-
Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules (Unabridged Selections)
- Narrated by: David Sedaris, Mary-Louise Parker, Cherry Jones
- Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $13.97
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Barrel Fever and Other Stories
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris, Amy Sedaris
- Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In David Sedaris' world, no one is safe and no cow is sacred. A manic cross between Mark Leyner, Fran Lebowitz, and the National Enquirer, Sedaris' collection of essays is a rollicking tour through the national Zeitgeist: a do-it-yourself suburban dad saves money by performing home surgery; a man who is loved too much flees the heavyweight champion of the world; a teenage suicide tries to incite a lynch mob at her funeral; a bitter Santa abuses the elves.
-
-
Be warned- Santaland Diaries is NOT included
- By David on 06-05-12
By: David Sedaris
-
Happy-Go-Lucky
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask—or not—was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes. But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he’s stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most.
-
-
Great except for an audio glitch
- By Rynnkins on 06-01-22
By: David Sedaris
-
Naked
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris, Amy Sedaris
- Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Welcome to the hilarious, strange, elegiac, outrageous world of David Sedaris. In Naked, Sedaris turns the current mania for the memoir on its proverbial ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, his family, and his unique worldview, a sensibility at once take-no-prisoners sharp and deeply charitable.
-
-
Not the whole book
- By Gabriela on 03-09-13
By: David Sedaris
-
Themes and Variations
- An Essay
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dismissed by a bored author at a book signing, a betrayed young man named David Sedaris made a vow. Someday, when it was his turn at the table, he’d connect with his readers. The experience has been even more revealing than he’d hoped.In this hilarious and perceptive essay, the celebrated humorist reflects on the unusual patterns of forced socialization between author and audience, and the obligations and sometimes surprising returns of not-so-chance encounters with strangers: jokes, secrets, insights, and even charity.
-
-
It’s true!
- By N. Charest on 04-28-20
By: David Sedaris
-
Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the unique perspective of David Sedaris comes a new collection of essays taking his listeners on a bizarre and stimulating world tour. From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, from the squat-style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler's experiences.
-
-
Always a Sedaris fan, but this isn't his best
- By Joshua on 04-29-15
By: David Sedaris
-
David Sedaris
- Live for Your Listening Pleasure
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 1 hr and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
LIVE recordings of new, previously unreleased David Sedaris stories!
-
-
Good but short
- By Dennis on 12-01-09
By: David Sedaris
-
Barrel Fever and Other Stories
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris, Amy Sedaris
- Length: 2 hrs and 59 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In David Sedaris' world, no one is safe and no cow is sacred. A manic cross between Mark Leyner, Fran Lebowitz, and the National Enquirer, Sedaris' collection of essays is a rollicking tour through the national Zeitgeist: a do-it-yourself suburban dad saves money by performing home surgery; a man who is loved too much flees the heavyweight champion of the world; a teenage suicide tries to incite a lynch mob at her funeral; a bitter Santa abuses the elves.
-
-
Be warned- Santaland Diaries is NOT included
- By David on 06-05-12
By: David Sedaris
-
Happy-Go-Lucky
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 7 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask—or not—was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. As Happy-Go-Lucky opens, he is learning to shoot guns with his sister, visiting muddy flea markets in Serbia, buying gummy worms to feed to ants, and telling his nonagenarian father wheelchair jokes. But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he’s stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most.
-
-
Great except for an audio glitch
- By Rynnkins on 06-01-22
By: David Sedaris
-
Naked
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris, Amy Sedaris
- Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Welcome to the hilarious, strange, elegiac, outrageous world of David Sedaris. In Naked, Sedaris turns the current mania for the memoir on its proverbial ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, his family, and his unique worldview, a sensibility at once take-no-prisoners sharp and deeply charitable.
-
-
Not the whole book
- By Gabriela on 03-09-13
By: David Sedaris
-
Themes and Variations
- An Essay
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dismissed by a bored author at a book signing, a betrayed young man named David Sedaris made a vow. Someday, when it was his turn at the table, he’d connect with his readers. The experience has been even more revealing than he’d hoped.In this hilarious and perceptive essay, the celebrated humorist reflects on the unusual patterns of forced socialization between author and audience, and the obligations and sometimes surprising returns of not-so-chance encounters with strangers: jokes, secrets, insights, and even charity.
-
-
It’s true!
- By N. Charest on 04-28-20
By: David Sedaris
-
Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 6 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the unique perspective of David Sedaris comes a new collection of essays taking his listeners on a bizarre and stimulating world tour. From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, from the squat-style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of a curious traveler's experiences.
