A Book A Week: About Alice by Calvin Trillin

Saturday, November 05, 2011

About Alice by Calvin Trillin

I know Trillin is famous for his witty essays in the New Yorker, but I'm only an occasional reader of that magazine and somehow his stuff has escaped me thus far. A few weeks ago, however, I saw Calvin Trillin on the Daily Show He was delightfully funny, and I realized that I was probably missing a lot by not seeking out his work. His new book Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin (even that title is funny) has a long queue at the library, so I picked up About Alice instead. What a sweet book! It's an homage to his late wife and is touching and hilarious at the same time. It's a very short read and a perfect introduction to Trillin. If, like me, you have never quite gotten around to reading anything by him, About Alice is a good place to start.

I've pinned a link to the Daily Show broadcast to my Pinterest board.

(Book 33, 2011)

4 comments:

Lisa Schiffren said...: I don't read him much, either. But he is also a great food writer. He brings real wit and humor, and full foodie passion, to a subject usually smothered in earnestness. I once read a piece by him on the glories of the Pan Bagnat, that had me ready to get on a plane for Nice for ... tuna fish. I learned about the always entertaining Chowhound from him a decade ago.; 4:49 AM
Sarah Laurence said...: I haven't read Trillin's work either, but I'm a big fan of the Daily Show.; 2:22 PM
Wiley said...: One of my favorite radio shows, The Book Report, featured an interview with Calvin Trillin last week. You should check it out in the archives on www.bookreportradio.com; 5:43 PM
DaraR said...: Wiley, I heard that interview too!!!! She did such a great job and I am such a big fan of Calvin Trillin. I look forward to it every week. I actually have a link to the archive if anyone wnats to listen to the exact recording.
http://bookreportradio.com/media/The%20BookReport%20Show%2057%2059-43.mp3; 10:27 AM