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Midlife Mouse
Bill Durmer is in over his head. In Midlife Mouse, the debut novel from filmmaker Wayne Franklin, Durmer, an underachieving genius, runs away to Walt Disney World in the mother of all midlife crises. Led by a series of bizarre encounters, a hyper-caffeinated delusion and a mysterious prophecy, Bill goes to the Magic Kingdom seeking his destiny. But a group of Disney haters will do almost anything to stop him. Pirates and princesses, morticians, moms and man-beasts, spacemen and psychos all have a stake in Bill's future ... and those are the good guys. This is not how he planned to spend his summer vacation.
- GenresHumor
270 pages, Hardcover
First published May 20, 2013
2 people are currently reading
327 people want to read
About the author
Wayne Franklin
1 book12 followersWayne Franklin grew up in the suburbs of Mobile, Alabama, the son of a mechanic from rural Escambia County and an office manager from Fairhope – the inspiration for Decent Chance. Despite this undeniably Southern background and the fact that he is the creator of the blog real-southern.com, Wayne still has no discernible accent.
A career commercial director and editor, Wayne co-founded the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham and is the co-producer/director of the award-winning documentary Duke & The King. He is currently co-directing a new music documentary about legendary Newgrass pioneer Sam Bush and writing Midway Mouse, the sequel to Midlife Mouse.
When not writing, blogging, producing, directing or editing, Wayne does his best to not fail miserably as a husband and father to his wife and two kids.
A career commercial director and editor, Wayne co-founded the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham and is the co-producer/director of the award-winning documentary Duke & The King. He is currently co-directing a new music documentary about legendary Newgrass pioneer Sam Bush and writing Midway Mouse, the sequel to Midlife Mouse.
When not writing, blogging, producing, directing or editing, Wayne does his best to not fail miserably as a husband and father to his wife and two kids.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 22, 2013
This novel is filled to the brim with charm and graceful humor. I couldn't help but identify with Bill Durmer (even though I quite often murmur). He's a good man who hasn't necessarily been dealt a fair hand. But there are larger forces at work in his life, which may or may not be such a good thing.
Mr. Franklin has written a fun, heartfelt novel that is sure to please anyone who considers themselves a Disney fan or a fan of good fiction.
Mr. Franklin has written a fun, heartfelt novel that is sure to please anyone who considers themselves a Disney fan or a fan of good fiction.
June 23, 2013
I truly adored this book. The concept is hilarious and brilliantly executed. Mr. Franklin’s dry wit is right on target. I can see how many readers of different genres will love this book.
First let me state that I love Disney. I’m not obsessed with Disney, but I know people like that. My mother took myself and my daughter to Disney World in Orlando to celebrate my daughter’s 5th birthday in December of 2011.
Although I had been there before as a teenager, the entire “magic” thing was even better with my own child.
That said, you don’t necessarily need to have been to the parks to like this book. Although it may help. Some of the “Disney Magic” is best explained when you have been there in person.
The plot. Ok, it starts off with a standoff. He is holed up in a room at one of the resorts at Disney with his nine year old daughter and a S.W.A.T team outside. And the rest of the book goes back in forth in time attempting to explain what brought Bill Durmer to that exact moment in time.
As the book goes on, the trip Bill took with his family to Disney World six months prior is rehashed. Apparently some very weird things happened to him while he was there that defy explanation. People seemed to know his name, his family got an upgrade to a suite at the Grand Floridian and he felt he was being watched.
Six months later he is pretty much at the bottom. He just closed his family’s store, a wonderful nautical event that his town celebrates every year is ruined, and he’s turning 40.
And he starts receiving cryptic messages via email. Through the movie Beauty and the Beast (which he watched four times in one night) he believes he should move to Disney World. Not next to it, INTO it.
He leaves in the middle of the night, taking his oldest daughter with him.
Then things get even weirder. He gets a job as a bus driver, he is kidnapped and he meets some very interesting individuals. Apparently there is some sort of prophecy and he might fulfill. He hears from multiple (granted, eccentric) individuals “You have a grander purpose, Bill Durmer. It’s time to find it.”
