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Possible Side Effects [BARGAIN PRICE] (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "The first time I was star-struck, the object of my affection was a glamorous Eastern Airlines stewardess..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, Possible Side Effects, Tooth Fairy (more...)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (116 customer reviews)


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  Hardcover, Bargain Price, May 2, 2006 -- $4.49 $2.75
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

These often hilarious, sometimes contrived essays put the "me" in "confessional memoir" front and center. Burroughs recounts scenes from the floridly dysfunctional childhood chronicled in his bestselling Running with Scissors, along with vignettes from various bad jobs, including his travails at an ad agency, and his life as a famous writer. His theme is himself: his struggles with alcoholism, a voracious Nicorette habit, compulsive Web surfing, slovenliness, social isolation, unfitness for employment, gross bodily emissions and general embarrassment at being alive. The thin story lines—a visit from the tooth fairy, a trip to the doctor, house-training a puppy—suggest that Burroughs's well-mined vein of life experience may be played out. He fattens up the material—a (Frey-inspired?) disclaimer warns some events have been "expanded and changed"—in ways that sometimes ring false, especially in his childhood reminiscences, which are improbably detailed and infused with an adult sense of camp. Often, though, the only thing animating the writing is the author's perverse imagination. Fortunately, Burroughs has superb comic sensibility, throwing off sparkling riffs on everyday humiliations in a voice that's alternately caustic and warm, bitchy and self-deprecating. His self-involvement can get claustrophobic, but when he steps outside his head no one is funnier or more perceptive. (On sale May 2)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.


From Bookmarks Magazine

Augusten Burroughs offers a post?James Frey "dishonesty disclaimer" (New York Times) at the beginning of Possible Side Effects, a provocation that has reviewers scouring the essay collection for signs of the improbable. Sure enough, there's plenty of material that fits the bill, but critics don't seem to mind the tall tales as long as they're in on the joke. The loudest complaints are that the new book mostly retreads the best-selling Running with Scissors (***1/2 Nov/Dec 2002) and Dry and that the quality of these "new" tales varies tremendously. Burroughs's knack as a humorist dampens some of the dissatisfaction, but it might be prudent for him to change his shtick for his next book.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.


Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: St. Martin's Press (May 2, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312315961
  • ASIN: B00119M106
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (116 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #387,179 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #54 in  Books > Bargain Books > Biography > Family & Childhood
    #77 in  Books > Bargain Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness

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Augusten Burroughs
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Possible Side Effects
55% buy the item featured on this page:
Possible Side Effects 3.9 out of 5 stars (116)
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Running with Scissors: A Memoir
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Magical Thinking: True Stories
9% buy
Magical Thinking: True Stories 3.8 out of 5 stars (175)
$10.08

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Customer Reviews

116 Reviews
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 (31)
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2 star:
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (116 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
42 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Though far from this author's best efforts, this is very funny and enteraining throughout, May 13, 2006
By I. Sondel "I. Sondel - lover of the arts" (Tallahassee, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
This review is from: Possible Side Effects (Hardcover)
I'm a huge fan of Burroughs. Like most, I first discovered him through his mega-selling "Running with Scissors." I quickly devoured his hysterical novel "Sellevision." I was less impressed with his memoir "Dry," but fell in love all over again when I read his true story collection "Magical Thinking." "Possible Side Effects" is more dry than magical, and shows the author at a crossroads. Though consistently amusing, many pieces in this new collection seem forced and find the author overreaching for a laugh, while still others feel deriviative of those previously published, or rather they seem as though they may have been leftovers - stories that didn't quite make the "Magical" cut.

