The Guncle
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The Guncle
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Narrated by:
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Steven Rowley
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Written by:
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Steven Rowley
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.
©2020 Steven Rowley (P)2020 Penguin AudioWhat the critics say
One of:
Oprah Daily's Best Beach Reads to Help You Escape
Washington Post’s Feel-Good Books to Brighten Your Summer
CBS' 12 Perfect Summer Beach Reads for 2021
Vogue's 12 Beach Reads to Get Lost in This Summer
Real Simple’s Blockbuster Beach Reads
Country Living’s 32 Can’t-Miss Beach Reads for This Summer
Southern Living’s Beach Reads Perfect for Summer 2021
Bustle's 40 Best New Books to Read This May
E! News' 18 Best Books to Check Out in May
PopSugar’s 45 Best Summer Reads of 2021
USA Today’s 5 Books Not to Miss
CNN’s 20 Books That Are Essential Reading This Pride Month
Reader's Digest's 75 Best Summer Reads of All Time
Parade’s 15 New LGBTQ+ Books to Pick Up This Summer
New York Post’s 30 Best Books on Our Summer Reading List
iHeart Radio’s 15 Best Beach Reads for Summer 2021
Christian Science Monitor's Best Books of May
PureWow’s 10 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in May
Travel & Leisure's Most Anticipated Books of Summer
Women.com's Most Anticipated Summer Beach Reads
SheKnows’ 20 New Books You Need to Add to Your Summer Reading List
Scary Mommy’s Most Anticipated Books of Summer
Frolic's 25 Best Books of Spring 2021
Brit + Co’s 17 Beach Reads That Make the Perfect Summer Escape
NewNowNext's 17 Exciting Queer Books to Savor This Summer
Bibliolifestyle's Quintessential Summer 2021 Beach Reads
LAMBDA Literary's Most Anticipated LGBTQ Literature of May
Washington Post’s 12 Titles to Get You to the End of Summer
CNN.com’s Essential Reading for Pride Month
“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)
What listeners say about The Guncle
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Charlene V.
- 2022-01-07
fabulous
fabulous in every single way
such a joy to read in uncertain times
likely made better by having it read by the author!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- G Hassan
- 2023-01-03
Just a delight
What a great book! Tears, laughs, more tears and laughs! Very good book and great writing!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2023-10-27
Leaves your heart full
Perfect perfect perfect! Such a lovely story filled with beautiful character development and touching moments. The perfect amount of emotion. The narration was fantastic! I want to read this for the first time again, and will be recommending it to anyone I can!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- CAMG
- 2024-08-17
Loved all of it!
Loved all of the guncle rules and really enjoyed how sassy everyone was!
Looking forward to the next one.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Denise
- 2024-08-21
Sweet mix of giggles and heart.
A nice change of pace from recent “heavier” reads. Adore the characters who are relatable and not simply over used stereotypes. A nice approach to the many sides of grief, healing and the power of humour, wit, bite - all mixed in with genuine compassion. Some pleasant surprises and lighter life lessons. Looking forward to more “Guncle” adventures.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Samantha
- 2023-02-06
Great listen
Really enjoyed this both, and always love when the author narrates. I find it really helps to bring the characters alive. I’m recommending this to friends for their next read/listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2024-11-27
The performance was wonderful!!
I loved the all the characters, but my favourite were Patrick and Grant. I could just hug that little boy..
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hovey
- 2021-10-17
Wholesome
This book was really great. Stevens expression in his voice was captivating however sometimes imitating his nephew’s lisp was excessive but accurate none the less. The book captures the impact children can have on lives while also bringing in representation of the lgbtq+ community and touching on crucial tabooed topics such as grief, suicidal thoughts, addiction, isolation and somehow manages to still keep the topics light hearted and hopeful.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sean
- 2021-08-01
Amazing.
Many moments of tears and laughter throughout the book while listening. Camp, family drama, taking care of others and learning about oneself, with tears and jokes a plenty, make it a worthwhile listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Beatrice leseigneur
- 2023-08-29
loved it
I'm in love with this story. it was beautiful, touching, refreshing. I loved every character even Clara ( she grows on you). really loved it. I recommend
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