Auntie Mame

I entered a competition to win a copy of Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis some time last summer and had made the decision at the point of entry that, if I didn't win, I would still buy it.

It sounded like something that would make me laugh.

Well, I did win it and it was placed in my 'to read' queue. I have finally finished reading and I closed it up thinking that it was one of the best books I have read.

Auntie Mame was originally published in the 1950s but I had never heard of it until I saw it in the competition. The book spanned Broadway plays and movies but still, it didn't pass my consciousness until last summer.

The story - or stories - involve the interaction between a young boy who is sent to live with his aunt after he because orphaned following the passing of his father. The pair share a unique bond that always leads to a comedic conclusion.

The book is pieced together like a collection of short stories with each chapter chronicling another adventure - or rather misadventure - between the pair and the people they are in immediate contact with.

My favourite story within the novel is the chapter titled 'Auntie Mame on a Mission of Mercy' and is about how Mame sets up home in a hotel near Patrick's boarding school so he can secretly help her assist in the pregnancy of her secretary - Miss Gooch. It leads to some hysterical moments that the reader is led to by the great build-up work by the author.

There are other stories that I laughed out loud at but the aforementioned story is the one I loved the most.

I am aware that there was a sequel and I'll definitely buy a copy of it. I am also hoping to see the film version of Auntie Mame - I want to see how it looks on screen.