David Sedaris' latest collection is well worth reading, or even better, listening to. I listened to When You are Engulfed in Flames as an audio-book, read by the author. Sedaris' deadpan delivery is priceless. Four of the stories in this collection are recorded live. These stories are among the best in the collection, but they are enhanced by a live audience (those pregnant pauses, the anticipation, and the delirious laughter that follows each punchline).

Sedaris' stories (or essays, as they are often referred to) are amusing, presumably real-life, anecdotes about the mundane. These are like the stories told by the funniest guy at a dinner party.

As with any collection of stories (or essays), some are better than others. When You are Engulfed in Flames actually gets off to a weak start, leading off with the least engaging story in the bunch (It's Catching). The second story (Keeping Up) is amusing enough, but I was starting to think about listening to something else at this point. The next few stories were quite a bit funnier (I particularly liked Road Trips and What I Learned). By this point I was hooked. The audio version really hits its stride with the live readings of In the Waiting Room, Solutions to a Saturday Puzzle, Memento Mori, and Town and Country. The remainder of the collection doesn't maintain the same quality but all are entertaining enough (Of Mice and Men is the highlight of the `back end'). The final story, Smoking Section, is by far the longest story in the collection (25% of the CD space) and unfortunately, it's an uneven effort. Smoking Section feels like raw material that hasn't been properly culled. There is enough material in the story to create 3 or 4 short essays (I especially enjoyed David's foray into the world of competitive swimming). As it is, it lacks focus and rambles on.

In Canada we have a much beloved story-teller named Stuart McLean who is virtually unknown outside the Great White North (we also watch a uniquely Canadian television show called Corner Gas and drink coffee at a place called Tim Horton's). David Sedaris is similar to McLean in that he tells amusing anecdotes' to the delight of many; however there is a distinct difference. McLean is strictly G rated entertainment; sentimental and charming. Sedaris, while not R rated, is delivering PG material. Readers and listeners should be prepared for coarse language, sexual content, and references to recreational drug use. Some may find Sedaris' humour to be a little caustic. (Although many of us like caustic humour)

All in all, this is a highly entertaining collection of stories. If you don't feel inclined to read them all, I suggest you consider picking up When You are Engulfed in Flames and reading Memento Mori, Solutions to Saturdays Puzzle, Town and Country, In the Waiting Room, What I Learned, Of Mice and Men, and Road Trips. If you have access to the audio version, I highly recommend it. These are stories that were meant to be read out loud.

Awesome book, very funny. Laugh out loud funny, the whole way through. Going to order some other Sedaris books now!

I love to read over all the other reviews to see what other people are saying before I write my own review. This can take a while because I sometimes get sidetracked and start clicking on the reviewers pages, to see what other books they liked if I agreed with what they said. In this case, I was looking up all the reviewers pages who DIDN'T like this book because I'm like, if they didn't like this book, what the heck do they like? What would rate 5 stars in their opinions? (I wasn't impressed with the answer by the way) Anyway, I sometimes get the feeling that peoples expectations are just way too high. I know that different people have different types of humor and you can't please everyone. But to me, David Sedaris just covers so much ground that the rest of us have to tread too. I mean, even if you can't laugh at it surely you can relate? I have read all his books and he just makes me laugh so hard. To be perfectly honest here, I was originally going to say that this was not his best book and recommend Me Talk Pretty One Day or (why can't I think of the name of the one before that, which was my favorite?). But these other reviewers got me thinking. How much should a person really expect from a book? Should it hold the secrets to the universe? Should it have you rolling on the floor? Should it change your life? How much can one book do, really? Even the bible, for all its greatness, has some pretty dull moments. When I am reading a book, or watching a movie even, as long as I am engaged and entertained for that period of time I am pretty happy. If I'm bored or can't sit through it thats a different story, and that happens. But in a book like this if it keeps you reading while making you think a little, smile a lot, and laugh out loud a few times, what more do you want? It does this and its definitely worth the five stars.

David's reading is hysterical! He takes every day events, that we can all relate to, and makes you laugh! I've have his other book, but I want to order it on audio. Makes my drive to and from work fly by! I'd love to see him in person.

I would have to say I think this is my favorite David Sedaris book yet. There were times I laughed out loud while reading - which can be embarrassing if you're not home alone. You would think this man would run out of material but he just keeps writing!

My wife brought this book from work and I never heard of the author before. I was immediately taken by the cover. It made me laugh so I decided to read the book. WOW! It led me to the bookstores and to buy ALL of the available titles from this funny author.

