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David Sedaris

Happy-Go-Lucky Paperback – May 30, 2023

by David Sedaris (Author)

4.6 6,066 ratings

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David Sedaris, the “champion storyteller,” (Los Angeles Times) returns with his first new collection of personal essays since the bestselling Calypso

Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask—or not—was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes.

But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he’s stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most. To cope, he walks for miles through a nearly deserted city, smelling only his own breath. He vacuums his apartment twice a day, fails to hoard anything, and contemplates how sex workers and acupuncturists might be getting by during quarantine.

As the world gradually settles into a new reality, Sedaris too finds himself changed. His offer to fix a stranger’s teeth rebuffed, he straightens his own, and ventures into the world with new confidence. Newly orphaned, he considers what it means, in his seventh decade, no longer to be someone’s son. And back on the road, he discovers a battle-scarred America: people weary, storefronts empty or festooned with Help Wanted signs, walls painted with graffiti reflecting the contradictory messages of our time: Eat the Rich. Trump 2024. Black Lives Matter.

In Happy-Go-Lucky, David Sedaris once again captures what is most unexpected, hilarious, and poignant about these recent upheavals, personal and public, and expresses in precise language both the misanthropy and desire for connection that drive us all. If we must live in interesting times, there is no one better to chronicle them than the incomparable David Sedaris.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Back Bay Books
Publication date

May 30, 2023
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.95 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

031639243X
ISBN-13

978-0316392433
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Popular Highlights in this book

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Saul Bellow wrote, “Losing a parent is something like driving through a plate-glass window. You didn’t know it was there until it shattered, and then for years to come you’re picking up the pieces.”
Highlighted by 270 Kindle readers
It’s night, and a cop stops a car a couple of priests are riding in. “I’m looking for two child molesters,” he tells them. The priests think for a moment. “We’ll do it!” they say.
Highlighted by 251 Kindle readers
The terrible shame about the pandemic in the United States is that more than nine hundred thousand people have died to date, and I didn’t get to choose a one of them.
Highlighted by 228 Kindle readers

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Sublimely funny… Sedaris is back, doing the thing his readers have come to adore: offering up wry, moving, punchy stories about his oddball family… The pieces range widely, following the path of Sedaris’s travels and his eccentric mind, but a through line involves his nonagenarian father… This is one of the more complicated relationships of Sedaris’s life, and he is unflinching as he tries to understand who his enigmatic father was, and how living with him altered the shape of his own existence.”―Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic

“Sedaris’ signature wit has always thrived on the macabre, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that Happy-Go-Lucky is some of his darkest—and most astute—writing yet… No topic is out of bounds for Sedaris’ acerbic humor and sharp observations.”―Time

“Sedaris is funny—invariably. That’s his gift… Even amid the overwhelming gloom of the pandemic, a summer of unrest and the death of a father toward whom he still has complicated feelings, Sedaris never loses his wit or his crack timing.”―Tyler Malone, Los Angeles Times

“Consistently funny… when you’re dealing with a talent as outsize as Sedaris’s, even the missteps are fairly negligible… Rather, the lasting impression of “Happy-Go-Lucky” is similar to that of Sedaris’s other books: It’s a neat trick that one writer’s preoccupation with the odd and the inappropriate can have such widespread appeal.”―Henry Alford, New York Times Book Review

“Comically blistering… David Sedaris is the standard against which all other humor essayists are judged, the overwhelming heavyweight of the genre… Happy-Go-Lucky could serve as a textbook to readers dealing with the end times of their own parents with whom they don’t get along.”―Brian Boone, Vulture

“A new collection of poignant, honest and funny essays… Sedaris is simultaneously amusing and brutal while unflinchingly exposing the ironies of his family and life in general.”―Anita Snow, Associated Press

“Engaging… Sedaris recounts his lockdown experience with his customary blend of wry self-deprecation and affable misanthropy.”―Houman Barekat, The Guardian

"Hilarious… much of Sedaris’ humor comes from saying the quiet parts out loud—writing frankly about things most of us never mention."―Collette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times

“Sedaris, a perennial contrarian, has entered into a comfortable late-middle age that could sink a less determined writer… Happily for Sedaris’s fans, it will take more than prosperity to mellow him out: His trademark black humor and puckish misanthropy remain.”―James Tarmy, Bloomberg

“The older Sedaris gets, the funnier he gets—if you don’t mind your laugh out loud humor tempered with self-knowledge and compassion."―Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times

“Sedaris has long been frank about his lifelong disconnect with his father, but he has reflected more openly — and movingly — about it since his father reached his nineties… Happy-Go-Lucky is more somber than Sedaris' usual fare, but there are some fresh, funny bits wedged between the weighty boulders.”―Heller McAlpin, NPR

“Happy-Go-Lucky is like a reminder of an old friend who can still make you laugh out loud, but with a poignance now.”―Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune

“Sedaris's many fans will be filling up reserve lists for a fresh infusion of his unique candor and comedy… though his tone is more poignant than pointed, the essential Sedaris humor reassuringly endures. Amid the barbed quips, there is genuine sorrow, an empathy born of arduous experience.”―Carol Haggas, Booklist (starred review)

