Sex and Death to the Age 14 (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I can remember riding beside the Barrington River on the back of my mother's bicycle and she was shouting out and celebrating because we had..." (more)
Key Phrases: clamshell driveway, sparkling burgundy, trash truck, New York, Rhode Island, New England (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The five stories in this volume developed out of the author's work in avant-garde theater, in which he is renowned for conducting extemporaneous interviews with his audience and delivering monologues about growing up in New England. The provocative title promises to deliver insights about common experiences which, the reader expects, will be refracted through the nimble imagination of the narrator (Spalding Gray himself). However, the stories are not thought-provoking. Incidents are not tied togetherindeed, the abrupt breaks in the narrative are irritatingand the stories themselves are related only in that they recount the narrator's experiences. Finally, the self-absorption of the author is boring and distances the reader from the material. Not recommended. Michael J. Esposito, formerly with Special Libs. Assn., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Spalding Gray's monologues inspire a reaction rare in theatre: affection. You're aware of the art involved, but most of the time it might be you and he in a bar somewhere, two friends from way, way back."--Los Angeles Times

"In the same way an Ann Beattie story, a Woody Allen movie, or a Bob Dylan song might capture the essential quirks of a group or a generation, a Spalding Gray monologue exemplifies the current Zeitgeist."--Other Stages -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st edition (June 12, 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394742575
• ISBN-13: 978-0394742571
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #679,966 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Laugh out loud" - funny!, March 16, 2001

By	Hilde B (Norway) - See all my reviews

This book made me laugh. Laugh out loud! Over and over again...

Spalding Gray's "Sex, and Death to the Age 14" is autobiographical. Spalding Gray is funny, very funny, and a little... extreme. Sometimes you read and wonder if the author's fantasy is "running wild" or if he is flat out lying just to add the little extra to the story. But nevertheless, this is spot-on super-funny book, a book you can expect will crack you up, over and over again.

I am not giving away the story, but I can tell you that I found myself almost speed-reading though the pages, eagerly waiting for something that would crack me up (again). I read this book in big gulps at the time, and finished it in a few sittings. There are few books that I have read, that have truly made me laugh out loud. This is one of them.

A super-funny book!

(If you like this one - I suggest you read David Sedaris' "Me talk pretty one day")

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hwo could such a goof pay such close attention?, November 15, 2000

By	[e-mail] (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

These essays are nothing compared to hearing the man actually relate them, but are nonetheless invaluable illustrations of the human condition. Spalding Gray may never learn his lesson, at least not until he's had lots of time to obsess over his mistakes. This has been his MO since his first theater piece, and will prbably follow him to the grave. Never is his wit and hindsight better aimed than in this collection of mostly coming-of-age type pieces. Nobody but Gray could usurp the poweral archetype of nostalgic, recollected youth with such ease, without appearing to try at all. Of his works, this is probably my favorite, but I still must recommend an audio recording of it over even this fine smorgasboard of sex, death, oedipal complexes, obsessive behavior and rash judgments. Add the man's voice to it and it all almost makes sense.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved It., September 7, 2000

By A Customer

I read this book in one sitting, laughing so hard at some parts that I cried. This is the perfect book to read when you're home sick or stuck in an airport lobby. Spalding Gray is whacked out, but just sane enough that he could very amusing as your next door neighbor or distant cousin.