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A review by suggsygirl
Yes Please by Amy Poehler
2.0
I think perhaps I liked this book less because I'm not American. Hear me out. A lot of Americans are familiar with Amy through SNL and while I get that this is a major comedy institution in the US, it has not transitioned around the rest of the world. I am aware of its existence and that it is a legendary comedy vehicle that gave America and the world a lot of its comedy talent, but that is the extent of my experience. I remember visiting New York before 9/11 and staying with an American friend who was all about SNL so I am vaguely aware of some of the catchphrases and I have seen a couple of skits. That isn't enough to make this chaotic explosion into a coherent autobiography.
I know Parks and Recreation, I loved that show. While I did not confuse Amy with Leslie Knope, I kind of conflated some of their personality traits accidentally and the comparison between them is not favourable. There is an edge to Amy, she seems like she is trying to come across as cute and lovely and a powerhouse of comedy talent in a pint-sized body but she just came off as a little arrogant. Sometimes I enjoy the 'I'm only writing this book for the money' honesty but only when that's followed up with a good book. This reads like she got paid the advance and then wrote the book in between other things, distracted and not paying attention, and then when it was long enough thought that will do. There's no story, there's no cohesion. I could have turned to any page at random and be no more confused about the story than reading it all the way through.
Also while she was trying to say that her fame came about through hard work, and I have zero doubt she worked hard, a lot of Americans do, she also admitted that she got all the major roles she got through knowing her friends, who got famous before her and then helped her get famous. Which doesn't seem like the same thing to me.
I also didn't find it that funny. Sorry. Also, the physical copy that I had was so heavy it hurt my hands to read. I tried not to hold this against the book but I may have failed, a bit.
I know Parks and Recreation, I loved that show. While I did not confuse Amy with Leslie Knope, I kind of conflated some of their personality traits accidentally and the comparison between them is not favourable. There is an edge to Amy, she seems like she is trying to come across as cute and lovely and a powerhouse of comedy talent in a pint-sized body but she just came off as a little arrogant. Sometimes I enjoy the 'I'm only writing this book for the money' honesty but only when that's followed up with a good book. This reads like she got paid the advance and then wrote the book in between other things, distracted and not paying attention, and then when it was long enough thought that will do. There's no story, there's no cohesion. I could have turned to any page at random and be no more confused about the story than reading it all the way through.
Also while she was trying to say that her fame came about through hard work, and I have zero doubt she worked hard, a lot of Americans do, she also admitted that she got all the major roles she got through knowing her friends, who got famous before her and then helped her get famous. Which doesn't seem like the same thing to me.
I also didn't find it that funny. Sorry. Also, the physical copy that I had was so heavy it hurt my hands to read. I tried not to hold this against the book but I may have failed, a bit.