Rating: 
Summary: Sophisticated, witty and charming
Review: This book sparkles-I can't believe it was written forty years ago! This HAS to be the funniest book about divorce ever written, from the perspective of a precocious 10 year old boy. This would make an excellent gift for anyone with a sense of humor OR for meddlesome in-laws. Patrick Dennis was a gem of a writer, and his out-of-print books deserve to be resurrected.
Rating:
Summary: Put the Blame on (Auntie) Mame
Review: Until a few weeks ago, I was guilty of a terrible secret: I had never seen the film "Auntie Mame," and, even worse, I was not even remotely acquainted with the written works of Mame's creator, Patrick Dennis. Well, blessed be the great DVD revolution; I finally saw Roz Russell's super-charged tour de force, which spurred me to buy the book, which led me to buy "Little Me," which in turn brings us to "The Joyous Season." And all I can say is: THANK GOD this book is back in print, and that I, and other Dennis neophytes (and "laden homo sapiens," perhaps?), can experience its hilarious wit and surprising heart. Besides being at once smartly sophisticated and completely believable as coming from the eyes of a 10-year-old child, this book is the perfect snapshot of early 1960s New York City as I always imagined it--populated by a zany group of society characters who spout mouthfuls of quotable dialogue. (I now also am in search of an apartment building done up in Mondrian designs, as well as a set of bamboo drinking glasses and perhaps a fur hat which almost covers my nose.) It's also surprisingly racy for 1964, with more gay over- and undertones than any "children's" book that I can remember, with the possible exception of a few Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys capers...but I digress. Kerry and Missy are the kind of kids you wish you had the [guts]and brains to be at their ages, and "The Joyous Season" is the kind of effortlessly sharp, wicked, perceptive and entertaining book that many authors attempt to duplicate--and fail. One last thought: like many other reviewers, I also found "The Joyous Season" to practically be screenplay-ready as is. And then I realized: WHERE would one find child actors, aged 10 and 6, who could convincingly essay Kerry and Missy?!?! Even in the 1960s (pre-Olsen Twins and Hayley Joel Osment), it would have been tough. (The only remotely plausible casting would be if Kerry's sex were changed, and Hayley Mills got the part!) I say, leave it to our imaginations. The end result would only be disappointing.
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