Auntie Mame
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Product Description
Product Description
When shy young heir Patrick is orphaned at the age of ten, the only family he has is his wealthy and eccentric aunt, a New York socialite named Mame. Prone to dramatic costumes, flights of fancy and expensive whims, Mame will raise Patrick the only way she knows how - with humour, mishaps, unforgettable friends and lots of love. From progressive schooling and Mame's search for a husband to her short-lived literary career and the puncturing of some of Patrick's romances, Auntie Mame is the most magnificent and hilarious work of love, style, wit and the life of a modern American.
About the Author
Patrick Dennis (1921 - 1976) was one of the most widely read American authors of the 1950s and '60s. Among his sixteen novels, the majority of which were bestsellers, are Little Me, Around the World with Auntie Mame, Tony, How Firm a Foundation and Genius. A celebrity in bohemian New York culture, he led a double life as a bisexual man and a conventional husband and father, until becoming an exemplary butler to the elite in West Palm Beach and Chicago in the 1970s. In his own words, he attributed this change to being 'out of fashion' - and, 'I've said everything that I had to say. Twice.'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Fun,
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This review is from: Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
This is a delightful book, a real treasure, telling the story of a delightful resourceful woman - how marvellous it would be to have an aunt like Mame!The author immediately gets one's interest and that interest never wavers throughout the entire book. Patrick Dennis is orphaned at an early age and Aunt Mame takes him in. I loved the idea of him aged 9 sitting next to Aunt Mame with a pad writing down all the long words he didn't know and her explaining them to him. His vocabulary must have increased magnificently! Aunt Mame loved an adventure and life was one big adventure for her. Even when she lost all her money in the Wall Street Crash, she did not falter and did one job after another - alas not well - and it was only when she met an oil magnate that she was able to resume her former lifestyle. Not that she thought it her right, it was just the way she had always lived her life. Each chapter is a complete story in itself and they start with extracts from a 'sweet old lady' who herself takes in a foundling and how she copes with her baby, toddler and eventually grown up child who eventually marries and has his own children. The book was written in 1955 and I agree it is rightfully a Penguin Classic. I think its good that a new generation of readers have an opportunity to enjoy this author. Sit back read, enjoy and if you're reading it on the tube (or any public place) be aware that you'll probably laugh out loud. [Review by Shirleyanne Seel]
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet sponge cake with pink icing - small bites suffice,
By
This review is from: Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
This is an amusing hybrid of Dorothy Parker (very witty) P.G.Wodehouse (class consciousness and comedy of manners) and Saki (peopled at times with strange artistic eccentrics, and clearly on the side of the outre rather than conformists)Its really a collection of vignettes about the imaginary author (see the afterword, which explains that 'Patrick Dennis' wrote a variety of books using a variety of nom de plumes, of which PD was one) and his imaginary life with his wildly arty bohemian aunt Mame. The stories are sewn together by a device of comparing them with another imaginary book written about someone else's eccentric aunt (less confusing in the book, I promise) I laughed a lot during the first half to two thirds of the book, but then began to chortle less and less, finding that the fancy and amusement could not really sustain themselves. The early stories, covering the young Patrick, and his boyhood and adolescent experiences with his aunt were very funny - once into the period of the war, I felt the stories were running out of steam. The best jokes had been made, and a fairly delightful divertissement, suitable for a small dose, was becoming overworked and heavy. I found this particularly true from the story about the fostered children onwards to the 'second generation' ending. 3 1/2 stars if I could - better than OK, QUITE liked it, or liked the first half a lot, then lost engagement
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
But Darling, I'm your Auntie Mame!,
By
This review is from: Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade (Penguin Modern Classics) (Paperback)
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Programme (What's this?)
Beautiful, hilarious whimsical whirlwind of a book from start to finish; 'Auntie Mame' tells the story, through the eyes of Patrick Dennis, of a life lived with his infamous, fun, indomitable, eccentric, and utterly mad high-society aunt who must raise him as her own when he is orphaned at the tender age of ten.One morning an adult Patrick reads a copy of the Digest to find an article about a most unusual, sweet little lady who raised a orphan, and begins reminiscing about the unusual, sweet little lady who raised him. From there follows a collection of what are essentially short stories broken up into chapters; the painfully hilarious messes that the impulsive Mame drags her beguiled nephew into, and the unforgettable crew of characters whose lives they change along the way (and not always for the better!). So many times this book had me snickering out loud, and yet it is such a touching read too - Auntie Mame is frivolous and scatterbrained and often exasperating, but her well-intentioned messing with Patrick's upringing, and her love for him and those who surround her, always shines through. Highlights include Ito's giggling, Mame's out of control horseback ride, Agnes' alter ego, the english children who turn out to be spawn-of-the-devil hellions when Mame kindly takes them in, and Patrick finally finding love and settling down...only to find the cycle beginning all over again when an eager Auntie Mame gets her hands on his son. I recommend this to anyone looking for a witty, charming and warm read, and I'll be on the lookout for more of Dennis' work after this - it isn't just the lovable characters or funny story, but the sparkling, wry prose which brings 'Auntie Mame' to life.
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