The Guncle cover art

The Guncle

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Guncle

By: Steven Rowley
Narrated by: Steven Rowley
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £11.18

Buy Now for £11.18

Summary

 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 Heartfelt Witty Funny Tear-jerking Feel-Good
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
All stars
Most relevant
I wanted to love this book. I like the idea. To begin with the narrator sounded wooden. I am not sure the author should have read his book.

There was also a lot of swearing. I was surprised at this as many people said they listened with their children on a road trip.

I did not think that many of the things said by the Guncle to the children would be things that small children would understand in my opinion.

I was disappointed as I was led to believe the book was laugh out loud funny. There were some witty one liners, but on the whole this was not a book I found funny. Amusing at times, but not funny.

I got through it, but couldn’t say I loved it.

Okish….

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Story about love and loss. Beautiful, gentle story, I fell in love with Patrick the main character, who discovers what he needs while helping his family. Couldn't put it down.

Loved it, sensitive and entertaining

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
First - having the author narrate is always great and Steven Rowley was engaging to listen to.
Second - this story broke my heart and blew it up at the same time. It’s not dramatic, and loud, but it IS very real and wonderfully heartwarming.

Heartbreakingly beautiful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved this tale of modern family life. It was sad and funny, totally heartwarming and beautifully told. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to escape from the harsh world we are living in at the moment.

Funny, sad & heart warming, loved it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews