The Ultimate David Sedaris Box Set

Starred review from December 4, 2006
Previously released in 2002 as a 14-CD set containing Sedaris's Naked
, Holidays on Ice
, Barrel Fever and Other Stories
and Me Talk Pretty One Day
, this updated 20-CD box set adds his latest two Grammy-nominated audios (his single-disc live concert at Carnegie Hall and the unabridged Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
). Twenty-two hours of Sedaris in one box should be nirvana to his legion of fans. This collection allows listeners to witness Sedaris's growth as a writer. He never stops being funny but by Dress Your Family
, his essays exhibit the memoirist more than the humorist, and his ability to walk a razor's edge between hilarity and heartbreak (without bathos) is breathtaking. His essays are written to be read aloud, and he performs them flawlessly. Considering the long gestation of this collection, it's surprising that the interior packaging is so dismal. The discs are housed in blank, black slipcases with no illustrations or track listings (which is especially distressing because Barrel Fever
, Naked
and Holidays
don't have track listings on their discs and there is no track listing on the outer package).

I read out loud, David Sedaris says modestly. His voice might not sound powerful, but its lack of power enhances his deadpan style. It also conveys the pain that echoes throughout his often autobiographical essays, which frequently touch on his experiences growing up gay in North Carolina and his offbeat take on life. The extra energy Sedaris gets from an audience makes LIVE FROM CARNEGIE HALL the set's highlight. Sedaris's humor is frank--often with profanity--as it mixes the touching and personal with laugh-out-loud moments. The box collects Sedaris's releases through DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDUROY AND DENIM; there's some repetition of themes and material throughout the set. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine