I Love You More than You Know

( 2 )

All Available Formats + Editions

——

$9.49

NOOK Book

——

$9.49

I Love You More than You Know (eBook) Pub. Date: 12/1/2007 Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
$1.99

$10.42

Paperback

$1.99

$10.42

I Love You More than You Know Pub. Date: 2/9/2006 Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

Advertising

Overview

Jonathan Ames has drawn comparisons across the literary spectrum, from David Sedaris to F. Scott Fitzgerald to Woody Allen to P.G. Wodehouse, and his books, as well as his abilities as a performer, have made him a favorite on the Late Show with David Letterman. Whether he's chasing deranged cockroaches around his apartment, kissing a beautiful actress on the set of an avant-garde film, finding himself stuck perilously on top of a fence in Memphis in the middle of the night, or provoking fights with huge German men, Jonathan Ames has an uncanny knack for getting himself into outlandish situations. In his latest collection,I Love You More Than You Know, Ames proves once again his immense talent for turning his own adventures, neuroses, joys, heartaches, and insights into profound and hilarious tales. Alive with love and tenderness for his son, his parents, his great-aunt — and even strangers in bars late at night — inI Love You More Than You KnowAmes looks beneath the surface of our world to find the beauty in the perverse, the sweetness in loneliness, and the humor in pain.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Novelist and humorist Ames writes: "My whole oeuvre has become one big dysfunctional personal ad," and this uneven collection of essays often feels that way. Ames (Wake Up, Sir!) informs readers several times of his height/weight vital stats. He is straight, but with a pansexual horniness that leads to inopportune erections, sordid encounters with prostitutes and an s&m session with a dominatrix and her transsexual boyfriend that makes him late for a play date with his son. He forthrightly, indeed obsessively, discloses details of his chronic rectal itch, his "explosive episodes of Irritable Bowel Syndrome" and every other gross bodily eruption and excretion that plagues him. And there's a note of self-deprecatory preening as Ames marvels at the young lovelies he still manages to attract and the other celebrity writers he hangs with on his book tours. Sometimes Ames's trademark combination of (literal) bathroom gags, hipster grotesquerie and neurotic free association achieves an inspired synthesis of confessional humor, but with overuse its hilarity and freshness decays into a lazy reliance on shock effects and embarrassment laughs. When Ames manages to wrench his gaze from his navel (and other orifices) and connect with outside reality, his prose sparkles with offhand comic insights. Photos. Agent, Rosalie Siegel. (Feb.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

The world is sick, imbalanced, and lunatic, according to storyteller/comedian Ames (I Pass Like Night), a self-described crooked literary clown. Ames's collection of 30 essays, many previously published, is inundated with scatological references that the reader comes to expect with each additional insight into the author's peccadilloes. These references do not detract from the quality of his collection, but readers with no knowledge of Ames's previous works may not give him a chance because of the coarseness. Tributes to George Plimpton and Jack Kerouac appear between tales of the author's family trips to northern New Jersey, book tours in Europe, and press credentials for a Tyson-Lewis fight in Memphis. Ames also includes the definitions he created for The Future Dictionary of America (McSweeney's, 2004), a work compiled by contemporary authors to raise money to promote progressive causes during the 2004 presidential election. While not all readers will appreciate the oddball humor, Ames is a fine contemporary writer not to be ignored. For larger public and all academic libraries.-Joyce Sparrow, Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas Cty. Lib., FL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

More Reviews (1) Fewer Reviews

Kirkus Reviews

Humorist Ames (Wake Up, Sir!, 2004, etc.) presents previously published essays detailing the various ways in which he's stumbled, failed, disappointed himself and others and, occasionally, triumphed. Ames seems to forever be searching for new ways to reveal his foibles to the reading public; for this author, there is no topic too intimate, sexual or scatological to share. But his latest collection lacks verve, drive and focus. Mostly, it feels lazy, or in need of a strong editor. Here, Ames rambles through personal anecdotes, discussing, among other things, a depressing interaction with a French prostitute, his irritable bowel syndrome, the details of a sex show in Amsterdam and a funny but still melancholy encounter with a suburban dominatrix, made more poignant by the fact that Ames had told his mother and child that he'd be at the library, working (the essay is made correspondingly less poignant by the maudlin way Ames beats his breast over his iniquities). Picking cysts, scratching his crotch, pondering the cause of his perplexingly itchy posterior, Ames invites readers along for all of it. He also frequently discusses his penis, in essays such as "Oh, Pardon my Hard-On," "My Wiener Is Damaged!" and "How I Almost Committed Suicide Because of a Wart." There are a couple of strong pieces-the titular essay is a warm reminiscence of visiting a beloved elderly aunt, and "Called Myself El Cid" is a lively account of Ames's days on the Princeton fencing team. In general, however, the author discusses his various shortcomings in a tone exuding regret, longing, gnawing professional envy and a self-absorption that allows him to publish work that is both exhibitionist and deeply self-critical.Rare flashes of wit and energy, mostly drowned out by a sea of self-indulgent ramblings.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780802170170
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Publication date: 2/9/2006
Pages: 288
Sales rank: 619,952
Product dimensions: 5.60 (w) x 7.28 (h) x 0.75 (d)

	The thick man	1
	Oh, pardon my hard-on	9
	Rue St. Denis	21
	Troubles with cockroaches and young girls	27
	My wiener is damaged!	35
	I called myself El Cid	47
	Ron Gospodarski	57
	My new society testimony : able to love again	63
	Self-sentenced	69
	I love you more than you know	77
	Everybody dies in Memphis	87
	Escape home	115
	No contact, asshole!	119
	Whores, writers, and a pimple : my trip to Europe	127
	Snowfall	149
	Club existential dread	155
	The most phallic building in the world	167
	The most phallic building in the world contest	183
	'Tis the season for halitosis	187
	Kurt Cobain	195
	Loose tiles	201
	Sneakers make the boy	207
	A tribute to George Plimpton	213
	I love Jack Kerouac	223
	Our selves between us	231
	How I almost committed suicide because of a wart	237
	Jersey shore	249
	S/he said, he said	253
	Midlife assessment : cataloging my ruination	259
	The Onion asks me : what is funny?	265

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 3.5

( 2 )

Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

(1)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines

Tell the world what you think of this product.

Add Recommendations

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or Leave Anonymously

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

- HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
- Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
- Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
- Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
- Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
- Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
- Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
- See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.

Anonymous

Posted August 21, 2008

I love you more than you know

Despite it's somewhat creepy-stalkerish title, this book was amazing. It was my first time with Mr Johnathon Ames and I loved almost every minute of it...the last story is a little long-winded. Definately worth a look if you like David Sedaris' sarcastic humor or Michelle Tea's vulgar insights.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Anonymous

Posted March 6, 2006

Not His Best Work...

I love the writing of Jonathan Ames, but was disappointed with this latest collection. He seemed to have better material when he was 'off the wagon,' but that's just my opinion. If you want to read Jonathan Ames at his best, pick up What's Not To Love.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble