Grumpy Old Men: 47 Kiwi Blokes Who've Been Around Long Enough to Tell You What's Wrong with the World

by Paul Little, Dorothy Dudek Vinicombe

You know Sam Neill makes wine, but do you know what word he can’t stand when people talk about wine?
Sir Ray Avery saves lives in the Third World, but you might be surprised to learn what drives him to distraction at home.
You know Kevin Milne fights for a fair go, but you probably don’t know why he spends so much time talking to checkout operators.
Graeme Dingle is one of our great adventurers, but how did he face the challenge of a stay in hospital?
These mysteries and many more are explained in the pages of this book, where Sam, Ray, Kevin, Graeme and 44 other prominent men of a certain age talk about the things that make them grumpy.
Some contributions are serious and some light-hearted, some are trivial and some profound, but all are entertaining and thought-provoking.
This is the perfect gift for the grumpy old man in your life – or the grumpy young man who needs to know what’s in store for him.
Includes bonus ebook only contribution from mental health campaigner Max Abbott.

220 pages

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a compilation of thoughts by 47 relatively well-known (to those of us who live in this country) older men living in New Zealand. Each agreed to write about what makes them feel grumpy at times. Some denied having any grumpy feelings. Some had many feelings of grumpiness to write about. Some wrote just a few lines and others wrote a number of pages. I was able to identify with a couple of the writers over their comments on grumpiness. There is some humour, not too much in the way of sadness and while it was interesting, it is not a book that I would strongly recommend, to the extent that there is a new publication, "Grumpy Old Men 2", which I won't bother to read.

[Michele Harrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of insights from 47 men over the age of 50, who were selected to share their thoughts on what in the world makes them a tad grumpy. I expected to browse through this, but I read it from cover to cover, and was mightily delighted to find that a lot that makes the boys over 50 grumpy, piss me off an awful lot too. Insightful, and inspiring, I really felt that this book should become a standard text book for teenagers, so they too can share in the wisdom of some fine fellows who have gone before us, and who aren't afraid to say what is going wrong with the world (or, right in some cases too). I was particularly inspired by the altruism, kindness, generosity, and sense of care for the planet and our people, that shone through these pages. I would seriously like to hear more from these intelligent, witty and thoughtful men. And I hope men like this - and books like this - remain easily accessible for the next generation, so their voices are not lost in the mishmash of rubbish that is force fed to our youth in today's trash culture!! To the editors - I would like to just say THANK YOU for pulling together such a great body of thoughts and ideas. I have a whole new respect for 'grumpy old men'!!

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grumpy old men: 47 kiwi blokes is a compilation of short essays about what makes each of the 47 men grumpy. The 47 men are famous New Zealanders.

I really enjoyed this book. The essays were short and sweet which was nice and some of them were very funny. It was also quite interesting to find out some of the famous peoples opinions. Also it's a good book because all of the different essays will be funny to different people.

This book is good for adults and teenagers although adults might find it funnier because the know the people who are writing and they would understand better what the people are talking about.

This is a funny book and I would recommend it to adults and teenagers.

[Lee Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could have been quite brilliant if not for some rambling pieces that lose attention (though not many), a few phoned-in entries and a couple of personal agenda pieces. Oh and one or two errors like leaving out fullstops. Still, a good collection of many mature minds in one place.