Bill continues to try and put the pieces of the puzzle together. And that’s when the stand-off takes place.
I don’t want to get into more detail because I don’t want to spoil it.
The plot is imaginative and feeds off of real-life Disney lore. I am actually planning on reading the biography of Walt Disney in the near future as a result of reading this book.
Mr. Franklin manages to tie in a very public, very powerful worldwide entertainment company into this book. In fact, the whole concept of “Disney” can be considered a distinct character throughout. And I hope he doesn’t get sued. The fact that Disney tried to recently copyright the term “Dia De Los Muertos” comes to mind.
The characters are rich and very developed. I’m thinking mainly of Bill’s sister Nancy. I know people like her (and am related to some of those people).
Bill himself is very developed, and the reader is privledged to watch him learn about himself and his abilities.
I also love the relationship between Bill and his wife. They truly do love each other, and sometimes in popular literature, more is written about infidelity and dysfunctional families than the ones that truly are making it work.
The love that Katherine feels for Bill is palpable. She wants to see him succeed and live his dream, and if that means sneaking off to live at Disney World in the middle of the night, then so be it.
This book is hilarious. The sarcasm and wit reminded me of one of my favorite authors, Rob Kroese (especially in Mercury Falls). I can actually see people saying things like “I will not tolerate: blaspheming the good Lord and speaking ill of the Mouse!”
Overall, this book is a very good, very lighthearted read. I highly recommended to anyone who enjoys an imaginative plot mixed with a study of relationships and middle life.
First let me state that I love Disney. I’m not obsessed with Disney, but I know people like that. My mother took myself and my daughter to Disney World in Orlando to celebrate my daughter’s 5th birthday in December of 2011.
Although I had been there before as a teenager, the entire “magic” thing was even better with my own child.
That said, you don’t necessarily need to have been to the parks to like this book. Although it may help. Some of the “Disney Magic” is best explained when you have been there in person.
The plot. Ok, it starts off with a standoff. He is holed up in a room at one of the resorts at Disney with his nine year old daughter and a S.W.A.T team outside. And the rest of the book goes back in forth in time attempting to explain what brought Bill Durmer to that exact moment in time.
As the book goes on, the trip Bill took with his family to Disney World six months prior is rehashed. Apparently some very weird things happened to him while he was there that defy explanation. People seemed to know his name, his family got an upgrade to a suite at the Grand Floridian and he felt he was being watched.
Six months later he is pretty much at the bottom. He just closed his family’s store, a wonderful nautical event that his town celebrates every year is ruined, and he’s turning 40.
And he starts receiving cryptic messages via email. Through the movie Beauty and the Beast (which he watched four times in one night) he believes he should move to Disney World. Not next to it, INTO it.
He leaves in the middle of the night, taking his oldest daughter with him.
Then things get even weirder. He gets a job as a bus driver, he is kidnapped and he meets some very interesting individuals. Apparently there is some sort of prophecy and he might fulfill. He hears from multiple (granted, eccentric) individuals “You have a grander purpose, Bill Durmer. It’s time to find it.”
Bill continues to try and put the pieces of the puzzle together. And that’s when the stand-off takes place.
I don’t want to get into more detail because I don’t want to spoil it.
The plot is imaginative and feeds off of real-life Disney lore. I am actually planning on reading the biography of Walt Disney in the near future as a result of reading this book.
Mr. Franklin manages to tie in a very public, very powerful worldwide entertainment company into this book. In fact, the whole concept of “Disney” can be considered a distinct character throughout. And I hope he doesn’t get sued. The fact that Disney tried to recently copyright the term “Dia De Los Muertos” comes to mind.
The characters are rich and very developed. I’m thinking mainly of Bill’s sister Nancy. I know people like her (and am related to some of those people).
Bill himself is very developed, and the reader is privledged to watch him learn about himself and his abilities.
