Review PRAISE FOR THEFT BY FINDING: "Starve and Struggle. Feast. Bloat. These are the three stages that all artists - with some variation - go through in their careers...So it's encouraging to read 25 years of David Sedaris's diaries, and not just because he manages to defeat Bloat. It's helpful to see that a voice as original, hilarious and sometimes as infuriating as his was put through the same Struggle and Starve meat grinder that most of us go through...No one escapes Bloat, but many survive it. Maybe not with the grace, whining, hilarity and eye-rolling that Sedaris does. But through all 25 years of "Theft by Finding" - of soap opera addictions and spider feeding, family kookiness and language lessons - Sedaris's developing voice is the lifeline that pulls him through the murk."―Patton Oswalt, New York Times Book Review"If it's hard to be funny, it's an astounding feat to stay funny--wildly, wickedly, ingeniously so--for more than twenty years. Yet David Sedaris has somehow pulled it off, in exhilarating essays that zero in on the absurd and the poignant with eviscerating wit and radiant humanity....Fans will no doubt delight in the entries that will turn into Sedaris's most beloved essays...We're treated to a portrait of the artist as a young man, albeit one with an old and singular soul." ―Fiona Maazel, O, The Oprah Magazine"A standout... Whether he's in an IHOP in Raleigh or his apartment in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, his eye for the absurd and the vulgar is infallible and his deadpan prose style inimitable...Here, the relatively artless diary entries, short and long, sequenced and non sequitur, add up to something we've never gotten before--a big, juicy narrative arc. It comprises 25 years of an essentially heartwarming success story, any potential ickiness kept in check by Sedaris's judicious minimalism."―Marion Winik, Newsday"Mesmerizing... Delightful... Sedaris describes the world around him... the vast and splendid array of human life that can be observed at IHOP, or the vagaries of fruit picking... Reading Theft by Finding is like watching a favorite play from behind the scenes, in the company of a friend who can identify what is absurd and heartbreaking and human about every person on stage."―Annalisa Quinn, NPR"Sedaris, a master of incisive and comic cultural criticism, is about to get more personal than ever...Theft by Finding reveals intimate details of this literary luminary's life and mind--all told with his singular sense of humor."―Harper's Bazaar"Sedaris fans will thrill to this opportunity to poke around in the writer's personal diaries, which he has faithfully kept for four decades and used as raw material for his hilarious nonfiction as well as his performances."―Paul S. Makishima, Boston Globe"If you've had the good fortune of seeing Sedaris on tour, you've probably heard him read from one of his snarky and hilariously solipsistic diary entries. Finally, they're collected in one place for the first time."―Entertainment Weekly"Randomly open to any page of Theft by Finding and you'll find a gem... Sedaris's gift is to make you stop and think one moment and laugh out loud the next."―Rob Merrill, Associated Press"Here, in these as-it-happened accounts and jottings, is a rich chunk of the mother lode from which David Sedaris has mined his personal essays and performances. The extracts in Theft by Finding cover what may be called the disconsolate IHOP years, when he was a college dropout, rootless casual worker and aspiring artist, and those during which he became a celebrity.... The appeal of these diary entries lies in their spareness and in Sedaris's boundless relish for the absurdity of life.... The Sedaris of these diaries is, above all, a connoisseur of annoying things and of bothersome and downright dreadful people." ―Katherine A. Powers, Washington Post"This is Sedaris, who can be wickedly funny as well as deliciously insightful about modern mores - so the nuggets are big and shiny and well worth panning for... His eccentric existence is eminently enthralling."―David Holahan, USA Today Read more About the Author David Sedaris is the author of the books Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Holidays on Ice, Naked, and Barrel Fever. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker and BBC Radio 4. He lives in England. Read more
T**L
The PG Woodhouse syndrome
David has become the PG Woodhouse of his era. Unfortunately, this includes publishing SOME reruns. Great writing as always and some tales are new. But you will be frustrated when you recognize you read that story before. I LOVE David but he needs to get out more.
E**Y
A firm "meh."
