First Hubby

by Roy Blount Jr.

From Publishers Weekly - Blount, well known as a country humorist with a flair for punning, has written a first novel about a country humorist with a flair for punning. Guy Fox, whose wisecrack on hearing Noriega's name is, "Have yourself a merry little isthmus," is, in 1993, married to the first female president of the U.S. He decides to write a journal/memoir about how he and Clementine Searcy Fox met, reached the White House and what some of their problems and victories have been. What he, and Blount, bring off is a sweet and randy valentine to conjugal love. Guy and Clementine and their children, Jackson and Lucy, dote on each other, despite minor complications such as Clementine's considering an abortion when she discovers she's pregnant her first year in office. At one point, Guy recalls he once thought about penning a novel, but never began the project because "I hate to get people in trouble." This confession gets to the heart of what's wrong with Blount's initial work of fiction. The pleasant but frail love story is almost overwhelmed with too-abundant puns and belch-and-barf jokes, and the plot is nearly bereft of any troubling, involving or satiric events that might alleviate the strain of Blount's relentlessly joking tone.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Politics

286 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 1990

About the author

Roy Blount Jr. is the author of twenty-three books. The first, About Three Bricks Shy of a Load, was expanded into About Three Bricks Shy . . . and the Load Filled Up. It is often called one of the best sports books of all time. His subsequent works have taken on a range of subjects, from Duck Soup, to Robert E. Lee, to what cats are thinking, to how to savor New Orleans, to what it’s like being married to the first woman president of the United States.

Blount is a panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait . . . Don’t Tell Me!, an ex-president of the Authors Guild, a usage consultant for the American Heritage Dictionary, a New York Public Library Literary Lion, and a member of both the Fellowship of Southern Writers and the band the Rock Bottom Remainders.

In 2009, Blount received the University of North Carolina’s Thomas Wolfe Prize. The university cited “his voracious appetite for the way words sound and for what they really mean.” Time places Blount “in the tradition of the great curmudgeons like H. L. Mencken and W. C. Fields.” Norman Mailer has said, “Page for page, Roy Blount is as funny as anyone I’ve read in a long time.” Garrison Keillor told the Paris Review, “Blount is the best. He can be literate, uncouth, and soulful all in one sentence.”

Blount’s essays, articles, stories, and verses have appeared in over one hundred and fifty publications, including the New Yorker, the New York Times, Esquire, the Atlantic, Sports Illustrated, the Oxford American, and Garden & Gun. He comes from Decatur, Georgia, and lives in western Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Claire August · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a bad book that was shockingly racist so yeah I would not recommend

[Dean McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

FIRST HUBBY by Roy Blount, Jr, is about a married couple, Guy Fox and his wife Clementine. Guy is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Clementine is a socially and politically active woman. They met while in college and their first meeting as the book opens is probably the funniest part of the book. As years go by, Clementine becomes an actual politician and elected official, becoming Vice President of the United States. When the president dies in a freak fishing accident, actually killed by a fish (!), she succeeds to the presidency and Guy becomes the First Hubby of the first female president. The book is mostly about his attempts to understand and either fulfill or avoid the expectations of his role, and his unhappiness and unwillingness to meet them, all told with humorous and interesting details. Roy Blount, the author of 23 books, winner of numerous awards and prizes, is both humorist and curmudgeon, as well as a frequent panelist on NPR's Wait Wait.....Don't Tell Me program. In FIRST HUBBY Blount often makes use of an almost stream-of-consciousness style, but always within the moment of the story. It's an enjoyable read, not difficult, and often thought-provoking.

[Mary Baxter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uneven, but parts are very funny.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Hubby is an interesting and entertaining look at life as the first US first husband. Guy Fox is a writer, stay-at- home dad and spouse to a politically astute woman. When she first becomes vice president, and then president through very unusual circumstances, Guy is thrown into his role, totally unprepared and unaware of what is expected of him. This book will make you laugh and keep you smiling as you continue on your day.

[Ross Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my Election Year - Election Day novel.
Alas, we are not to have a First Hubby this go around.

Ending was interesting - goes to show after many years, there are still secrets to be shared between couples

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny, sexy, and sweet.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be clever and funny! It's a light read for a nice day and I enjoyed it, especially the ending!

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am I sad that we only come close to the idea of a female president as a joke? Yes. Do I think Blount is funny? Yes.

[Brent · Rating 2 out of 5]

MMM, not so much. Good if you, like me, love writing by Blount.