Alias Madame Doubtfire [Paperback]

Anne Fine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1989

Miranda's three children thoroughly enjoy their huge, overdressed baby sitter/cleaning woman who is actually their father in disguise, and they dread the day when their mother discovers Madame Doubtfire is really her ex-husband.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Miranda decides to hire a housekeeper to care for her three children, her ex-husband Daniel, an unemployed actor, disguises himself as a woman and gets the job. Daniel is happy with this arrangement: he doesn't do much work, and he gets to see his children every day. But the kids find that seeing their father dressed as a huge be-turbanned woman is both disturbing and confusing. They worry that their mother will see through Daniel's masquerade. The children's discomfort reaches a peak when Daniel cajoles his ex-wife into confessing her candid feelings about their failed marriage. Eventually, Miranda discovers that her wonderful housekeeper is really her hated ex-husband, and this unhappy family is forced to work out a more honest way to live. Had the children been more fully developed characters, capable of experiencing a full range of emotions, this contrived plot would have been easier to believe. With its focus on the difficulties of a pair of self-absorbed adults, the children's perspectives are secondary and almost forgotten; this story's emotional underpinnings will seem all too familiar to those youngsters whose lives have been adversely affected by the immaturity of the adults around them. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6 Although Miranda and Daniel have been divorced for a number of years, they still argue bitterly whenever they encounter one another. The children adore their father and would like to spend as much time with him as they can, but they live with their mother and will do anything to avoid getting her angry. So when Miranda decides to hire a housekeeper, Daniel, an unemployed actor, hatches a plot: he applies for the job dressed as a woman. While the children recognize him almost immediately, Miranda has no idea who the new cleaning woman is. She eventually discovers the deception, causing another fight with Daniel, but the children's determination to see their father softens their parents' attitude, and the parents part amiably. This plot strains credibility to the breaking point. It seems highly unlikely that Miranda would not recognize Daniel, given how easily the children did. Daniel's antics, in and out of costume, are more pointless than endearing. The emphasis of the story leans toward the parents rather than the children, and so although the children do grow in the end, the readers do not experience that growth with them; they are only told about it. Finally, the happy resolution is unearned and the story falls flat. Susan Fichtelberg, Woodbridge Public Library, N . J
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Starfire (December 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553566156
• ISBN-13: 978-0553566154
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,964,207 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Alias Good Book, October 3, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: ALIAS MADAME DOUBT (A Bantam Starfire Book) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Hilliard kids have divorced parents. their mom hardly ever gives them time with their dad. Even when they are with their dad their mom always makes it bad. That is why when they need a babysitter dad comes to the rescue...sort of. He gets the job as sweet old Maddame Doubtfire This book is hilarious from egogs (hedgehogs) and the Mrs. Sippy river to the dads new job as a ... modeler.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Only OK, March 25, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Alias Madame Doubtfire (Hardcover)

I have seen the movei "Mrs. Doubtfire" and it is one of my all time favorites. I just love Robin William's acting in that movie! I had known for some time that the movie was based off a book ( I had read one by the same author) and thought it would be just as good as the movie. Boy was I in for a surprise!

The book isn't bad, so much as it isn't very good. The ending is not satisfactory. the dad isn't allowed to see his kids as often as he would like, but more than he should ( I mean, he nude models for an art class and SMOKES, for pete's sake!) in my point of view.

Alltogether, it's OK if you want to read it, but it's rather a pointless read, I think.

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Alias Madame Doubtfire, March 3, 2000

By 

Betty Austin - See all my reviews

This review is from: ALIAS MADAME DOUBT (A Bantam Starfire Book) (Mass Market Paperback)

Fine, Anne.(1988).Alias Madame Doubtfire.Boston:Little Brown & Co.

It is sometimes said that all children of divorce secretly wish to have their families once again united under one roof. Christopher, Lydia and Natalie Hilliard were no exception. Their father, Daniel, is a nere do well sometime actor sometime nude model. Mother Miranda is a wealthy, successful but high strung and tense executive. The parents do a terrible job of keeping their caustic and hateful battles to themselves. Mom needs a babysitter. Dad needs a job. Enter Madame Doubtfire, alias daddy. In this work of realistic fiction the children are confused but wise, the parents are petty and hateful toward each other and inconsiderate of the children. This could be a funny, lighthearted book but it really isn't.