Life With Mother

by based on the stories of Clarence Day Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, Clarence Day Jr., Russel Crouse

Most of the familiar figures in LIFE WITH FATHER are here as their characteristic selves: Mother, Father, the children and some others. This play shows the Day family in their summer home entertaining friends and relatives. The basic plot involves Mother's attempt to provide an engagement ring for one of the boys, who wants it for his fiancee. Though it happens that the engagement is of short duration, the desire for a ring is almost irresistible. Mother, never having had an engagement ring of her own, determines to get one. Mrs. Bessie Fuller Logan comes to visit the Days. She was formerly engaged to Father and when the engagement was broken, Father demanded the return of the ring. The former Bessie Fuller peremptorily refused to give it back. When Mother learns this she insists that Father go into action. This puts Father in a spot. Bessie plays a delightful game with him and, in the end, relents. The plot is further enriched by the introduction of cousin Cora's husband, Clyde Miller. Father almost meets his match in Clyde, who is an offensive know-it-all. When these two get in an argument, the sparks fly. Father practically kicks Clyde out of the house when Clyde blames Father because railroad stock Father had bought for Cora happens to decline a few points. Father characteristically explodes at Clyde's reflections upon his honesty, but that is satisfactorily settled when Vinnie buys back Cora's stock at a loss. The play ends when one of the younger boys sets off to Yale, after having been warned by his mother to be sure to put on warm clothes and eat the right food."

Genres: Memoir, Humor

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Joyce · Rating 2 out of 5]

An antique edition I found in my hotel room, left there for atmosphere. I remember 'Life with Father' was on a summer reading list in high school, and since I'm a sucker for memoirs of turn-of-the-century New York I read it.

The parents, in particular the father, are supposed to be eccentric, strong-willed and funny. Times have changed, I guess, because I found them racist, misogynistic and obnoxious.

Of the coachman the family hires (after an earlier man loses the family cat and is thrown out on the street): "Another objection to O'Dowd was that he had too many children. He had three when he came, and although he was warned to stop they kept coming until he had seven. ... O'Dowd was instructed to keep them close to the stable and on no account to let them be seen near the garden or lawn. This left them practically no place to play but the manure pit and the paddock."

Ha ha ha! Funny stuff.

The father then proceeds to go to town meeting to vote down the new schoolhouse that would have served the O'Dowd children.

Mom's a treat, too. To O'Dowd, who is having trouble managing a rogue horse: "But you ought to know more than an animal!" Mother would interrupt swiftly. "That's what we pay your wages for, O'Dowd. You're a man, not a horse. If you don't know any more than our horses you ought not to be driving them. It really isn't safe for me to go out with you."

Anyway, lots of abuse of servants, and an atmosphere of real entitlement. Does not stand the test of time.

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another story full of humor and loveable-ness, though I will admit that this was not my favorite book by Clarence Day of the ones I have read so far. It didn't seem quite as... captivating, I suppose you might say, as some of the others that I have read; but I still enjoyed the antics of the Day family very much in this installment of their story.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clarence Day's sequel to Life with Father, it was almost like more chapters to the other book :)

[Natalya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Shares with the reader about the importance of trees. Even when after they dying and dead!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play was based on the writings of Clarence Day (son of Father in the play). Like its previous play, Life with Father, this one centers on the doings of the Day family, especially focusing on the relationship between Vinnie and Clare (Mother and Father). Vinnie has her husband wrapped around her finger. Although he is loud, vocal, even brash, the audience/reader can tell that it's Vinnie who calls the shots.

It was interesting to me to see that Life with Mother was written and performed almost ten years after Life with Father came out, yet many actors reprised their same roles, even some of the younger ones. I'm kind of wondering also if the playwrights expected their audience to be familiar with the first play because not ad much attention was given to characterizing the characters. It seemed an assumption that the audience would already be familiar with the Day family.