I also love the relationship between Bill and his wife. They truly do love each other, and sometimes in popular literature, more is written about infidelity and dysfunctional families than the ones that truly are making it work.
The love that Katherine feels for Bill is palpable. She wants to see him succeed and live his dream, and if that means sneaking off to live at Disney World in the middle of the night, then so be it.
This book is hilarious. The sarcasm and wit reminded me of one of my favorite authors, Rob Kroese (especially in Mercury Falls). I can actually see people saying things like “I will not tolerate: blaspheming the good Lord and speaking ill of the Mouse!”
Overall, this book is a very good, very lighthearted read. I highly recommended to anyone who enjoys an imaginative plot mixed with a study of relationships and middle life.
May 28, 2013
With just this book's settings alone -- the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay (where I got married) and Walt Disney World (where I honeymooned and later moved to the area), I'm not sure there's a book that could get closer to my heart. But add in a few Crimson Tide references and I'm sunk. (:
In all seriousness, this book is part Big Fish, part Disney lore and all heart.
In all seriousness, this book is part Big Fish, part Disney lore and all heart.
June 28, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. I want to write a longer review but am not able to give it the time it deserves at the moment. If you are a Disney geek or just enjoy the Disney parks and park experience this is really a book for you. I found I couldn't wait to get back to reading the book when I was off doing something else and that is always the mark of an enjoyable book to me.
The only reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars is because I believe that it won't appeal to a more general audience. There is a lot of "Inside Disney" type stuff in the book which I think might turn some readers off. If someone has never been to Walt Disney World in Florida there are beats that will completely go over their head. The one thing that may be missing is something that gets to the heart of why people are so fanatical about the parks. I think you have to get the reader to believe in the "Magic" before you get them to take the journey. Then again, if you aren't already a fan are you reading this book? Maybe not but that was the one issue that kept taking me out of this book. O
For a middle aged man that struggles with figuring out his future and who also recently returned from his latest drive to Disney World this book really hit the spot! The fact that it is written by a local writer whom I have met a couple of times is also kind of cool.
Hopefully a longer review is coming. In short, I had a really fun time reading this book and damn if I don't wish I was Bill Durmer!
The only reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars is because I believe that it won't appeal to a more general audience. There is a lot of "Inside Disney" type stuff in the book which I think might turn some readers off. If someone has never been to Walt Disney World in Florida there are beats that will completely go over their head. The one thing that may be missing is something that gets to the heart of why people are so fanatical about the parks. I think you have to get the reader to believe in the "Magic" before you get them to take the journey. Then again, if you aren't already a fan are you reading this book? Maybe not but that was the one issue that kept taking me out of this book. O
For a middle aged man that struggles with figuring out his future and who also recently returned from his latest drive to Disney World this book really hit the spot! The fact that it is written by a local writer whom I have met a couple of times is also kind of cool.
Hopefully a longer review is coming. In short, I had a really fun time reading this book and damn if I don't wish I was Bill Durmer!
July 8, 2013
I have never been to Disney. I am not a Disney-holic.
That said, I truly enjoyed Midlife Mouse. While the setting is the Happiest Place on Earth, the midlife "Is this my life? REALLY?" feeling that Bill Durmer struggles with is its own landscape, one that a lot of us 40+ types wander. Wonderful wife? Check. Beautiful, healthy children? Check. Stable roots in a lovely hometown on the bay? Check. And yet...
It's the "And yet... " part that Mr. Franklin nails for me. There's no navel-gazing or pity party, just an honest self-assessment that here is a man who could have, SHOULD have, become something wonderful, something magical... and, well, *didn't*.
What makes it a 5 star review is that in addition to exploring what it really is that makes your life worthwhile, Midlife Mouse has a wacky, absurd sense of humor that truly makes it an enjoyable read.
Never been to Disney? Me neither... but this book is actually about a different journey altogether.
