- All Fiction
- Military Fiction
- Historical Fiction
- Mystery & Thriller
- Romance
- See all fiction collections
- Arts & Crafts
- Fitness and Health
- Outdoor Recreation
- Biography & Memoir
- Business
- History
- All Nonfiction
- See all nonfiction collections
1 of 1 copy available
"Ellis' prose is filled with so many laugh lines, you might want to go ahead and book the Botox.” —NPR
When Helen Ellis and her lifelong friends arrive for a reunion on the Redneck Riviera, they unpack more than their suitcases: stories of husbands and kids, lost parents and lost jobs, powdered onion dip and photographs you have to hold by the edges, dirty jokes and sunscreen with SPF higher than they hair-sprayed their bangs senior year, and a bad mammogram. It's a diagnosis that scares them, but could never break their bond. Because women pushing fifty won't be pushed around.
In these twelve gloriously comic and moving essays, Helen Ellis dishes on married middle-age sex, sobs with a theater full of women as a psychic exorcises their sorrows, gets twenty shots of stomach bile to the neck to get rid of her double chin, and gathers up the courage to ask, "Are you there, Menopause? It's Me, Helen."
A book that reads like the best cocktail party of your life, Bring Your Baggage and Don't Pack Light is alive with the sensational humor and ferocious love for her friends that won Helen Ellis legions of fans. This book has a raw vulnerability and an emotional generosity that takes this acclaimed author to a whole new level of accomplishment.
-
Creators
-
Publisher
-
Release date
July 13, 2021 -
Formats
-
OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593402825
- File size: 81678 KB
- Duration: 02:50:09
-
-
Languages
- English
-
Reviews
-
Starred review from September 1, 2021
Ellis (Southern Lady Code; American Housewife) returns with another collection of humorous essays on friendship. This witty volume goes beyond tired old adages to explore what friends will do for one another. In Ellis's stories about being a last-minute birthing partner, supporting a friend through cancer, backdoor plastic surgery, and riding Greyhound buses, she posits that there's no limit on how far a friendship can go. She even explores the joy of being a second-best friend or a backup buddy--less pressure, more benefits! Each of the 12 essays features a revolving cast of Ellis's friends and acquaintances who will leave listeners cackling with delight. The audiobook is enchantingly narrated by the author herself, which lends to its relatability and hilarity. VERDICT This collection manages to be poignant and emotional while still being facetious, dirty, sassy, and laugh-out-loud funny. Perfect for fans of Jenny Lawson and David Sedaris.--Erin Cataldi, Johnson Cty. P.L., Franklin, IN
Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
-
April 5, 2021
Novelist Ellis (Southern Lady Code) shines in this collection of essays that lovingly underscores the importance of having a circle of close friends. Ellis begins the collection with “Grown Ass Ladies Gone Mild,” an account of a trip to Panama City, Fla., with four of her childhood friends. Though they have been through a lot, when they get together the years fade away: “we see each other like we first saw each other: young.” Charming and frank life lessons ensue: “Are You There, Menopause? It’s Me, Helen” sees her using humor to laugh through the discomforts of hot flashes and weight gain with a group of friends she calls “The Bridge Ladies.” “I Feel Better About My Neck” covers Ellis’s experience getting a neck lift after tagging along as a friend got Botox at what seemed like a back-alley operation, while in “She’s a Character,” she dishes on what it means to be the life of the party. Ellis balances intimacy, humor, and directness: “I was not put on this earth to make strangers take me seriously.” The result is a candid, funny reminder that one need not take life too seriously. Agent: Brettne Bloom, the Book Group.
-