Ali in Wonderland: And Other Tall Tales

by Ali Wentworth

Overview

Mix 1 oz. Chelsea Handler, 1.5 oz. Nora Ephron, finish with a twist of Tina Fey, and you get Ali in Wonderland, the uproarious, revealing, and heartfelt memoir from acclaimed actress and comedian Ali Wentworth. Whether spilling secrets about her quintessentially WASPy upbringing (and her delicious rebellion against it), reminiscing about her Seinfeld “Schmoopie” days and her appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The View, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, or baring the details of starting a family alongside husband George Stephanopoulos, one thing is for sure—Ali has the unsurpassable humor and warmth of a born storyteller with a story to tell: the quirky, flavorful, surprising, and sometimes scandalous Ali in Wonderland.

“Ali Wentworth is funny and warm and crazy all at once. Like Barbara Eden. But on something. Like crystal meth.” —Alec Baldwin

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062098092
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	02/07/2012
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	685 KB

About the Author

Ali Wentworth is the author of Ali in Wonderland and Happily Ali After. The star of the comedy series Nightcap, she made a name for herself on the sketch comedy show In Living Color, and her film credits include Jerry Maguire, The Real Blonde, Office Space, and It’s Complicated. A native of Washington, D.C., she lives in New York City with her husband, George Stephanopoulos, and their two daughters. Follow Ali on Twitter: @AliEWentworth

What People are Saying About This

Alec Baldwin

“Ali Wentworth is funny and warm and crazy all at once. Like Barbara Eden. But on something. Like crystal meth.”

Julie Hinds

“With candor and humor, [Wentworth] writes about her life, her marriage and growing up in the elite world of her illustrious mother…”

Jerry Seinfeld

“Everything that comes out of Ali Wentworth’s mouth is funny!”

Gwyneth Paltrow

“One of the most hilarious reads I’ve enjoyed in a long time.”

Chelsea Handler

“Ali has written a truly hilarious book . . . and she’s also a good kisser!”

Muffie Cabot (Ali's mother)

“I would tone down the pee and fart references.”

Kathy Griffin

“Ali Wentworth’s book is like Chicken Soup for the Vagina. Gays and straight men, I’m not leaving you out here! Ali is truly one of the quickest, funniest girls I’ve ever met. Enjoy!”

Editorial Reviews

Depending on whom you ask, Wentworth (The WASP Cookbook) is best known for roles on TV’s In Living Color and Head Case, her appearances on Oprah, or her 2001 marriage to George Stephanopoulous. The busy author’s fun, adventure-filled memoir is rife with colorful turns of phrase (for example, “I felt like a Chihuahua after the neighborhood bully lit the firecracker in its ass”) and humorous tales of her privileged upbringing, various suitors, and trips abroad. The author’s mother, Muffie—who worked as Nancy Reagan’s social secretary—looms large, often as the example against which a young Ali rebelled. Wentworth is amusing and frank, often frenetic, with sharp intelligence underneath the sassy wackiness; passages about her struggle with depression, falling in love with her husband, and her daughter’s baptism have funny moments, but they’re thoughtful and touching, too. Dishy tidbits about famous folk, from Henry Kissinger to Cher, round out this highly entertaining memoir. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

Hilarious.” — Marie Claire

“Everything that comes out of Ali Wentworth’s mouth is funny!” — Jerry Seinfeld

“Ali Wentworth’s book is like Chicken Soup for the Vagina. Gays and straight men, I’m not leaving you out here! Ali is truly one of the quickest, funniest girls I’ve ever met. Enjoy!” — Kathy Griffin

“Ali has written a truly hilarious book . . . and she’s also a good kisser!” — Chelsea Handler

“Wentworth is amusing and frank, often frenetic, with sharp intelligence underneath the sassy wackiness; passages about her struggle with depression, falling in love with her husband, and her daughter’s baptism have funny moments, but they’re thoughtful and touching, too…. Highly entertaining memoir.” — Publishers Weekly

“Ali Wentworth is funny and warm and crazy all at once. Like Barbara Eden. But on something. Like crystal meth.” — Alec Baldwin

“I would tone down the pee and fart references.” — Muffie Cabot (Ali's mother)

“[A] lively, laugh-out-loud memoir....Fans of Amy Sedaris and Merrill Markoe will enjoy Wentworth’s warped Weltanschauung and wicket wit.” — Book

“Ali Wentworth tumbles comically through Ali in Wonderland.” — Vanity Fair

“[H]ilarious...” — Food & Wine

“Unanimous applause greeted this actress-comedian’s tour of her fabulous life…all recounted in a manner that had one reader wondering if Wentworth is ‘a long-lost sister of the Sedaris clan.’” — Elle, Readers' Prize

“[A] satirical dissection of class and privilege….A smart, often-funny memoir.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A breezily amusing memoir...” — New York Post

“One of the most hilarious reads I’ve enjoyed in a long time.” — Gwyneth Paltrow, goop

“With candor and humor, [Wentworth] writes about her life, her marriage and growing up in the elite world of her illustrious mother…” — Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press

From the Publisher

[A] lively, laugh-out-loud memoir....Fans of Amy Sedaris and Merrill Markoe will enjoy Wentworth’s warped Weltanschauung and wicket wit.

Book Sr

Hilarious.

Marie Claire

Ali Wentworth tumbles comically through Ali in Wonderland.

Vanity Fair

Ali Wentworth is funny and warm and crazy all at once. Like Barbara Eden. But on something. Like crystal meth.

Alec Baldwin

I would tone down the pee and fart references.

Muffie Cabot (Ali's mother)

Ali Wentworth’s book is like Chicken Soup for the Vagina. Gays and straight men, I’m not leaving you out here! Ali is truly one of the quickest, funniest girls I’ve ever met. Enjoy!

Kathy Griffin

[H]ilarious...

Food & Wine

Ali has written a truly hilarious book . . . and she’s also a good kisser!

Chelsea Handler

Everything that comes out of Ali Wentworth’s mouth is funny!

Jerry Seinfeld

With candor and humor, [Wentworth] writes about her life, her marriage and growing up in the elite world of her illustrious mother…

Julie Hinds

Unanimous applause greeted this actress-comedian’s tour of her fabulous life…all recounted in a manner that had one reader wondering if Wentworth is ‘a long-lost sister of the Sedaris clan.’

Readers' Prize Elle

A breezily amusing memoir...

New York Post

One of the most hilarious reads I’ve enjoyed in a long time.

Gwyneth Paltrow

[A] lively, laugh-out-loud memoir....Fans of Amy Sedaris and Merrill Markoe will enjoy Wentworth’s warped Weltanschauung and wicket wit.

Book

A breezily amusing memoir...

New York Post

Unanimous applause greeted this actress-comedian’s tour of her fabulous life…all recounted in a manner that had one reader wondering if Wentworth is ‘a long-lost sister of the Sedaris clan.’

Readers' Prize February 2012 Elle

"Unanimous applause greeted this actress-comedian’s tour of her fabulous life…all recounted in a manner that had one reader wondering if Wentworth is ‘a long-lost sister of the Sedaris clan.’"

Readers' Prize - Elle

Comedienne Wentworth revisits her privileged and precocious early years. In this satirical dissection of class and privilege, the author, daughter of President Ronald Reagan's social secretary Muffie Cabot, mines a childhood spent among America's elite. By the time she landed a role on the sketch show In Living Color, Wentworth had already put on vaudevillian after-dinner performances for Henry Kissinger. As a socialite in training, she keyed into a number of important life lessons--e.g., "There's a fine line between WASP victuals and white-trash cuisine." Wentworth's glib take on America's social hierarchy might initially seem like a blue blood's guide to slumming it, but her savvy understanding of what she's been given versus what she's earned makes for a sharp critique of class and power. She probes her marriage to former political operative and current TV newsman George Stephanopoulos for insights about pregnancy, child-rearing and compromise. Her understated prose and deadpan humor go a long way toward making this account of life among the one-percenters easy to swallow. If readers aren't taken with her charm, they'd be well advised to follow her mother's catch-all advice: "Just go to the Four Seasons." Nothing's better than blocking out the world behind silk curtains, sinking into crisp linen sheets and ringing for tea and crumpets. Wentworth would likely suggest the same remedy to readers who aren't immediately enamored with her collection of vignettes. She'd be winking slyly as she did, though. A smart, often-funny memoir.

Kirkus Reviews