Wow, not having been familiar with Graham Norton, I started this novel with no expectations, until I fell in love! Frankie is a delightful grand character who shares her life story with her career, Damian, who was hired by her wealthy best friend NOR.

OH, what a story she has to tell. From her early life in Ireland, married at a tender age to a cruel, uncaring man through her years mixing with the elite gay female society of the 1950’s. When she is dropped by these women, she quickly falls in love with a young artist. Frankie becomes a chef and restaurant owner. She lives through the years of the AIDS epidemic and losses. Her world falls apart again after a bitter divorce.

Ultimately, she is forced to return to England. The stalwart friend NOR has been at her side from her childhood to her death. It is her story as well.

I absolutely loved this novel. It has such a ring of truth that it’s hard to believe that the author created this character, so engaging and compelling.

Thank you Netgalley for this absolutely brilliant story of a daunting heroine. I highly recommend this.

Graham Norton does it again with a well written, complex novel that will keep you engaged until the last word.

I really enjoyed this book about Frances “Frankie” Howe, who is now elderly, has fallen, and is in need of home care -- enter Damian, a young man who comes to stay with Frankie during the night, helping her in any way he can.

And, as it ends up, the best way for Damian to help Frankie is to just “listen” as she tells the story of her life. From Ireland, to England, to America; from being poor, used and abused, to wealth and a bit of fame; Damian listens to Frankie’s adventurous sad, and happy, life. Each chapter goes from the present to the past, going through each period of Frankie’s life, until she finally gets to the end. And what an ending it is!

I always enjoy Graham Norton’s books, but I felt particularly close to Damian, Frankie, and her best friend, Nor, as I read about their lives, and the history of what was happening in America in the 1980s.

I recommend this one!

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Graham Norton, and HarperCollins for the advanced reader's copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

I love this book! I loved the timeline and how the story was written. It gives you a look at their life through the decades. I would recommend this book.

Awww, I think this is my favorite Graham Norton book to date!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for fair review.
Give me an elderly person recounting their story to a young friend and I instantly hooked. I loved the dual timeline, the setting and time, the characters. I think Norton nailed the historical aspects of the aids epidemic of the 80s. There's definitely a feeling of humor and love in there.
I wish there were half stars because I would give this a 4.5, but I wouldnt call it a 5 star.
Well done Graham. When's the next one?
4*
LGBTQ themes. 1950s Ireland. 1980s NYC. AIDS.

Thanks to HarperVia and NetGalley for this digital ARC of Graham Norton's 'Frankie.'

I've enjoyed Graham Norton's novels so was happy to read his latest, 'Frankie.'

In this book we're told the life story of Frankie/Frances through a series of conversations with a young gay nighttime home help who happens to come from the same part of West Cork in Ireland that she does. We revisit her early life in Cork, her emigration to London, and subsequently to New York, and her return to London. There's a rich cast of characters in all three locations and we're introduced to the society and culture - along with their many restrictions - of their mid-20th century existence. It's a soft-focus (in the main) tale but does tackle issues of sexuality, class, and the church - Catholic and Protestant - in Ireland at the time, so not entirely without teeth.

His fiction is a lot different from the more outrageous persona he shows on his chat show so be prepared for more of a 21st century Maeve Binchy than the risqué approach of his TV career personality.

I do not typically read novels outside of historical romance, but I am so glad I gave Frankie a try. Having watched The Graham Norton Show for years, I was expecting a comedic take on the heroine’s life. I am completely astounded by the level of compassion I felt for Frankie, as she navigates the successes and trials of her life. The author was able to keep the forward momentum of Frankie’s story, while interweaving the present. I was brought to tears when her found family was affected by the AIDS crisis. The loneliness the elderly Frankie feels, slowly melts away with the growing companionship of her carer Damien. It just goes to show that behind every person is a story. Some will be fantastical like Frankie’s, others more mundane, but all worth living.

I will be recommending this novel to my friends and coworkers, as well as leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads.

I enjoyed how good the historical fiction element was in this story. It uses the time-period perfectly and was invested in what was happening. The characters had that charm and realism that I was expecting and glad I got to read this story with them. Graham Norton has a great writing style and left me wanting more like this.

Frankie by Graham Norton is quite a story. I don't feel that I read the book but rather that I lived it. I must confess there were times I was near tears.

The story begins with the title character, Frankie, older and recovering from a fall. A caregiver has been hired to look after her, but she is resistant. Gradually, Frankie learns that this caregiver, Damian, is from a place very near where her life started. As Frankie warms to Damian, she begins to share stories of her life. While the context shifts from present to past and back many times, it is handled so smoothly that you will never lose track.

Mr Norton spins a tale that begins in Frankie's childhood and goes forward into her later years. The characters are well developed and richly drawn. You are sure to fall in love with some of them - as well as wondering how some others can be so self-centered. I found the book almost impossible to put down, reading it with a voracious appetite. A few of the characters were so imbued with personality and richness of character that I wanted them to be real people that I could yet meet. Kudos to Mr Norton for his newest book. I feel that is shows his wit and the depth of his heart. I would be honored to read any of his other books.