-
-
Always a Sedaris fan, but this isn't his best
- By Joshua on 04-29-15
By: David Sedaris
-
David Sedaris
- Live for Your Listening Pleasure
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 1 hr and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
LIVE recordings of new, previously unreleased David Sedaris stories!
-
-
Good but short
- By Dennis on 12-01-09
By: David Sedaris
-
David Sedaris Live at Carnegie Hall
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 1 hr and 13 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If you are driving, pull over. If you are at work, close your door, unless you don't mind your colleagues seeing you doubled over, in tears, on your office floor. With this recording, taped before a delirious sold out audience at Carnegie Hall, you are there as David Sedaris performs new stories from his upcoming book. A parrot who mimics an ice maker, lovers quarreling over a rubber hand, and a Santa Claus who moonlights from his job as bishop of Turkey, the cast of characters is like no other.
-
-
Just Like Being There
- By Rick on 06-27-12
By: David Sedaris
-
Theft by Finding
- Diaries (1977-2002)
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 13 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For nearly four decades, David Sedaris has faithfully kept a diary in which he records his thoughts and observations on the odd and funny events he witnesses. Anyone who has attended a live Sedaris event knows that his diary readings are often among the most joyful parts of the evening. But never before have they been available in print. Now, in Theft by Finding, Sedaris brings us his favorite entries. From deeply poignant to laugh-out-loud funny, these selections reveal with new intimacy a man longtime fans only think they know.
-
-
A softer, sweeter Sedaris
- By Pamela J on 05-31-17
By: David Sedaris
-
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Fantastic
- By Dina on 06-24-04
By: David Sedaris
-
The Best of Me
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For more than 25 years, David Sedaris has been carving out a unique literary space, virtually creating his own genre. A Sedaris story may seem confessional, but is also highly attuned to the world outside. It opens our eyes to what is at absurd and moving about our daily existence. And it is almost impossible to listen without laughing.
-
-
Almost No New Material
- By Lizardectomy on 11-05-20
By: David Sedaris
-
A Carnival of Snackery
- Diaries (2003-2020)
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris, Tracey Ullman
- Length: 17 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If it’s navel-gazing you’re after, you’ve come to the wrong place; ditto treacly self-examination. Rather, his observations turn outward: a fight between two men on a bus, a fight between two men on the street, pedestrians being whacked over the head or gathering to watch as a man considers leaping to his death. There’s a dirty joke shared at a book signing, then a dirtier one told at a dinner party - lots of jokes here. Plenty of laughs.
-
-
Tracey Ullman?
- By Kelley R. on 10-05-21
By: David Sedaris
-
Holidays on Ice
- Featuring Six New Stories
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 4 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favorites as the diaries of a Macy's elf and the annals of two very competitive families, are Sedaris's tales of tardy trick-or-treaters ("Us and Them"); the difficulties of explaining the Easter Bunny to the French ("Jesus Shaves"); and what to do when you've been locked out in a snowstorm ("Let It Snow").
-
-
Best When In SantaLand
- By Dave on 12-06-11
By: David Sedaris
-
When You Are Engulfed in Flames
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 9 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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.
-
-
Don't Start with this One
- By Elvie on 04-28-16
By: David Sedaris
-
Calypso
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheerfully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso. You'd be wrong. When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relaxing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And it's as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself. With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation - and dark humor - toward middle age and mortality.
-
-
Excellent, as always
- By Ruthie on 05-31-18
By: David Sedaris
-
Me Talk Pretty One Day
- By: David Sedaris
- Narrated by: David Sedaris
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Sedaris' collection of essays - including live recordings! - tells a most unconventional life story. With every clever turn of a phrase, Sedaris brings a view and a voice like no other to every unforgettable encounter. You can also listen to Sedaris in an interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air.
-
-
Great Sedaris - Not for everyone
- By Michael on 06-05-20
By: David Sedaris
-
Fraud
- By: David Rakoff
- Narrated by: David Rakoff
- Length: 4 hrs and 12 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The wry and the heartfelt join in David Rakoff's prose to resurrect that most neglected of literary virtues: wit. As he finds himself in all the far-flung hinterlands of our culture, this fish out of water winds up satirizing himself more than his subject matter, to hilarious effect.
-
-
OMG Laugh Out Loud
- By Suzn F on 08-16-12
By: David Rakoff
-
William Shakespeare's Star Wars
- By: Ian Doescher
- Narrated by: Daniel Davis, Jonathan Davis, Ian Doescher, and others
- Length: 3 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas's epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare's greatest plays. 'Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearsome Stormtroopers, signifying...pretty much everything.
-
-
To Thine Ears, Brilliance This Doth Be!
