Automotive Holiday Deals BOTYKT Shop Women's Dresses Learn more nav_sap_SWP_6M_fly_beacon Rhonda Vincent egg_2015 All-New Amazon Fire TV Subscribe & Save Gifts Under $100  Street Art Project Amazon Gift Card Offer aos aos aos  Amazon Echo Starting at $49.99 Kindle Voyage AntMan Outdoor Deals on Amazon.com BGG

Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

  • Apple
  • Android
  • Windows Phone
  • Android

To get the free app, enter your email address or mobile phone number.

Qty:1
  • List Price: $16.99
  • Save: $4.98 (29%)
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Viva la Repartee: Clever ... has been added to your Cart
Want it Thursday, Dec. 10? Order within and choose Two-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

Ship to:
Select a shipping address:
To see addresses, please
or
Please enter a valid US zip code.
or
Condition: Used: Good

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon
Flip to back Flip to front
Listen Playing... Paused   You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more
See all 3 images

Viva la Repartee: Clever Comebacks and Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits and Wordsmiths Hardcover – November 1, 2005

4.4 out of 5 stars 42 customer reviews

See all 6 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions
Price
New from Used from
Kindle
"Please retry"
Hardcover
"Please retry"
$12.01
$3.00 $0.01
Paperback
"Please retry"
Get it before Christmas. Select delivery options in checkout.

Brave Enough by Cheryl Strayed
"Brave Enough" by Cheryl Strayed
From the best-selling author of Wild, a collection of quotes—drawn from the wide range of her writings—that capture her wisdom, courage, and outspoken humor, presented in a gift-sized package. Learn more | See related books
$12.01 FREE Shipping on orders over $35. In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Frequently Bought Together

  • Viva la Repartee: Clever Comebacks and Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits and Wordsmiths
  • +
  • Oxymoronica: Paradoxical Wit & Wisdom From History's Greatest Wordsmiths
  • +
  • I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like: A Comprehensive Compilation of History's Greatest Analogies, Metaphors, and Similes
Total price: $35.37
Buy the selected items together

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
Hero Quick Promo
Up to 85% Off Over 1,000 Kindle Books
Visit our Holiday Deals store and save up to 85% on more than 1,000 Kindle books. These deals are valid until December 31, 2015. Learn more

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Harper (November 1, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0060789484
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060789480
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1 x 7.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,372 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 98 people found the following review helpful By Robert Morris HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on November 1, 2005
Format: Hardcover
Those who have already read Grothe's Oxymoronica will thoroughly enjoy this volume in which he shifts his attention from "paradoxical wit and wisdom from history's greatest wordsmiths" to "clever comebacks & witty retorts from history's great wits & wordsmiths." Not surprisingly and in fact inevitably, many of the same wordsmiths are represented in both volumes, notably Robert C. Benchley, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), Winston Churchill, W.C. Fields, Dorothy Parker, and Oscar Wilde.

In his introduction, Grothe defines two terms which certainly apply to the selections which follow: citing the OED, a retort is "a sharp or incisive reply, especially one by which the first speaker's statement or argument is in some way turned against himself" and repartee is "1. A ready, witty, or smart reply; a quick and clever retort" and "2. Sharpness or wit in sudden reply; such replies collectively; the practice or faculty of uttering them." With great skill, Grothe creates a context within which each selection is the response. Here are four examples:

During a noted opera singer's "perfectly dreadful performance," one of the guests leaned over and whispered in President Calvin Coolidge's ear, "What do you think of the singer's execution?" to which Coolidge replied, "I'm all for it."

Shortly before his death, W.C. Fields (a lifelong agnostic) was visited by a friend who was astonished when he entered the hospital room. "What are you doing reading a Bible?" to which Fields responded "I'm looking for loopholes."

After losing the Republican presidential nomination to George H.W. Bush, Robert Dole was asked by a reporter how he felt. "Contrary to reports that I took the loss badly, I slept like a baby -- every two hours I woke up and cried.
Read more ›
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
31 of 34 people found the following review helpful By Jerry Saperstein HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE VOICE on December 2, 2005
Format: Hardcover
Whether for personal entertainment or plagarizing --- I mean, researching --- "memorable retorts, ripostes, combacks, quips, ad-libs, bon mots, off-the-cuff comments, wisecracks and other clever remarks," you'll find "Viva la Repartee" an invaluable source. Dr. Grothe has done considerable research of his or her own and assembled quite a collection.

Far more than once, I found myself spontaneously laughing at some of the clever wit on display in this relatively thin book. Dr. Mardy's commentary is also not only insightful, but amusing as well.

Put some brightness in your day and get this book. And if you're a writer of any kind, definitely get this book: it is a rich resource.

Jerry
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful By Mark T. Shaffer on February 18, 2006
Format: Hardcover
The format of this book is patterned after Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humor, a short paragraph establishing a joke or anecdote with the punchline indented below in bold face. Unfortunately, most of the anecdotes also seem to be borrowed from Asimov's treasury as well as its sequel, Asimov Laughs Again, and Dr. Grothe almost uniformly chooses the most well-known, least amusing witticisms for his book. Added to this fact is Dr. Grothe's tendency to talk down to his readers and laboriously explain why a joke is funny. Bill Watterson wrote once that the essence of humor is surprise, and there are very few surprises in Viva La Repartee.
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful By Bart King on May 27, 2006
Format: Hardcover
Much as overindulgence on bon-bons can lead to deleterious effects, so can feasting on too many bon mots. After staying up late and stuffing myself on the witticisms of George Bernard Shaw, Dorothy Parker, and company, I found myself looking for any angle to slip in a quip. And after reading this amusing and well-researched book, I am loaded with ammo.
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
29 of 34 people found the following review helpful By A. Lenhart on November 8, 2005
Format: Hardcover
Viva La Repartee is one of the most strangely crafted books that I have ever encountered. The prose in the Introduction, and to a lesser extent each of the individual chapter introductions, is very clunky with strange segways and poor organization. The author's use of the first person combined with the textbook/vocabulary lesson feel of the introductions (including a ridiculous textbook-style excercise in the Introduction) is extremely grating. There are far too many definitions (straight from the OED and other dictionaries) and at least one is repeated, verbatim, in a subsequent chapter. The author even defines the word classic. How stupid must he believe me, and the rest of his audience, to be? In Chapter 1, the author includes a self-aggrandizing anecdote about watching Frasier with his wife that seems to have no purpose other than serving as a demonstration of the author's intelligence. It was appalling, insultingly condescending, and arrogant, thus serving as a short demonstration of all that is wrong with the author's overall style.

That being said, the anecdotes that make up the bulk of the work are, for the most part, extremely well-written and enjoyable to read. They are succinct, interesting, and well-formulated. I wish I could say the same for the rest of the book.
3 Comments Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful By F. Hamilton on November 16, 2005
Format: Hardcover
_Viva la Repartee: Clever Comebacks and Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits and Wordsmiths_ by Dr. Mardy Grothe celebrates the art of the ingenious reply. Grothe distinguishes between various kinds of witty comments -- for example, the retort, which is a response to an insult, and a quip, which is a clever remark prompted by a situation.

In _Viva la Repartee_ Grothe follows the format that served him well in his previous books, _Never Let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You_ and _Oxymoronica_. He begins each chapter with a discussion of that chapter's theme illustrated by a few examples. Then he provides additional examples without discussion. Themes include repartee in the following areas: stage and screen, literature (one chapter being devoted to the Algonquin Round Table), politics, relationships, senior citizens, and sports. Other chapters feature chiasmus and oxymoron, the literary devices celebrated in Grothe's earlier books. The ultimate example of laconic repartee, in the chapter with that theme, is an exchange of telegrams, each consisting solely of one punctuation mark.

The gems in Grothe's earlier books could stand alone as brief quotations -- often no more than a sentence. However, in order to appreciate a reply, one must know the words and the situation that prompted it. _Viva la Repartee_, then, is a collection of anecdotes. Grothe masterfully crafts the set-ups for his rejoinders. In taut prose that could well serve as models for aspiring writers, he provides the details of time, place, and circumstance.

Most of the remarks featured in _Viva la Repartee_ were uttered by celebrities. Grothe's collection, which includes a helpful index of names, gives us personal glimpses that bring these people to life for us.
Read more ›
Comment Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Sending feedback...
Thank you for your feedback.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Report abuse

Most Recent Customer Reviews

Set up an Amazon Giveaway

Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers. Learn more
Viva la Repartee: Clever Comebacks and Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits and Wordsmiths
This item: Viva la Repartee: Clever Comebacks and Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits and Wordsmiths
Price: $12.01
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com



Want to discover more products? Check out these pages to see more: the films of jean harlow, how to be witty