Cheryl PeckRezensionen

I can't say that I really like this book nor that I really disliked it. Recollections of her childhood and life some very funny and others were just kind of groaners. The author definitely has a voice of her own though.

she's funny, has a distinct and solid voice, and is mostly a decent writer. this is a pretty fun read, nice to read for a break. my issues with it are that it's a little repetitive and many of the essays aren't wrapped up well at all. she either tries too hard to go full circle or doesn't get there satisfyingly at all, and the transitions throughout need work. still, though, it's enjoyable as a fluff read, i just wanted some improvement in those transitional areas from her first book.

but, good for me to remember sometimes: "Adults forget that something they say once on a bad day when they should have just given up whatever they were doing and taken a nap - and spoke to a small child instead - may be the one thing that child will remember, in full and gloriously unforgiving detail, forever."

between 2 and 2.5. this series of stories/essays started out really strong. i almost never laugh out loud when reading, but early on in this book i did, a number of times. after the first handful of stories, either my mood changed or the quality dropped, i'm genuinely not sure which. but they seemed less well written, less pointed, and less well-wrapped up (with a few exceptions as the book went on) the more i read.

there are definitely some very good, very funny vignettes here, and i'd even read her again, but i am more impressed with the beginning of this book than the rest of it.½

There is much to love in this book. Writing teachers are forever talking about "finding your voice". Its not something you can actually teach, more like something a writer falls into naturally or stumbles upon and with any luck, someone is there to point and cheer and say "That's it!". For those who have it, it seems obvious (what other voice would I write with?) and for those who don't, it seems like some elusive, mystical gift. I mention this now, because Cheryl Peck is one of those writers whose voice is so specific and so strong, that five pages into "Revenge of the Paste Eaters", I wanted to offer her another cup of tea, insist that she stay for dinner and ask her to be my friend forever.

Maybe I was expecting too much, but Iwasn't crazy about the book. An essay here and there was wonderful,but there were too many that just seemed like the ramblings of thattalkative person seated next to you on the plane who won't let youget back to your book. Perhaps she needed a better editor.The essays I liked, however, I really liked. My favorite essay fromthe book was questionably "The Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company". Inthis essay, Peck tells about her grandmother with such love that Iwish I'd known her. Well, I suppose in a way I have.

A book that was well-written and full of experiences that we have all shared at one time or another in our lives. Brought good laughs to this reader, and I'd enjoy reading more by this author. Thanks for sharing it!!

Very funny book with little snippets from Peck's life, both as a child and as an adult.

This was an O.k. memoir. I really didn't feel that engaged. There were a couple of moments that I really liked the book and the rest I didn't really like it that much at all. So, I am ambivalent about recommending it. It was Ok. It wasn't great.

If this was a blog rather than a book, I'd love it! But as a book... mheh... It's good and all and I likely would have been far more impressed in the pre-internet days before there were all sorts of anecdotal essays of the sort available by all sorts of authors. Peck does provide many laughs, though, as well as some more serious observations.

laugh out loud funny½

I didn't find this book as entertaining as I had hoped it would be. The writing isn't that strong, and it's not as humorous as I had anticipated. The book left me feeling like the author couldn't decide if her life was funny or tramatic. There were a few nice moments, but overall, it lacked a lot.½

Hilarious! One of the few books to make me laugh out loud.

A Cute bunch of short stories by a fat lesbian in the middle of no where. (Read in 2005)