Jean Kerr (1)Reviews

Jean Kerr, awriter of short comic essays about the ups and downs of suburban america. This was a very successful collection which was translated into a fairly popular film.

Penny Candy is a collection of fifteen hilarious short stories about raising kids, managing your husband, and living life in general. Published in the 60s, it's a bit dated but still funny.

Jean Kerr is best known for her humorous cllection of essays and the resulting stage hit "Please Don't Eat the Daisies." This is a lesser effort, centering on the mishaps of suburban parenting in the 1950's. Not greatly memorable.

I don't know how this book has so many positive reviews. I was glad when it was over. I felt it was dated

3.5 Stars

In my Doris Day phase I watched the film "based" on this book and was not amused. But Goodreads recommended the book to me because of some other humorous tales I liked so I found an ebook and settled down.

As much as I like Day and David Niven in general, I can only say that this film did the book and them a disservice. While the film seems to center on family drama and, in particular, Niven's character, the book focuses completely on the wife and, thankfully, bears little resemblance to the film. It is funny, especially if you've ever had young brothers.* Her tone is snappy, brilliant, and she obviously enjoys both writing and being a mother (sometimes).

Also, loved the chapter on diets. But points removed for the two "fantasy" chapters in the middle. Skip them (Don Brown's Body and the following one).

*my mind, at one point, instantly remembered a certain photo of my young brother sitting amidst a couple of pounds of flour in the living room floor.

I found this book in my dentist's office, where they keep a bookcase full of books that patients can take or contribute to. Sort of like a Little Library. I picked this one up for two reasons: its 35 cent cover price--old paperbacks fascinate me, and its author, who wrote "Please Don't Eat the Daisies." I remember this as a move and TV show from my very early childhood, although I'm not sure I ever saw either. Nor did I read the collection of pieces of the same name that inspired them.

In any case, this is a short book--only 128 pages--and that includes quite a few illustrations. Kerr is easy to read, but as tends to be the case with collections like this, whose pieces were originally published in popular magazines of the time, it is all very dated and the cultural references (people, events, brand names, etc.) may be unrecognizable by most readers much younger than me. In fact, this book is best treated as a time machine to America, circa 1960.

Kerr, a successful playwright married to a well-known drama critic, writes primarily about her domestic life, which focuses on raising her five(!!) children and doing all the other things, such as planning parties, that were expected of a traditional wife of that time. Of course, these pieces are intended to be humorous (they ARE humorous, I should say), so they can't be taken literally. Kerr certainly had domestic help, otherwise she could have never found the time to write so much, take part in the out of town openings of her plays, and do all the other things necessary to be a successful author. Writing is the other main subject of the book. Kerr offers pointed, humorous advice for dealing with bad reviews, for example.

Throughout, her tone is lively, and she tries to pack a bit of a laugh or some sort of twist into almost every sentence. I'm sure she was an inspiration to writers such as Erma Bombeck. I enjoyed this book for taking me back to a time that, on the surface at least, was simpler and more innocent. I can't really recommend that a modern reader pick it up, however, unless you like the time travel angle I suggested or have a taste for ephemera.

Surprised nobody does this any more

An affecting play by the author of "Please Don't Eat the Daisies", with both the original play as written, and the final version that appeared on stage. Richard is a poet who has become nationally celebrated for an elegy he wrote for his beloved wife, who has recently died. His editor tries to lift him from his mourning, and his conviction that his poem and the love that inspired it are frauds. His editor's secretary tries to convince Richard that she is the antidote for his grief and that he should marry her. As contrived as this plot reads, Jean Kerr has done a fine job of bringing credibility and pathos to her play. There are slight differences in dialogue between the written and stage versions, and a couple of major changes in the conclusion that almost make them two different plays. I prefer Jean Kerr's written version. The book includes photographs from the Broadway play, with a young Gene Hackman and Alan Bates as the editor and Richard.½

This collection of humorous pieces, mostly revolving around the author's family, led to a family TV comedy that I have vague recollections of. The author's style reminds me of nobody so much as the late Erma Bombeck (who may well have read and been inspired by this book), but with a few exceptions, Jean Kerr's humor is better-written, with a nice light satirical touch and a nice sense of pace. The exceptions are the few pieces about her experiences as a playwright; they just didn't do it for me. But the family pieces are giggly gold. The title comes from her lamentation about not having the imagination to give her three young boys precise enough instructions about what acts of mischief not to commit.

Was one of those random books in our house as a kid, probably a hand-me-down from my grandmother, and though I thought several of the stories were funny then, the older I get and the more children I have, the more hilarious they are.

This is a collection of humorous essays written by Jean Kerr in the late 1950's early 1960's. I didn't find it hilarious, at least not all the way through, but I certainly chortled, snorted and giggled, and several parts on child-rearing had to be read aloud to my long-suffering husband. Thought the idea for the Dramatic Reading of a hard-boiled mystery was terrific! It seemed a bit randomly put together, but I suppose that is the nature of a collection of essays.½

Although dated, Jean Kerr's essays are spot on about raising children and home repairs. She is as funny now as she was when I first read her when I was a teenager.

So funny I almost smiled a couple of times. The movie was better.

How does a playwright reveal character in just one line? That's a very important asset for a playwright. Here's an example of how Jean Kerr does it. The character in question is the heroine's ex-husband's new girlfriend. We are to understand that she's not right for her fiance, who would be much better off going back to his wife. So, upon being offered a cigarette, she responds in the negative, but says: "Not because I'm worried about cancer, but they stain your teeth!" Subtle, no?

Kerr has collected a series of columns written in 1958, '59, and '60 for various magazines such as Ladies Home Journal and McCall's. Her writing is humorous and deals with subjects of motherhood, being a playwright and consumerism.
Although I was not able to comprehend a lot of her pop culture references, I found this book entertaining and, for the most part, surprisingly relevant.

As is true with all Jean's works - as far as I know - this is a collection of very funny essays on the vicissitudes of life and family. Jean Kerr was writing these little gems in the years I was growing up, and I discovered her books in high school. She has a way with words; dry, witty, understated at times, wildly exaggerated at others. Her humor resonates with me.

My favorite piece in this book called "The Poet and the Peasants." Jean outlines the woes of trying to inoculate her boys with a love of poetry. There are lots stumbles along the way - bad limericks, worse performances - but the boys eventually come around, and so does the reader. It even seems possible.

Entertaining set of essays by Ms. Kerr about her life with drama critic Walter Kerr. It's a bit on the thin side, and must have required extremely creative handling by the writers who made it into a movie (which I haven't seen, so can't help wondering if they included the parodies of Francois Sagan and Stephen Vincent Benet) but still stylish enough to be re-readable occasionally.½

A collection of humorous pieces on life in the suburbs in the 1950s. Jean Kerr, married to drama critic Walter Kerr, writes about her kids, her mother, her adventures as a playwright, and the ten worst things about a man. (#5. A man will give you an honest answer.)

I've loved Jean's writing since high school. This was a real find.½

For some reason, Jean's humor appeals to me on a very basic level. Perhaps because I first read her essays as a young teen when my admittedly warped sense of humor was being formed! The essays in this book deal with children, playwriting, dogs, and other hazards of life. Love it!½

This is a hilarious book about motherhood, wifehood, womanhood and more by Jean Kerr. Her wit and wisdom are poured throughout this book. It is one of my all-time favourites.

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