That said, I truly enjoyed Midlife Mouse. While the setting is the Happiest Place on Earth, the midlife "Is this my life? REALLY?" feeling that Bill Durmer struggles with is its own landscape, one that a lot of us 40+ types wander. Wonderful wife? Check. Beautiful, healthy children? Check. Stable roots in a lovely hometown on the bay? Check. And yet...
It's the "And yet... " part that Mr. Franklin nails for me. There's no navel-gazing or pity party, just an honest self-assessment that here is a man who could have, SHOULD have, become something wonderful, something magical... and, well, *didn't*.
What makes it a 5 star review is that in addition to exploring what it really is that makes your life worthwhile, Midlife Mouse has a wacky, absurd sense of humor that truly makes it an enjoyable read.
Never been to Disney? Me neither... but this book is actually about a different journey altogether.
August 2, 2013
I found the beginning of the book to be very funny and witty. It had me smiling for a few, laughing-out-loud once or twice. Overall, it's an ok book, the ending I found to be predictable; getting there was both a chore and a mild delight. His humor and mocking the writer is quite fun though he repeats the self-deprecation like it's going out of style. The setup of the story is nice - I, however, cannot stand religion and the religious subtext of this novel is very off-putting for me. After so many mentions of bible verses, prayer and etc, I couldn't wait for it to end. The only reason I finished it was due to it being a Giveaway item from Goodreads. Seems like it should be classified as 'young-adult' as well. That is all.
July 9, 2013
A great story about unfulfilled dreams and one man's sometime crazy pursuit of a new path. I enjoyed it because I am familiar with both the Eastern Shore area of Mobile Bay and Disney World, which made it pretty cool to me.
May 30, 2013
A great book! Fantasy, mystery, humor. Perfect for summer reading.
July 1, 2013
A wonderful story in and of itself. A reminder to all who are close to 40 to continue to dream.
Thank you April for sharing this great find with me!
Thank you April for sharing this great find with me!
July 12, 2013
What fun!
August 26, 2013
MIDLIFE MOUSE by Wayne Franklin is an interesting Science Fiction and Fantasy/Fiction. I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel, but what I found was.....Alice In Wonderland meet Midlife Mouse. Bill Durmer is having a midlife crisis,big disappointments,and life changes. Well written with humor,adventure and the characters are interesting with life altering experiences. Set in the backdrop of Disney World. Who does not enjoy the big Mouse and the wonderful magic of Disney World? With quirky characters,entertainment from the first page to the last page,and a very interesting plot,what's not to enjoy. What if story.... involving imagination,intrigue,prophecy and destiny. If you enjoy fantasy,a bit of science fiction, Disney World intrigue, than you will enjoy "Midlife Mouse". Not your everyday summer adventure. A debut author to watch out for in the future. Received for an honest review from the author.
RATING: 4
HEAT RATING: SWEET
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
RATING: 4
HEAT RATING: SWEET
REVIEWED BY: AprilR, Review courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
July 17, 2016
For a Disney fan and dreamer, this would be the ultimate dream. Bill is having a midlife crisis. Not knowing how to help his family or hometown, he decides to drop everything and move to Walt Disney World, to blend in... Work in the background and enjoy life. Surprisingly, he is on a bigger adventure.... Essentially to become the next Walt Disney and he has no idea. He meets an incredible cast of characters who want to know if he is right for the job. It takes a lot of people to make Bill realize his self worth and his true desires in life. This story is the dream
Of every Disney fan. I loved the way the author used many of the historical figures in the Disney organization and made the story plausible. Definitely a great read for any Disney fan and dreamer.
Of every Disney fan. I loved the way the author used many of the historical figures in the Disney organization and made the story plausible. Definitely a great read for any Disney fan and dreamer.
Want to read
November 6, 2013And here I thought Goodreads had the whole book; it turned out to be just a preview. Back to the 'to-read' shelf with this one. I was really enjoying Midlife Mouse, and hopefully I will get the opportunity to finish it in the near future.
January 24, 2014
Well written, quirky and entertaining. It makes me curious about which of the Disney mythology are true and which were created for this book.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews