Sellevision: A Novel

Having read other books by the author, I found this one not only hysterical but refreshing due to it being one of the only stories that addresses the idiocy of home shopping programs. Augusten of course does his best to exaggerate things and manages to fit a gay character in which is fitting. This plus some surprises towards the end makes for a tremendous romp poking fun at the over done, over baked and over the top hosts of these shows. He also makes a good point of how ridiculous consumerism has gotten since people become pack rats rather than realists. I highly recommend this book if you want to laugh your arse off!

"You exposed your penis on national television, Max." The first line of the book and it's a wild ride from that point. Max the flasher in question is one of the hosts of a home shopping show for the Sellevision network. We follow Max's story and some of the other hosts from the network. Max is termed right after that first sentence and tries out for various other jobs. There's Peggy Jean a good Christian woman who finds herself with a stalker and turns to drugs and alcohol to try and cope. Bebe is the networks longest running hostess who has a bit of a shopping problem herself. There's also a younger hostess who's having an affair with the married boss. Throw in another philandering husband, a dry cleaner, a psychotic child with anger show more issues and you've got most of the characters in the book. Truly a hilarious book and you can't help but wonder what awful thing the characters are going to fall into next. Unlike most I did like this as much or more than Burroughs memoirs. show less

Far be it from me to reject a book that focuses on the too little explored topic of facial and arm hair. Not since T.S. Eliot's Prufrock has the topic gotten such literary attention. Nevertheless, the subject matter may be a little thin to build a novel on. One can see that Burroughs is building up his writing chops with this book. Most people start out with the thinly veiled autobiography, then move to pure fiction: he has gone the other way, finding his stride when he draws on his personal experience. That is because he really cares about himself. The people in this novel, not so much, and it shows. Even superficial ninnies deserve some love, at least they do if you want readers to care enough to keep reading, and these characters show more just don't get any from Burroughs. show less

A hilarious satirical glimpse into the world home shopping networks, consumerism and scandal. I didn't think I would like "Sellevision," but I ended up enjoying it more than some of Burroughs' later works. Granted, a few of the quirky characters begin taking on cartoon-like qualities. Continuity is also problematic in some spots. But I disagree with those reviewers who suggest that there's not much of message in this book. It speaks volumes about everything from society's insatiable appetite for scandal, to the changing consumer landscape. Yet is also remains an easy and amusing read.

I would have liked this better had I read it on the plane, which was my intent - it's not quite the sort of thing I dig, but it was funny enough. It's wildly over-the-top, which is kind of its only charm - from the intro, where the only sympathetic character gets fired from his Home Shopping Network-type job for a wardrobe malfunction of the highest order, it doesn't let up on the broad caricatures or ridiculous action.

It's badly dated, of course, but that can't be helped. I wasn't totally a fan of reading a whole book about hopelessly shallow people (hence the "better on an airplane" part) but Burroughs certainly hit what he was aiming for, I think.

Burroughs' Sellevision is a tale about a gay TV presenter who inadvertently exposes himself on TV. The story follows the after effects of the event. Some of the descriptions of the book might lead on to think the story to be a little smutty; but far from it, in fact I found it to be highly entertaining - an hilarious and thoroughly rewarding story with some larger than life characters. Rewarding as a read, and rewarding in the just and so appropriate outcome. Highly recommended.

I didn't love this book. This is the first novel written by Augusten Burroughs, and while it was entertaining, it wasn't as funny or as interesting as his autobiographical pieces. What is great about Sellevision, is that you get a chance to see how Burroughs' writing talents developed, if you have read his more seasoned work first. So, I'm glad I read it. It was a quick and entertaining read, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who has never read any of the author's books. Running with Scissors is by far, his masterpiece.