I'm normally a huge Sedaris fan but I had a tough time getting through this one. It's a collection of diary entries, the majority of them being very short, about three or four sentences, often covering the same topics again and again. As such, the first 2/3 of the book drags and I kept putting it down and coming back to it days later. It closes strong, with the entries becoming longer and the writing becoming engaging and humorous towards the end. I don't regret reading it but I do wish I'd just waited and checked it out of the library instead of forking over the cash.
N**A
Great read for David Sedaris fans
If you've read all of David Sedaris' books, attended one or more of of his performances, followed him on NPR or have read his magazine articles, you'll enjoy this book. I loved looking back on his younger years and early observations--and especially loved seeing his list of dreams and goals, and how many of them came to fruition. He also gave us a deeper view into his mom's alcohol addiction and his sister Tiffany's mental illness. I'd recommend this specifically to his fans and followers and look forward to reading his next 15+ years of diaries. I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't put it down and laughed a lot in the middle of the night. He just never disappoints.
J**L
Disarmingly addictive
I had trouble putting the Diaries down once I started reading. And what made that feel odd was that there was no plot or story line. I just couldn't wait to see what might happen next, where the author might go, and who he might meet up with along the way. Then, upon reaching the end, I wanted more. Thank you Mr. Sedaris for sharing your wit, humor and keen observations.
Y**L
Enjoyable on so many levels
Not only funny, but insightful, because I really find David's history and life and how he became who he is today to be fascinating. To say that I'm a fan of David Sedaris is to understate my devotion, because I literally cannot get enough of his work. I first saw David in person in a small bookstore, in Berkeley, before he made it big, and have delighted in seeing his success since. Whether reading or listening, I do it over and over. So true to form, I first bought this book, then downloaded it as an audio. I listened to it while driving 800 miles recently on a grim journey, and it was just the thing to lighten a tough time. David's voice is half the fun, but it's just as fun to read it in written form. I can't wait for the next issue, 2003-2017.
M**O
Read some of his other work before this - THEN read
Here’s the thing. This is not a book you sit down and start with of his work. In fact, he even states in his intro that he doesn’t expect people to pick this up and read it cover to cover. I chose to because I am seeing him on his tour and wanted to be prepared and have ready most of his books and love him. All of his previous work is funny and entertaining but this does take a darker dive into his life. You see a rawer side him but I do feel his wit shines through.If you are an avid David fan, read this after reading some of his other books. I was able to tie some of his diary entries his short stories! Like the time his brother almost drowned and he talked about in the story about his brothers weddinh in When You are Engulfed in Flames. It was pretty cool to see the diary entry where he talked about he and his brother swimming and almost drowning.But like I said - go into this later. Don’t let this be your first book of his.I found it cool to see the start of his stories. That he wrote in his diaries and then expanded in his essays in his books.
G**X
Thanks, David!
Can't emphasize enough how happy I am to have this as an audio book read by the author! A must for fans of David Sedaris. Contains all the quirky, human and spot-on observations we've come to expect from this writer, with liberal doses of his bravery in sharing his most intimate, personal thoughts and experiences, without a trace of spin. Always strikes me as totally honest--an admirable quality in everyone, but especially a writer! The decades-long span of the entries allow readers to witness close up his journey as a writer. Thanks, David!
M**A
The release of any new book by David Sedaris is always cause for celebration.
As far as I’m concerned, the release of any new book by David Sedaris is always cause for celebration. I don’t care if it’s another collection memoirs, fiction, or just one long account of him catching flies to feed to his house spiders in Normandy (yes, please). I don’t need to know anything about it ahead of time, my pre-order is placed at the first mention. In this case it’s 25 years of Sedaris’ diary entries. If you’ve read his books of autobiographical essays, this tome provides fascinating glimpses of periods and events you’ve read about before, from various forms of drug abuse, odd jobs, and faithful nightly visits to IHOP to interactions with his parents and siblings, life in France with his partner, sobriety, and life on seemingly endless book tours. Only this time it’s more personal, because – at least originally – these diary entries were simply written for Sedaris himself. It’s a pretty amazing thing to read what a person chose to record for and about themselves from age 21 to 46. I also thoroughly enjoyed all the mentions of David’s sister, Amy Sedaris. It’s clear she’s always been the glorious and talented weirdo she is today. I hope Sedaris intends to publish more of his diaries someday. I’ll be ready.
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