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Calypso cover art

Calypso

Written by: David Sedaris
Narrated by: David Sedaris
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Publisher's Summary

David Sedaris returns with his most deeply personal and darkly hilarious book.

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 life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly 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 toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny - it's a book that can make you laugh 'til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris's powers of observation have never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future.

This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumor joke. Calypso is simultaneously Sedaris's darkest and warmest book yet - and it just might be his very best.

©2018 David Sedaris (P)2018 Hachette Audio

What the critics say

"The latest essay collection by humorist David Sedaris is a meditation on aging. It's a sardonic one at that, that he narrates himself in his quintessential tongue-in-cheek fashion.... Fans of Sedaris, who may well be in the middle of their own lives by now, will listen along, laughing, and perhaps wiping away a few tears." (AudioFile)

What listeners say about Calypso

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

Great Narration

This was my first David Sedaris book. I will definitely pick up another. I thought it was very funny, insightful and a heartfelt review of life. I listened to this book on audio with David Sedaris the writer providing the narration. I felt his reading was exceptional, and added significantly to the overall enjoyment of his book.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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  • VS
  • 2019-01-13

Funny and sad and funny...

At first I thought I'd picked a wrong book for myself, turned out a great listen... Also made me think about my own, children, my own aged parents and how emotional these days are... Nice to hear all the oddness of thoughts from someone else.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wanted it to keep going

David Sedaris is a genius. He brings the simple things and the crazy thoughts we all have to life. He reminds us that life is an experience that's best enjoyed imperfectly.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent as always!

I love David Sedaris' humour and the way he writes about the characters in his life! He leaves me laughing out loud at the outrageous stories about his family. I can relate to him easily, and his delivery in narration is spot on. #Audible1

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Hilarious, sad, rich

I always love David Sedaris's stories and it's a delight to hear him read these. The live performances of some chapters add to the overall experience, and his delivery is always perfect. I was surprised by the reflective tone some of the stories: the loss of his sister, his relationships with his mother and father, and his own aging, Trump and the election. I laughed out loud, cried, and loved the whole book. #Audible1

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

Hilarious. Memorable

I was in a car with deeply humorless people and to listen to this in a 6 hour drive made the experience so much better as opposed to try and engage in a dullard conversation.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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More Sedaris

Always up for anything written or read by David Sedaris. Refreshing perspective and opinions and make me laugh.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Just Reading a Diary Out Loud

I never found the "hook" to engage me in the story. Typically to enjoy someone reading their diary out loud I want to be interested in the person. I should have researched the author before jumping into their life story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

From beginning to end,each of these separate autobiographical stories is a gem in tone and content.

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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

Divine-

Saw him perform for my 50th birthday; was an incredible nite. Listening to him read his latest book is pure delight. I wish I could give him the bizarre and depressing stories of my own family members and he could make them seem precious and magical and bearable as he does his own.

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