Sample
  • When You Are Engulfed in Flames

  • By: David Sedaris
  • Narrated by: David Sedaris
  • Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (10,658 ratings)

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When You Are Engulfed in Flames

By: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
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Publisher's summary

Once again, David Sedaris brings together a collection of essays so uproariously funny and profoundly moving that his legions of fans will fall for him all over again.

He tests the limits of love when Hugh lances a boil from his backside, and pushes the boundaries of laziness when, finding the water shut off in his house in Normandy, he looks to the water in a vase of fresh cut flowers to fill the coffee machine.

From armoring the windows with LP covers to protect the house from neurotic songbirds, to the awkwardness of having a lozenge fall from your mouth into the lap of a sleeping fellow passenger on a plane, David Sedaris uses life's most bizarre moments to reach new heights in understanding love and fear, family and strangers.

Culminating in a brilliantly funny account of his venture to Tokyo in order to quit smoking, David Sedaris' sixth essay collection has been avidly anticipated.

©2008 David Sedaris (P)2008 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

2008 Grammy Nominee, Best Spoken Word Album

"Older, wiser, smarter and meaner, Sedaris...defies the odds once again by delivering an intelligent take on the banalities of an absurd life." (Kirkus Reviews)
"This latest collection proves that not only does Sedaris still have it, but he's also getting better....Sedaris's best stuff will still - after all this time - move, surprise, and entertain." (Booklist)

What listeners say about When You Are Engulfed in Flames

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

I love David Sedaris

I so enjoyed this book. If you are new to Sedaris, I would recommend starting with “Naked“. But I like all his stuff, ever since I first heard him on NPR.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of my absolute favorites!

I've probably listened to this 10 times! I catch something new each time. Love it!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

he's funny

he's funny.. I could listen to his stories all day, if I had time. the narrator is great!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!

I love the pure rawness of David's writing. The reality of life. The good, the bad, the ugly.

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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

Laughed til I cried

David Sederis is one of America's treasures. The way he looks at small, seemingly inconsequential situations and recounts them with such a detail and downright hilarity is amazing. He puts to words what so many of us think in our heads but are too embarrassed to say out loud, which makes it all the more funny.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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The Best of David Sedaris

Perfection for this depressed painter. Hilarious genius as usual. Helps me not be as serious, but also makes you think. Wish I could always have a David Sedaris commentary going on in my head. A true pleasure.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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David makes me laugh out loud like a horse!

ever since David's StadiumPal essay for Esquire on the David Letterman Show, he's hooked me.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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One of my favorite david sedaris collections

Touching and funny. A perfectly hilarious and bittersweet collection of stories and essays. Would recommend

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Exquisite

Wry, droll humor at its best. David Sedaris lives in my inner alter. Thank you.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good, but not his best

As a longtime fan of David Sedaris, and as an American with a dear friend who is an ex-pat in France, this book is not something I would have missed. But DS is not at the top of his game here. Anyone unfamiliar with his previous works would probably be turned off by this less-scintillating performance. I mean to say, it was very funny, but only for fans who are familiar with David's style, family and personal history, as this collection all presume at least that level of knowledge. The best essays are the readings recorded before live audiences, of which there are only a few. Worth a credit, but not one I'll be recommending to many other people.

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12 people found this helpful