Autobiography of a Fat Bride: True Tales of a Pretend Adulthood

I had the pleasure of attending two of her virtual readings in December and she read a hilarious excerpt from this book which I realized I had not read. I promptly put it on hold and enjoyed it while making gumbo which I think she would be offended by since it wasn't lasagna or something else Italian. Our backgrounds are probably why I love her stories so much but she is way more off the wall than I which makes it so much more funny. Her stories about her husband made me laugh out loud and I was thrilled to learn at her readings that she is currently working on another book which will come out this spring. It is about middle age and I'm sure will be as irreverent and hysterical as all her other books.

This is the type of book I've been looking for! Recommended by a bookcrosser at a meetup, I went out and bought it the next day. Notaro's hilarious autobiography is broken into 1 1/2 - 3 page essays that I can read a bit at a time. I've been needing a book that I can pick up and put down when I can find a minute here and there to read.

Laurie Notaro's stories are about mundane daily occurrences that normal adults seemed buried in and would hardly take the time to discuss, but she turns them into outrageously funny stories. I found myself relating to her totally, even telling people some of her stories as if she were a friend, like, "Did you know that if you flush your tampons.....?" "I heard that a cat could 'just slip away' if given show more anesthesia for a teeth-cleaning..."

People say that you either love or hate Notaro's writing. I disagree--her stories are hit or miss with me; I'm not passionate about her either way. This particular book gets old/irritating if you read it at once as an autobiography since the topics are all over the place and she repeats some information several times as if each little chapter or essay were written at completely different times. When reading only one essay in a sitting or in random order, that feeling of being at a comedy act that I had when I read the first few chapters comes back.

If read front to back, the chapters after the wedding really dragged and I almost released it without finishing it. Don't be fooled! It gets much better starting with "Red Mice."

My favorites--the ones that had me laughing hysterically all by myself at the park (I had to close the book and hold my stomach as I was rolled over in a fit of laughter)and ones that were worth reading aloud to friends:

"White noise, white soap....." (I read this to my friend two days before her wedding)
"As time goes by"
"My mother, my self, my god" (the best) show less

I absolutely adore Laurie Notaro. This is the third book I have read from her and she has not disappointed me yet. Spanning from her early days of dating to her life of marriage, this book left me smiling and laughing. Not because her stories are over-the-top antics but because I can relate to them so much. This may be my favorite memoir from her so far. Her constant moments of “wait, was I supposed to become an adult at some point?”, her sarcasm, and her wit left me unable to put down this book.

I have wondered how incredibly awesome it would be to hang out with this essayist and the other humorist essayist, Jen Lancaster. My amusement would never end I have a feeling. A fun, quick read and very enjoyable.

Thank god for Laurie Notaro...it is nice to know that I am not the only crappy adult that exists. She is so funny and personable that I want to hang out with her, if only to confirm my bad "adultness". She deals with everything from the first nephew in the family to Christmas to taxes to getting married. I adore her work. I will read anything she writes. LOVE IT!!

An amazing second memoir by the author. Once again you will find your eyes tearing up at the thought of what's happening. Although I still consider the starting memoir "The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club" to be my favorite; The book is just as quirky and blunt as expected when learning of Notaro's pre-,engagement, and early stages of marriage.

Notaro is laugh out loud funny, and a decent writer to boot. Greatly enjoyable, especially for those of us in our 30's who still can't believe we are really, actually, grownups. "Jesus, when did I start ironing my t-shirts for work?" I hope she continues to share!

Laurie Notaro is smart, sarcastic, and self-deprecating. You'll wish you knew her, so she could tell you these stories herself, over a beer or two. The one where she gets a gun pulled on her during a job interview would have you snorting suds out your nose.