My Dam Life (Condon) (Travel Literature) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Fans of offbeat travel literature rejoice! Condon, coauthor of Sean and David's Long Drive (1996) and Drive thru America (1998), returns with this hysterical, delightful, and (mostly) true account of his temporary residence in Amsterdam. The story begins when Condon's wife, a magazine editor, is transferred from the couple's home in Australia to the Netherlands; before they can settle in (finding a comfortable home in Amsterdam is next to impossible), the magazine folds, and our heroes are unemployed, fast approaching penniless, but determined to make a go of it in their new country. Condon's wife, Sally, takes a job in a theater box office, while he joins an up-and-coming (they hope) advertising agency and, later, accepts a series of peculiar writing assignments. He also, out of a combination of desperation and whimsy, applies for an assortment of oddball jobs, including scheduling programs for a Dutch television station. Chuckles abound. Stylistically and philosophically, Condon is as close to Bill Bryson as it's possible to be. He mixes fascinating facts with hilarious humor, peppers the book with an assortment of wild and wonderful supporting characters (Francis Ford Coppola and Monica Lewinsky, if you can believe it, make cameo appearances here), and keeps us thoroughly in stitches from beginning to end. This one's an absolute must-read. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

…a smart and funny book' -- San Francisco Chronicle

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet (February 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0864427816
• ISBN-13: 978-0864427816
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #423,870 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #94 in

  Books > Travel > Europe > Netherlands

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Agonizingly self-absorbed, November 29, 2006

By	Steve Jones (Missouri, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a thoroughly irritating book. If you are seeking a useful perspective on Amsterdam, the Netherlands, or the Dutch, there is very nearly zero content of interest.

That Condon could live in one of the most interesting cities in Europe for 3 years, write a book about it and say so little about the place is astonishing - a true testament to his self absorption.

I found myself cringing at the relentless focus on his apparent worthlessness, handled without insight, and with lame attempts at humor that rarely work.

The only two interesting characters in the book, his wife and Keith, are barely covered. I found myself wishing to hear more about them, only from someone else.

One can only wish that someone would return his video games and take away his word processor.

Having said all that, I did give him 2 stars instead of 1 because of his few brief asides regarding the oddness of his occasional interactions with celebrities were insightful and interesting. It mirrored some of my own experiences and really captured the tone.

21 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars My 'dam pathetic unemployed life, October 13, 2005

By	Paul L (California, USA) - See all my reviews

I found this book to be a complete waste of time; the only reason I even bothered to finish it was because I had some of these (seeded?) positive reviews lingering in my mind and I kept expecting it to get better.

Although the book does offer some insight into a certain sub-culture in the Netherlands (with a sprinkling of humor here and there), I should have taken the hint from some of the previous reviews before I ordered. As others have alluded, this is more of an autobiography than a book about the city or the culture. And a worthwhile autobiography it is not - I wasn't particularly impressed with the way the author chooses to live his life as a lazy unemployed slob while his wife struggles to make ends meet.

I feel generous giving it two stars - the second star appearing mainly for the catchy title and the sporadic bits of humor.

16 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Self absorbed, January 2, 2004

By A Customer

Boring. Sean comes across as self absorbed, lazy and whiney. The laughs seem forced. The story meanders and doesn't seem to go anywhere or achieve anything. It's probably a personal preference, but I prefer my travel books to reveal some sort of journey - spiritual, emotional or physical, and this book is not one of them. Shallow and pointless. Try other aussie travel writers such as Sarah MacDonald's 'Holy Cow'or Sarah Turnbull's 'Almost French'instead.