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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
I loved this clever book and its precocious star Frank.
Re-listened in 2024 and found it delightful all over again.
Re-listened in 2024 and found it delightful all over again.
This book had the eccentric precocious child angle covered but I found the child in question, and his mother, to be mean and snobby sometimes ("Alice can't come. She's staff.") and they never redeemed themselves. I kept waiting for the mother especially to have that redeeming moment and she didn't. I really like the main character but she needed more extrapolation - it was more like she was an empty shell to be a foil against the other colorful characters.
Closer to 3.5. As a first novel, 'Be Frank with Me' has an assured voice and engaging characters. It treads a fine line between pathos and humor as it tells the story of Frank, a ten-year-old who could be a genius if he weren't so hampered by his classmates and life in general. A devotee of classic Hollywood films and a snappy dresser in pint-sized suits, Frank will never fit into society easily. But it's hard not to love him as he strives to figure out the world, both at large and inside his LA home that he shares with his mother Mimi, a one-time literary prodigy. Into this hothouse steps Alice, the assistant to Mimi's editor. Alice thinks her job is to help Mimi finish a new novel that will take care of her financial issues. But almost immediately, Alice is drafted to be Frank's babysitter and the all-round household manager. Add in a hunky handyman and the mystery of Frank's parentage, and you have a bubbling plot. Ms. Johnson does not quite stick the landing when it comes to a satisfactory ending. Readers will beg to know what happened to Frank and Mimi.
There are many uneasy moments in this story. Frank is probably on the autism spectrum and all the available adults seem more interested in their own problems than helping Frank cope. Frank's adventures are sometimes hilarious to read, and troubling to contemplate. If you like 'Where's You Go, Bernadette?' and 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine', you may also like 'Be Frank with Me'.
There are many uneasy moments in this story. Frank is probably on the autism spectrum and all the available adults seem more interested in their own problems than helping Frank cope. Frank's adventures are sometimes hilarious to read, and troubling to contemplate. If you like 'Where's You Go, Bernadette?' and 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine', you may also like 'Be Frank with Me'.
A friend expressed my thoughts on this book so well that I'm borrowing her words. "Well, now I'm ruined for MONTHS! I started it yesterday & I'm avoiding going to bed b/c I know I'll finish it tonight and I'll be so sad!! It's SO GOOD!!! I love Frank and I love Alice and the writing is wonderful and... It's like The Rosie Project that it's not only a great story but it gives you perspective on life with all the many Exceptional Souls who dwell among us."
I am definitely in the minority - Be Frank With Me was a little boring.
There wasn't enough plot to keep the momentum going past the first 30 pages, and while I appreciate some whimsy, this had too much folly without anything deeper in it to anchor it down. Frank is definitely autistic, or at least on the spectrum somewhere, and the way the adults around him view his behaviour as eccentric rather than getting him appropriate help, really irked me. I see too much of that in real life as a teacher to be able to switch off and not let it drive me crazy in fiction.
The writing was pretty good though, and I feel like it translated well into audio form - the narrator did a sparkling job- but was let down by the plot. Maybe I just need to hold the physical words in my hands in order to really get it? No time for that though, onwards and upwards. Recommended for anyone who needs a palate cleanser between heavy reads.
There wasn't enough plot to keep the momentum going past the first 30 pages, and while I appreciate some whimsy, this had too much folly without anything deeper in it to anchor it down. Frank is definitely autistic, or at least on the spectrum somewhere, and the way the adults around him view his behaviour as eccentric rather than getting him appropriate help, really irked me. I see too much of that in real life as a teacher to be able to switch off and not let it drive me crazy in fiction.
The writing was pretty good though, and I feel like it translated well into audio form - the narrator did a sparkling job- but was let down by the plot. Maybe I just need to hold the physical words in my hands in order to really get it? No time for that though, onwards and upwards. Recommended for anyone who needs a palate cleanser between heavy reads.
you should definitely try to listen to the audio version of this book, it really brings Frank to life!
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is the debut novel of the author. It is told from Alice's pov. Alice is the assistant who is sent to help Mimi, a writer, finish her manuscript. But the true star of the novel is Frank. Frank is a nine year old going on 50. He is quirky and very smart. You can't help but fall for him.
This was probably 3.5 stars for me, bumped to a 4 for Goodreads.
I'm honestly not exactly sure what to write about this one. On the one hand, I enjoyed it -- it was clearly pretty readable and I cared about it enough, considering it's the quickest I've gotten through a book in awhile. There was something that kept me interested.
On the other hand, almost the whole time I was reading I felt, somehow, that I wanted....more? But more of what exactly, I'm not sure. More of Mimi? More of Mimi as a writer?
I do think it's interesting that this is also the second book in a row that has featured a writer. Granted, Mimi, the writer in this book, is technically not the main character, as was the case in the last book I read, but still...
I think the story soars (and is supposed to) because of Frank. He's super smart and super quirky, and as the book progresses, the reader begins to feel as much love for and the need to protect him as Alice, the narrator, does. Yes, he's precocious and annoying and often puts himself and those around him in danger. But he's also super smart and really endearing and, at certain times unexpectedly sweet.
