Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays

by David Sedaris
Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays cover
Good Books rating 3.62
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Waterstones
Paperback • £10.99
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  • ID: 3206
  • Added: 2025-10-17
  • Updated: 2025-10-17
  • Formats: 1
  • Reviews: 4
Reviews
stuckinabook.com · Unknown · 2025-10-21
brilliant 4.50

Barrel Fever is a collection of stories and essays that showcases David Sedaris' unique humor and wit. The book is a mix of personal anecdotes and fictional tales, all delivered with Sedaris' signature style.

Barrel Fever is a delightful mix of humor and introspection. Sedaris' ability to find the absurd in everyday life is on full display, making the book a joy to read. The essays and stories are interconnected, creating a cohesive narrative that keeps the reader engaged. The humor is sharp and often self-deprecating, which adds to the charm. The book is a great choice for anyone looking for a laugh and some thoughtful reflection. The stories are not just funny; they also offer a glimpse into Sedaris' mind and his unique perspective on the world. The essays, in particular, are a highlight, as they delve into personal experiences and observations with a keen eye for detail.

Quick quotes

    Sedaris' humor is a mix of the absurd and the mundane, making it relatable yet unique.

    The essays are a highlight, offering a glimpse into Sedaris' mind and his unique perspective on the world.

    The book is a great choice for anyone looking for a laugh and some thoughtful reflection.

publishersweekly.com · Unknown · 2025-10-21
intriguing 3.50

The reviewer found Michel Foucault's 'Discipline and Punish' to be a challenging but intellectually stimulating exploration of the evolution of punishment and discipline. While they appreciated the depth of research and analysis, they questioned the practical application of Foucault's ideas and wished for more concrete solutions to the issues raised.

The reviewer delved into 'Discipline and Punish' with a mix of admiration and frustration. They acknowledged Foucault's impressive research and the fascinating insights into the history of punishment and the rise of discipline as a societal model. The analysis of the Panopticon, the shift from public to private punishment, and the creation of the 'delinquent class' were particularly noted. However, the reviewer struggled with the dense and abstract nature of the text, especially in the later sections. They also expressed disappointment that Foucault did not offer more practical solutions to the problems he identified, such as the concentration of power and the normalization of society through surveillance. The reviewer's wife provided a counterpoint, arguing that Foucault's work is crucial in setting the framework for important discussions about freedom and justice. Ultimately, the reviewer appreciated the intellectual rigor of the book but found it somewhat detached from real-world applicability.

Quick quotes

    The famous chapter on Bentham’s _Panopticon_, the ideal surveillance architecture that involves an authority in a central tower looking through darkened windows at a ring of cells — the prisoners know they _can_ be seen at all times, but they never know the precise moment in which they are.

    The public execution was the logical culmination of a procedure governed by the Inquisition. The practice of placing individuals under ‘observation’ is a natural extension of a justice imbued with disciplinary methods and examination procedures.

    Is it surprising that the cellular prison, with its regular chronologies, forced labour, its authorities of surveillance and registration, its experts in normality, who continue and multiply the functions of the judge, should have become the modern instrument of penality?

librarything.com · Unknown · 2025-10-21
entertaining 4.50

David Sedaris's 'Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays' is a collection that showcases his unique blend of humor and introspection. The essays and stories are witty and insightful, offering a glimpse into the author's life and observations.

David Sedaris's 'Barrel Fever: Stories and Essays' is a delightful read that combines humor with deep personal reflections. The essays are particularly noteworthy for their sharp wit and candid exploration of everyday life. Sedaris's ability to find the extraordinary in the mundane makes this collection both entertaining and thought-provoking. The stories, while varied in style, share a common thread of self-deprecating humor and keen observation. They liked the book, but think some of the plot is thin. Overall, it's a collection that will leave readers laughing and pondering the complexities of human nature.

Quick quotes

    The essays are particularly noteworthy for their sharp wit and candid exploration of everyday life.

    David Sedaris's ability to find the extraordinary in the mundane makes this collection both entertaining and thought-provoking.

    The stories, while varied in style, share a common thread of self-deprecating humor and keen observation.

hardcover.app · Unknown · 2019-01-30
critical 2.00

The reviewer found Foucault's 'Discipline and Punish' well-written and rhetorically persuasive, but ultimately disagreed with its central thesis. They argue that Foucault's critique of modern imprisonment, while insightful, is hypocritical and fails to address the practical consequences of his proposals.

The reviewer recalls reading 'Discipline and Punish' during their university years and found the book's exploration of the evolution of penal systems in the Western world to be vivid and memorable. Foucault's central thesis, which contrasts pre-modern public executions with modern imprisonment and its focus on discipline and surveillance, is well-argued and thought-provoking. The reviewer appreciates the book's examination of the intertwining of power and knowledge, as well as its critique of the supposed humaneness of modern imprisonment. However, they take issue with Foucault's hypocrisy in expecting readers to recoil from past punishments while critiquing modern methods, the lack of explanation for the shift in penal paradigms, and the book's leftist intellectual tone. The reviewer also criticizes Foucault's indifference to the practical consequences of his proposals, such as the potential deterioration of city life and the social contract. Despite the book's persuasive writing, the reviewer ultimately finds its arguments deeply flawed and potentially harmful.

Quick quotes

    The main gist of the whole book is a thesis somewhat like this: different periods have different paradigms of how to deal with crime.

    Foucault’s thesis assumes the existence of a series of paradigms that change over time, but he never makes an attempt at explaining either why this paradigms appear in the first place and/or under which circumstances they change.

    It is well written and rhetorically persuasive; it is also deeply wrong, and in many ways, an intellectual poison that leads to hare-brained false ideas and beliefs and to noxious practices that create worse outcomes for everybody.

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