Too Soon to Tell [Paperback]

Calvin Trillin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1996

A collection of favorite columns pinpoints the ridiculous side of dog seat belts, golf in China, the Queen's audit, and Mel Gibson as the president of the United States. Reprint. NYT. K. PW.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Another collection of Trillin's short pieces has hit the streets, and he just gets better and better. A Midwesterner in his soul but a New Yorker in fact, Trillin's comic take on '90s life demonstrates his perfect pitch for the absurd again and again in these short and intelligent essays.

From Publishers Weekly

This collection of amiable satire draws from both Trillin's syndicated column and his writings for the New Yorker.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing; Warner Books ed edition (August 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446672300
• ISBN-13: 978-0446672306
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,061,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty but never mean, February 10, 2004

By 

Lynn Harnett (Marathon, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Too Soon to Tell (Hardcover)

Humorist Trillin's 1995 collection of the best of his "New Yorker" columns, maintains a consistent deadpan humor and amiable cynicism, whether the subject is bestselling writers who don't write their own books, teenagers' comprehension of rock lyrics, or the rehabilitation of Nixon.

Trillin is at his most caustic with politicians and icons of corporate culture. His wife and two daughters feature prominently, as always, allowing him to play the hapless, push-over curmudgeon. Wry and economical with words, Trillin takes on any aspect of American culture that strikes his fancy and gets to the nub of absurdity without ever resorting to sneers or viciousness. A delight, as Trillin's collections always are.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Flashes of brilliance, November 6, 2002

By 

Michael J Edelman (Huntington Woods, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Too Soon to Tell (Paperback)

Calvin Trillin has two qualities that distinguish him as a writer. One is a great talent for deadpan wit, and the other is a true amateur's enthusiasm for everything he tries.

The latter serves him best when he's writing about food, or about travel, or about everyday life in New York, but less so when he writes about politics and world events. His perspective on his own countrymen is often narrow, provincial, and downright condescending. He can't bring himself to admit that someone could hold different views from his and still be a moral person.

But no matter. There's still a nice variety of wit and droll observation contained in this volume to make up for the pieces that fall flat.