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A review by beate251
Frankie by Graham Norton
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC.
This is the fictional story of Frankie, born Frances Howes in West Cork in 1940ish, from her becoming an orphan at a young age, to her ill-advised marriage at 18 to an older man, to her escape to London and her time in New York with artist Joe, as told to her young Irish carer Damian, back in London in 2024. I really don't want to say too much about the story - best let it impact on you without too much prior knowledge.
What an amazing, well-told story this is about love, success and friendship. So here is another celebrity that can actually write! Just a shame Graham Norton can't invite himself to his sofa to promote this.
This story has so much heart. Frankie and her best friend Nor are wonderful characters to live through the swinging 60s, the artsy 70s and the AIDS-ridelled 80s with. There is, unsurprisingly, good LGBTQ+ representation, written with insight and empathy.
This book is unputdownable - I read it in one sitting. The writing style is easy and skilfully pulls you in from the start. It's a life-affirming story filled with gentle humour about making your own way - whatever life throws at you, you can get through it.
I have to say though, I wondered half the book about the thing that got her to come back to London - it had to come out at some point and it's good to know the author hadn't forgotten about it!
Just a shame the story more or less stopped in 1987, apart from the retelling in 2024. I would have liked to read more about her interesting life. And it's rare for me to say I want a book to be longer! Highly recommended.
"Love. It’s like ordering food you know you’re allergic to."
This is the fictional story of Frankie, born Frances Howes in West Cork in 1940ish, from her becoming an orphan at a young age, to her ill-advised marriage at 18 to an older man, to her escape to London and her time in New York with artist Joe, as told to her young Irish carer Damian, back in London in 2024. I really don't want to say too much about the story - best let it impact on you without too much prior knowledge.
What an amazing, well-told story this is about love, success and friendship. So here is another celebrity that can actually write! Just a shame Graham Norton can't invite himself to his sofa to promote this.
This story has so much heart. Frankie and her best friend Nor are wonderful characters to live through the swinging 60s, the artsy 70s and the AIDS-ridelled 80s with. There is, unsurprisingly, good LGBTQ+ representation, written with insight and empathy.
This book is unputdownable - I read it in one sitting. The writing style is easy and skilfully pulls you in from the start. It's a life-affirming story filled with gentle humour about making your own way - whatever life throws at you, you can get through it.
I have to say though, I wondered half the book about the thing that got her to come back to London - it had to come out at some point and it's good to know the author hadn't forgotten about it!
Just a shame the story more or less stopped in 1987, apart from the retelling in 2024. I would have liked to read more about her interesting life. And it's rare for me to say I want a book to be longer! Highly recommended.
"Love. It’s like ordering food you know you’re allergic to."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Grief, and Pregnancy