best Book of 2017An AV Club Favorite Book of 2017A Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2017A Goodreads Choice Awards nominee David Sedaris tells all in a book that is, literally, a lifetime in the makingFor forty years, David Sedaris has kept a diary in which he …
David Sedaris tells all in a book that is, literally, a lifetime in the making
For forty years, David Sedaris has kept a diary in which he records everything that captures his attention-overheard comments, salacious gossip, soap opera plot twists, secrets confided by total strangers. These observations are the source code for his finest work, and through them he has honed his cunning, surprising sentences.
Now, Sedaris shares his private writings with the world. Theft by Finding, the first of two volumes, is the story of how a drug-abusing dropout with a weakness for the International House of Pancakes and a chronic inability to hold down a real job became one of the funniest people on the planet.
Written with a sharp eye and ear for the bizarre, the beautiful, and the uncomfortable, and with a generosity of spirit that even a misanthropic sense of humor can’t fully disguise, Theft By Finding proves that Sedaris is one of our great modern observers. It’s a potent reminder that when you’re as perceptive and curious as Sedaris, there’s no such thing as a boring day.
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If you’re interested in David Sedaris’ writings this is clearly not the place to start. It feels like one of those releases that are only the result of contractual obligations but having nothing to do with the artist’s overall oeuvre.
The book is just a compilation of random diary entries with no discernible logic or guiding idea.
Sedaris is a great writer just don’t be fooled by this mistake.
Only a Sedaris fan will find this book fun – I found it very entertaining because I have read all his books and listened to his cds many times.
I know he will never read this on account of he does not read his own reviews, but David Sedaris you are a hilarious, bizarre little genius and I love you madly.
I love David Sedaris’s essays. These excerpts from his many, many journals that he has kept over the years are the raw material for his exquisite essays. Perhaps interesting to see the raw materials, I prefer to experience the artistry of his polished works.
Hilarious!
/ 5
It took a while, but we finished!! My husband and I listened to Theft by Finding: Diaries 1977-2002 by David Sedaris on audio together and we both really enjoyed it.
In Theft by Finding Sedaris literally went through his diary entries from 1977 to 2002 and put the best ones into a book. I really love that he did this, even if it did take him forever to get through them all! I would say this isn’t really a funny novel, but more on the serious and dark side. I really liked getting to know him better and hearing about his life during this time period. He has moved around a ton and hearing about his different experiences was quite fascinating. Plus I feel like I got to know him a bit better than I have in his other books.
Final Thought: If you want to get to know David Sedaris better then I highly recommend listening to Theft by Finding. Even though I thought the overall feel was serious, there are definitely some funny parts too and he reads his book in the way that only he can. I really hope he does another novel with the next 25 years!
Not one of David Sedaris best . But all in all still a good book
First recommendation: keep reading, it gets better…
Have you ever taken a drawing class? The one where a model changes its position every thirty seconds or less? Well, the resulting collection of rough yet full of life sketches is the best description I can come up with for this book. David makes you feel the immediacy of being there with him, where ever he is. That is a truly amazing gift.
I should warn potential readers that at first, these vignettes of his early life, way before he became famous, were too short and disjointed. I was worried that it will not be a book that I would finish all in one go, but something that I would whip out occasionally for short bursts of entertainment. But it got better. The snippets turned into short stories and I’ve enjoyed them tremendously. Thank you, David!
Very engaging, though probably mostly for Sedaris fans.
I expected more based on several of other books I’ve read
I am a fan f Sedaris. Read al his novels. This one is horrible . Very disappointing.