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sarahay's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Sometimes this seemed so dated and unsubtle, I wondered why I was reading it. But the writing is so very slick, the dialogue in particular is such fun, that this reader was still swept away 70 years after it was written. It's easy to see how its original audience kept it it at the top of the Bestseller lists for over 2 years. Then by the end of the year following publication it was on Broadway and became one of the most popular non-musicals of all time. The subsequent TV show plus 2 movies make sense too- so many passages felt written for Lucille Ball. But it is the historical sweep, covering the 2 decades from the Crash to post-war Indian independence, that made it work for me today. Trail-blazing, exotic Auntie Mame has no truck with the out-of-date attitudes around her, even if the writer is perhaps still a little bit entrenched in some of them (especially when it comes to creating comedy out of stereotypes in a cast of women which include the gold-digging Brooklyn prostitute, the spurned and spoilt fiancee, the anxious spinster, the angry and flatulant prospective mother-in-law etc etc. Liberal and outspoken Mame is happily rather more inspiring.) Perhaps reading the author's mini-biography would give better context as a foreword than an afterword- his own life's challenges and the various ways he reinvented it made for a fascinating read.
lastbraincell's review against another edition
3.0
One can only imagine the chaos that would ensue if Auntie Mame and (Roald Dahl's) Uncle Oswald met.
bohohohoh's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
a_chickletz's review against another edition
4.0
HILARIOUS.
Oh gosh, it has been forever where I laughed and laughed over a book.
So, I have never seen the movie. When I hung out with a good friend of mine and we were discussing movies, she goes "Mame is one of my favorite movies, you need to see it". So I discovered it was a book and dove into it after finishing a couple of my other books.
I'm knocking it down a star because it was written in that time when people threw around certain words and had prejudices about certain races. Thankfully, the people who are nasty about that are the people that Mame goes off on/ridicules/drives up a wall. Wasn't a fan of seeing it in the book, but the main character wasn't a user or someone who purposed that kind of talk so I let it slide.
That aside, it is a FUNNY book. The summary on the goodreads page does it justice. It's just all these short stories that are linked to one another featuring a 10 year old and his mad-cap rich aunt. My favorite had to be the one when she adopts the war-relocated kids (which were kids from off the street) and their language and manner drives Patrick (who is in his twenties at that time) up a wall.
Luckily when I bought this book I bought the sequel as well (which I am reading) and I'm enjoying that too. Apparently it was left over/edited bits from the first book that tells about their trip around Europe. So far so good!
Oh gosh, it has been forever where I laughed and laughed over a book.
So, I have never seen the movie. When I hung out with a good friend of mine and we were discussing movies, she goes "Mame is one of my favorite movies, you need to see it". So I discovered it was a book and dove into it after finishing a couple of my other books.
I'm knocking it down a star because it was written in that time when people threw around certain words and had prejudices about certain races. Thankfully, the people who are nasty about that are the people that Mame goes off on/ridicules/drives up a wall. Wasn't a fan of seeing it in the book, but the main character wasn't a user or someone who purposed that kind of talk so I let it slide.
That aside, it is a FUNNY book. The summary on the goodreads page does it justice. It's just all these short stories that are linked to one another featuring a 10 year old and his mad-cap rich aunt. My favorite had to be the one when she adopts the war-relocated kids (which were kids from off the street) and their language and manner drives Patrick (who is in his twenties at that time) up a wall.
Luckily when I bought this book I bought the sequel as well (which I am reading) and I'm enjoying that too. Apparently it was left over/edited bits from the first book that tells about their trip around Europe. So far so good!
sarahastrid3's review against another edition
3.0
I want to like Auntie Mame, I do, but something about it doesn't hold my attention enough to care what happens to her or her nephew. Good thing I never bought Around The World with Auntie Mame.
pattina_88's review against another edition
3.0
Cosa dire di questa lettura? O meglio, cosa dire di lei, di Zia Mame? È un personaggio unico, su questo non ci sono dubbi.
L’ho amata e l’ho odiata, ripetutamente, nel corso dei diversi episodi che la vedono sempre protagonista. Ogni capitolo si presenta come un racconto, e lei è il centro del mondo, rendendosi a volte antipatica e apparendo indubbiamente viziata e un po’ dispotica. In tutto questo Patrick, il nipote e narratore delle mille peripezie, un po’ scompare, nascosto dall’ombra della zia.
A me, che sono cresciuta al motto di “impara a stare al mondo”, molti degli atteggiamenti di Mame sono parsi incomprensibili, a tratti intollerabili.
Si riscatta però negli ultimi capitoli, mostrando la sua intelligenza e anche i suoi valori senza paura, come del resto ha sempre vissuto, senza però mai snaturarsi.
Di tutto il romanzo ho apprezzato tantissimo il lessico, pieno di termini inconsueti e curiosi, usati sempre nel momento e nel contesto giusti.
“Zia Mame e la mia infelice storia d’amore” è il capitolo che più mi ha colpita.
L’ho amata e l’ho odiata, ripetutamente, nel corso dei diversi episodi che la vedono sempre protagonista. Ogni capitolo si presenta come un racconto, e lei è il centro del mondo, rendendosi a volte antipatica e apparendo indubbiamente viziata e un po’ dispotica. In tutto questo Patrick, il nipote e narratore delle mille peripezie, un po’ scompare, nascosto dall’ombra della zia.
A me, che sono cresciuta al motto di “impara a stare al mondo”, molti degli atteggiamenti di Mame sono parsi incomprensibili, a tratti intollerabili.
Si riscatta però negli ultimi capitoli, mostrando la sua intelligenza e anche i suoi valori senza paura, come del resto ha sempre vissuto, senza però mai snaturarsi.
Di tutto il romanzo ho apprezzato tantissimo il lessico, pieno di termini inconsueti e curiosi, usati sempre nel momento e nel contesto giusti.
“Zia Mame e la mia infelice storia d’amore” è il capitolo che più mi ha colpita.
nikla88's review against another edition
5.0
Questo libro mi ha fatto sorridere per un'intera settimana, in metro, a casa sul divano, seduta su di una panchina, qualcuno avrà pensato stessi leggendo la Littizzetto.
E' molto piacevole, molto scorrevole e per niente pesante. Inoltre ci fa viaggiare nel tempo e ci dà un'idea della vita degli anni '20. Forse anche Zia Mame sarà stata ad una festa di Gatsby.
E' molto piacevole, molto scorrevole e per niente pesante. Inoltre ci fa viaggiare nel tempo e ci dà un'idea della vita degli anni '20. Forse anche Zia Mame sarà stata ad una festa di Gatsby.
franzcomma's review against another edition
4.0
Un po' datato, e probabilmente pensato per un pubblico più facile a sconvolgersi di quello odierno, ma è stata comunque una lettura assolutamente deliziosa e godibile!