You and Me, Babe: A Novel

I read this book when it first came out and loved it. It's been years, and I no longer have the dead-tree copy, so I was thrilled to find it on Kindle, and particularly interested having heard it was updated. I have to say -- I prefer the original version. There was a lot added to this in terms of content, but I didn't find it helpful. The character of Geraldine wasn't as interesting; the story of the girlfriend at the end was unnecessarily (and uninterestingly) expanded. The development of minor characters like Bernice Chapman, and the father was interesting, as was the story line related to the wedding. But the major irritation -- the dates. In some ways, they helped in terms of knowing the times that these events took place. But they didn't line up right. They were incorrect in a lot of places, or at least inconsistent. A conversation with the friends in France that was marked as 1957 -- yet the date they left was given as prior to that. The ages of the characters given from time to time didn't correspond to the birth years or other occasions. What should have been something to add to the book only added to the confusion, as I kept thinking "wait, this can't be" and looking back. The ending was, in comparison, terrible.Y&MB when it first came out was originally described as a novel based on the author's real life, but not an autobiography. I have since read Della, which was the real-life story of the author's daughter, and can see several real-life incidents that were added to Y&MB in the update. I came away from the second version with the feeling that it wasn't quite a novel, and not quite an autobiography, and that perhaps that objective changed several times during the update. As a result, I felt that a lot of the magic of the first book was lost. Still a good story, for sure -- but not nearly as good as the original in my opinion.

I read this book when I was in my early teens (over 30 years ago) and enjoyed it so much that have kept that original copy of it ever since. It is the only fictional story book that I have read more than once and I find every few years I will pick it up and read it again. Just purchased a new copy of the book to read because my original copy is officially retired. It is a great story and one that is hard to put down until you have finished it.

read this book years ago , chuck barrios was a game show inventor too with a wild mind

Based on true story if Chuck Barris's (The Gong Show) rise to fame and how it affected his life. A love story.

this is an updated version of my favorite book of all time. Love the simple love story. Just an awesome book....

Barris has done it again. Sex, violence, politics, revolt and war. Not since WAR AND PEACE have I read a book of such stupendous and earth-shattering importance. It reads like a cross betweek LADY CHATTERLY'S LOVER and Dostoyevsky's THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV. Compared to Barris, Lewis Carroll is a mere amateur.

I met my best friend in 1976, she was reading this book and let me borrow it. I kept it until her death in 2006. I buried it with her and could never find another copy ...until now. THANK YOU! I also named my car Samantha Jane.