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At Sea with Patrick Dennis: My Madcap Mexican Adventure with the Author of Auntie Mame
Prepare to Feast on LIfe!Robert (Raub) Karr and his best friend, Walter, planned a relaxing cruise from Seattle to Mexico. Little did they know that their vacation would be upended when they met the author and creator of Auntie Mame , Patrick Dennis, on board the ship. Dennis was traveling under an assumed name. And much like his character Mame, Patrick Dennis brought a whirlwind of mayhem, fun, and chaos into the lives of those onboard the ship.
Raub, Walter, and Patrick became fast friends, with Patrick attracting a collection of eccentrics and oddball characters wherever he went. What was supposed to be a simple cruise turns into a full-blown adventure when Patrick and Walter jump ship and disappear into Mexico. Later, Raub comes to their rescue. Wealthy widows, art connoisseurs, masked midget wrestlers, ladies of the night, and hunting rats are just part of the trio's comical escapades.
The story behind At Sea with Patrick My Madcap Mexican Adventure with the Author of Auntie Mame is as fascinating as the memoir itself. When Raub Karr passed away in 2017, his memoir languished unpublished and was doomed to be lost forever. Fortunately, theatrical hair designer, Bernie Ardia, rescued the manuscript from obscurity. Ardia instinctively knew this story needed to be shared with the world.
So, don your best jewelry, fix yourself a cocktail, and prepare to laugh as you come on a madcap Mexican adventure with Patrick Dennis, Raub, and Walter. To quote Patrick Dennis's most famous character, Mame, "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving."Patrick Dennis, Raub, and Walter pile their plates high and feast from the banquet of life.
Raub, Walter, and Patrick became fast friends, with Patrick attracting a collection of eccentrics and oddball characters wherever he went. What was supposed to be a simple cruise turns into a full-blown adventure when Patrick and Walter jump ship and disappear into Mexico. Later, Raub comes to their rescue. Wealthy widows, art connoisseurs, masked midget wrestlers, ladies of the night, and hunting rats are just part of the trio's comical escapades.
The story behind At Sea with Patrick My Madcap Mexican Adventure with the Author of Auntie Mame is as fascinating as the memoir itself. When Raub Karr passed away in 2017, his memoir languished unpublished and was doomed to be lost forever. Fortunately, theatrical hair designer, Bernie Ardia, rescued the manuscript from obscurity. Ardia instinctively knew this story needed to be shared with the world.
So, don your best jewelry, fix yourself a cocktail, and prepare to laugh as you come on a madcap Mexican adventure with Patrick Dennis, Raub, and Walter. To quote Patrick Dennis's most famous character, Mame, "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving."Patrick Dennis, Raub, and Walter pile their plates high and feast from the banquet of life.
184 pages, Paperback
Published May 18, 2023
3 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 22, 2023
Having been charmed by Auntie Mame (the book, the movie, and the musical) for decades, I expected to be charmed by the author who created her. I was sorely disappointed. Patrick Dennis, as portrayed here, is a fairly terrible person. As I read, I kept wondering why anyone thought it was a good idea to publish this book. The story was boring, the people terrible, and descriptions of Mexico and its citizens are cringeworthy.
September 18, 2023
Vacation Gone Wrong ✔️
Assumed Names ✔️
Mexico, 1960s ✔️
Wealthy Widows ✔️
Jumping Ship ✔️
Lucha Libre? ✔️
Rat Hunting? ✔️
Jumping Ship? ✔️
Translation Issues? ✔️
Trip of a Life Time? ✔️
.
Cover rating: 5/5
Story rating: 4.5/5
Steam: No steam. Mentions of steamy actions or details of events.
.
Mad cap adventure is truthfully the perfect description for this book! To think that such an entertaining piece of writing was nearly lost. While this book strays outside of my normal reading genre, I found myself engaged in the adventure from page one until completion. I nearly read the entire book in one sitting!
.
Aside from the three main characters, Patrick, Walter, and Raub, this title is plum full of the most colorful characters. You are surely to stumble upon someone, or several someones, that remind you of people in your real life. The detailed descriptions of all of the side characters the trio come upon during their grand trip were highly entertaining.
.
Each chapter is brimming with activities so ridiculous that I, genuinely, found myself laughing out loud. This is something I RARELY ever do while reading. Its detailed descriptions of events and locations help to immerse the reader more deeply into this absolutely feral adventure. Just when you think things couldn't get worse, or better, it somehow does.
.
What a delight that Mr. Ardia was able to present this wild ride to us. Many thanks!
Assumed Names ✔️
Mexico, 1960s ✔️
Wealthy Widows ✔️
Jumping Ship ✔️
Lucha Libre? ✔️
Rat Hunting? ✔️
Jumping Ship? ✔️
Translation Issues? ✔️
Trip of a Life Time? ✔️
.
Cover rating: 5/5
Story rating: 4.5/5
Steam: No steam. Mentions of steamy actions or details of events.
.
Mad cap adventure is truthfully the perfect description for this book! To think that such an entertaining piece of writing was nearly lost. While this book strays outside of my normal reading genre, I found myself engaged in the adventure from page one until completion. I nearly read the entire book in one sitting!
.
Aside from the three main characters, Patrick, Walter, and Raub, this title is plum full of the most colorful characters. You are surely to stumble upon someone, or several someones, that remind you of people in your real life. The detailed descriptions of all of the side characters the trio come upon during their grand trip were highly entertaining.
.
Each chapter is brimming with activities so ridiculous that I, genuinely, found myself laughing out loud. This is something I RARELY ever do while reading. Its detailed descriptions of events and locations help to immerse the reader more deeply into this absolutely feral adventure. Just when you think things couldn't get worse, or better, it somehow does.
.
What a delight that Mr. Ardia was able to present this wild ride to us. Many thanks!
June 24, 2025
When Raub Karr passed away in 2017, he left a memoir of a madcap encounter with Patrick Dennis, author of Auntie Mame, full of incredible characters and international excitement. Bernie Ardia rescued the manuscript, and here it is, in all its kitschy, crazy glory. The characters are all slightly odd and very entertaining. The mid-century mayhem is entertaining but inspires some incredulity since the tone of the book is so close to that of a Patrick Dennis novel.
March 23, 2024
Could have done without this portrait of Patrick Dennis as a pretentious asshole conman
December 28, 2023
This book is delicious. It’s hilarious and grand and reminds me of a golden age Broadway musical. I got the happy-grins each time I got to read more. The story is a hilarious (because the characters are a lot) journey through Mexico going from adventure to adventure. It doesn't shy away from sadness at the end, but it's earned. The book is all heart and smiles and was a joy to read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews