RaveThe Independent (UK)Coming in at a nerdily detailed 500 pages, it is a lifetime\'s labour of love for the artform ... As with a perfect stand-up set, it\'s hard to pick out highlights, though the sheer size and relentless Q&A style means it\'s more suited to dipping in and out of. There are jaw-dropping anecdotes aplenty ... It\'s the whys and wherefores of comedy that make this a Bible for all aspiring comics and their fans.
Laura van den Berg
PositiveThe Independent (UK)Van den Berg’s great talent is taking quite outlandish situations – a sister visits the site of an explosion in Antarctica to collect her dead brother’s belongings, or a heartbroken woman parties with a troupe of French acrobats on the day her marriage falls apart – and boiling them down to a universal emotional essence ... Her style is spare, almost brutally so, with a flair for an intriguing opening line ... An unusually compelling collection.
