Everything and a Kite by Ray Romano

by Ray Romano

Ray Romano's Everybody Loves Raymond is the most important TV comedy since Seinfeld. Now he makes his debut as an author with a reported seven-figure book deal. Some of what makes his show great is captured between the covers of Everything and a Kite--it boasts the same affectionate, yet not cheaply sentimental, comedy that conveys actual insights about family life, an experience Martin Mull has likened to "having a bowling alley installed in your brain." The show is like Married... with Children with a heart or Home Improvement with a brain. In book form, Romano is kind of like Dave Barry. Barry is funnier on the page, but Romano writes a good spritz-of-consciousness monologue. And Barry dared not utter the word prostate in Dave Barry Turns 50, but Romano provides a state-of-the-art prostate-exam reminiscence. There is no shame he shuns--not his fear of spiders, exacerbated when he splooshed one off his windshield with the washer button through the moonroof into the car while driving, nor his sexual-conquest count ("one less than the number of times I've been stung by a bee... greater than the number of times I've put a pet to sleep... exactly equal to the number of times I've been crapped on by a bird"). But Romano stole his when he asked his 4-year-old son what he wanted for his birthday, the kid said, "Everything and a kite." --Tim Appelo

Genres: Humor, Biography, Nonfiction, Comedy, Memoir, Audiobook, Comedian

Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1998

About the author

Raymond Albert "Ray" Romano is an American actor, writer, and stand-up comedian, best known for his role on the long-running sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was not great literature, but it was a fast read, entertaining and funny. It shared a few glimpses into his real life family that inspired his sit com. What else would you expect from a comedian?

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing comedy is hard to do, but Ray Romano mostly pulls it off. Lots of material is culled from his stand-up act, rendering much of this book disappointingly familiar--though I didn't really mind, seeing as how I thought most of his jokes worked better in print than on the stage. EVERYTHING AND A KITE may not be gut-bustingly hilarious, but it does manage to be consistently amusing. And further kudos to Romano for writing the best dust jacket blurb ever.

UPDATE: I've recently been re-watching the first season of EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, and it turns out that virtually EVERY joke from this book is recycled from early episodes of the show. The only truly original material seems to be the opening chapter on the writing of the book itself. Just saying.

[Wendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this on audio with my husband. He had read it before and remembered it being funny. I love the show Everyone Loves Raymond and I love it when an author reads his own story.

[Nick Cornell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only have about 25 more pages in this book and that's a bad thing. It was so insightful into almost all aspects of life. If there was a complaint I have about this book it is that there really isn't very much to right about. In the monolog at the beginning of the book Ray Ramono talks about his difficulties in writing this book. He says he couldn't focus and doubted he would ever finish it. I have such respect for him being able to accomplish something like this. This is also another insite into my own life. Without support and encouragement I almost never get that kind of stuff done. I've always wished I could write a novel and Ray Ramono actually finished one. I find that refreshing and encouraging.

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

The family-related comedy by the author is entertaining and will resonate with parents/spouses/adult children in similar situations. There are many poignant and on-point observations about being a man of a certain age and station in life. The author makes note of his “page quota” a few times, and the reader can’t help but feel this is actually the case at times, especially when some content seems like filler and a recycled hodge-podge of anecdotes and stories heard before in his comedy act or sitcom.

[Malbadeen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes. I read it. It's true. I don't remember when, where or why but I definitely read it. And I'm not ashamed to say (okay I must be a little "ashamed" as I seem to be somewhat defensive) that I remember laughing at parts of it.
And this morning I thought of one particular essay, that actually comes to mind pretty frequently about girls and showers which I thought was both funny and admirable in it's honesty.

[Nancy]

The book gave insights into things that happened on the sitcom, Everybody Loves Raymond. However, there was very little about Ray's brother. Mom and Dad were pretty much what we saw on the show, --unless he was really going for the comedy and exaggerating things. I suspect (ya think?) there was a lot of exaggeration.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything and a Kite by Ray Romano
Stand up comedian who talks about a lot of different subjects,
mostly how men can get away with doing certain chores, being
blamed for things they didn't do or say, etc.
Baby schedules, watching sports on tv, just things kids say, mostly
profanity.
He explains the title of the book and it makes TOTAL sense.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Ray Romano and this book was ok.

There were definately some laugh out loud moments - my favorite is still what side of the bed do you want. If nothing else pick it up and read that chapter.

This book was about him and written by him.

Nothing speical to me but to some I am sure it would be wonderful.

[Jeff Grosser · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny and light hearted book. If you like Ray's TV show and stand up comedy, then you'll like his book. He covers just about everything and a kite. To quote him, "You shouldn't look at this as simply a book of funny observations, but as the work of a man who didn't let his imperfections stand in the way of his dreams".

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever watched Everyone Loves Raymond? Watched/listened to his stand-up routines? If you have you have an idea of what to expect, i.e. riffs on kids, his wife, his family, and especially his pet peeves. If you like his material, you are likely to enjoy Everything and a Kite.

[Evangelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only is Ray Romano hysterical to watch, reading his book brings tears to your eyes because with each page, all you do is laugh out loud. I highly recommend this book if you want to do a quick read, and get a good laugh. Every page has something to laugh about!

[Sarai · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you liked the tv show Everybody Loves Raymond, you will enjoy this book. The stories here sound very familiar, from Ray's mother to father to wife. The only difference here is that Ray has four children and on the show he had three.

Very light, fast reading.

[Randee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ray Romano amuses me. You will like this book if he amuses you as well. If he doesn't, I'm pretty sure you won't find it interesting or funny. I read it in one sitting and spent an 90 minutes or so entertained.

[Jodi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read a Bio/funny book in a long time. Years of just reading romance. I found this book at a senior center so I picked it up. I love books that make me laugh, and I can read it all in one day.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though his TV sitcom has been over for years, I read this book and HEARD his voice as though he was doing a stand up routine in my living room. I laughed out loud!
What can I say except, everybody loves Raymond. Good job, Mr. Romano.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

who doesn't like Ray Romano? It's a funny, no-thinking book about Ray's life and rise to stardom. Everything from a young guy to meeting his wife in a bank to his eventual sit-com success...

[Primadonna · Rating 3 out of 5]

It rather surprises me to know that Romano's wife has something in common with me. Ha ha!

[DanDan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny, especially if you have kids. I laughed out loud several times, while sitting in the Atlanta airport.

[Dennis · Rating 2 out of 5]

An OK book, but not one of the better comedian books.

[Frank Taranto · Rating 2 out of 5]

A not bad look at the lighter side of life.

[Shellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

seriously funny stuff

[Jackie Ballard · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is very funny! Had me laughing for hours.

[Carol Nine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ray Romano has a knack of pointing out the things that all married couples and people who have children share, and he makes them all seem funny, after the fact. This was a very funny book.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny read, it was like hearing him live(on TV) but better because the punch lines have to be read and real life situations with children are great.

[Deepti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a light read, nothing profound, but fun all the same.

[Candi Olsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laughed all the way through.

[Hali · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened on it to my way to work. It was a great book that made me laugh out loud many times.

[David Carraturo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I burt out laughing at parts of this book. If you are a parent, you will enjoy it alot.