Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade

by Patrick Dennis

Book Overview

With a wit as sharp as a vodka stinger and a heart as free as her spirit, Auntie Mame burst onto the literary scene in 1955--and today remains one of the most unforgettable characters in contemporary fiction.

Wildly successful when it was first published in 1955, Patrick Dennis' Auntie Mame sold over two million copies and stayed put on the New York Times bestseller list for 112 weeks. It was made into a play, a Broadway...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0767908198
• ISBN13: 9780767908191
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.2" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

Very poor condition- pages falling out

I sent this book to my sister who loves Auntie Mame to read to our Uncle and the book was so old the pages fell out. Please don't ship something that damaged no matter how good the story is.

A guaranteed pick me up

I have read this book multiple times. Auntie Mame is an eccentric, lovable character. This book never fails to make me laugh.

The Original Mame

Patrick Dennis' famous "Auntie Mame" has so many incarnations that it can be hard to keep track. In the 1950s there was a famous stage version and still more famous film version, both starring the illustrious Rosalind Russell; in the 1960s there was an extremely popular stage musical starring Angela Lansbury and then a critically disasterous screen musical starring Lucille Ball. But this is the first, the original: AUNTIE MAME, one the 1950s' most talked-about books, a true runaway bestseller and one of the great classics of American humor.The episodic book concerns an orphaned child, Patrick Dennis, who is sent to live with an aunt he has never before seen in 1920s New York--and the aunt is Mame Dennis, a fast-living, intellectually sharp, and decidedly eccentric woman beset by both the fads and fashions of the day and the money and social connections with which to indulge them. Although time has rather blunted the actual way in which Patrick Dennis writes (his framing device of a magazine article is more than a little tiresome), it certainly has not blunted the character herself: madcap Mame runs riot through the roaring twenties, goes through largely self-induced hysteria during the Depression, works for the boys during World War II, and along the way gets involves in art movements, theatrical performances, fox hunts, Southern country society, war orphans, a wealthy husband, an Irish poet, a college lover, and most famously her beloved nephew's unfortunate engagement to the shallow and snobbish Gloria Upson. Each comic disaster is more memorable than the last, and Mame herself lingers in the mind as an inspiration to live life to the fullest no matter the consequences.Fans of the Rosalind Russell film version will quickly realize that Russell has captured the character perfectly; the book, however, is at once less structured and considerably broader than the Russell playscript and film. Very episodic and considered quite riske for its time, it contains a number of adventures (such as Mame's seduction of one of Patrick's college friends or her introduction of Patrick to the Maddox sisters) that never made it to any performance version. Both fans of the various plays and films and even the completely uninitiated will adore meeting the sparkling original, certainly one of the greatest comic creations in 20th Century literature. AUNTIE MAME deserves a special place on the shelf of any one who enjoys a range of humor that runs from sly giggles to screaming laughter. Strongly recommended.

Deliriousy Funny and Good-natured!

This has always been one of my favorite books and I was so glad to see this new edition! Mame is such a charming character--flamboyant, eccentric, etc. The new introduction by Paul Rudnick is clever and witty, and the afterword by Patrick Dennis' son is sweet. I can't believe how many times I laughed reading this book all over again. She may be unconventional, but Mame has a heart of gold and an incredible sense of adventure and fun--there should be more people like her in the world!

Still hilarous and charming.

Auntie Mame was first published almost fifty years ago, and although clearly describing times 75 long past (the book sees Mame through the twenties, the Depression and the War,) it is still charming, witty and absolutely hilarious. Far, far better than the embarassing movie starring Lucille Ball that was made from the book.The story is told in the first person by Patrick Dennis who is adopted in 1928 by his Auntie Mame after being orphaned. Although a flapper enjoying New York society in the Roaring Twenties, Mame makes Patrick an integral part of her life, in her own inimitable and quite irrepressible way. Unlike most post-War fiction, I think this book more than stands up to the passage of time. Perhaps because Patrick looks back at his childhood, which, even in 1955 (when the book was written) was part of the far distant past, the story is fun, rather than dated. And, certainly, contemporaneous readers have no trouble identifying with the excesses of the twenties, the financial desperation of the thirties or the terrors of the wartime forties.This book is fun and a good, enjoyable read. I highly recommend it.

Terrific - An Irreverent Escapade Indeed!

I have been a big fan of the film version of Auntie Mame for many years - I am now an even bigger fan of the original book! Patrick Dennis will make you laugh out loud throughout his witty and blunt portrayal of life with Auntie Mame, a fabulously wealthy women who is particularly adept at being fabulous. The book has more of an edge than the tame and happy movie does, and tackles several social issues such as anti-semitism, unwed motherhood, class stigmas, prostitution and bigotry. Mame uses fighting words when dealing with Patrick's anti-semitic future in-laws, and Patrick even gets mixed up with a tawdry prostitute for a brief spell. In spite of the weighty subjects the book addresses, Dennis manages to do so respectfully but with an excellent sense of humor. The escapades described in the book are far more daring than those in the film - the print medium allowed Dennis a tremendous amount of freedom. Think of the film (wonderful as it is) as a sanitized, family version of the grittier and funnier novel. You get a better sense of the characters, many of whom are not even mentioned in the movie. Also, many of the film's major characters play only minor roles in the book. Dennis builds a lot of depth into his characters. You can practically hear Mame as you read. I laughed so hard one night my husband told me to get out of bed and read somewhere else (Mame actually gets someone to refer to her by the nickname "Cuddles" - it's too much! You have to read the book to appreciate how funny that is!) I loved it!Dennis' wry presentation is terrific, and his dialogue is incredibly well written. He has a true gift for comedic writing, while at the same time he manages to not be disrespectful or condescending. Looking back on the content of the book, I don't know how he did it. He's Amazing, and so is Auntie Mame!

My Favorite Book of All Time!

My mom gave me a copy of Auntie Mame when I was 13. She said it was her favorite book and that it could always lift you out of depression. Guess what -- she was right! 25 years after that gift, I have always kept a copy of this wonderful book close to me. Auntie Mame's adventures, highs and lows, and generally fabulous outlook on life will inspire you to look at life in a totally different way. Buy this book immediately! You will not be sorry! You will become a blithe spirit with a light heart!