Patrick Dennis

When young Patrick is orphaned, he goes to live with a wealthy, unpredictable aunt in New York City.

An Irreverent Escapade

Auntie Mame

Sarah Sammis

Auntie Mame was one of my favorite movies as a child. So when BookCrossing offered me the chance to read the book that inspired the film, I had to jump on it. Of course, real life being what it is, I ended up shelving the book for about three years before I finally read it. The Book to Movie Challenge at SMS Reviews finally inspired me to read the book.

Auntie Mame (An Irreverent Episode) is the first in a series of books by Patrick Dennis (Edward Everett Tanner III). This memoir, while perhaps inspired by real people in his life. In that regard, Auntie Mame is among a number of novels disguised as memoirs: Life on the Mississippi, Tales from Margaritaville, most of Philip Roth's novels and so forth.

I have to admit that while I enjoyed some of the chapters, over all I found Dennis's style of writing rather dry. The situations he dreamed up are bizarre but the way in which he describes them manages to drain the humor right out of the situation.

Cindy McKee

This is an excellent book and its adaptations have been hit or miss. Rosalind Russells performance, I believe, captured the heart and soul of the character best. There are tons of wonderful stories included in the book that didn't make the movie, because, frankly there wouldn't be enough time to tell them all. And some stories are changed, but not in a bad way. Both are excellent! I will say I adore Lucille Ball and the musical has a few good numbers, but she isn't the Mame I envisioned as I read it. Ros on the other hand, she captured her grace and wit to perfection.

Auntie Mame An Irreverent Escapade

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