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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This wonderful debut novel will have you laughing with big lumps in your throat at the same time. Set in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, quirky and lovable characters abound, especially the young child Frank.
This book felt very flat and contrived to me while reading it, but after discussing with my book club in more depth I realized how much I really disliked it so I dropped my rating even lower. It is a fast and easy read but there was really nothing about it in the end that made it feel worthwhile or meaningful. The characters were not developed, the relationships felt empty, the plot lacked interest, the ending was abrupt - overall pretty disappointing and lacking in depth.
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
I've seen a lot of buzz around Be Frank With Me but don't know anyone else who has read it yet, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew from the description that Frank was likely on the spectrum, a 9 year old boy obsessed with Hollywood Golden Era movies and culture (and clothing). My own 9 year old son is ASD and is not obsessed with Casablanca and James Cagney, but instead plans his days around his opportunities to play Minecraft and Plants vs. Zombies. Even though videogames seem to be the obsession of choice for most I know, my son has a classmate who is overly fond of ceiling fans, so Frank didn't seem unrealistic to me. In fact, Frank is utterly charming. His flat affect (which was decently portrayed in the audiobook), his balking at unwanted touches of any kind, his painful inability to not tell you any fact that he deems important and relevant at any given moment . . . . it is all very believable. Frank is very lovable, but he isn't always easy to like. He runs out into traffic, tells everyone exactly what he thinks about them whether or not it is flattering, and is bombing out at all of the social aspects of 4th grade.
What about Frank's mother, Mimi, the famous and reclusive author of very successful young adult fiction classics who is working on her next big novel after a decade-long hiatus (which seems completely believable given that Frank is 9). Mimi is not completely likeable, but she loves Frank. She is a terrible boss, and probably not mother of the year (given her tendencies to hide in her work), but this woman is exhausted. I can relate, but I hope that I would be nicer to someone helping me out in my house. She has plenty of quirks of her own, typing on a typewriter rather than a computer, and crabbing at everyone in the vicinity (except Frank, usually).
And then we have Alice, the 25 year old recent accounting grad who was looking for a job that doesn't involve accounting. Well that makes sense, but one of her oldest friends is a publisher who happens to be in search of a "minder" to help Mimi finish her novel with "whatever needs to be done around the house" which is largely taking care of Frank and cooking meals. Alice starts out likeable, shows herself a little too Ms. Know it All, like many people, but ultimately Frank likes Alice, so we must also.
These characters are very human. They all have their foibles, their redeeming qualities, and interact with each other in a very believable way. And luckily they are interesting enough that I'd probably watch them sitting around playing euchre. Which is a good thing, as there is not a whole lot of plot in this book. Mimi is writing a book. We know because her typewriter is making noise from her office while Alice and Frank are up at all hours of the night watching old movies and driving around to museums, and then Alice makes food that Mimi does not appreciate.
There is a rather dramatic series of events as the action wraps up, but in the whole, this novel is big on characters, but short on action. And what little plot there is, some of it is left rather unresolved. Spoiler alert In fact, we hardly know what is going to happen with any of these characters after the last scene. Maybe they are setting this up for a sequel. However, sequels for wildly popular novels about truly odd characters often don't capture the same magic (I'm looking at you, The Rosie Effect).
So, I'm happy to have read this. But I'm not sure that I'm going to run around trying to get everyone to read it. I probably will recommend it to my Mom, and likely my husband too, and anyone else who has frequent interactions with a child who is a joy, and also a whole lot of work.
What about Frank's mother, Mimi, the famous and reclusive author of very successful young adult fiction classics who is working on her next big novel after a decade-long hiatus (which seems completely believable given that Frank is 9). Mimi is not completely likeable, but she loves Frank. She is a terrible boss, and probably not mother of the year (given her tendencies to hide in her work), but this woman is exhausted. I can relate, but I hope that I would be nicer to someone helping me out in my house. She has plenty of quirks of her own, typing on a typewriter rather than a computer, and crabbing at everyone in the vicinity (except Frank, usually).
And then we have Alice, the 25 year old recent accounting grad who was looking for a job that doesn't involve accounting. Well that makes sense, but one of her oldest friends is a publisher who happens to be in search of a "minder" to help Mimi finish her novel with "whatever needs to be done around the house" which is largely taking care of Frank and cooking meals. Alice starts out likeable, shows herself a little too Ms. Know it All, like many people, but ultimately Frank likes Alice, so we must also.
These characters are very human. They all have their foibles, their redeeming qualities, and interact with each other in a very believable way. And luckily they are interesting enough that I'd probably watch them sitting around playing euchre. Which is a good thing, as there is not a whole lot of plot in this book. Mimi is writing a book. We know because her typewriter is making noise from her office while Alice and Frank are up at all hours of the night watching old movies and driving around to museums, and then Alice makes food that Mimi does not appreciate.
There is a rather dramatic series of events as the action wraps up, but in the whole, this novel is big on characters, but short on action. And what little plot there is, some of it is left rather unresolved. Spoiler alert
Spoiler
What is going to happen with Frank and school, as Alice never actually told Mimi that she'd not been taking Frank to the school with the incredibly jerky superintendent? Seriously, half of the plot was about that school and Frank's inability to "blend" and we never see that story arc land.So, I'm happy to have read this. But I'm not sure that I'm going to run around trying to get everyone to read it. I probably will recommend it to my Mom, and likely my husband too, and anyone else who has frequent interactions with a child who is a joy, and also a whole lot of work.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'd give this book a solid "Eh". I expected to like it more, but it was bland and followed stereotypes too closely. It was a average read that was brought down by the unlikeability of some characters and a lackluster ending.
This was an easy, light, entertaining read that I was ready to give five stars, right up until the end. I was so disappointed in the ending!
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Too much focus on characters and not as much with the overall plot.