Recycled Book Reading Challenge: January

Mame by Patrick Dennis

Mliae over at LifeExperimentblog has begun a new challenge for us bookish and environmentally concerned ones: the Recycled Book Reading Challenge.

Each month, you are challenged to reach to the highest (or lowest) level of your bookshelf, withdraw a book long forgotten or beloved–more-over, one that was bought from a secondhand/charity shop–dust it off  lovingly , and read and review the book for us.
Pingback to LifeExperimentsblog and see which other books surfaced this month.
Mliae’s begun with Voices of Sudan. I’d gone the opposite route and read a fake, fun autobiography.

This copy is older than me. I know that for a fact because it had always been lying around my gran’s house, and has a Book Exchange Address from when those still used to exist in Durban.

So what’s it about:
Mame is a free-spirited New Yorker who inherits a ten-year old nephew, Patrick Dennis. Patrick relates the glamorous lifestyle, accomplishments and adventures with his aunt, as well as their totally normal relationship The story begins in the 1920’s and takes us into the late ’40s or early ’50s

Er…you said something about a fake autobiography?
Yes, I recently read somewhere that Patrick Dennis was actually the pen-name of a copywriter, who, in no way, had an Auntie Mame. Which is a pity. I still like to think that she’s based on some amazing woman out there… And as a writer myself, it’s all very intriguing…Either way, it makes no difference to me as a reader. I still love the story, which is very well told.

What I love about it:
It’s a great madcap adventure. You just never know what Mame will do next, except that it would be big and breath-takingly entertaining.
I also really enjoy Dennis’ commentary on socialites life over that thirty year period, his calling attention to prejudices and closed-mindedness, and his hilarious observation of people in general.

This was also the first book I’d read which had been made into a movie, one which I haven’t gotten to watch yet; one which may be as fun as the book. If you’ve watched the movie, let me know what you thought of it.

Strange fact:
While reading this, I couldn’t help but imagine Keanu Reeves as Patrick…so strange…Ohkay…I’m gonna go now.