cover image Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang

Chelsea Handler, read by the author. Hachette Audio, unabridged, five CDs, 5.5 hrs., $25 ISBN 978-1-4789-2564-4

Comedian Handler does a credible impersonation of being drunk or high. Since a significant portion of this wafer-thin memoir involves characters who are drunk or high or both, her narration is generally dead on. In mocking tones, she critiques the perpetual disapproval of her straight-laced religious sister, Sloane, and recounts multiple arguments with her boyfriend, Ted, a Hollywood executive. Throughout various raunchy capers, she maintains a sunny voice as she seeks out the next pleasure%E2%80%94whether it's a new episode of Sex and the City or drugs. Sometimes she seems aware of the irony in her own words, as when she deadpans that she doesn't want children because she finds them "incredibly immature." Mostly, however, she keeps the tone light and the pace brisk, her fast-talking recitation allowing few pauses for reflection. A Grand Central hardcover. (Mar.)