“A sweet-and-sour set of pieces on loss, absurdity, and places they intersect… Sedaris remains stubbornly irreverent even in the face of pandemic lockdowns and social upheaval.”―Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

David Sedaris is the author of twelve previous books, including, most recently, A Carnival of Snackery, The Best of Me, and Calypso. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and BBC Radio 4. In 2019, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He is the recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor, the Jonathan Swift International Literature Prize for Satire and Humor, and the Terry Southern Prize for Humor.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Back Bay Books (May 30, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 031639243X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316392433
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.95 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #10,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #10 in Parenting & Families Humor
- #14 in Humor Essays (Books)
- #21 in Essays (Books)

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4.6 6,066 ratings

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David Sedaris

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David Sedaris lives in Paris. Raised in North Carolina, he has worked as a housecleaner and most famously, as a part-time elf for Macy's. Several of his plays have been produced, and he is a regular contributor to ESQUIRE and Public Radio International's 'This American Life'.

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suzy

A more thoughtful Sedaris, still entertaining with laughter-provoking prose

Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2023

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The collection of essays/stories is more wonderful humor from David Sedaris. Some of the topics have been covered in the New Yorker before, and there is definitely a sadder tone to some of the essays, naturally, as they deal with his father’s death and that of his sister. That being said, this is a maturing (in a good way!) Sedaris as he goes through this stage in his life (success, getting older, health issues - his own and those who he cares for — contrasted with a younger, less successful David like the tales in Barrel Fever and Me Talk Pretty One Day. So it might not be my favorite of all his books (yes, I confess to having all of them), but still found it entertaining and at times heart wrenching. It still deserves 5 stars, as Sedaris is one of the best, funniest writers alive today (IMHO)!

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Mal Gormley

Quirky & Funny-ish

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2023

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This was not my first Sedaris. Me Talk Pretty One Day was my intro and it a great read. Corduroy fell flat and I didn't read any more for years, until seeing
Happy Go Lucky reviewed in The Times. This book is subtle and sad in many ways, but then I'd bust out laughing like the good old days. I'm gonna have to catch up.

3 people found this helpful

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JAMES

A bit darker than the rest

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2023

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I love love love Davis Sedaris, but this book feels more like therapy than memoir. I read it without the sense of glee that I usually have when I read his stories.
I still recommend the book if you’re a fan but I wouldn’t start here if you’re new to his writing.

2 people found this helpful

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ainsley

David Sedaris is the GOAT

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2023

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Love every. single. thing. he has ever written! Buy it ✨

2 people found this helpful

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bassgirl19

Not your typical Sedaris

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2023

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I've loved every Sedaris collection I've read. Many of them are full of laugh out loud moments.

But not this one. This has an entirely different tone; there were times I had to walk away to avoid crying.

I still am happy I read it, but be prepared.

17 people found this helpful

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Darcy

Heartfelt humor

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2023

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So many stories and thought provoking things go into making this book such a keeper. I was lucky enough to meet David in Hilo Hawaii, he was promoting this book. David signed copies of his book for hours before and after his show, he is so generous, and I am a huge fan. His stories can make your laugh out loud, and touch you at your very core and break your heart.

4 people found this helpful

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Karen Reid

A Summer Read

Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2023

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I heard a story on This American Life Years ago, told by David. It had me crying and laughing simultaneously...So, at KGO radio in San Francisco I had the opportunity to recount the story to him. I'm apparently not his only fan! His dismissivemiss did not deter me! Huge Fan!

One person found this helpful

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Haley C

Great essays

Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2023

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This book constantly has you turning the page due to the delivery style of David! Highly recommend. This is the first Sedaris book I’ve read and I just bought another!

3 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Excellent condition and print

Reviewed in India on August 29, 2023

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For personal entertainment

J. Fox

Funny stuff

Reviewed in the Netherlands on November 8, 2022

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Not his best book but funny and entertaining all the same!

Dave L.

A specific dry sense of humour required.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2023

Verified Purchase

You either love him, or hate him, but you must have a gay tollerance to appreciate him.

Len Rushton

Good comic writing and treatment of difficult lives

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2023

Verified Purchase

I've listened to a few talks on BBC Radio 4 from David Sedaris. They've been thoughtful and funny at times. I think I've probably reached a stage of overload, having read and listened to his books for a couple of days. Maybe a break and then a return would bring back the other star and make it five.

BRISTOLSTEVE69

More rambling tales

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2023

Verified Purchase

If you have read David Sedaris before, you know just how clever and witty his stories are, if you are unfamiliar with his style, this is a great place to start.
He is the master of the brilliantly observed rambling tale, a great story teller who can transport the reader to a different place with consummate ease.
His stories are engaging and funny, and often uplifting.
He did a series on monologues for the BBC radio, they should be available on iPlayer, I would thoroughly encourage you give them a listen, once you've heard his voice and delivery, you will immediately be gifted with the voice that brings the narrative to life.

2 people found this helpful

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