Penelope

Penelope #1

by William C. Anderson

A bawdy, sparkling novel about a passionate porpoise who, among other talents, talks with a southern accent.

Genres: Humor

178 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

William C. Anderson served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II up through the Vietnam War, retiring as a colonel. He began writing in the 1950s, with a series of columns for MATS Flyer, the magazine of the Air Force's Military Air Transport Service (later MAC Flyer, after MATS became the Military Airlift Command).

Several of his books were autobiographical accounts of the adventures of Anderson, his wife, Dortha, and their children, Ann, Scott and Holly.

Reviews

[Jessica Buike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since this was originally published as a printed book back in 1963, there were some language and concepts presented that were outdated (and I actually had to look a few words up, which doesn't happen very often for me!). There was also a bit of sexism and racism touched on, but considering the time period it was originally published in, I doubt the author would have written the same things today.
This story reminds me of what would happen if "The Odd Couple" mixed with "Flipper" - two cooky bachelors develop a relationship with a sweet dolphin named Penelope. You almost visualize it in black and white with such stars as Marilyn Monroe and other old-time celebrities.
It's a good overall story, with an old-time Hollywood feel.

[Johns · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and romantic tale of friendship, love and the military. This book taught me to enjoy a good martini.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brought back wonderful memories!

I originally read this as a young Army brat in the early 1960s after borrowing it from my dad. Although I am sure that it would be considered very politically incorrect now, it is quite representative of the humor and culture of the military officers at that time. Even the “ lingo” is correct as I remember it. I loved it at the time, and I love it now! I am so glad it has been published on kindle!

[Jim Rittenhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this many years ago and reread many times since. Funny and touching comedy about a talking dolphin.

[Linda Brue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a madcap riot of a story about a young female dolphin named Penelope. Her owner is an Air Force scientist named Greg, who is so focused on his research projects that he doesn't notice anything else (notably the women falling in love with him). He has lost funding on his number one project involving communicating with other species, namely Penelope. He is also being thrown out of his apartment along with his perpetually-soused roommate Callaghan, possibly because he was trying to hide Penelope in his bathtub. What follows is a funny, crazy, romantic story (can you imagine a dolphin playing matchmaker?), that takes a few potshots at everything.

I read this as an e-book (Kindle) and the transfer to digital was simply awful. I did my best to ignore it, but it does make a difference in your reading experience.

[Book-reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about Penelope, a terribly horny dolphin, cooped up in a Navy pool for far too long. When the handsome captain or the busty nurse hop in the pool, Penelope swoops in, and off come the bathing suits; Penelope bends both ways, doesn't mind a threesome, and species doesn't matter either. Disguised (in deep drag) as a frothy, bawdy sexual farce in the I Dream Of Jeanie mold (Penelope, you see, will talk dirty, if you can just get her to speak more SLOWLY, so there's some fantasy involved), and while it manages to be normative, reductive and solipsistic all at once, this text (for text it is) is the first wild scream of autodidactic anti-humanist thought of the early 1960s, an absurdly perverse and transgressive bit of "fun" that one suspects has a message at its heart that the author (a staid military man, he would like us to think) would never have admitted, even to himself. At the end of the day, will the captain choose the saucy, sexy dolphin with a southern accent and mind of her own or the submissive nurse with the joyful breasts, what, precisely, is the reason for his decision, and why, precisely (the author seems to ask) does it matter? Many readers will find this tremendously but teasingly taboo-crushing book disgusting, and not exactly notice why.