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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
medium-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
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-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
In a nutshell: Alice assists a reclusive author as she finishes her long awaited next novel by entertaining her unique, colourful son Frank.
Recommendation: This was a cute story but I could take it or leave it.
I can’t explain exactly what happened but for some reason this really sparked my interest while I was in the bookstore one day. The book is... for lack of a better word very “cute” but wasn’t as interesting as I’d hoped.
Alice, a young recent accounting graduate finds herself with an unlikely position as an editorial assistant for an author of one of the most classic books of all time. M.M. or Mimi Banning has been in hiding for years in her large glass mansion in Bel Air. Though Alice has been hired to help out and send finished pages of a new novel to her superior, there are no pages to send and she finds her hands full taking care of Mimi’s eccentric son Frank who causes trouble everywhere he goes. Lacking a father figure aside from his piano teacher Xander, Frank is unlike other children his age, full of random information on a wide range of subjects, wise beyond his years, has a love for the silent and black and white film eras, and has an unusual flair for fashion. Frank often dons jackets with coattails and bowties and a monocle... and has a very specific rule: do not touch him or his things unless asked, or all hell seems to break loose. As Alice tries to complete her main objective, she finds herself wanting to take care of Frank, regardless of how difficult he may be.
While this book has its charm and is easy to digest, it just lacks the character and story depth that I was looking for. I was hoping it would be as charming as Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple, as the cover art was similar and the tone of the story seemed similar, but I was mistaken.
I wanted to fall in love with little Frank as the main character has, but I didn’t because nothing is really ever explained about why Frank is the way he is. It’s never really explained if he as Asperger's or what to explain the behaviour he exhibits, which is quite off the charts. He is highly intelligent, yet has tantrums where he will scream, hit, and/or injure himself or fall completely limp on the floor because a small situation will overwhelm him. And the book never explains exactly WHY Frank does this.
Next, Alice is an idiot and is not an interesting character. Maybe she’s an idiot because the book is supposed to mirror what a 20-something who is trying to sort out their life but is failing miserably looks like? She makes poor life choices in terms of romantic interests and there is no explanation for that. There is no explanation for why she is attracted to Xander and that ends with a bit of uncertainty.
This book also just couldn’t keep me captivated. I found myself becoming bored very easily.
The ending is very lacking I find. It all ends with a bit of uncertainty and doesn’t feel very final. What happens to Mimi and Frank? What happens to Alice? Does she go back to her tiny studio apartment in New York with her tail between her legs or return to be with Frank? Does Mimi’s book ever actually get published? All these untied knots. I can’t stand it.
Recommendation: This was a cute story but I could take it or leave it.
I can’t explain exactly what happened but for some reason this really sparked my interest while I was in the bookstore one day. The book is... for lack of a better word very “cute” but wasn’t as interesting as I’d hoped.
“Frank will be okay, Alice," Mr. Vargas said. "He's an odd duck, but brilliant children often are. I make myself out to be," he said. "I'm worried, yes. But I'd worry more if she didn't have Frank. She's all he got, and she knows it.”
Alice, a young recent accounting graduate finds herself with an unlikely position as an editorial assistant for an author of one of the most classic books of all time. M.M. or Mimi Banning has been in hiding for years in her large glass mansion in Bel Air. Though Alice has been hired to help out and send finished pages of a new novel to her superior, there are no pages to send and she finds her hands full taking care of Mimi’s eccentric son Frank who causes trouble everywhere he goes. Lacking a father figure aside from his piano teacher Xander, Frank is unlike other children his age, full of random information on a wide range of subjects, wise beyond his years, has a love for the silent and black and white film eras, and has an unusual flair for fashion. Frank often dons jackets with coattails and bowties and a monocle... and has a very specific rule: do not touch him or his things unless asked, or all hell seems to break loose. As Alice tries to complete her main objective, she finds herself wanting to take care of Frank, regardless of how difficult he may be.
While this book has its charm and is easy to digest, it just lacks the character and story depth that I was looking for. I was hoping it would be as charming as Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple, as the cover art was similar and the tone of the story seemed similar, but I was mistaken.
I wanted to fall in love with little Frank as the main character has, but I didn’t because nothing is really ever explained about why Frank is the way he is. It’s never really explained if he as Asperger's or what to explain the behaviour he exhibits, which is quite off the charts. He is highly intelligent, yet has tantrums where he will scream, hit, and/or injure himself or fall completely limp on the floor because a small situation will overwhelm him. And the book never explains exactly WHY Frank does this.
Next, Alice is an idiot and is not an interesting character. Maybe she’s an idiot because the book is supposed to mirror what a 20-something who is trying to sort out their life but is failing miserably looks like? She makes poor life choices in terms of romantic interests and there is no explanation for that. There is no explanation for why she is attracted to Xander and that ends with a bit of uncertainty.
This book also just couldn’t keep me captivated. I found myself becoming bored very easily.
The ending is very lacking I find. It all ends with a bit of uncertainty and doesn’t feel very final. What happens to Mimi and Frank? What happens to Alice? Does she go back to her tiny studio apartment in New York with her tail between her legs or return to be with Frank? Does Mimi’s book ever actually get published? All these untied knots. I can’t stand it.
Very original and rather charming for the most part.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sweet book about a lovable boy with behavioral issues. Read like the nanny diaries.
Easy peasy read, chic lit-y
Easy peasy read, chic lit-y