Depth Takes a Holiday: Essays from Lesser Los Angeles [Hardcover]

Sandra Tsing Loh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 1996

A BUZZ magazine contributor and commentator on National Public Radio sounds off on the pretentiousness of L.A. and the fate of being single in the 90s. Tsing Loh's brand of wry, self-deprecating wit is sure to win her new fans all across the country and to cement her title as the Fran Lebowitz of the futon set.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A masterpiece from one of LA's funniest natives, this book contains such gems as "How to Talk Dirty", "Tahiti!", and "Tonya Harding, Actress". Sandra Tsing Loh deftly cuts through the pretenses of Los Angeles in the '90s like so much smoked salmon pate.

From Publishers Weekly

"Depth," Tsing Loh proposes, sometimes "deserves a holiday." In this collection of pieces from her "Valley" column for L.A.'s Buzz magazine, she provides one of sorts, weighing in with tongue-in-cheek observations on such ponderous subjects as the Ikea-ization of 20-somethings' taste in home decor, the semiotics of earrings and the pleasures of Baywatch. But for all their frothy charm, her musings on the plight of an overeducated, underemployed generation that measures success in terms of the ability to afford health insurance are often as insightful as they are witty. Even as she gently mocks the pretensions and delusions of her fellow young Angelenos, Tsing Loh succeeds in making Generation X angst far more appealing and sympathetic than usual. Despite L.A.'s role as "the nation's cultural scapegoat," even the "smug, incestuous, cultural imperialist hipsters of Manhattan" will doubtless appreciate-and recognize something of their own experience in-Tsing Loh's sardonic but never mean-spirited take on modern urban life.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 226 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Hardcover; First Edition edition (April 2, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573220310
• ISBN-13: 978-1573220316
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #532,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I know of whence she speaks, November 20, 2002

By 

D. Movahedpour "doeadear" (CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Depth Takes a Holiday (Paperback)

I love the writing of Sandra Tsing Loh because she is incredibly witty and acerbic, and doesn't take herself or anything too seriously. And, she can write about the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles in language that makes it sound downright pleasant.

Loh is the Queen of the San Fernando Valley, once a farming community over the hill from Los Angeles, but now a burgeoning suburb. Los Angelenos consider the Valley a foreign country, and, truth be told, getting from Los Angeles to the Valley is, literally, an uphill battle over the Sepulveda Pass. But, even though I lived there and know of whence she speaks, you don't need to be a Valley Girl to appreciate her humor.

This book is a collection of essays on everything from temp jobs to frozen foods, being the less-perfect sibling, her late German mother and her eccentric Chinese father (who keeps importing and losing Chinese brides, and hitch hikes rides with Angelica Huston). Loh's eye is keen, and she can make the most mundane seem downright hysterical.

Loh is a self-professed procrastinator when it comes to pumping out her writing, and I wish she would do more. But, her columns in the late, lamented Buzz magazine were a scream, and I can only hope she gets more columns and books and maybe even a television show. She is a rare gem.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The consummate book on 1990s "Valley" Life..., March 19, 2001

By 

Kevin Brown "kevin78" (SoCal, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Depth Takes a Holiday (Paperback)

Like many people, I first discovered Ms. Loh through her essays published in the now defunct LA magazine Buzz. Her clear, heavy pop-culure laced writing style is enormously pleasable to read and usually elicits frequent, uncontrollable laughter. I have found myself reading passages from this book to friends, some of whom have never even been to the San Fernando Valley or its environs... and they still laugh! If you enjoy reading humourous stories from the twentysomething unemployment front, the neurotic dating scene, and treatises on the socioeconomic seperation between LA and the Valley, this is your book. Even if you don't, I'm sure you'll find at least a few essays to identify with if you're in your in your 20s-30s, over-educated/under-employed, slightly neurotic, or if you have ever been any of these.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally, a book that I can relate to., July 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Depth Takes a Holiday (Paperback)

Sandra Tsing Loh is like a long lost friend in Los Angeles. Not only can I relate to her essays of life's everyday situation, but she also does so in a hilarious kind of way. I often found myself actually laughing, especially when she talks about her dad in the essay "Daddy Dearest". It reminded me of my own dad almost to a 'T'. She makes you feel that life doesn't have to be serious all the time but to take life's adversity in a light-hearted way. One doesn't have to live in LA to relate to her essays because one can find themselves in similar situations. She gives great vivid details and that is the strength of the book. On the other hand, with her rambling, you kind of lose sight of her perspective but she quickly gets you back on track. This is one book that is definitely a keeper for anyone's personal library.