Without Feathers (Mass Market Paperback)

by Woody Allen (Author) "Getting through the night is becoming harder and harder..." (more)
Key Phrases: Inspector Ford, New York, Vincent Dear Theo (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The title of Woody Allen's second collection of New Yorker-style sprint humor is a sly comment on Emily Dickinson's famous quote, "Hope is the thing with feathers." Without Feathers delivers Allen's hopeless schlub persona--you remember, what he used to be before he was either a lecher or an auteur, depending on your politics. In addition to being as funny as anything published since, to read Without Feathers is to return to a simpler time, when being a fan of his work was common, not controversial.

Though each piece is funny, two of them are particularly notable examples of Allen's distinctive style (borrowed in large part from S.J. Perelman by way of the Borscht Belt, but distinctive, nevertheless)--"The Whore of Mensa" and "If the Impressionists Had Been Dentists." Here's an excerpt from the latter:

Mrs. Sol Schwimmer is suing me because I made her bridge as I felt it and not to fit her ridiculous mouth! That's right! I can't work to order like a common tradesman! I decided her bridge should be enormous and billowing, with wild, explosive teeth flaring up in every direction like fire! Now she is upset because it won't fit in her mouth! She is so bourgeois and stupid, I want to smash her! I tried forcing the false plate in but it sticks out like a star burst chandelier.

Without Feathers is fine, funny prose, from an American master. If you're a fan, seek it out immediately. It's a document from the days when Woody was not important, but merely hysterically funny. --Michael Gerber

Product Description
Here they are--some of the funniest tales and ruminations ever put into print, by one of the great comic minds of our time. From THE WHORE OF MENSA, to GOD (A Play), to NO KADDISH FOR WEINSTEIN, old and new Woody Allen fans will laugh themselves hysterical over these sparkling gems.


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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (February 12, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345336976
• ISBN-13: 978-0345336972
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #103,011 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not Great like "Getting Even", June 24, 2002

By	Thor Vadir "herrdirektor" (Beverly Hills, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Without Feathers is good vintage Woody Allen writing. Interestingly, the breadth of essays contained in this book are a lot like his movies... there are great ones, there are good ones, and there are bad ones. I would say that this classifies the 18 different essays contained within this book to a tee with most of them landing in the "good" category. I've read all of his books, and I would say the most classic Woody Allen essay's are in Getting Even. I would recommend that anyone interested in reading a Allen book go there first, and then come to this one if they like it (plus it is in chronological order that way).

Perhaps the best thing about this book was not the essays but rather the two plays that were contained within. The play Death is hilarious, and ultimately was made into one of Woody Allen's films. This play gives an insight into how he writes primarily dialogue and very little description. Additionally, the play God was also very funny. The purchase is worth it to see the contrast between how Allen writes essays versus how he writes screenplays. The essays were good (not all that laugh out loud funny), but the plays were excellent.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny, July 7, 2003

By	LZ-1 (USA) - See all my reviews

"Without Feathers" was Woody Allen's second collection of humorous pieces, and probably his best. These originally appeared in the early 1970's, in magazines like "The New Yorker" and "The New Republic."

Some are short stories, like "No Kaddish for Weinstein" and "The Whore of Mensa." There are two plays, "Death" (the inspiration for Allen's "Shadows and Fog"), and the much better "God", a masterpiece of absurdity.

There are parodies of Encyclopedia Brown ("Match Wits with Inspector Ford") and Henrik Ibsen (the hysterical "Lovborg's Women Considered"), irreverent essays on English literature and civil disobedience, reviews of some very bizarre ballets, and more.

"Without Feathers" is fantastic and, as a bonus, much less expensive than many inferior humor books.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Typical Allen genius......, March 6, 1998

By	[e-mail] (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

Woody is at it again. This book is great comedy in Allen's usual, older style. After reading it, I FORCED friends to read it so I would have someone to discuss it with. I often read while riding the metro, and often had spectators by the end of a ride, while reading this book. They were wondering why I was laughing out loud. I am buying Allen's other books immediately...