4.5 stars. I loved this newest collection of stories. Once again they were the perfect mix of funny, serious, heart-breaking, and the weird. I highly suggest listening to the audiobook!

More of a collection of family drama filled essays than the snarky, comedic social commentary of his previous works. I went into this blind and was a bit surprised by the tone and the relative lack of humor. Still an interesting work, just not what I was expecting.

David Sedaris is back with a new collection of essays which have his signature barbed humor but also have more than a whiff of memento mori.

Many of the essays concern his family, particularly his troubled relationship with his father. Sedaris does not particularly like his father and there’s a distinct juggle between perceiving him as just creepy ol’ Dad versus being flagrantly sexually abusive towards all his children, particularly Tiffani who committed suicide. Sedaris seems to avoid a confrontation, particularly as his father has aged, he seems to have mellowed out and become a person that the author doesn’t really recognize.

Many of the essays are on a theme, with an introduction and a conclusion and a jumble of thoughts and vignettes in the middle. Hurricane Season is ostensibly about the impact of a hurricane on the author’s seaside home in North Carolina, but becomes more about his 30 year relationship with Hugh and ends by bringing both strands together with a moving epilogue.

Sedaris spends some time tilting at sacred cows like Black Lives Matter in Fresh-Caught Haddock and, in To Serbia With Love, pokes fun at himself for his Western/American White privilege. But, of course, his privilege is more than just the average American’s. David and Hugh buy the apartment above theirs so Hugh can practice piano on his own, and while this is something of an aside in an ode to Hugh, it still thunks a bit.

My favorite essay is the short A Better Place, about the euphemistic language surrounding death that the author encounters after his father dies. Having been through the death of my in-laws recently, I was nodding along with his perceptive insights on the meaningless comfort people offer and the turns of phrase people use to get away from saying “death” or “died.” Because, as David points out, in the end you only get frustrated with this twaddle because you are grieving.

Obviously this was written during the pandemic and there are wistful essays about what that meant to a performer like Sedaris, someone for whom a responsive audience and their attention is crucial. What I hadn't realized was how interactive his performances are - often taking up topics brought up the evening before while he’s signing books and I relished that insight.

Overall this was an enjoyable, thought-provoking, and occasionally irritating read. What I think of David Sedaris is almost certainly not going to affect what you think after all this time, so you’re going to read it if you’re a fan and not if you’re not. I’m a fan with a few qualifications but I liked this better than his previous couple of collections.

Thanks to Little Brown and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

A David Sedaris booked is guaranteed to have me laughing with or through tears. Happy-Go-Lucky is not the cheeriest of Sedaris 'works. It is about the sickness, decline, death and aftermath of his father. It also discusses pandemic/quarantine life. Even through the gloomiest and gut-wrenching situations, Sedaris and his usual cast of quirky characters (mostly his family) provide insight and that comes sometimes with a laugh and a gasp of recognition.
I recommend this book to any reader familiar with David Sedaris. It delivers in a big way. If this is the first Sedaris book of essays that a reader picks up, they are in for the lovely treat of discovering a new must-read-all-his-books author.

This collection will be enjoyed by all, but truly relished by longtime Sedaris fans. It is full of his characteristic snark and wit, but it does get a little bit darker and deeper when he discusses his father. A welcome addition to the Sedaris canon.

It seems after the release of his diaries Sedaris has been more personal in his essays. While this book may lack the laugh out loud humor of Me Talk Pretty One Day, I think we get to know the author a little better. The writing about the decline and death of his father were very well written and maybe show a different side of grief. As a person who spends a significant time on the road, I very much related to some of Sedaris's COVID experiences and a return to travel.

David Sedaris is the only author whose titles I purchase months before release, on audiobook, and complete every time feeling as through I've completed the emotional olympics. Happy-Go-Lucky is no exception. I snorted with laughter while washing dishes, sobbed like an idiot for a family not my own whilst hiding in my bathroom, scowled about the behavior of my home country of the U.S. then grimaced while reflecting on my current country of Canada, winced as my son fiddled with Minecraft on the Switch, giggled about the pandemic, teared up about the pandemic, got mad about the pandemic, fell in love all over again with David and Hugh and again with David and Amy who remind me so much of my own relationship with my own brother and dearest friend, and continued to ache and celebrate with this family who grew and suffered and triumphed and lost and shared.

Always the appeal of Sedaris' writings is his untouchable ability to address with humor, sharpness, and raw insight, the honesty of what we as humans experience as a whole. Happy-Go-Lucky brings this to a head with essays about the past years of pandemic, coping with the challenges of a difficult family member, their decline and passing; and his ability to look at even himself under a critical, realistic, accepting lense and share himself seemingly fearlessly with readers in spite of some audacious, unflattering truths. This is what continues to elevate David Sedaris with each project.

I was provided with an electronic copy of Happy-Go-Lucky by Netgalley and Little Brown and Company in return for an honest review. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this title! I had pre-purchased this title on Audible months before release and thoroughly enjoyed both the written and the audio versions of the book. Sedaris' books will always be a staple in my home library in both formats, given my propensity for handing out copies of the physical copies from my collection to others and insisting "You have to read this! If you don't read anything else this month, read this and you won't regret it."

This huge fan of David Sedaris gives two enthusiastic thumbs up for his newest book of essays. Reading his essays is like visiting a witty old friend. Seeing the COVID world through his eyes was fascinating. This book also includes a joke I found so funny I was unable to read it out loud to my husband without cracking up. I’m going to go eat a bowl of beige sugar free jello now as part of the David Sedaris quick weight loss diet.

As usual David Sedaris writes another great collection of essays. You'll be reading along and all of a sudden you're laughing out loud. Some stories in this book are a bit sad too as he reveals his true relationship with his father. He makes you feel like you've known him and his family for years. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sedaris is an author that I adore. He delivers heartfelt personal stories with witty banner, but he also doesn't shy away from the darkness of humanity that we all encounter at some point in life.

Old fans and new fans will delight in this collection from the master of retelling family dysfunction.

Another fantastic book from David Sedaris! This book is laugh-out-loud funny but it’s also deep and poignant. I loved it.

This does not disappoint. David is as funny and biting as ever. Somehow he manages to balance the sadness, humor and reality of the death of his father and the pandemic. That's along with his old favorites like the quirks and joys of his sisters, partner and readers.

He did an excellent job of describing in his unique way living in NYC during the pandemic which I really appreciated, as it was a horror.

As a years long David Sedaris fan, I really enjoyed this one. I appreciate the humourous stories and the vulnerable ones equally. I've listened to the author on podcasts and videos and I can always hear his voice in my head as I read through his antics. I love how Sedaris can take a mundane experience and evolve it into an entire story which can make me feel multiple emotions at once. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this!

Happy-Go-Lucky is Sedaris is at his best.

Don't get me wrong, I still read and devoured his two books of diary entries, but essays are where he shines. His latest covers Sedaris right before the pandemic, during the pandemic, and life post-pandemic. It mostly takes place in New York, North Carolina, and in England where he lives.

A significant theme of this book is his relationship with his father, who passed away recently at the age of 96. It examines old age and how that can redefine your relationship with your parent, and ways in which it does not. Having read about Lou Sedaris for over a decade now, I thought it was a fitting tribute and honestly moving.

Loved this addition to Sedaris' work and can't wait for his next installment. If you have a chance, definitely check out the audiobook format. Sedaris only gets better as an auditory experience.

This isn’t my favorite Sedaris text as I do feel his cynicism has moved to a place that can be a bit tone deaf. Additionally, I wonder if he was ready to talk about everything he broached in this collection: sometimes it felt that he danced around the edge of something deeper. Still, he’s funny and has good insights about humanity. He’s a great essayist to study when teaching students how to write essays.

David Sedaris is the best satirist and essayist of our time. I would begin with The Santaland Diaries and then just read everything else he has ever written. It gave me so much joy to see he has even published his diaries (well selections- I know we can’t have it all) for our reading enjoyment. My family will not sit in a room when I am reading Sedaris as I punctuate every page turn with a snort, laugh, gasp or some other reaction that is apparently intolerable. He is sarcastic, hilarious and I hope I get to meet him again. Yes, you will want to see him on tour. He is the only author I can also bear to listen to on audio - because he is truly funny and excellent. 5/5 is not enough.

This book was well written, as are all his books, but the tone of this just wasn’t my favorite. It didn’t make me laugh out loud once (although my husband has been reading this at the same time and I’ve heard him laugh a couple times). Mostly I just found this book sad. I was also very turned off by his description of his dinner parties during the height of the pandemic. He writes very negatively about Hugh and his father (although it seems his father absolutely warranted it). I will continue to read all of his writing, but this just wasn’t my favorite.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

This book goes through all the emotions. It is funny and sad at times. It is a great book for any David Sedaris fans.

I found that this book hit different than other Sedaris reads. At least one story missed its mark and just didn’t do it for me. It ended up much sadder and darker than his usual work, which felt necessary given the situation that led to his introspection but changed the feeling we’re usually left with after finishing one of his books. I kind of get the sad/creepy clown on the cover now (though I’d still love to know the context of this photo).

If this is going to be your first David Sedaris work, then I highly recommend picking up a different one. Happy-Go-Lucky should come after growing with David through his other works. Overall, as a long-time reader I appreciated the honesty throughout and generally enjoyed the ride.

Thank you to the publisher Little, Brown, and Company for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Happy-Go-Lucky" was the perfect book for me to read this week. After endless massacres in America, my neighbors never taking a break from shooting fireworks, I was relieved to read Sedaris bitch about the things he found bitchworthy in his life. I'm guessing some of his fans will be disappointed because there are essays making fun of the pandemic, his father's death, where he may come across as cynical and crass. I loved his refreshing honesty to call things for what they were. Sedaris doesn't owe it to his readers to make them chuckle throughout a collection. The cover of the book should give readers a clue that this is not another elf book. I've seen reviews where they criticize Sedaris for taking cheap shots at everyone in his family, in his path, but I didn't read the essays that way. Two years into this pandemic, it's hard to chirp uplifting drivel. I loved the rawness of this collection.