Reviewers note that the essays , like the book , are long ( 97 pages about a cruise-ship voyage , 54 on the Illinois State Fair ) and playful ( He trounces words ; he pivots on commas ; he drops in and out of styles like a vaudevillian who lets the audience watch him change costumes right there on stage , says the Los Angeles Times ' Susan Salter Reynolds ) .
His essays have been more successful than his book , although the writing style is similar .