Life with Father

Life with Father is a collection of anecdotes by Clarence Day, Jr., mostly having to do with his childhood and primarily involving his father. The primary reason Life with Father is so fascinating is because Clarence Day, Sr. is larger than life. The man is domineering, meticulous, and tyrannical, yet is also, in his own way, loving and good natured. His interactions with his wife are particularly entertaining. Many incidents reported here occur in the 1880s and 1890s, and this book provides great insights into nineteenth-century American life. The chapter on how the family first came to own a telephone particularly shows how very far America has come. Day's writing style is typically matter-of-fact, excepting a few occasions, particularly when he writes about himself. This style serves to highlight his family's absurdities, which is where much of the humor comes from. Worth mentioning here is the marvelous 1947 film starring William Powell, which is based on the play, which is in turn based on Life with Father and several other of Day's books. Neither the book nor the movie draw a large audience in the twenty-first century, but a number of people do come to the book after seeing the film, and filtering the book through the lens of the movie's cast does help accentuate its humor. Life with Father is an excellent and humorous book, perhaps best read in small doses so as not to dilute the effect. It is also a very interesting window into nineteenth century America. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I loved reading this book growing up, and I still reread it about every five years. Some reviewers have complained about the father's behavior, and certainly in 2004 no husband/father could behave as he did. However, for the period in which the story takes place (the 1870s/80s), the father is pretty typical and clearly loved his family a lot. The chapters about the author having violin lessons and sharing mail with his father are particularly good. For people who understand that customs and society itself were different in earlier times, this book will be a delight.

"Life With Father" by Clarence Day is such a charming memoir! I fell in love with this book and I liked how it was set up. The chapters marked different events that stood out in Day's mind. I like that over just a plain memoir, going through life in chronological order. I liked the witty humor, and Father seemed very humorous. This is just a great book to sit back and read the day away with! I recommend.

Humorous look at life in the Day household. The author paints a vivid picture of life with his parents: a very proper, no nonsense father and his slighly fey mother. Basis for the movie "Life Wtih Father". A nice quick read with plenty of humor