Overheard: The Art of Eavesdropping

by Oslo Davis

Oslo Davis has made a career of recording his observations of 'life in the city' for us all to enjoy. His Overheard cartoons capture the hilarious and the crazy, banal and sillyness of everyday life. While Oslo snoops on what people are talking about, we get to reflect on, and laugh at, the crazy things that occupy people's minds. The daughter telling her mother not to interfere in party preparations, the fat man pondering what is least bad to eat, the hipster commenting on what is truly hip.

No one escapes Oslo's eavesdropping. Indeed it could have been your conversation that he was listening in on as he wanders city streets...

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, Humor, Comics

144 pages, Paperback

Published January 2, 2018

Reviews

[ftnrsnn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you BookXcess for this collaboration!



When was the last time you overheard someone’s conversation and was it good, bad, funny or juicy (yum)? I don’t remember when was the last time I overheard a stranger’s conversation but the juicy one that I can still remember vividly to this day was when I was in my matriculation. There’s this one teacher (hot teacher I guess), who was arguing with her boyfriend (or husband) via the phone call. It was so loud that she didn’t really care if people might hear it and I got really distracted to focus on what my teacher was explaining to our group because the “kepochi” side of me really wanted to find out what was going on with them. LOL! What a weird thing to remember.

Anyhow, I was so excited to read this book because it's been on my radar for quite some times and when I found it on BookXcess website for a ridiculously cheaper price, I just knew I had to have it. Overheard was quite an enjoyable read for me, recommended to those who were looking for a light reading. Reading this book felt like visiting an art museum and immerse yourself into all the story behind those artworks. At least for me, it felt that way, only it wasn’t that deep, just more towards a humorous tone.

This book was divided into six parts and the compilations of “Overheard” that were presented in it including the weird ones, the silly and the gobsmacking. Some of them were so hilarious and I wished there were more to it especially on the “What The” part. Hence, for a whole concept of this book, it was three stars from me as it’s really short and didn’t have any stretch of plots, just some random overheard stuff from people all over the city, but for the arts and drawings, it was a straight 5 stars. They were so captivating and I really loved it. All in all, I just had a really good time reading this book.








If you’re interested in getting this book, you can purchase it on BookXcess website. They also offer you with a great selection of books, widely covering all the genres from kids to adults and you will get free shipping with a minimum purchase of RM80 within peninsular Malaysia. Don't miss this great offer!

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[Jahnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny. Sometimes you just can't easily be done with an overheard conversation, especially if the conversation is juicy or funny enough to make you want to hear or learn more.

[Kristina Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it, I just wish there were more. This book is like a collection of those moments when you’re walking down the street or out to dinner, minding your own business and a stranger utters a sentence so insane, you are dying to hear the rest of the story or phone conversation.

[itselv]

a collection of sentences the author overhead, that sounded bizarre, funny, absolutely in need for context, or just wrong and offensive, just like what you might expect from people talking without realizing they’re being heard by some strangers around. Oslo’s art is very sweet, the premise is very interesting, i hope to see it in a philosophical, poetic, and artistic setting someday. the book was a fun time.

[Sintia Astarina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sebagai seseorang yang suka banget mengobservasi orang lain, bahkan kadang "kepo" sama apa yang dibicarain orang-orang di sekitar, buku Overheard: The Art of Eavesdropping karya Oslo Davis ini kayaknya buatku, deh. Ini adalah buku hasil "nguping" orang-orang di berbagai tempat: di toko buku, di museum, di taman, dan masih banyak lagi.

Buku bergenre humor ini ngingetin aku sama akun @overheardjkt atau akun-akun overheard lainnya di Instagram. Bedanya, kalau akun overheard di IG hanya berisi kutipan percakapan aja. Sementara itu, ada gambar ilustrasi di buku ini yang memudahkan pembaca untuk bisa langsung membayangkan kondisi pas Oslo Davis sengaja/gak sengaja mendengar pembicaraan orang lain. Ilustrasinya bagus-bagus dan sangat khas! Diilihat dari gaya-gayanya (maaf kalau sotoy), Oslo Davis memadukan berbagai warna cantik cat air yang membuat karyanya lebih hidup. Ada banyak ilustrasi yang dibikin hitam-putih juga, sih. Kalau dibikin colorful semua, I think it might be more interesting. 😍❤

