Product Description

Daughter of a Montana gunsmith and closet Don Corleone disciple ("'The Godfather' is a film crammed with rules for living"), Sarah Vowell has written a delightful series of autobiographical stories which stretch across the immense landscape of the American scene. Tackling a diverse range of subjects, from politics and religion to the forgotten joys of mix-tapes, Vowell has the ability to spin a story on something as mundane as an Italian dessert. In search of the meaning of if not life, at least the ring-a-ding-ding of "That's Life", Vowell takes to the streets of Hoboken, New Jersey in seeking traces of the town's prodigal son, Frank Sinatra. She goes under cover of heavy make-up in an investigation of goth culture, hides from the world in the Chelsea Hotel and finally outgrows Armageddon in time for Y2K ("I don't need the end of the world to make friends anymore"). Brilliantly smart, sharp and engaging, "Take the Cannoli" presents a writer with a truly irresistible voice.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #355197 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-31
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
Sarah Vowell grew up the daugher of a gunsmith in Montana, and now lives in New York City where she writes and presents a highly acclaimed Saturday morning radio show. She is in her thirties.

Customer Reviews

Not Bad, but Not Great
Like many other readers of this book, I found that Vowell's essays work much better on NPR than they do on the page. Part of that may be ascribed to the overall mood that's created when you hear her voice tell the story, along with the perfect background and bridging music. Her timing and pace is just so much better on radio than in writing—a lot of those caustic or telling one-liners just lie dead on the page. Finally, when I hear her radio pieces it's usually a totally welcome surprise and treat while I'm stuck in the car, whereas when actually sitting down to read her book, I couldn't help thinking of unread books on my shelf crying for attention. What I mean is that Vowell's take on American life is most welcome and effective when it's unexpected.

The sixteen essays aren't particularly bad (except the one on Frank Sinatra, which is the one case where Vowell takes a conceit—Sinatra as the original punk—and attempts to ram it home despite the obvious contradictions), but very few of them are truly engaging in the way her radio work is. The best two, are not surprisingly, two of the most personal: "Shooting Dad", in which she elegantly displays her relationship with her gun-loving father, and "What I See When I Look On the Face on the $20 Bill", in which she and her sister embark on a "Trail of Tears" road trip to try and get in touch with their part-Cherokee heritage. On the other end of the spectrum are her set pieces on the famous Chelsea Hotel, learning to drive, hanging out with goths, Disney World, a cheezy Rock 'n Roll fantasy camp, none of which are particularly insightful, funny, or distinctive. Somewhere in the middle are more autobiographical pieces, such as those on her insomnia, obsession with The Godfather, playing music in high school, and the end of the world all of which have chuckle moments and are much less self-consciously post-ironic hipsteresque than other parts.

Vowell is great on radio, and I suspect over time, she'll get better and better on paper. The two recommendations I have for this book are to spread it out over time, read it in small chunks, and not to have overly high expectations.

Dissecting America
n the part of the world where I live, good English books are rare. Having something as " "alternative" " as this stacked in the bookshops... yeah, right. I first saw Sarah Vowell on the David Letterman Show. The thing that made me want to buy this book was the title. Yes, I am obssessed with the Godfather too.

As I read on, I found it had as much to do with the Godfather as sliced bread did. Having said this, you would probably have thought that I might have chucked the book. But no, I couldn't put it down.

I guess the best words to describe this book would be "nakedly autobiographical". As I read on, I found myself identifying with Vowell's voice, even though I was brought up in land where America was portrayed as the pathetic setting for the Rosanne comedy skits on TV.

Essays like "Music Lessons" have more to do with Ms. Vowell's analysis of accidental life lessons she gained from her band-geek days, like how the Darwinian implications of high school cliques carries over to the real world, than actual MUSIC LESSONS.

"Orchestra kids wear tuxedos. Band kids wear tuxedo T-shirts. The one thing the band kids and the orchestra kids had in common was a unified disgust for the chorus kids who were, to us, merely drama geeks with access to four-part harmony."

I don't think there's a book out there that even slightly resembles this one. If there was, they probably nicked the ideas off Sarah Vowell.

Read it. You WON'T be sorry. I can vouch for that.

from a fellow don corleone disciple
i loved this book and finished it in two sittings. the author's wonderfully witty observations are fantastic, with the anicdotal nature of her writing making the reader feel relaxed; as a result you actually want to hear what she has to say, even though it may not apply to all.
from her obbsession with 'the godfather' to a frank sinatra pilgrimage, this book spans the whole of north america and is a must for any u.s.a fan. a thoroughly enjoyable yarn!