advance praise

"She's 13, he's 40; she's been given her walking papers from her mother, he's the uncle there to catch her: they are a modernized odd couple, and the sparks they throw are a glowing pyrotechnic display. Tiffany is a life force with attitude problems, a taste for belly-button jewels and face tackle, who informs Wintle that snorting dust will make you paranoid (heroin makes you mellow, she notes), and can play her uncle's heart like a bongo and crack it like a coconut; Wintle is an obsessive-compulsive "all-time Control Queen" who will rise to the occasion, bringing to it a delightfully nuanced, impractical, caring, ham-handed, heart-gladdening, inclusive, protective approach. [Wintle] struggles to meet each new challenge head on, taking cues from his own sad youth and fraught adulthood . . . with a gorgeous clarity. The story begins and ends with Tiffany's freshman year at high school . . . leaving readers to pray for volumes sophomore through senior."

From Kirkus Reviews (May 1, 2005 - starred review)


"[Wintle] does an exceptional job of portraying Tiffany as a complex teenager . . . The lighthearted tone makes a serious subject amusing, and Wintle is charmingly self-deprecating . . . the journey is eye-opening, and anyone who's wondered about the mysterious lives of teenagers will enjoy Wintle's tale."

From Publisher's Weekly (April 25, 2005)

"Funny, warm, and brutally honest, Edwin John Wintle captures the terror and delight of parenting a teenager. A realistic, uncompromising memoir, Breakfast with Tiffany is a stark expression of the rollercoaster of hope, despair, sweetness and, most of all, love, that comes of trying to herd the young into the unknown future. Wintle's book will ring true to all who have experienced the ride."

S.E. Hinton (International Best-selling Author of THE OUTSIDERS, RUMBLE FISH and HAWKES HARBOR)


“Breakfast with Tiffany is a nuanced and richly layered story of twenty-first century family ties. When urban, hip Uncle Eddy rescues his suburban teenage minx of a niece from a tempestuous situation and brings her into his home, they begin the wild adventure of creating a new life. By the end, I wished Uncle Eddy would take ME in, too. Wintle’s writing shines with humor and love, and the bonus is a marvelous sense of place; his appreciation of Manhattan's vibrancy and complex beauty deepens every page.”

Frances Mayes (New York Times Best-selling Author of UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN and BRINGING TUSCANY HOME)


“Every parent will find this story provocative, challenging, and ultimately winning. Every teen will wish they had a cool Uncle Eddy. Breakfast with Tiffany is a book that both should share, discuss and recommend.”

Po Bronson (New York Times Best-selling Author of WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY LIFE?)


"This is a beautiful piece of work, smart and funny and real and honest. Edwin Wintle has a rich pair of characters in himself and his niece, two highly articulate people who keep showing us new sides. There are no false epiphanies or glib solutions here. Wintle can talk about the good as well as the bad without getting sentimental, and he has a great ear for dialogue. I learned a lot from this book, but, more important, I had wonderful time."

Christopher Bram (Author of GODS AND MONSTERS and LIVES OF THE CIRCUS ANIMALS)


“This is a beautiful book, written with compassionate understatement and a wonderful sense of humor. It will break your heart and uplift your heart with every sentence. Ed Wintle has great insight about the deepest kinds of loves: a parent for their child, lovers for each other, and, most important of all, a tremendously moving love of life. Tiffany and her Uncle Eddy are truly an odd and magical couple, thrown together by chance, who wind up saving each other in this delightful story of generation gaps, of the holy bonds of family, of the simple human and humane desire for the safety of caring and consideration. I have not read in a long, long time such a wise and moving song of innocence and experience, growing up, and growing together. This memoir radiates salvation. It is a triumph.”

John Nichols (Author of THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR and THE STERILE CUCKOO)


”This gem of a book is captivating from page one. Don’t let the word ‘memoir’ fool you – Breakfast with Tiffany reads like a wonderfully tight piece of good fiction. It’s a magical combination of fluid narrative and dead-on dialogue, with an element of reality TV that compels you to read just one more page to see what’s on the next – a train wreck, a triumph, or a belly laugh -- and often you’ll find all three.”

PJ Tracy (Best-selling Author of MONKEEWRENCH and DEAD RUN)


“Like most good love stories, Breakfast with Tiffany is about the unlikely combination of opposites, in this case, sophisticated gay uncle and problematic, suburban niece. Like all good love stories -- whether romantic or familial -- this one has its share of humor, heartbreak, and tenderness. Edwin Wintle's memoir is touching and hard to forget.”

Stephen McCauley (Author of THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTION)