I don’t think I can reach the 250 word quota for this review. Just go read this book. It’s hilarious. No book is safe, no character left unscathed.
Ortberg’s ability to hone in on the character’s personality and then twist it into the 21st century is ridiculously brilliant and packs a punch that shades between laughing out loud and the irresistible urge to shout “BURN!” to the character on the page.
My two all-time favorite sections are her rip on the American Girl series and the beautiful dig at Thoreau and his “Walden” experience. However, I will not spoil the magic for you by giving away anything. It’s really just best if you read it. Seriously. Right now. Go buy this book.
As a side note, the only reason I’m giving this 4 stars instead of 5 is because I’m not as well-read as the average cannonballer and I had to skip over a few of the passages since I hadn’t read the source material and the joke was mostly lost on me. So it’s a 4 for me personally. But for you well-read people out there, this is undoubtedly a full 5 stars.
There were plenty of parts in this book where I had to go to Google to figure out what I was missing, the breadth of the victims of Ortberg’s humor are SO various. I’m glad you enjoyed it considering I basically threw it at you and demanded you read it. :)
I find my most enjoyable reads usually come from you chucking a book at me across the living room :)