4thace reviewed Vacationland by John Hodgman
Review of 'Vacationland' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
John Hodgman has written other books peppered with facts which aren't facts but anyone can do that nowadays. Here he has ket the out and out fabrication to a minimum and has given an account of how he has come to own his vacation homes owing to a level of success he does not feel entirely comfortable about, and family circumstances which has come with its own set of uncomfortable truths. He has a good time explaining the customs and temperament of the rural Northeast to his audience best appreciated by those who have spent time there themselves (my wife is from the Pioneer Valley and we have spent a few times vacationing in coastal Maine). He does not spare himself and those people who like him enjoy a degree of privilege from the satiric jabs. There are passages which take on a serious tone, having passed over from black …
John Hodgman has written other books peppered with facts which aren't facts but anyone can do that nowadays. Here he has ket the out and out fabrication to a minimum and has given an account of how he has come to own his vacation homes owing to a level of success he does not feel entirely comfortable about, and family circumstances which has come with its own set of uncomfortable truths. He has a good time explaining the customs and temperament of the rural Northeast to his audience best appreciated by those who have spent time there themselves (my wife is from the Pioneer Valley and we have spent a few times vacationing in coastal Maine). He does not spare himself and those people who like him enjoy a degree of privilege from the satiric jabs. There are passages which take on a serious tone, having passed over from black humor to an outright black mood, which a reader might find uncomfortable if they were merely expecting a jokey set of tales about the misadventures of a middle-aged buffoon.
I listened to the audiobook version of this read by the author, which I think can only add to the effect, particularly by fans of his humor.
