The Guncle

De: Steven Rowley

Narrado por: Steven Rowley

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.

©2020 Steven Rowley (P)2020 Penguin Audio

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“Rowley delivers the perfect summer read: The Guncle is relentlessly witty, sweet and heartbreaking.” (Elin Hilderbrand)

“Patrick is a memorable character, and it’s genuinely thrilling to read screenwriter-turned-novelist Rowley’s take on the mechanics of stardom.... There’s true insight here into the psychology of gay men, Hollywood, and parenting. A novel with some real depth beneath all its witty froth.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“In his heartwarming, humorous new novel, Steven Rowley shows readers the true meaning of family, reminding us that everyone—even parents—is only human.” (Travel & Leisure)

I ended up loving this book

I’m gay. I tend NOT to cozy to cliché gayness, and this book started off - well, a bit cliché; flaming characters. But I warmed up to the story, and the kids - especially Grant. In the end this is a story about the old Rolling Stones song, “you can’t always get what you want but sometimes you get what you need“. This is what happens when a gay Asian sitcom actor living in Palm Springs ends up, caring for his college best friend’s kids after she dies, and her husband goes into rehab. It’s a summer of discovery and recovery. It left me smiling and happy in the end.

Delightful

A surprisingly tender comedy which is worth the read. If you love Auntie Mame, you'll love this modern day Patrick as he navigates grief and raising children.

An absolute delight!

This was a joy to listen to! How could I not fall in love with Guncle, how can anyone not fall in love with him?! Laugh out loud while tears streamed down both together and separately, I enjoyed every moment. It was just the right touch of everything, perfection! Thank you for sharing the story, and so beautifully❤️

Absolutely Must Read

Fantastic read, fantastic performance. This could NOT have been read better and the book itself it precious. Excited to read more!

Loved it!!

I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it at the beginning, but I realized that I needed to slow it down a little bit, so I listened to it 0.9x and it was FABULOUS!!!

Just what I needed!

I loved every aspect of this book! The story line, the characters and Rowley’s own voice. It’s been my favorite book in a long time!

So much fun!

I was in the mood for some fun and found it, jumbled up with the perfect amount of heart. I’m going to miss this cast of characters.
It was an incredibly well read/performed.

Heartwarming!

What a pleasure to listen to! This is a Heartwarming story that will warm your heart!!!

Charming and heartwarming!

Absolutely loved this story of the gay uncle Patrick who takes care of his niece and nephew over the summer. He's simultaneously loving and cynical. His growing relationship with the kids helps him understand his own losses and the discrimination he faced being gay, all in the context of a very sweet and heartwarming story with some fun snarky edges. I lost count of how many times I got teary-eyed during this story, and the narration by the author was fantastic. Five big stars and a big thank you to Steven Rowley!

A fun, but amusing read about loss, friendship and family.

A recommendation read of love, friendship, family and loss. A serious topic of loss, but presented with much heart and laughter. A gay uncle is put in charge of his young niece and nephew at his Palm Springs home, while his brother (the kids only surviving parent is in rehab 10 miles away.). A very enjoyable read/audible
on the difficult topic of losing loved ones.