The Guncle Abroad
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4.2 • 227 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER
A Semi-Finalist for The Thurber Prize for American Humor
An Indie Next Pick
Patrick O'Hara is called back to his guncle duties . . . This time for a big family wedding in Italy.
Patrick O’Hara is back. It’s been five years since his summer as his niece Maisie and nephew Grant’s caretaker after their mother’s passing. The kids are back in Connecticut with their dad, and Patrick has relocated to New York to remain close by and relaunch his dormant acting career. After the run of his second successful sit-com comes to a close, Patrick feels on top of the world . . . professionally. But some things have had to take a back seat. Looking down both barrels at fifty, Patrick is single again after breaking things off with Emory. But at least he has a family to lean on. Until that family needs to again lean on him.
When Patrick's brother, Greg, announces he’s getting remarried in Italy, Maisie and Grant are not thrilled. Patrick feels drawn to take the two back under his wing. As they travel through Europe on their way to the wedding, Patrick tries his best to help them understand love, much as he once helped them comprehend grief. But when they arrive in Italy, Patrick is overextended managing a groom with cold feet; his sister, Clara, flirting with guests left and right; a growing rivalry with the kids’ charming soon-to-be-launt (lesbian aunt), and two moody young teens trying to adjust to a new normal, all culminating in a disastrous rehearsal dinner.
Can Patrick save the day? Will teaching the kids about love help him repair his own love life? Can the change of scenery help Patrick come to terms with finally growing up? Gracing the page with his signature blend of humor and heart, Steven Rowley charms with a beloved story about the complicated bonds of family, love, and what it takes to rediscover yourself, even at the ripe age of fifty.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
When his niece and nephew need him, an uncle rises to the occasion (and stumbles only occasionally) in this feel-good read. Five years ago, Patrick built a special bond with his brother’s kids when their mother passed. So when he learns that his brother, Greg, is getting remarried, he knows that tweens Maisie and Grant won’t process the change easily. In true GUP fashion (short for Gay Uncle Patrick), he volunteers to take the kids on a trip through Europe on their way to the hilariously messy Lake Como wedding. The Sacré-Cœur in Paris and gondolas of Venice provide a great backdrop for the witty banter and heartfelt healing that author Steven Rowley excels at. If you didn’t listen to Patrick make his wonderful debut in the previous book The Guncle, you’ll want to queue that up next!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The wise-cracking and wisdom-dropping protagonist of The Guncle returns for more adventures in Rowley's diverting sequel. Patrick O'Hara, a 49-year-old sitcom star, is dreading his widower brother Greg's second wedding. He's not the only one—his beloved niece and nephew, Maisie, 14, and Grant, 11, also disapprove of their father's relationship with Livia, a wealthy Italian marchesa. When Greg pleads for Patrick to take the children for a few weeks before the wedding, Patrick agrees, happy for the distraction from his anxiety about turning 50, which has driven a wedge in his relationship with his younger boyfriend, Emory. At Lake Como for the wedding preparations, Patrick finds a new cause of concern: Livia's fashionable lesbian sister, Paloma, whom he worries will supplant him in his niece and nephew's adoration. He also makes a noble attempt to discourage Maisie and Grant from scheming to put a stop to the wedding, where a series of rom-com-worthy unfold. Rowley keeps the retread afloat with Patrick's biting wit (about the motormouthed Grant, Patrick says to his agent, "He's what happens when the ventriloquist dies and the dummy keeps talking"). The author's fans will gobble this up.
Customer Reviews
Fun, endearing sequel
Though it definitely takes advantage of the success and inside jokes of the original - this one plays out as its own version with unique tropes and romcom-esque attitude.
A joyful funny and delightful book!
Honestly the best book I’ve read this year. Highly recommend. It’s funny, with great loving characters, and it’s just joyful and sweet. Chef’s kiss!
It was good but…
I very much enjoyed the first one.