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  • Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

  • By: David Sedaris
  • Narrated by: David Sedaris
  • Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (719 ratings)
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Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim cover art

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
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Summary

In his newest collection of essays, David Sedaris lifts the corner of ordinary life, revealing the absurdity teeming below its surface. His world is alive with obscure desires and hidden motives, a world where forgiveness is automatic and an argument can be the highest form of love. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is another unforgettable collection from one of the wittiest and most original writers at work today.
©2004 David Sedaris (P)2004 Time Warner AudioBooks

Critic reviews

Audie Award Winner, Humor and Short Stories/Collections, 2005
"In his latest collection, Sedaris has found his heart. This is not to suggest that the author of Me Talk Pretty One Day and other best-selling books has lost his edge. The 27 essays here include his best and funniest writing yet....What emerges is the deepest kind of humor, the human comedy." ( Publishers Weekly)
"Sedaris is a careful writer, with a no-muss, no-fuss style that rarely misfires." ( The New York Times Book Review)
"Sedaris' piquant essays are as meticulously honed and precisely timed as the best stand-up comic routines, which is, of course, what they are....Sedaris, openly gay, nervy as a tightrope walker, sharply hilarious, teasingly misanthropic yet genuinely compassionate, has a unique ability to supply exactly the right details to bring every funny, awkward, ludicrous, painful, horrible real-life moment into harrowingly crisp focus....He is mesmerizing." ( Booklist)
"Sedaris has a satirical brazenness that holds up next to Mark Twain and Nathanael West." ( The New Yorker)

What listeners say about Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Outstandingly sad, funny and bitchy family life

I had never read anything by David Sedaris before this and imagined he would be a sort of angry young man railing against modern life etc. Instead I found his stories of his large and characterful family much more of a gentle and dare I say heart-warming experience. Certainly he doesn't shirk from portraying people as they really are. For example the tragedy of a sister who struggles with mental illness and who is openly hostile when her brother pays a visit, a neglected child who is also a miniature demon and a mother whose drinking habits make her behaviour erratic and a danger to her children, but overall there is warmth, humour and understanding in his writing. The section about his brother's wedding is comic heaven (including the 'thing' his brother trains his Great Dane to do) and by marrying into this family, his sister-in-law must be one of the most tolerant women on earth. I thoroughly enjoyed the author’s reading of this wonderful collection of snippets from his family life and will most definitely be listening to more.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

WEIRD AND WONDERFUL

Any additional comments?

His ability to focus on his own (self-perceived) failings, his bitterness, his humour, his sarcasm and his wit make David Sedaris one of the best "listens" available. Love him.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Funny looks on public transport

I made the mistake of listening to this for the first time on a long train trip. This caused a lot of embarrassment since it is genuinely laugh out loud funny! David Sedaris reads the essays himself and get the timing just right for maximum amusement.



I first heard of him from a few readings he did on Radio 4. A couple of those essays are repeated here but there is more than enough unheard material to make this a worthwhile purchase.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great entertainment

Would you listen to Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim again? Why?

I would not listen to it again because no satire/comedy can be as enjoyable as the first time you listen/read to it. But for sure it has been a great entertainment.

What did you like best about this story?

The beauty of David Sedaris is to be able to tell everyday life events (which otherwise would be completely uninteresting) in a way to make them look incredible and almost unbelievable. If you think for a second you will feel that most of the things he talks about happen to everyone, but when he talks about them they look absolutely absurd.

What does David Sedaris bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

He reads the story putting passion and making you feel part of it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Why not. The only remark is that, even though as I said before David Sedaris adds passion to the stories he reads, he does not have a great voice. I find it annoying after a while so it would be hard to listen to it for more than 30/40 minutes at a time.

Any additional comments?

I really laughed.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Worth a listen

Where does Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A good book, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris is
very funny in places. Well worth buying.

What other book might you compare Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim to, and why?

.

Have you listened to any of David Sedaris’s other performances? How does this one compare?

.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

.

Any additional comments?

.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Kept me awake laughing

What did you like most about Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim?

It's hilarious! It's also very well written, which makes it lovely to listen to.

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favourite character was Rooster, his brother. The chapter about Rooster's baby is extremely funny and very surprising. Rooster seems to be taking it well as he has his own website.

What does David Sedaris bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

The accents and the pauses really bring it alive. I don't think I would have laughed as much if I had read it.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No, it's not a moving book particularly.

Any additional comments?

I listen to audiobooks to help fall asleep but that was a mistake as I kept chuckling and chuckling. I also had lots of stories to share with friends the next day, as Sedaris says so many surprising things (did you know you can have a gun license if you are blind in some American states?) A friend recommned this and I did not enjoy Me Talk Pretty One Day so much I wanted to run out and get this - but I am SO glad I did. This was terrific.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • C
  • 07-04-13

PERFECT EASY LISTENING

Delivered deadpan, this memoir is a joy. Very funny and evocative of time and place. Wonderfully read by David Sedaris himself. It's perfect easy listening, good to pick up as and when you can. Thoroughly recommend.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Slightly disappointed

Not as good as other Sedaris books. The recording quality is not as high either.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great dry humour

Very funny, as you'd expect from David Sedaris. The essays are great snapshots of his life and his family. Definitely recommend listening on audio rather than reading in print.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Put me to sleep

If this book wasn’t for you, who do you think might enjoy it more?

I love DS but just found the monotony of his gravelly voice put me to sleep

Has Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim put you off other books in this genre?

Probably

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Yadda yadda yadda. There were a few classic funnies tho

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim?

V

Any additional comments?

No

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1 person found this helpful