Still there are many rewards in "Possible Side Effects." My two favorites in this collection were: "The Georgia Thumper," which focuses on the troubled relationship between the young Burroughs and his paternal grandmother; and "The Forecast for Sommer," which is some of the strongest prose writing yet from this author. Deeply felt, though unsentimental, "The Forecast for Sommer" betrays the author's talent for dramatic, melancholy writing and provides a promising glimpse into his future and better things to come.
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37 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars ONE OF MY HEROES , May 4, 2006
This review is from: Possible Side Effects (Hardcover)
more weirdness from my favorite writer. vignettes ranging from being terrorized by the tooth fairy to a dog named cow. delighted to see an appearance from his bizarre family again. maybe because his family's neurosis resembled mine. slightly twisted, slightly campy, always funny. some might find his humor a little too dark, not me. he's also discovered he's no longer unrecognizable to the public. my favorite chapter is the one on his brother who for years went undiagnosed with asperger's syndrome, a mild form of autism. their interaction with each other is often hilarious, and I loved his brother's nickname's for his family, augusten was "varmint", mom was "slave" and dad "stupid". the back flap has augusten's website address. where he previews his next three books. many giggles throughout, and every bit as funny as anything david sedaris has written. seemingly effortless writing, and razor sharp wit. some may say that it's not up to his usual high standards, but I disagree.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Another laugh-fest from Augusten, March 21, 2008
By Melissa Niksic (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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I was a little worried when I started reading "Possible Side Effects," because the first couple of chapters are kind of slow going. However, I am a big fan of everything Augusten Burroughs has ever written, and this book is no exception. It didn't take long for the pace to pick up and for me to start laughing my ass off. This book isn't a full-length memoir like "Running with Scissors" or "Dry." It's a collection of humorous stories, very similar to "Magical Thinking." Burroughs shares stories from his disturbing childhood all the way through to his present-day, slightly more normal (but still incredibly quirky) life. The stories aren't arranged in any particular order, and there are some really, really good ones in here. My hands-down favorite chapter is "Moving Violations," which describes the author's experiences driving around with his friend Druggy Debby during his teenage years, startling bad drivers by flashing them with enlarged photos of hard-core porn. (I laughed so hard reading that part, my husband actually stepped away from his computer game to see what the hell what was so funny. That is HUGE.)

If you want to read a book written by America's funniest and cleverest writer, "Possible Side Effects" is for you.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Burroughs Has Lost the Magic
Burroughs is definitely a one trick pony and the books are getting progressively worse. Running with Scissors was hilarious, although not really all that believable. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Stephen Keith Moses

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great book.
It really is hard to put down, and there is something on every page that makes me laugh. A great, entertaining book.
Published 26 days ago by Olena Ivanina

5.0 out of 5 stars great book.
this book was very witty and it was a great memoir by augusten. i used this book for a author report and it was a very great choice i made. (:
Published 3 months ago by alyyrose

5.0 out of 5 stars Classically Burroughs!!
So if you liked Running With Scissors and Dry you will love this book! It was so funny i read it in 2 nights!! Read more
Published 4 months ago by O. K. Spears

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining At Times
I wouldn't say that this collection of essays was bad. As a matter of fact, there were some very funny moments, a few touching moments, and some moments that made me cringe... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Michael Hogan

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this kind of writing

I had a bad nosebleed in a plane once too, so I feel for Augustan! In my case, I was just a small kid though and it stopped bleeding soon and wasn't as bad and embarrassing... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Connie Fitzwilliam

1.0 out of 5 stars I Didn't Laugh Once
I Didn't Laugh Once - not once! As others have said, I couldn't get through the first 4 stories. All I kept thinking was, "This guy wishes he was, and is trying to be, David... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Happy Baby = Happy Parents

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, seriously
Seriously, this is a book that you just want to tell everyone about. You will laugh out loud multiple times throughout it. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Leslie Newman

5.0 out of 5 stars Possible Side Effects
This is a great book! I enjoy every book by Augusten Burroughs! What a great novel!
Published 6 months ago by Jill Marshall Thomas

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this kind of writing
I had a bad nosebleed in a plane once too, so I feel for Augustan! In my case, I was just a small kid though and it stopped bleeding soon and wasn't as bad and embarrassing as... Read more
Published 6 months ago by connie fitzwilliam

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