I'm shocked that half of the reviewers here gave anything less than five stars. This is by far the funniest book I have read this year. He has a way of describing things in sick details but even that bursts me to laughter every time. Whether he is describing his goofy family or France, this man knows how to tickle each of the funny senses in all of us.

David Sedaris always makes me laugh, stop and think about how ridiculous my own life is. I keep his books around so I can pick them up from time to time and reread the best pieces.

Thanks for the CD audio book of Engulfed in Flames. Perfect condition, average shipment, Hope to do business again.

David Sedaris always makes me laugh, stop and think about how ridiculous my own life is. I keep his books around so I can pick them up from time to time and reread the best pieces.

We have loved listening to the discs, but the second package of sleeves is empty. We didn't notice it until this morning when we looked for disc 5. You can't imagine our dissappointment. This set has made us chuckle constantly while listening and throughout the day when something reminds us of the stories.

PLEASE send the second set of discs.

Thank you-
Barbara

I always buy the audiobook versions of David Sedaris' books because he reads them himself, and listening to him read, with his dry wit and elfin voice, sometimes innocent and sometimes sly, is half the fun. When You Are Engulfed in Flames is in turn amusing, laugh-out-loud funny, and, occasionally, somber and serious. The title is a riff on his stay in Japan, an example of the broken English he constantly ran across. Sedaris is no snob making fun of the Japanese, however, for he tells us of his hopeless attempts to learn Japanese, being the worst student in the class, and being able to learn only the very simplest phrases. While most of the book is humorous, some of it is moving, and the tale of a trip to visit the memorial to victims of the atomic bomb blast is harrowing. A theme running through the book is Sedaris' attempt to quit smoking, and he relates this experience as only he can. This might not be the best book for first-time Sedaris readers/listeners, but established fans will enjoy it.

It was a joy to read. An author like Sedaris doesn't come along very often. This was the first of Sedaris' books I've read. It had me belly laughing! I plan on reading his other book, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. It was #1 on the NYT bestseller list.
I bought When You Are Engulfed in Flames specifically to see how another person went about quitting smoking and that's the essay I read first. He gives me the inspiration, along with many laughs, to quit smoking
myself. I only wish we could all go to Japan to do
it. I think Mr. Sedaris has another bestseller on his hands.

My mind must work differently than some of the other reviewers! I just didn't find much humor in this book and by midway through I was considering not even finishing it...which is a no-no for me. I was getting tired of his self-indulgence.

I started reading this book at work and actually laughed out loud. I kept passing it around to read certain parts. I love David Sedaris!

One of the things I love most about David Sedaris's work is that one essay can send me running to the bathroom because I'm laughing so hard and the next can move me to tears. Not every essay has had much meaning for me but the majority are far better written than most of what passes for "literature" and best sellers these days. No one else has captured family moments, both poignant and hysterically funny, as well as Mr. Sedaris and I can't wait to see and hear him read his work aloud the next time he is in Ohio.

Once again, David Sedaris has written a hilarious account about his neurotic family and friends. I especially loved the story about the Stadium Pal. If you're looking for some huge laughs, you won't go wrong with this book.

Fans of David Sedaris will recognize, among certain other similarities to Socrates, Sedaris' disregard for "the unexamined life." In fact, it is Sedaris' unwavering introspection which sometimes fuels his critics' disdain--as if the act of writing directly from experience is somehow inferior to that of adopting the bogus omniscient voice so popular among hack columnists and Amazon.com reviewers such as this one.

In reading Sedaris' work, expressing as it does the mechanics of a certain mode of existence, I've felt many moments of personal recognition and even identification--experiences that almost convince me that I actually know Sedaris, even with the potential of confusing me into believing that *he* knows *me*, which could result in either scary or embarrassing results were I to attend a book signing after consuming two or three martinis.

Upon reading "Town and Country," however, I experienced not mere identification but genuine illumination. Sedaris brings the reader to find commonality not with his own experience, nor even with the pathos of some family member or stranger, but with humankind itself.

In *When You Are Engulfed in Flames*, Sedaris crosses the line from straight experiential reportage into ... well, wisdom. He does not preach. However, a life of introspection does seem, finally, to yield more profound results than this reader ever imagined.

Not only is it well worth reading, but it reveals a life well worth living.

Almost every book I've read by David Sedaris has elicited body-shaking and rather loud laughter. His latest, "When You Are Engulfed in Flames," is no exception. Those familiar with Sedaris' literary voice won't skip a beat; it's almost as if the time between this and his last book was a break in a conversation.

David Sedaris is a talented comedy writer. Oftentimes the back cover of his books has compared him to Mark Twain and Nathaniel West in terms of satirical aptitude. "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" does well to promote this idea.

I love cynical writings so David Sedaris is one of my favorites though this book is a bit more introspective and sensitive. As he gets older, he thinks things through more and understands the weaknesses and silliness of others and has come to understand their situations. Amazon had the best price on the book and I like that they mail in boxes so damage isn't done to the contents. Most sellers would use a bag for a book. I highly recommend both the book and the seller.

I've read David Sedaris' other books, and I wouldn't recommend doing it in public unless you enjoy being stared at by the people around you as you miserably fail to stifle your disruptive laughter. "Me Talk Pretty One Day" proved to be particularly disabling to read: I frequently laughed to the point of uselessness.

I had a couple of similar experiences while reading "Engulfed", but it was different than his past books too. I would say it's just as good as his previous works, but has a slightly different aim than they did. What Sedaris always does so well is keenly analyze things that most of us experience but immediately dismiss in the press day to day life. Instead of moving on, Sedaris lingers and recounts his experiences for his reader or listener with quirky insights that frequently remind you of your own fleeting thoughts or emotions in similar situations.

To me, that is the underlying appeal of David Sedaris. Typically, his insights are uproariously funny. In this case, they're a little more poignant and chuckle-inducing, but the experience of recognizing my own foibles in Sedaris' skewering of his own foibles is still the same treat it's been in the past.

Highly recommended for fans of Sedaris and for anyone who likes off-center insights on the world.

Sedaris's latest collection will be a disappointment for those keep up with his essays. All the essays in this volume, with the exception of the very last one, have appeared before --mostly in the New Yorker Magazine. The last piece is in diary form about his thre month sojourn to Japan --a trip he took to help him give up smoking. There are reflections on smoking and stopping smoking but also a kind of travelogue with descriptions and insights on Japanese cities and culture.
Check the Table of Contents. If you haven't already read the twenty-one essays in the first 240 pages you will love this book. It is pure Sedaris at his best.

Sedaris can be very funny. I mean laugh out loud funny. But except for two of his early-in-the book side splitters, the rest of the book was so- so. He could be very good if his editors would be honest with him. If his book had been funny all the way through, I would be looking for some of his other books. Nice try, but it needs more work.

Yes, I've heard a couple of these stories when he came to town and I have read some of the stories in the New Yorker. There is nothing like having them all bound together for my reading pleasure. His writing voice is undeniable as well as his speaking voice.I try to hear his voice when reading his hilarious adventures with his family and esp. his partner in Europe. I loved this book!!!! It is a lot somber than previous work but I think "non-Sedarites" should allow an author to grow up,change course to breath(literally). Fans get a copy for your collection.

I can't get enough of David Sedaris. His writing is incredibly funny, witty, and thoughtful. His stories make the reader reflect on his/her own life, but in a way in that makes it possible for him/her to laugh about it. I honestly could not stop laughing aloud!

David Sedaris is back with more witty and entertaining stories of his life, his family and his thoughts on the world. He continues to make astute observations of the world and its quirks and writes about them in a way that keeps the pages turning. Stories of his childhood and adult life as well as tales of his family never cease to amuse. His writing style is brilliant and he is a true talent. Unfortunately, his storytelling has aged like a good wine and has softened around the edges. In some ways this is good because it makes for a solid whole, but it is not laugh out loud funny like some of his earlier works - specifically Me Talk Pretty One Day. I smiled a lot and chuckled a few times, but gone are the days of aching bellies and tears streaming down the face so heavily that you can't read. The writing has taken on a darker and more mellow edge over the years. However, I continue to be a fan and always hold out hope that one of these stories will bring me to laughter and tears.

David Sedaris has the knack for turning something typical into something hysterical. I read a little bit of this on a flight and I am sure the other people on the plane thought I was crazy laughing out loud!

and this book is no exception. I enjoyed "When you are Engulfed in Flames" as much as "Me Talk Pretty One Day" and "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim." Sedaris is a master of the fish out of water story, with most of engulfed taking place in Japan. The book flows well except for one or two chapters that are unrelated short stories. I'm not a fan of Sedaris' writing when he strays from his own life stories. The only minor issue I had with the book is that I received the large print version. I was on the list for first available copies so maybe the large print version came out first?

Wonderful flights of fancy by David Sedaris, writer of Barrel Fever. As with all Mr. Sedaris' books, the reader finds jaw-dropping prose and a chance to laugh out loud, a rare occurrence nowadays.

I have been reading this book every night since I got it last week. What a way to fall asleep - giddy and high on life. Sedaris brings awareness to all of us with humor ; I have to bring a box of tissues to bed as I laugh so hard I cry! I am sad to think I am almost to the end of this delightful look at our human connectedness. I swear Sedaris and I are married to the same man! When not laugh out loud funny - it is spiritually relevant and touching - a gem.
Jennifer Oakland, CA.

A great book to read on the subway as long as you are not embarrassed to laugh in the company of strangers. Typical Sedaris wit and observations of the mundane day-to-day.

This was my first Sedaris book. I must say, I highly enjoyed his humor. I plan on reading his other five books.

I have read several of David Sedaris' books and I have enjoyed all of them. Until this one. I feel like he is starting to run out of grist for the mill in his own life and his stories are starting to get a little thin. I would not recommend this book to people who have read his previous books and enjoyed them.

If anything should be engulfed in flames, it's Sedaris's latest collection of autobiographical musings, which was a total disappointment. Part of the problem may have been my high expectations. I loved Me Talk Pretty One Day, but can't say the same for a single one of the twenty-two stories included in this book. He still has the ability to see humor in almost any situation, but delved too deeply for me into uninteresting, inappropriate subjects. Here are my titles for some of the stories: A Slow Soporific Sayonara to Smoking, , The Unexpectedly Expletive Elderly, Scoring a Skeleton, Bon Jour to Monsieur Molester, The Bestiality Boys (I mean Girls), Winged Window Wackers, Pathetic Passenger Pixxed on a Plane, Risperdal and the Rotten Roommate, and Boil-Piercing Peril. David Sedaris a colorful character and excellent humor writer. But he missed the humor mark this time and crossed the line into inappropriate subject matter. Better: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris.

David was being David, but I was looking for more. I found myself getting bored during parts of the book. This was supposed to be a summer get-way book, but lacked in the sizzle.

Hoping David will find some new, fresh material for the next one.

In When You Are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris explores a new world, Japan, but this time he's on a mission... one of giving up smoking! It's as raucous as his escape to Paris and Normandy in Me Talk Pretty One Day but with an eastern twist that transcends all languages.

It doesn't seem to matter in which country Sedaris happens to find himself or in what language he's describing what he's seeing or doing, it is always a treat to hear what he has to say. And if you've ever heard him tell one of his stories on radio... or in person, it's like he's there with you and he brings to mind that especially memorable character from your childhood or that one-of-a-kind friend that you just don't seem to hear from often enough.

Sedaris is always relevant and always on point. He makes you want to say 'I wish I said that' or 'how does he come up with this stuff?' He insisted in a recent Time interview that he's a great exaggerator but that less than three percent of his words are fiction 'and that 97% is true enough.' He reminds me very much of a young Art Buchwald with his `I couldn't make that up' form of storytelling but with a little more irreverence in his tone.

I'm sure that you'll either love him or you'll hate him but I haven't met anyone in the latter category yet. The 48-year-old Sedaris is actually the swinging bamboo bridge that spans the 40-year gap between my 27-year-old daughter Julia and myself [Happy Birthday!]. He's a joy to read at any age but for a treat you can search the NPR archives for 'David Sedaris' and listen to him deliver one of his many classics monologues to be found there. You'll laugh too...

Totally disappointed after reading it. I struggled to get through it actually. It was more depressing than entertaining. Such a let down after being so excited to read another Sedaris novel.

In When You Are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris explores a new world, Japan, but this time he's on a mission... one of giving up smoking! It's as raucous as his escape to Paris and Normandy in Me Talk Pretty One Day but with an eastern twist that transcends all languages.

It doesn't seem to matter in which country Sedaris happens to find himself or in what language he's describing what he's seeing or doing, it is always a treat to hear what he has to say. And if you've ever heard him tell one of his stories on radio... or in person, it's like he's there with you and he brings to mind that especially memorable character from your childhood or that one-of-a-kind friend that you just don't seem to hear from often enough.

Sedaris is always relevant and always on point. He makes you want to say 'I wish I said that' or 'how does he come up with this stuff?' He insisted in a recent Time interview that he's a great exaggerator but that less than three percent of his words are fiction 'and that 97% is true enough.' He reminds me very much of a young Art Buchwald with his `I couldn't make that up' form of storytelling but with a little more irreverence in his tone.

I'm sure that you'll either love him or you'll hate him but I haven't met anyone in the latter category yet. The 48-year-old Sedaris is actually the swinging bamboo bridge that spans the 40-year gap between my 27-year-old daughter Julia and myself. He's a joy to read at any age but for a treat you can search the NPR archives for 'David Sedaris' and listen to him deliver one of his many classics monologues to be found there. You'll laugh too...

