The Book of Liz

by Amy Sedaris, David Sedaris

Sister Elizabeth Donderstock is Squeamish, has been her whole life. She makes cheese balls (traditional and smoky) that sustain the existence of her entire religious community, Clusterhaven. However, she feels unappreciated among her Squeamish brethren, and she decides to try her luck in the outside world. Along the way, she meets a Cockney-speaking Ukrainian immigrant couple who find her a job waiting tables at Plymouth Crock, a family restaurant run almost entirely by recovering alcoholics. The alcoholics love her. The customers love her. Her Danderfrock fits right in. Things are going great for Liz, until she's offered a promotion to manager. Unfortunately, Liz has a sweating problem, and to get the job, she'll have to fix it. Meanwhile, back at Clusterhaven, Liz's compatriots just can't seem to duplicate her cheese ball recipe, and it's going to cost them their quaint, cloistered lifestyle. They are panic-stricken and desperate, and sure she sabotaged the recipe. Does Liz go through with the operation? Can the Squeamish be saved? Will the cheese balls ever taste good again?

Genres: Plays, Humor, Fiction, Drama, Theatre, Comedy, Religion

72 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

Amy Louise Sedaris is an American actress, comedian, and writer. Most recently, she has appeared in both The Mandalorian (2019–2023) and The Book of Boba Fett (2022) as Peli Motto. She played Jerri Blank in the Comedy Central comedy series Strangers with Candy (1999–2000) and the prequel film Strangers with Candy (2005), which she also wrote.
Sedaris appeared as Hurshe Heartshe in the Adult Swim comedy series The Heart, She Holler (2013–2014), as Princess Carolyn in the Netflix animated comedy-drama series BoJack Horseman (2014–2020), and as Mimi Kanasis in the Netflix sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015–2020). She received further critical acclaim as the creator and star of the TruTV surreal comedy series At Home with Amy Sedaris (2017–2020) which earned her two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series.
Sedaris has appeared in various films, including Maid in Manhattan (2002), School of Rock (2003), Elf (2003), Bewitched (2005), Chicken Little (2005), Shrek the Third (2007), Jennifer's Body (2009), Puss in Boots (2011), Chef (2014), Ghost Team (2016), Handsome (2017), and The Lion King (2019).

Reviews

[Kristin Koski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed riding this rollercoaster of laughs and groans. THE BOOK OF LIZ will be a ridiculously fun play to direct, and I will be looking for the opportunity to direct it with some friends.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2

Brother and sister David and Amy Sedaris put their heads together and wrote a play, The Book of Liz.

It’s in the style I’ve come to expect from them, original and bizarre as can be:

It takes place in an Amish type area. But this community is of another faith, the Squeamish. The place where they live is called Clusterhaven.

Sister Elizabeth is in charge of making the cheese balls (traditional and smoky), her own original recipe, that they are famous for. The proceeds from said cheese balls are the entire income that sustains the Squeamish people.

Sister Elizabeth does, however, have a severe perspiration issue and gets no respect. She decides to leave the only place she has ever known and sets off on foot.

Along the way she meets a Cockney-speaking Ukrainian couple, spends time dressed as Mr. Peanut, and winds up working as a waitress in a restaurant called Plymouth Crock.

That’s all I’m going to say as you will have to read the play to find out how things work out for Liz.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jealous of those Sedaris kids, being talented together and whatnot.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fun and quirky satirical play was produced by the brother and daughter team that is well-known for humor. The main character, Sister Elizabeth Donderstock, is Sqeamish, which is a religious order. The order (both nuns and priests) lives in the community of Clusterhaven, which survives primarily on the successful sales of its cheese balls. Liz is the originator of the recipe, and she is feeling less than respected when she is constantly looked over for various assignments by the head of the order. As a result, she decides to leave.

Once on her own, she befriends a nice Ukrainian couple, who ironically have a Cockney accent. They are more than happy to help her out in getting settled in. Before long she finds herself with a successful job waiting tables at a nearby family restaurant called Plymouth Crock. While the restaurant works well, the staff contingent seems to be totally made up of recovering alcoholics. When the manager is offered a promotion to regional manager, he turns to Liz as a replacement because of how well she does her job. The problem is that she is a heavy sweater, which is disconcerting for many customers. She is going to have to have surgery to correct things if Liz is going to take the job.

Clusterhaven is now struggling to make ends meet. While Liz kindly left them the recipe so they could continue with their cheese ball business, the recipe doesn't seem to be quite working. Try as they might, the nuns and priests can't seem to get the taste right. The failure is endangering the survival of the community since they can no longer bring in the needed income.

You will have to read the short play to find out how everything is sorted out in the end. This was a quick read that I picked up because I have been enjoying David Sedaris' collections of essays so much. I really enjoyed it a lot, though there really is only a loose sense of reality in what is going on. If you can live with that, you will find yourself laughing at the high-jinx.

[Vickie Kozhushchenko]

Not only is this a great script to read (and authentic David Sedaris, with an equal measure of Amy mixed in, which just makes it all the more wacky), but the play was one of the best things I've seen on stage in 10 years. Of course, I also saw it in LA, where every actor who was in it was concurrently airing in either a Pledge, Fruit of the Loom or Metamucil commercial, while working 2 jobs in various restaurants and sending their head shots to Spielberg, Katzenberg and Weinstein twice a day.

If nothing else, the ability of the writers (David & Amy) to take an oft misunderstood faith and obscure its true ideals even more, create intrigue around the construction of a highly prized hors d'ouevres originating from Wisconsin, and wrap it all up in a tidy love story, is testament to what unique intellectuals they both are. Either that, or they're both just completely insane.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I performed in a production of The Book of Liz at the Butler Little Theatre.

