The Complete Book of Aunts

by Rupert Christiansen, Beth Brophy (Contributor)

Of all our blood relations, an aunt offers the most potential for uncomplicated friendship. The Complete Book of Aunts is an entertaining and touching exploration of aunts in all their guises and varieties, culled from real-life, literary and historical sources. Bewitching illustrations and anecdotes illuminate various aunt types: Bargain Aunts, Mothering Aunts, Damned Bad Aunts, and X-Rated Aunts. With stories and poems about famous or historical aunts, Christiansen and Brophy attempt to uncover what "aunt-ness" is.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Family

244 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

Rupert Christiansen is an English writer, journalist and critic, grandson of Arthur Christiansen (editor of the Daily Express) and son of Kay and Michael Christiansen (editor of the Sunday and Daily Mirror). Born in London, he was educated at Millfield and King's College, Cambridge, where he took a double first in English. As a Fulbright scholar, he also attended Columbia University from 1977 to 1978.

Reviews

[John Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written following the death of the author’s beloved aunt Janet.

I’ve long had an interest in this particular species, especially the great and great great varieties. I was ‘blessed’ with lots of them. My grandmother’s aunts were of particular interest (I didn’t meet any of them of course) but my grandmother did and filled me in.

The book is quirky, like many of the characters contained therein but it palled half way through and my interest waned somewhat.

[Americanogig · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book right after my awesome-tastic nephew was born. I was hoping it would have some hints and funny bon mots about aunties, but it was more of a quick survey of famous and infamous aunts, the rise and fall of auntdom in general. Yes, auntdom is the word I have chosen and thus it shall remain. Not enough history to be engaging and not funny enough to be lighthearted reading.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an utterly charming tribute to aunts, picked up as a gift (I am not myself an aunt), and what fun it is. Written beautifully by a British journalist, here's the contents page: a short history of the aunt; mothering aunts; heroic aunts; x-rated aunts; brand-name aunts; exotic and eccentric aunts; damned bad aunts; literary aunts; fairy-tale aunts; honorary aunties; the good aunt guide; and the epilogue - Aunt Janet. The epilogue was unexpectedly very moving, and now I want to keep it and not give it as a gift at all, but I will. It's not at all trite or banal or dull anywhere and it's delightfully informative; if I were an aunt, I'd adore receiving this lovely little piece of elegance.

[Hester · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the library, after seeing the fantastic cover. After reading the back with its glowing reviews from British companies, I had images of a book of eccentric English aunts, many from P.G. Wodehouse. Aunts seem to have such a stronger presence in British literature, perhaps because of the dearth of men after WWI. Imagine my disappointment at discovering that it had been edited for an American audience! And the bowdlerized version is what we in Canada are expected to settle with!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this little micro-history of Aunts...fictional or real, wonderful or villain, heroic, eccentric, or literary, from Aunt Em to Aunt Jemima...there all in here.

[Micebyliz]

i thought this was going to be mostly humorous but i was wrong. it's a delightful and sobering history of aunts, although it is somewhat ethnocentric and i think that limits the impact it could have had.
I did find lots of tidbits that referred to novels or books i have read which were fun and valuable little pieces of knowledge :) The overall feeling i got from reading this was good, with a few exceptions at some of the language (not necessary and outdated) and i am unsure what to think about the WWI story of the German soldier.
I do recommend this because i did find quite a few funny things and heartwarming descriptions of aunts, and as i am one :) it made it all the more funny.

[WhatStaceyReads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother with this narcissistic, one-sided account of Aunthood.

The focus is on biographies of hypothetical aunts, especially ones that are British which doesn't represent 99% of other cultures, and even goes so far as to lie about how other cultures perceive aunts.

I knew by page 50 that there was no useful information in this book, but I kept reading anyway, in the hope that there would be SOME nugget in the next 190 pages ... but there wasn't.

Save your precious time on this planet. Don't bother reading this book.

[Marguerite MacLean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a quick little ditty about some Aunts. Some funny quotes and maybe some cute stories. It really lived up to the name. The Complete Book of Aunts. It included history of the family incorporating aunts. There were some funny stories and quotes. The author mixed examples from literature and actual life. It was very interesting and I'm so glad I read it. Being an Aunt myself I found things I do and also things I may think about doing in the future.

[Bernard Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author has assembled an enjoyable set of real and fictional aunts. There are stereotyped ones, but also ones who rebelled against the conventions of their times. Rupert also gives his own interesting thoughts on the social significance of the auntly class. Well worth reading.

[Teresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up on this one. Too disjointed for me.

