Bossypants by Tina Fey
Narrator: Tina Fey
Source: Sacramento Library
Finished: 2/12/12
Rating: 7 out of 10
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Length: 5:35:00
Pages: 288 (print version)
Published: 2011
Challenges: 2012 Audio Book Challenge
Synopsis (from Amazon): Tina Fey’s new book Bossypants is short, messy, and impossibly funny (an apt description of the comedian herself). Fey gives us a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain of modern comedy with equal doses of wit, candor, and self-deprecation. But the chaos of Fey’s life is best detailed when she’s dividing her efforts equally between rehearsing her Sarah Palin impression, trying to get Oprah to appear on 30 Rock, and planning her daughter’s Peter Pan-themed birthday. Bossypants gets to the heart of why Tina Fey remains universally adored: she embodies the hectic, too-many-things-to-juggle lifestyle we all have, but instead of complaining about it, she can just laugh it off.
Overall Impression: So much has been said about Tina Fey’s memoir, and much if it I agree with — it’s very funny, very wry, and very Tina Fey. But I was expecting greatness and I only got goodness. Most if it was hit (her cruise!) and a bit of it was miss (some of it felt…sort of look-how-awesome-I-am-in-a-self-deprecating-way at times?). And it was all over the place. Sort of arranged in chronological order, I thought it would have been stronger had she kept her “how to be a boss” theme a little stronger throughout. Instead it was up and down and all around. But still, it was all the things that everyone has loved about her since she first started showing up on SNL a number of years ago, and it gave a lot of insight into the way she manages her busy career and her family (the chapter on her daughter’s Peter Pan birthday was a highlight).
Positives: Super funny, with some actual guffawing at times. Also, it’s nearly impossible not to like her! I’ll definitely pick up anything else she writes.
Negatives: All over the place. Also, since I’ve only seen a handful of 30 Rock episodes, I felt like I was missing some crucial background knowledge about some of the things she talked about.
Narration: Of course, Tina Fey was perfect to read her own book. Still, I thought the audiobook production had something to be desired — there were a few quiet, quick asides that I couldn’t understand, and I found that annoying.
Other books I’ve read by Tina Fey: none
Other books I’ve listened to narrated by Tina Fey: none
Other blogger opinions:
Avid Reader: “In the end, you can sign me up as a fan of Fey. I will absolute be buying whatever else she has to offer.”
Teresa’s Reading Corner: “This is one of those books that I am POSITIVE it is infinitely better on audio simply because Fey narrates it herself.”
Books, Movies, and Chinese Food: “Fey has shown time and time again, that she is a comic genius and I’m not ashamed to say I’m on the Tina Fey bandwagon.”
The Literary Omnivore: “Like most celebrity memoirs, Tina Fey’s Bossypants is a light, airy trifle, although there are some intriguing and fascinating darker notes throughout.”
She is so freakin’ funny. I read the hard copy, but I’ve heard a lot about the audio version.
I had heard that I should specifically listen to it on audio — I was 200th in line at the library! That’s why it took me so long to get to it.
I listened to Fey’s book and really liked it. She did a good job narrating. Took awhile for me to get around to it, cuz I didn’t want to listen to any political bashing, we get enough of that from the media. Turned out there was
very little political and was a very funny book.
I agree — I expected it to be more political than it was!
watch 30 Rock. it is amazing.
I have seen a handful of episodes, but I couldn’t put my finger on why I wasn’t enamored. I think Hillary put her finger on it when she said that all the characters are caricatures of people, not real people. Now that I have that in my mind, I might be able to enjoy it for what it is!