So what's the problem? I'm not sure. I think I wanted to somehow know Frank MORE. Which is maybe asking too much. I definitely wanted to understand Mimi better. And even though her history get pieced together a bit over time, I don't know that it felt like enough for me to care as much as maybe I should. The same went for Alice. I felt for her in the sense that she is put into a very difficult position, caring for this reclusive author's son (and often the reclusive offer herself), while getting almost nothing but grief for everything she's doing. I was surprised Alice stayed as long as she did.
I also felt like there were hints of potential plot points that never got picked up on. The fact that there wasn't more intrigue regarding Xander's role in Mimi and Frank's life was surprising to me. I expected more to that story somehow, but not the more the story granted. There definitely seemed to be more to Isaac and Mimi, but again that was only very briefly and vaguely hinted at. There was also a moment near the end of the story when Alice mentions the notebook she's been using to keep notes on Mimi as asked to by Isaac -- and he acts completely baffled about her doing that, but the story never comes back to it which felt weird.
So, at the end of the day it really is Frank that keeps this story alive. That keeps the reader caring. Watching him react to the world around him, and watching the adults react to being a part of his world. My heart would break for him at certain points, and imagining trying to deal with him would make me want to pull my hair out at others. He was definitely one of a kind, but in a way that was incredibly likable.
This review feels like a mess -- so I guess I'll do one final summary. This book left me wanting something more, but was also completely worth the time spent with what it did provide -- mostly getting to know the interesting, infuriating, sticky-fingered Frank.
I'm honestly not exactly sure what to write about this one. On the one hand, I enjoyed it -- it was clearly pretty readable and I cared about it enough, considering it's the quickest I've gotten through a book in awhile. There was something that kept me interested.
On the other hand, almost the whole time I was reading I felt, somehow, that I wanted....more? But more of what exactly, I'm not sure. More of Mimi? More of Mimi as a writer?
I do think it's interesting that this is also the second book in a row that has featured a writer. Granted, Mimi, the writer in this book, is technically not the main character, as was the case in the last book I read, but still...
I think the story soars (and is supposed to) because of Frank. He's super smart and super quirky, and as the book progresses, the reader begins to feel as much love for and the need to protect him as Alice, the narrator, does. Yes, he's precocious and annoying and often puts himself and those around him in danger. But he's also super smart and really endearing and, at certain times unexpectedly sweet.
So what's the problem? I'm not sure. I think I wanted to somehow know Frank MORE. Which is maybe asking too much. I definitely wanted to understand Mimi better. And even though her history get pieced together a bit over time, I don't know that it felt like enough for me to care as much as maybe I should. The same went for Alice. I felt for her in the sense that she is put into a very difficult position, caring for this reclusive author's son (and often the reclusive offer herself), while getting almost nothing but grief for everything she's doing. I was surprised Alice stayed as long as she did.
I also felt like there were hints of potential plot points that never got picked up on. The fact that there wasn't more intrigue regarding Xander's role in Mimi and Frank's life was surprising to me. I expected more to that story somehow, but not the more the story granted. There definitely seemed to be more to Isaac and Mimi, but again that was only very briefly and vaguely hinted at. There was also a moment near the end of the story when Alice mentions the notebook she's been using to keep notes on Mimi as asked to by Isaac -- and he acts completely baffled about her doing that, but the story never comes back to it which felt weird.
So, at the end of the day it really is Frank that keeps this story alive. That keeps the reader caring. Watching him react to the world around him, and watching the adults react to being a part of his world. My heart would break for him at certain points, and imagining trying to deal with him would make me want to pull my hair out at others. He was definitely one of a kind, but in a way that was incredibly likable.
This review feels like a mess -- so I guess I'll do one final summary. This book left me wanting something more, but was also completely worth the time spent with what it did provide -- mostly getting to know the interesting, infuriating, sticky-fingered Frank.
This was absolutely adorable, moving, and sweet. I almost want a child like Frank, child who is incredibly smart and dresses better than the majority of men alive. Almost.
When Alice Whitley joins the Banning household as an assistant to a reclusive novelist, she enters another world. Her biggest duty is taking care of the novelist's son, Frank, who is...eccentric? Quirky? Different?
What I liked about this story was this sense that time was suspended while Alice was at the Banning's. It was like she wasn't part of the real world anymore. I thought it was a little unusual that Alice didn't seem to have a strong urge to flee -- I mean, I'd be dying to just spend 30 minutes at Starbucks. Instead, Alice took to the new life (and to Frank) quickly.
The story had humor, as well as some mysteries and twists. There were a few heartbreaking turns, and for as much as I occasionally got frustrated with Frank, I wanted to hug him more (with his permission, of course).
What I liked about this story was this sense that time was suspended while Alice was at the Banning's. It was like she wasn't part of the real world anymore. I thought it was a little unusual that Alice didn't seem to have a strong urge to flee -- I mean, I'd be dying to just spend 30 minutes at Starbucks. Instead, Alice took to the new life (and to Frank) quickly.
The story had humor, as well as some mysteries and twists. There were a few heartbreaking turns, and for as much as I occasionally got frustrated with Frank, I wanted to hug him more (with his permission, of course).