Matt McAvoy Book Review

Here is a collection of famous and not-so-famous quotes and quips by renowned and well-known historical figures, given contemporary punchlines, some clever, others observational and some just a bit wacky.  The illustrations are great, and some of the adages themselves gave rise to thought, but to be honest the jokes weren’t my cup of tea at all; I think the book would be far more suited to a U.S. audience, accustomed to that style of humour.  That said, it was interesting to see the quotes all together in one place, and some of them are intriguing.

I’ve clearly missed the point in this book, focusing more on the meanings behind the comments and pretty much overlooking the comedy, which really elicited no more than the occasional smirk from me.  Not that I wish to criticize Huge Words By Huge People, which is clearly part of a series with potential, and to be honest I found myself imagining the book being narrated in a stand-up routine; in the flesh I can see how the one-liners might evoke some real belly laughs, worthy of many of the most well-known American stand-up comics of our times, but I personally couldn’t translate this onto the page.

This is a coffee table book, or a bedside cabinet accompaniment, which you might pick up for a few minutes at a time to grab a quick laugh.  Or perhaps on your desk, to add a little light relief to your workday every now and then.  There is definitely entertainment to be had from the fun, interesting drawings throughout the book.  I wouldn’t hazard a guess as to the type of reader this book might appeal to, but rather the situation it might suit.  My suggestion would be to slip this into your corporate relative’s Christmas stocking.

I never like critically analyzing a comedy book; it feels a little grinchy of me, and I definitely don’t want to undermine the hard work of Liam and Katrina in producing this effort.  It’s good to add something a little different to your library – and that’s what this book is: something a little different.