PositiveThe A.V. ClubAlthough Adam Cayton-Holland’s first book is subtitled A Tragi-Comic Memoir, fans of his comedy and/or his TV show should expect little, if any, of the \'comic\' part. \'A tragic memoir\' doesn’t sound as zippy, but it better reflects the devastating story within Tragedy + Time: the suicide of Cayton-Holland’s younger sister and best friend, Lydia ... What follows is a memoir, as Cayton-Holland chronicles his childhood, struggles with depression and academics in college, and his comedy career, but filtered mostly through the loss of Lydia ... He aims to show that, as he started to find his path, Lydia was losing hers ... Tragedy + Time is unsparing in its pain and deeply moving in its chronicle of a life cut short (and its aftermath). Cayton-Holland has found peace in the six years since Lydia’s death, but Tragedy + Time shows just how hard-won it was.
Mike Reiss and Mathew Klickstein
MixedThe A.V. ClubThe book reads like a slightly more focused commentary track as Reiss answers fans’ burning questions; explains the show’s process; offers insights on characters, jokes, and controversies; and digs into his life as a comedy writer ... Each chapter comprises short, easily digestible chunks that may or may not have much to do with what comes before or after them ... For hardcore Simpsons nerds, little in Springfield Confidential will qualify as new information, and some of it is super basic for the Comic Book Guys among the show’s fan base ...The hook is that Reiss filters it through his experiences and opinions, and he has an endless supply of both ... Reiss’ candor frequently skews as dismissive or glib, which can be funny ... and other times shortsighted (see the section on Apu). The whole book reads as quickly written and a little undercooked. Springfield Confidential is fitfully informative, but too self-satisfied and meandering to do justice to The Simpsons.
