Kiss Myself Goodbye

The Many Lives of Aunt Munca

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Pub Date 12 Jan 2021 | Archive Date 30 Nov 2020

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Description

From the bestselling author of the memoir Cold Cream comes this affectionate, bizarre, tragi-comical tale of Ferdinand Mount's Aunt Munca.

Munca--named after the mouse in the Beatrix Potter stories--never told the truth about anything. She was already a figure of mystery during her nephew Ferdinand Mount's childhood, and half a century on he embarks on a quest to uncover the true story of his beloved aunt.

His startling revelations are both shocking and sad, involving multiple deceptions, secret identities, bigamous marriages, and an extraordinary and at times frustrating trail that leads Mount all the way back from the streets of Sheffield at the end of the Victorian era to the higher echelons of English society in the inter-war years.

This is a book that will appeal to readers of family intrigue and mystery (like Laura Cummings's 2019 bestseller and Baillie Gifford-prize-shortlisted On Chapel Sands: My mother and other missing persons); to those who are interested in the social history of 20th Century Britain, told from an unusual and unconventional perspective; and to the aficionados of memorable aunts in literature, now a mini-genre, from Dickens' Betsy Trotwood to Graham Greene's Aunt Augusta. It will also delight readers who loved Ferdinand Mount's earlier autobiography.

From the bestselling author of the memoir Cold Cream comes this affectionate, bizarre, tragi-comical tale of Ferdinand Mount's Aunt Munca.

Munca--named after the mouse in the Beatrix Potter...


Advance Praise

"Grimly funny and superbly written, with a twist on every page" – Hilary Mantel

"Delightfully compulsive and unforgettably original" – Hadley Freeman

"Grimly funny and superbly written, with a twist on every page" – Hilary Mantel

"Delightfully compulsive and unforgettably original" – Hadley Freeman


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781472979421
PRICE US$30.00 (USD)
PAGES 272

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Featured Reviews

To quote Sir Walter Scott "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!" This book is a delicious account of how a family has risen in society, whilst all the time not ever being true to its roots due to the tangled web of lies and deceit.
I loved it, and (due to my own ignorance) had no idea of who the author was until after I had read it, and the book wasn't spoiled for the fact.
It's written beautifully and with feeling for those involved, where there could have been a well-deserved disgust at how people have acted, there's a presence of it all happening 'in its time' and that despising the behaviour wouldn't be healthy or fair, as many of the conclusions are based on very well-researched hunches, if not actual fact. The amount of research is staggering and adds hugely to the narrative, and the results show just what can be achieved in researching your heritage - at your peril!
There's a touch of Mapp (Mapp and Lucia) in Betty, and I loved her all the more for this. Yes, she must have been a force to be reckoned with, a snob - given her roots, but all the same such a character!
There's such a feeling of love from the author to his family - regardless if they are biological or otherwise, this marks the author out as someone who has taken a huge amount of thought as to how and why this book needs to be written.
I was lucky enough to have the chance to review this book, prior to publication, and it's one I would certainly add to my collection, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It's thought-provoking, heart-wrenching and a real eye-opener. All is not always as it seems, let us not judge anyone based upon Title and material wealth.
One small addition I would like to add is that a Family Tree is added on the final publication, as I found myself having to keep rereading previous pages to remind myself who was who!

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A compelling and well researched story of a life that seems barely possible now in this world of computerised documentation. It's all here - lies, deception, ducking, diving, false identities and a rip-roaring tale to boot. It's a proper rags to riches story that is revealed, layer by layer, by the author.

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Ferdinand Mount is a British gem who writes like a dream. I would probably enjoy reading a shopping list written by him.

This is an amazing shaggy dog story in which he attempts to discover the truth about the life of his aunt who aunt who weaved a web of obfuscation and confusion.

What shines through is the author’s pride and love of family and he uncovers an incredible story beautifully told.

Sheer pleasure from start to finish.

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