The Mouse That Roared

The book captivated me from beginning to end. Its observations were dead on, the plot was hilarious, the language was elegant and the characters were loveable. I couldn't ask for anything more.

'Do you believe they'd really explode the bomb?' the President asked. 'Mr. President,' the secretary countered, 'would you have believed they would invade the United States with twenty longbowmen, landing in Manhattan off a chartered sailing vessel?' -The Mouse That RoaredSadly Leonard Wibberley's hilarious satire, The Mouse that Roared seems to be making the slow sad transit from wildly popular bestseller and hit movie in the 50s and 60s to cult classic in the 70s and 80s to largely forgotten in the 90s and 00s. The book, which was originally serialized in the Saturday Evening Post from December 1954 to January 1955 as The Day New York Was Invaded, is no longer in print--despite the fact that the tattered copy I'm holding is something like the 30th printing. And the film does not seem to have been transferred to DVD, though I did find a copy of the equally funny sequel, The Mouse on the Moon. Our growing amnesia is unfortunate, both because this is just a funny story, and also because current events reveal it to still be timely.The tale concerns the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, a tiny European nation which "lies in a precipitous fold of the northern Alps." It was founded in 1370 by British soldier of fortune Roger Fenwick, under not altogether honorable circumstances. Practically the only thing that is produced there, and the only reason anyone has ever heard of it, is a fine wine called Pinot Grand Fenwick. Other than this one export, the nation remains happily isolated, a medieval remnant in the modern world, ruled over by Duchess Gloriana XII--"a pretty girl of twenty-two" in the book, a more matronly woman in the film, so that Peter Sellers can play her--and her prime minister, the Count of Mountjoy (also played by Peter Sellers).As the story begins, crisis has descended upon the Grand Duchy in the form of revenue shortfalls. It is determined that the most effective way of raising money is to declare war on the United States, the pretext for which is the introduction of a San Rafael, California winery of a wine called Pinot Grand Enwick, a provocation that can not be allowed to stand. As Gloriana explains the aims of the war : All in all, as I said before, there is no more profitable and sound step for a nation without money or credit to take, than declare war on the United States and suffer a total defeat.It's easy to see why the fortunes of this story changed over the years; written just a few years after the Marshall Plan, it resonated in an America that had won WWII and rebuilt its enemies. But in the late 60s and early 70s, the Left determined that America was evil and that there was nothing honorable nor humorous about the Cold War, Vietnam, or any of the other seemingly benign extensions of American power. Wibberley's witty insight must have seemed the stuff of delusions or insidious propaganda to folks who had convinced themselves that we were really an imperialist nation. But now that the "blame America fir

'The Mouse that Roared' is a brilliant book filled with charm and wit. It portrays an imaginary tiny country wedged in between other countries in Europe and often forgotten because of it's size. When their only source of external revenue is threatened by company in the US, and their demands ignored, they go to war with the United States and win before the US realizes thay are at war! the Cold war humor is quite enjoyable, and the message this book presents is one of "You can conquer anything if you have enough of the right intention". The ultimate 'underdog' and 'little guy becomes the hero' story if there ever was one. I cannot say enough about how wonderful this book is. It will make you roll you eyes at times, and cause you to squirm with embarrassment for the characters and also laugh aloud. In the end you will find yourself cheering. It is probably one of the most important books in political satire ever written, and should be required reading for all who seek positions of power in our modern society. You will enjoy and remember this one a long, long time. The wisdom is timeless.

Although this book is now a bit dated, and the cold war humor might be difficult for younger readers to grasp, it is still a tremendously funny read for those who remember or have studied the cold war days. In this book a tiny European country decides that the answer to its financial problems lies in going to war with the United States and loosing. After seeing how the US rebuilt its WWII adversaries it really seems the only sensible way out of their current economic crisis. Add to this a perfectly justifiable reason to make war on the United States in the form of an American company marketing a cheap clone of the nations staple wine label, and you have a unanimous decision for war in the great counsels of Grand Fenwick. The only problem is how to get the Americans to realize that they are at war. An official note declaring war was simply lost in the bureaucracy of the state department. At last they mount a mighty invasion of New York City (with an expeditionary force 20 longbowmen strong). The results are hilarious. Indeed not a chapter went by in which I did not laugh out loud at least a couple times. This was a fun book to read. I think this book is far better than the movie based on it. The only cold war comedy movie that was as good as this book was Dr. Strangelove (although the humor is of a very different verity).

I read The Mouse That Roared about 25 years ago and have been trying to get a copy ever since. It is an absolutely hilarious political satire so it surprises me that it is now considered a children's book. I wonder if children from 4 to 6 will get the jokes, especially the idea that Grand Fenwick must declare war on the United States in order to expand its anemic coffers. I highly recommend this book and Wibberley's other "Mouse" books for anyone who wants a good laugh, including people who, like me, are substantially older than 6.