The audiences were not what you might expect for a strange and satirical play like this -- they were small town folks in a generally conservative area. A few people took offense, writing to the local paper, but most people got at least a few laughs, and the run was a successful.

As performers, we had some challenges with accents, and with creating a viable Mr. Peanut costume.

But on the whole I'd recommend this as an unusual and sweetly quirky play to produce and perform in.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Book of Liz is a play in 11 scenes following the travails of Sister Elizabeth Donderstock as she leaves her religious order, befriends some Ukrainians, and works as a waitress in a pilgrim themes restaurant with a bunch of recovering alcoholics. As you might imagine, hilarity ensues.

Amy and David Sedaris, who wrote the play, are both very funny in their own rights, but when you put them together, an entertaining read is pretty much a given. A lot of the humor is dry, wry, and with a satirical slant. But then things get surreal just when you need them to.

Enjoyable to read, and I'd love to see it on stage sometime.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this play at Park University a few years ago, only because I love David Sedaris and have listened to most of his audio books. More recently have I also grown to love Amy Sedaris and truly appreciate her humor. So about the play, tickets were only $5, but it was the BEST $5 I've ever spent on any play performance!! I laughed the entire 2 hours. So this "play book" is, of course, not as good as seeing the performance live, but it IS incredibly funny and a very quick read. I highly recommend this as a truly hilarious read, especially if you need some zest in your life :0)

[A. T. Adlen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really liking the satirical nature of this play-it goes above and beyond what I expected which is saying something considering I am an avid reader of the Sedaris family. I am actually keeping this play in mind to perform with some great actors I know.


is is just me or do some of the female characters come across as Monty-Python-esque men/women? I really feel like Mrs Butterworth would be even more hilarious if she were played by a man. Thoughts?

[Jennifer Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually didn't read this, but I saw the play performed at local theatre. IT was good, but not as "David Sedaris" as expected. The play was about a woman from a cult-type religious compound deciding to leave and see what the rest of the world had to offer. The subject didn't really feel like anything else I have read by Sedaris, but it was an entertaining play nonetheless.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting to be more enthusiastic about this play; David Sedaris is a brilliant writer, and Amy is both a talented writer and performer. When I envision Amy Sedaris in the title role, I can see how this would be entertaining on stage, but it doesn't read as well. This isn't abnormal; dramatic literature only truly comes alive on stage.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure how I would feel about it from reading the description on the back, but don't the idea of cheese balls fool you, it's actually very good. I love the quirky Elizabeth and her journey. I read it looking for a monologue and ultimately went with something else, but I certainly enjoyed the play, even if I can't pull off a nun.

[Eli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This play is hilarious, filled with pee-your-pants hysterical moments. I just continue to be startled by how conventional it is, in both structure and message. Take away the cheese balls and the Shakeresque religious community, and Book of Liz is much less innovative than I ever would've expected from any number of Sedarisim.

[Kaysy Ostrom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some plays just don't translate on the page. They HAVE to be seen live. I think that's the case with this play. I think both Amy and David Sedaris are hilarious but much of the comedy in this script needs to be spoken to have its full effect. I didn't not like it, I just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short play by two of the funniest people. Whenever I read something by one of the Sedaris' I can't help but wonder what it would be like to be a part of that family. Or better yet...what it's like to be their parents.

[Kip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious. I wish the other plays they wrote together (Little Frieda Mysteries, etc) were available. I saw several of them as originals at La Mama, and they are hands down the most fun nights I've ever spent in a theater.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main enjoyment of the play is the authors' subtle poking fun at the reader and plays in general. The external is underwhelming and the internal is just as dramatic.
Also, any thoughts of Amy Sedaris keep me interested. :)

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The absurdity of cheese balls, religion, and a Pilgrim themed family restaurant makes me want to see this drama live! There's something about the sound effects that are still cracking me up (cars honking, car tires on gravel, and phone ringing). So simple and yet too much.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my birthday presents from last year and I finally read it. This is a play by "The Talent Family" Amy Sedaris and David Sedaris. Very funny. I could picture Amy as Sister Liz (and Brother Hesikiah).

[Sherry (sethurner) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too funny. Potentially offensive to members of conservative religious groups, people who sweat, homophobic folks, and heaven knows who else, this little play had me chuckling out loud and reading lines to my long-suffering husband. It also made me hungry for cheese balls.

[Audrey Regan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading a play sometimes is a challenge, but the thought of these famous siblings and other comedians playing parts makes it better. It was very short and not one of my favorite Sedaris 'books', so that is why I only gave it 3 stars. 3 1/2 if they would let me.

[Debbie Cenko]

I love David Sedaris, so I was excited about reading this. Perhaps I was expecting too much. Didn't make me laugh hardly at all. Perhap it was because I've seen Book of Mormon!! Did like the ending, however.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, funny, quirky valentine to the oddballs of the world, and our need to be valued by others. Not sure that all audiences would respond to the Sedaris's particular sense of humor (or 12 step culture), but I loved it.

[Fawndolyn Valentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rife with that Sedaris humor I've come to know and love! I read the lines while imagining all the usuals who go along with Amy (pretty much the whole cast of Strangers with Candy). I still want to try my hand at a cheeseball.

[allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

hilarious and touching. what i wouldn't give to share their genes.

[Louise Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grotesque, hilarious, extreme but somehow touching. Stranger than Strangers with a weirdly sensitive underbelly. Truly an unholy child formed by the union of the most hilarious brother and sister.

[J · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's so sad, because I love David and Amy Sedaris. I both read and went to see this play--terrrrrrrible.

[Jac · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I'd need to see it.

[Phoebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't actually read it, but saw the play and it was AMAZING. I'm sure it would make a fantastic read as well.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this little play on the subway - its weird and funny, what you would expect from the Sedarises. But nothing special, just sort of funny.