Customer Reviews

The owl in the attic and other perplexities,

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This clever collection of literary oddities will delight all Thurber fans. Consisting of three parts, the book reads swiftly, while bringing smiles of amusement. MR. AND MRS. MONROE consists of multiple tales about a New York city couple in their mid thirties. Each one tries to impress, manipulate or outdo the other in various marital escapades, yet they are sympathethic characters with no evil intentions. The little Mrs. protects her husband from a predatory female in a truly creative manner. Like Walter Mitty, Mr. Monroe entertains
grandiose male visions in his secret life--both re extramarital affairs and facing burglars. This section is somewhat sentimental and obviously dated, but definitely entertaining.

Part II, THE PET DEPARTMENT, was taken from Thurber's column: Questions (presumably but not necessarily from actual readers) and Answers--clearly from the author's non-veterinarian but fertile imagination. His curious pen and ink sketches clarify many obscure pet problems or solutions; the anthology's title was inspired by a query about a (stuffed) owl in somebody's attic.

Part III is a linguistic gem called A LADIES AND GENTLEMEN'S GUIDE TO ENGLISH GRAMMAR--which I do not recommend to serious foreign students of our language. They will be confused enough without Thurber's well-intentioned advice. Using ridiculous circumstances to illustrate difficult grammatical problems, traditional errors and embarrassing pitfalls, Thurber dazzles his readers as he attempts serious language instruction for those scribblers who insist on writing over their heads. Undaunted he attacks such stumbling blocks
as Which, Whether and the ubiquitously subline Subjunctive.
Examining their entrapment capabilities under a microscope, he
dissects them with the precision of his witty scalpel. Read and be warned: Be sure to keep your notes to absent friends brief but grammatically correct! (Teaching English was never like this...)

A really fun read -- especially Mr. and Mrs. Monroe. Some of the drawings are wonderfully fun as well.