Nah, karena profesi Oslo Davis ini sebenernya adalah ilustrator, maka enggak heran kalau buku ini lebih didominasi gambar, sementara tulisan hasil ngupingnya kecil banget di bagian bawah. Sehabis baca, agak bingung juga, sebenernya ini kan mau nonjolin pembicaraan-pembicaraan orang lain, bukankah seharusnya conversation-nya yang lebih ditonjolkan dibandingkan gambarnya? Atau mungkin, ukuran tulisan bisa lebih diperbesar? But anyway, untuk orang-orang visual kayak aku, pasti matanya bakal dimanjain banget sama gambar-gambar ciamik pria satu ini.

Btw, gimana hasil nguping Oslo Davis? Hmm... ternyata aku gak terlalu nyambung. 😆😂🤣 Mungkin karena beda budaya, bahasa, & kebiasaan kali, ya. Tapi, ada banyak scene yang bikin aku ngikik karena relate/pernah ngalamin juga. Aku berharap banget ada buku Overheard serupa, tapi versi Indonesia. Mungkin pesannya bakalan lebih nyampe. Ya gak, sih?

[Sheryl Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Art of Eavesdropping
Haha.. kepo nih ye..
Isinya sangat menarik. Ilustrasi berwarna di dalamnya lebih mirip coretan sketsa berwarna seadanya namun berkelas. Menceritakan tentang kejadian menarik yang tidak sengaja ditemui oleh ilustrator ketika sedang berjalan-jalan, baik di stasiun kereta, museum, lapangan sepak bola, pasar, pusat kota, perkebunan, pantai, pesawat, cafe, shopping mall, restoran, taman, dll.
Kalau baca buku ini rasanya kehidupan mas Oslo sangat menarik. Jalan-jalan sambil memperhatikan sekelilingnya lalu dituangkan ke dalam sebuah gambar berwarna lalu disisipi juga lokasi dan isi pembicaraannya.
Keren dan kreatif banget. Thumbs up!

[Liberty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll keep the review for this one short and sweet since this is just a collection of single panel comics bound together. The premise is simple: an artist overhears something that a stranger says while out in public and draws a comic to go with it. This range from something simple and sweet to moments of just...wtf. I think my favorite version of these is the confused person acting like they've never been outside their house a day in their life. The comics themselves were well drawn and colored so they were easy to understand. This was a fun book I picked up at the library when going there for something else and was a good palate cleanser for me.

[elsewhere · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overheard: The Act of Eavesdropping by Oslo Davis allows its readers to briefly look through the lives of various strangers, providing an interesting documentation of the use of human language and the multiple meanings it may evoke, depending on the listener.

[Smitchy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyday conversations overheard by the author are turned into single cell comics - the bizarre, mundane, odd and interesting bits of out of context make for great reading.

[Romany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illustrates the absurdity of life.

[Matt Akersten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of fun. I love eavesdropping!

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a collection of one panel comics so it’s it’s a incredibly quick read. It’s funny, I like the art work and I would have been happy to read more if it was a bigger book.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Just that, and 17 bags of ice.”

Brilliant. :-)

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

690 - 2020

[Anya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some are rather interesting, most are just okay. Not quite as shrewd as I hoped it would be.

[Sigi Ramen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s 100% Elmo!

[monica ♪ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book makes me feel less guilty for eavesdropping 😂
Good humor with nice illustrations 👌

[pagesandjournals · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light and hilarous! 😁

[Aida Husaini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always fun to read what people hear when they’re out and about

[Hannah Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny. Love overheard snippets.

[jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

simple to sit down and read, lovely compositions and a nice view to take of the world.

[✧*̥˚ ꒰lizabeth *̥˚✧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny little inspiring read. Sometime's I forget there's beauty in the mundane

[Hadi Muss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucu dan menghiburkan. Kadang ada ilustrasi yang saya tak faham.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars - terribly entertaining and well-illustrated, though some weren't that funny. 'Gaye was actually gay' and the expression on the sheep like that you'd see in shrek were by far my favourites.

[Horla · Rating 3 out of 5]

What makes other people other people? What makes them one of us?