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The Guncle  By  cover art

The Guncle

By: Steven Rowley
Narrated by: Steven Rowley
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Publisher's summary

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

Critic reviews

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 ratings
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  • Overall
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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.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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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.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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❤️

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Absolutely Must Read

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

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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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!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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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.

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  • Overall
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Heartwarming!

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

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  • Overall
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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!

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  • Overall
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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.

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Must Read!

Insightful, funny, thought provoking, and beautifully read, of course, by the author.
These characters will stay with me!

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