[Camille · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cute concept in theory, odd book in actuality.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of these stories were great, and I really enjoyed them, but mostly this book was a bit pretentious for the sake of it and I had a lot of trouble getting through it.

[Helen Pomfrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

not bad, a light hearted read

[Hemalatha Venkataraman · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an artist, I was intrigued by the cover when I picked it up at a second-hand bookstore when I was in Chicago. I brought it with me as a reminder of that visit hoping it'd be funny or somewhat insightful. I expected the chapter of contents as it has been set up to be more in-depth or interesting than a bunch of information on aunts of all manners, save some of them. I finished it only because I have to...otherwise, I would not have.

[heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and informative read on aunts -generally from the perspective of a Brit.

The writer begins by taking you to the deathbed and funeral of his beloved Aunt Janet. You witness the events through his recollections, with restraint and little fuss, but the love he feels towards his aunt is felt throughout. It makes a good basis for the book; you feel the book is a tribute to ladies who have been influential presence throughout our childhood.

The later chapters examine the role and status of the aunt. He touches on other societies, cultures around the world and throughout history - really ancient ones - but overall the focus is more on the period of his childhood up to today's society.

You also get various accounts of different types of aunts, be they actual aunts who lived and loved/inspired their nephews/nieces, or mythical, or fictional. This is the part that I love best. Some of the short stories are more of a miss than a hit - Kipling's Mary Postgate, for example. What stand out from the book are passages written by various nephews/nieces describing their favorite aunts, their fondest memories with their aunts, etc. As an aunt I love my nephews and niece to bits; I hope they will remember me with such fondness too one day :)

[Jamison · Rating 4 out of 5]

good anecdotal guide to aunts, in print, in real life, on the stage, and in films.

care must be given when reading about aunts in literature. there are spoilers in the text.

this is a good light read, that's great for vacation time, when you are often interrupted by real life aunts, and their real life anecdotes.

a good companion to this would be "the mother book" by liz smith. same anecdotal flavour to it... same "can read it, but can also put it down for a while, and not forget anything" feeling....

[Jeslyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

What was the author thinking??? Humming right along with a perfectly acceptable (if rather pithy) book, it occurred to him that no Complete Book of Aunts would be complete without a chapter called "X-Rated Aunts"??? And yes, x-rated is accurate. My mother gave me this book as a Christmas present, for Pete's sake!! I don't have the heart to tell her, and I hope she never reads it herself - she would be horrified to see Chapter 4...heinous.

[RH Walters · Rating 2 out of 5]

The topic is irresistible, but the book is rather superficial. I was disappointed to read from another reviewer that the American edition is diluted. I did, however, enjoy reading about John Lennon's aunt, and learning of the obsolete curse "my sainted aunt!" Wish me luck in getting my niece and nephew to revive it.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

A anglocentric view of the place of Aunts in both literature and life. Poorly organized and weirdly selected short takes on auntly themes. A few interesting nuggets (Virginia Woolf had 2 surprising aunts: the photographer Julia Cameron and one of Thackeray's daughters) and some interspersed ordinary, generally American, people.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rupert Christiansen's book is an alright little read but I would have preferred a history of or something of a similar nature.


* Rereading this book six years later and I find I like it even less than the first time. I give it a 1.5 star, the author has chosen very poorly in almost every aspect in this book, he comes across as sexist, racist and a poor writer.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books ever! I had the best aunts in the world - and I want to be just like them for my nieces and nephews, so this is the perfect book for anyone who wants to join the ranks of 'best aunt'!

[Sarah A · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was given to me by my sister on the birth of her first child. It's quite a fun compilation of stories about aunts including some famous ones, how aunts should act etc.
A nice gift for new aunts of as a way of informing someone they will be an aunt!

[Christy · Rating 3 out of 5]

disappointing. i had high hopes for this one, given that being an aunt is my favorite thing in the whole world, but this book was kind of a shoddily compiled series of stories.

[Wendy Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read for anyone who loves aunts, family in general, and literature. A bit pretentious in its style, but quick and fun.

[Phyllis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really . . .I've been reading little bits of this for a very long while; ever since my beautiful niece gave it to me . . .

[Wendy M · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and quick read.

[Rory · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not nearly as charming as it was borrrring. Scattered and silly and unabsorbing. Maybe if I had a beloved aunt myself? Nah, not even then.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I am now an aunt, this book was fun to read--historical, literary, funky aunts and more are portrayed in this tome.

[Greyeyedminerva]

Cute... a good gift for an aunt.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a chapter I skipped over, but other than that the book is cute. My dad bought it for me for Xmas. I enjoyed the stories of various important "aunts".