- By Troy on 10-02-13
By: Ian Doescher
-
Don't Get Too Comfortable (Unabridged Selections)
- The Indignities of Coach Class, The Torments of Low Thread Count, The Never- Ending Quest for Artisanal Olive Oil, and Other First World Problems
- By: David Rakoff
- Narrated by: David Rakoff
- Length: 4 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Rakoff's best-selling collection of autobiographical essays, Fraud, established him as one of today's funniest and most insightful writers. Now, in Don't Get Too Comfortable, Rakoff moves from the personal to the public, journeying into the land of unchecked plenty that is contemporary America. Rarely have greed, vanity, selfishness, and vapidity been so mercilessly and wittily skewered.
-
-
More wonderful David Rakoff
- By Nell Huntworth on 01-01-10
By: David Rakoff
Publisher's Summary
With this audiobook a careful listener can discover the truth about loneliness, betrayal, love, and hope.
"Where the Door is Always Open and the Welcome Mat is Out" by Patricia Highsmith, read by Cherry Jones
"Bullet In the Brain" by Tobias Wolff, read by Toby Wherry
"Gryphon" by Charles Baxter, read by David Sedaris
"In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson Is Buried" by Amy Hempel,read by Mary-Louise Parker
"Cosmopolitan" by Akhil Sharma, read by the author
"Where the Door Is Always Open and the Welcome Mat is Out" ©
More from the same
What listeners say about Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules (Unabridged Selections)
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Christine Currie
- 02-07-16
Beautiful Stories Great Voices
Would you consider the audio edition of Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules (Unabridged Selections) to be better than the print version?
Little gems of well written short stories . Discovering new authors leads to more of what's featured here stacked high upon my reading pile. Thank you for the introduction David Sedaris.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Shorts with well defined characters, all of the selected pieces equally brilliant.
What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Just spend the ten bucks, you'll thank yourself for the experience.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Listening again and again to this well edited and voiced over body of work
Any additional comments?
Voice over artist that read the Tobias Wolff piece did a fantastic job bringing it to life. Solid talent all around.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Terri Kirk
- 07-13-12
Great stories but only 5 of 17 are included
I was excited to hear the stories that David Sedaris picks as his favorites. This version only gives you 5 of the 17 in his book. I should have read the description more carefully but only noticed the term I always look for: "unabridged". In this case, that means the stories selected to be on this version are in their entirety. Don't let it stop you from listening though.
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Julia W.
- 08-06-20
#1. The Door Is Always Open by P. Highsmith
I should’ve liked the first story because I follow the writer, Patricia Highsmith and David Sedaris. Like the main character,“Mildred ” I too have a sister named Edith whom I refer to as “Sinisister.” and live also alone. But, as I listened I kept hoping something would strike me as a good story. Not so, as it drooled on, it kept getting more depressing. I hope the rest of the stories get better. So far #2 is depressing too. Ugh.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- sav
- 09-11-18
Disappointing
I am puzzled at the selections: two are good (but by far not the best from the authors) and the rest are mediocre. Overall, very disappointing.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Dan R Kirkeberg
- 01-07-13
Gambled and Won
Any additional comments?
Great introduction to a new collection of writers. I will definitely look for more stories from them. It was like getting a big gift with multiple gifts inside.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- KWW
- 07-23-12
Don't let 'David Sedaris' fool you
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
No. I hastily bought the book because David Sedaris' name was on it, incorrectly assuming that he wrote at least one of the stories and chose authors with a similar sense of humor. Wrong on both counts. While they were quirky little stories, none delivered the laugh-out-loud good time that Mr. Sedaris does.
Who was your favorite character and why?
This was an anthology. Too many characters for any one to stand out.
Which scene was your favorite?
none.
Do you think Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules (Unabridged Selections) needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
Not on my account.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- sarah e kempton
- 07-22-20
Disappointed in length of book.
I was not happy with the length of this book and the fact that it was the price of a full title. Not crazy about the narration.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Barry W.
- 08-08-18
Incomplete When Compared to Print Book
I really enjoyed the stories, and I would give this 5 stars--except that many of the stories in the print version aren't included in the audiobook.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Maureen D.
- 06-12-18
Different
This isn't a typical Sedaris book - it's a collection of stories. They are like his tour recommendations. Odd, short stories, that are thought provoking and interesting.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Stacey
- 03-01-13
David Sedaris can do no wrong in my book
Every story is interesting, definately worth the little bit of David you get on here. I am an avid fan of David Sedaris audiobooks which is why I purchased this book with no hesitation. Finally a new book! Yay! Even the stories not narrated by David kept me interested.