While looking though the other reviews of this collection of essays, I have to admit that most reviewers seem to be leaving out an important aspect of this book. Yes, David Sedaris is an amazing author with the ability to turn minor day-to-day traumas into laugh-inducing tales, but he is also excellent at portraying the less-than-glamorous side of life into riveting, sometimes shocking tales that often make the reader reflect upon their on life experiences. I found that this collection is filled with more of the latter and less of the humerous essays, which isn't a bad thing. Granted, I will admit that I prefer the ones that make me laugh out loud, and there are a few of those in this book, but not as many as his others; this book seems to be more of a reflection on happenings that have shaped or touched the auther. While I have thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good read, maybe a warning could be issued to some Sedaris fans that this collection is definitely on the heavier side and that this is not a book filled with laughs, though, of course, it does have it's moments!

The only thing better than reading Dave Sedaris, is hearing Dave Sedaris read Dave Sedaris aloud.

excellent book. painting on front cover great but typography is not.
excellent satire, social comment, humor writing.

It's sort of a "no-win" situation to try to review an author like David Sedaris. I ACHE to be as funny as he is, but sadly, it's just not there. The scenarios he describes are so familiar, and some of his observations are things that you might have thought, but could never articulate.

The best thing I can say about his humor, (and that of his sister, Amy Sedaris; man, to be at their Thanksgiving table!) is that most of their humor is just WRONG, and that's what makes it soooo gosh darn fun!

My first david sedaris book, I laughed out loud many times during the reading. His self deprecating humor and novel views on the mundane are brilliant. I'll be ordering some of his older works.

As a Sedaris fan I was very disappointed in this book. Sedaris just seems to be throwing this out there with none of the crafted brilliant writing that characterized his earlier work. It is as if success has made him think less of himself, less of his readers and less of his work.

David Sedaris is hysterical! This book of essays had me laughing out loud..regardless of where I was reading it ( so there are some people on the subway that moved quickly away from me...who cares!) His writing style is so comfortable that it is as if you are sitting across from him in a cafe ( or a bar) and he is relaying the crazy events of his life to his closest friend. This book, along with all of his others, are fantastic. They are easy reads and guaranteed to have even the grumpiest person laughing in spite of themselves.

Another very enjoyable audiobook in the tradition of Sedaris. Perfect for listening on long car trips.

This book was really hard to review! How exactly do you explain 'I hated this book and couldn't stop reading it. You might like it, too!'

Personally, I did not like this book. Each time I put the book down, I swore I wouldn't read any further. His stories left me with an odd, indecipherable feeling; sort of disturbed and a little melancholy. Mostly I just felt sorry for the author, like he was a guy that couldn't quite get a break, always a bit of bad luck following him. But a few hours later, maybe the next day, I would find myself picking it up and reading on...until I would set it down again and so on. I couldn't bring myself to call it quits, I felt compelled to keep reading.

It was while writing this review that I pinpointed what kept me engaged in the book. Like it or not, David Sedaris weaves you into his stories in a way makes you almost certain you were there, too, like he's triggered a memory just about to drop off the radar of your mind. His style of writing was rich and realistic; I found myself identifying with the way he organized his thoughts and how he digested the circumstances of others around him.

I don't feel I've much useful information to offer about the book beyond what I described: his writing is great but the content is for you to decide!

I can't understand for the life of me how this book got on the bestseller list. It's just boring and not funny or witty or insightful in the least.

As always, Sedaris is self-depreciating, witty, and not for the faint of heart! Read at your own risk... and where you are comfortable laughing out loud. Trust me, it hurts trying to hold the laughter in while reading the passages about throat lozenges or being beat over the head with a spoon by your father while your granny... (well, you need to read it for yourself)

When you are Engulfed in Flames is a more mature and serious work from Sedaris. Just like the rest of us, he is growing up. Death, the comfort and security of old relationships, and the humility of age are all thematic elements in this text. However, that is not to say that Sedaris has lost his inimitable sense of style and humor. Flames is a seriously funny book, but it has more pages between the laugh out loud antics of some of Sedaris' earlier works.
I am still amazed at how quickly Sedaris can change emotions so completely and perfectly in the same sentence. His essay in this collection "Adult Figures Charging Toward a Concrete Toadstool" is an excellent example of this ability. Besides being entertaining, he is a seriously good writer who holds up to critical scrutiny. Enjoy. (You will)

I have loved all of David Sedaris' books and this is no exception BUT I recently ordered Michael Ian Black's My Custom Van and think this is an amazing read! 50 fun little essays that will have you doubled over laughing so hard. It is smart, silly and thoroughly enjoyable. Check it out. Yes, buy the new Sedaris book but make sure you buy Michael Black's book too. You won't regret it.