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The Guncle

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About this listen

 Winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor
National Bestseller • Wall Street Journal Bestseller • USA Today Bestseller
An NPR Book of the Year
Finalist for the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards

From the bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor comes a warm and deeply funny novel about a once-famous gay sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew for the summer.

Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is, honestly, overwhelmed.

So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick's brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of "Guncle Rules" ready to go, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled acting career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Quickly realizing that parenting--even if temporary--isn't solved with treats and jokes, Patrick's eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility, and the realization that, sometimes, even being larger than life means you're unfailingly human.

With the humor and heart we've come to expect from bestselling author Steven Rowley, The Guncle is a moving tribute to the power of love, patience, and family in even the most trying of times. Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Comedy Feel-Good Heartfelt Tear-jerking Witty Funny
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Where do I begin? What do I say about a book that is soooooo…. “feel good” that I just want to bask in the aftermath? I started listening to this book 4 days ago while I was on holiday and had limited listening time and it was torturous. This is a story about love, loss and grief with the most loveable characters and so much heart. I encourage anyone who has an open mind and heart to listen to this story. X

Far Out!

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Well I made it to the end. But the author and narrators accent was dreadful.

Mediocre

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I particularly liked the contemporary references. On a more personal level, as an uncle of one whom I see only once every few years, there were things in this book for me to learn or pay more attention to.

Modern and relatable

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I found the book a bit annoying at times, especially when the author talked about women. The worst moment was clothes shaming the assistant.

I was close to dnf

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a very easy listen to and my heart broke for Maisie and Grant. I think it would have been cool to get some chapters from M & G’s point of view about their life being different whilst living with their guncle, but I enjoyed listening to it :)

cute

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