Travels With My Aunt by Graham Green

Graham Greene's Delightfully Comic Picaresque Novel of Family, Freedom, and Adventure

First published in 1969, Travels with My Aunt is one of English literature master Graham Greene's most beloved comic novels. A hilarious, globe-trotting picaresque, the story contrasts the stifling safety of suburban conformity with the chaotic joy of an unpredictable life.

The story follows Henry Pulling, a sheltered and thoroughly complacent retired bank manager whose quiet life revolves around cultivating dahlias in his garden. His dull routine is turned completely upside down when he attends his mother's funeral and meets his fierce, seventy-something (and delightfully scandalous) Aunt Augusta. Unraveling long-held family secrets—including the revelation that the woman who raised him was not his biological mother—Aunt Augusta sweeps Henry away on a series of wild international exploits. From Paris aboard the Orient Express to Istanbul and Paraguay, Henry is thrust into a bohemian world of international smugglers, CIA operatives, eccentric lovers, and shady dealings, forcing him to choose between a comfortable existence and the unpredictable thrill of truly living.

Why You'll Love This Book

Adapted into an Academy Award-nominated 1972 film starring Maggie Smith, Travels with My Aunt showcases Graham Greene at his most witty, vibrant, and satirical. Readers who enjoy classic British comic fiction, witty picaresque adventures, and works by authors like P.G. Wodehouse, Evelyn Waugh, Kingsley Amis, Lawrence Durrell, and Muriel Spark will fall in love with Augusta's irrepressible spirit.