Acerbic wisecracking and hilarious this is the definitive essay collection from New York
legend and satirist Fran Lebowitz star of Martin Scorsese's hit Netflix series Pretend It's
a City. 'The gold standard for intelligence efficiency and humour. Now and forever' DAVID
SEDARIS 'She's inexhaustible - her personality her knowledge her brilliance most of all
her humour' MARTIN SCORSESE 'The rare example of a legend living up to her own mythology. She
really is THAT funny' HADLEY FREEMAN Lebowitz turns her trademark caustic wit to the
vicissitudes of life - from children ('rarely in the position to lend one a truly interesting
sum of money') to landlords ('it is the solemn duty of every landlord to maintain an adequate
supply of roaches'). And her attitude to work is the perfect antidote to our exhausting culture
of self-betterment ('3.40pm. I consider getting out of bed. I reject the notion as being unduly
vigorous. I read and smoke a bit more'). 'Great people talk about ideas average people talk
about things and small people talk about wine' 'Think before you speak. Read before you think'
'All God's children are not beautiful. Most of God's children are in fact barely presentable'
'There is no such thing as inner peace. There is only nervousness and death' 'The opposite of
talking isn't listening. The opposite of talking is waiting' 'A marvellous raconteur full of
wit wisdom and rebellion. Genuinely one of the funniest people in the world' IRENOSEN OKOJIE
'In a world of humming hawing couching and obfuscating there's nothing more refreshing than
a dose of Fran Lebowitz' CAROLINE O'DONOGHUE 'As witty original and impeccably discerning
as the woman herself The Fran Lebowitz Reader is a modern classic set to be read for
generations to come' OTEGHA UWAGBA