Be Frank With Me
Julia Claiborne Johnson
2016
5/5 stars
Alice Whitley is sent by her boss to be assistant to literary legend and recluse M.M. (Mimi) Banning while Banning writes her much anticipated second book. Once installed in the Banning's Hollywood household, she finds she is to be cook, babysitter, housekeeper, and general dogsbody. Mimi's son, Frank, takes up most of Alice's time. He is a nine-year-old classic movie buff, who dresses like his favorite actors, has awkward social skills, is prone to tantrums, and does not fit in with his fourth grade classmates. He is also immensely lovable, which Alice discovers almost immediately. While she waits impatiently for any sign that Mimi is actually writing the book, she and Frank bond over a series of misadventures.
This, Johnson's debut novel, is stellar. It is warm, moving, funny, and heartbreaking. The opening hooks the reader right away, and the well-crafted story keeps the reader enthralled all the way through to it's perfect ending. The characters, while quirky, are believable, as is the plot.
While the book never states what might cause Frank to act as he does, personal experience tells me that he is on the high functioning end of the Autism spectrum. Johnson makes him alive, never a caricature, and the reader grows to love him as deeply as Alice.
Be Frank With Me is a not-to-be-missed experience for the right audience, and I highly recommend it.
On a side note: Tavia Gilbert, the audio book narrator, does an amazing job.
Julia Claiborne Johnson
20165/5 stars
Alice Whitley is sent by her boss to be assistant to literary legend and recluse M.M. (Mimi) Banning while Banning writes her much anticipated second book. Once installed in the Banning's Hollywood household, she finds she is to be cook, babysitter, housekeeper, and general dogsbody. Mimi's son, Frank, takes up most of Alice's time. He is a nine-year-old classic movie buff, who dresses like his favorite actors, has awkward social skills, is prone to tantrums, and does not fit in with his fourth grade classmates. He is also immensely lovable, which Alice discovers almost immediately. While she waits impatiently for any sign that Mimi is actually writing the book, she and Frank bond over a series of misadventures.
This, Johnson's debut novel, is stellar. It is warm, moving, funny, and heartbreaking. The opening hooks the reader right away, and the well-crafted story keeps the reader enthralled all the way through to it's perfect ending. The characters, while quirky, are believable, as is the plot.
While the book never states what might cause Frank to act as he does, personal experience tells me that he is on the high functioning end of the Autism spectrum. Johnson makes him alive, never a caricature, and the reader grows to love him as deeply as Alice.
Be Frank With Me is a not-to-be-missed experience for the right audience, and I highly recommend it.
On a side note: Tavia Gilbert, the audio book narrator, does an amazing job.
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