"I could relate to everything!!!"
This book is a must listen!! It's absolutely hilarious and true. Jim Gaffigan is truly genius in how he takes everyday life with kids and makes it into a captivating story. I laughed until I cried. I think I'm going to listen again.
"Funny with a PG-13 rating"
We now LOVE Jim Gaffigan after listening to his book and we highly recommend this book as a funny, funny book, suitable for long car rides. The topic centers around two topics, his 5 kids and his weight, but mostly the challenges of having 5 kids in New York City.
The best thing about this is that is read by the author who is a comedian, and thus this is a comedy record, not so much a comedy book that happens to be an audiobook. Gaffigan provides the comedic timing and the character necessary in making the whole thing funny.
Another thing I liked about it was there was little need for blue humor, litanies of foul language or explicit descriptions of sex and sexual situations but he does mention how those 5 kids do come out into the world. Something about an home birth. Home births can be funny, if you aren't the one who is pregnant. So if the record were a movie I'd rate it a PG-13 or even PG, which is good if you want some laughs without the F-word thrown in every two minutes.
"I Thought I Liked Jim Gaffigan"
I always found Jim Gaffigan funny when I saw him on TV, but this book is not good. Though it's superficially divided into chapters, the book is really an undifferentiated collection of observations about kids and parenting. If I had a dollar for every time he says his wife Jeannie is great, I'd be rich. I'm sure she IS great, though I hold her responsible for typing the manuscript and so being the indirect cause of my wasted monthly Audible credit.
"Dad is not Fat, He's a Funny Fatty"
Jim Gaffigan manages to be funny with almost every single line. A rare talent
Hmmmm. Can't think of one that I've read.
No
Dad is Fat: A Love Story about Bacon
Jim's performance was very good, but at times it did feel like he was just reading, and not performing.
"Ok he's pale and fat but he's funny!"
I enjoyed this but am a Gaffigan fan so .....my opinion review shouldnt really count. :-)
"This is probably better if you have kids..."
...but I don't, so it just seemed like a long list of all the reasons why I don't. And an homage to his wife, who is apparently perfect. There were a few lines that made me smile (not so much laugh out loud though), but overall I expected something funnier from Gaffigan as I'm a big fan of his comedy.
"Jim Gaffigan At His Finest"
I'm a Jim Gaffigan fan. He reminds me of Bill Cosby. I don't have kids and am probably a few years away from having kids, but I laughed from the start of this book to the end. The things that Jim talks about in his book are for all walks of life.
Jim reads it himself and does a brilliant job. Some of the book will be familiar to anyone who has watched any of his comedy specials but his way of looking at life is hilarious.
Dad Is Fat is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time.
"And he's hilarious"
OK, I will admit - I love Jim Gaffigan and have seen him in concert. There are parts of this book that are just laugh out loud funny - and I don't even have kids. A great, light listen.
"Solid, predictable humor"
Observational parenting humor that doesn't break new ground. The book is funny enough but he does recycle material from his stand-up act and if you are not a parent the material probably won't resonate with you as well.
I was happy that he actually read the book instead of performing it in his comedic persona. I don't think the onstage delivery would stand up over 6 hours.
He wanders frequently between humor and reflection so sometimes you are expecting a punchline until you realize that he's just talking and not delivering a joke. The reflections are rather banal (the term "MILF" bothers him because it's not respectful of motherhood. Really? That point needed to be made in a book called "Dad is Fat"?) and tend to slow down the pacing.
It could have been better if he edited it down to the really funny content, but it's still very enjoyable.
"Good Not Great"
He mentioned how wonderful his wife is 40 or 50 times. That was a bit overkill.
I will likely give his latest book a try, but it will be a few months from now.
He uses lots of voices throughout the book and that adds to the stories he tells.
Probably. He has a TV show and I'll likely give that a shot.
I think I wanted to like this audio book more than I actually liked it. Gaffigan is a funny, likable and easy-going guy who is extremely easy for me to identify with. But I just didn't find myself blown away by this book.
Previous reviewers have said that as Gaffigan fans that there was nothing new for them to read in this book. Before this book, I really didn't know who Gaffigan was, so familiarity was not a problem for me. I'd heard the name and I knew he had a TV show, but I certainly can't say that I was familiar with his jokes/routines.
And yet, somehow, I felt like I could feel the punchline coming before it was actually delivered. Gaffigan relies heavily on jokes that are supposed to lead you in one direction and then surprise you with a witty twist. Inevitably, I saw exactly where he was going each and every time. Some twists were clever, but just not unexpected - if that makes sense.
I enjoyed the book. There is something comforting in hearing about another parent's struggles that are so closely related to your own. And I laughed out loud probably four or five times over the course of the book. But frankly I was hoping to laugh a lot more.