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Member Reviews
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I am always excited when a new Graham Norton novel comes out. He brilliantly makes you fall in love with the characters, feeling empathy for them and sharing their struggles and little moments of joy. There are twists that I feel I should have seen coming but don't, and endings don't always turn out the way we expect, but rather the way they should.
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I listened to the audio version of this novel, and the narration was very well done. I absolutely enjoyed every minute of this book. Norton did an excellent job with the characters and story line. It was well written, and I couldn't put it down. I thought this was a beautifully told story, but I don't want to give away too many spoilers. I can't wait to read more from this author. I highly recommend this novel to other readers.
Thank you Net Galley, Harper Via, and Graham Norton
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When Damien, a young professional caregiver, begins caring for his new patient, Frankie, he doesn't expect to form any attachment to her. At first standoffish and hyper independent, Frankie is just another patient. After a while of caring for her, Frankie slowly begins to tell Damien stories from her past- an incredible life that captures Damien's interest and creates a lasting bond between the two. Told through flashbacks and vivid recollections, Frankie is the story of a life well lived. Norton's empathetic and creative storytelling shines and his voice brings the story to life in this beautiful audiobook.
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I really enjoyed reading the stories of Frankie's life and found her character fascinating. Her journey is a collage of unique experiences and the way she recollects her memories made the book so interesting. In a way it's a tribute to a life well-lived weaving the good and the bad together. I listened to the audiobook read by the author and there's something very special about listening to an author read the magic of their own creation.
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This coming of age story for Frankie Howe is told through the eyes of her Irish caretaker, Damian, who meets her in her end years. Frances (Frankie) is left orphaned as a young girl and then raised by her strictly religious aunt and uncle. Being married off as a teenager to an aged and widowed man of the cloth leaves her with a lot of questions and confusion. After Frankie not only catches him and a parishioner in an indiscretion but has a flirtation herself, she is cast out.
Frankie moves to London to live with her old friend Nora. Nora and her family always included Frankie in their lives and were kind to her. Frankie is a bit surprised to discover Nora is a lesbian in 1950's/1960s London but she quickly adjusts and finds a job with an acquaintance. The woman has her own business and takes Frankie with her to New York City. After she discovers Frankie fending off advances from another woman, she fires her and leaves her stranded in New York City. After marrying the artist/chauffeur who rescues her from her dilemma, she runs a restaurant in New York for years. Her husband's second wife wants all of his valuable art works and will stop at nothing to acquire them. When she digs up Frankie's first marriage, Frankie is left with some difficult decisions. But, Nora, as always, is more than happy to help solve her problems.
The story is well written and well told. The author is the narrator and his delivery is a bit choppy. At times, I checked to see if my device was playing on a faster speed. While it is nice to hear a story told in the author's voice, this was a bit difficult to follow at times. I was fascinated by the story but reading it instead of listening to the work might have engendered more enthusiasm.
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Engaging, immersive, and well-narrated. A recommended first purchase in all formats for most collections.
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โ๐ข ๐ฅ๐ข๐ป๐ป๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ค๐ข๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ด-๐ด๐ธ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ, ๐ฃ๐ณ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ต ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ญ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ ๐ข ๐ด๐ช๐จ๐ฏ๐ช๐ง๐ช๐ค๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ.โ
I donโt know what it is about me reading and loving books with much older protagonists but it seems to be working for me. I picked this book up on a whim, not knowing anything about it and Iโm so glad I took the chance. It is a really special story about a special and unlikely friendship.
Damian is a caretaker and hired for a short term assignment to help Frankie as she recovers from a fall. By showing interest in her, he manages to get her to open up and tell him her life story - and it is an incredible life story. Frankie lived through very difficult circumstances and during fascinating times. We end up with dual timelines, a coming of age story, and a very sweet friendship - all of the things I love in a book!
I did this one on audio, narrated by the author. I highly recommend that version!
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This is the second Norton novel I have read, and thoroughly enjoyed. Iโm not generally one for celebrity writers, but Norton is a gifted storyteller and his narrated audiobooks are a real treat. Frankie is an octogenarian, who has tripped ( not fallen) and she is recalling her life to in - home care giver, Damien, while she recovers from a broken ankle. As Frankie tells her life story, we see a young girl orphaned at 11, sent to live at the village rectory with her unloving aunt and uncle, who marry her off at 18 to a clergyman twice her age. This could be a really sad story, but the resilient Frankie is a wonderful character and Nortonโs novel is engaging and filled with empathy as it encompasses the 1980โs AIDS crisis, recalled through Frankieโs life.
Unputdownable. I loved this book and look forward to reading more work by Graham Norton.
Highly recommended.
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I really enjoyed this book. It is one of the the titles I've chosen for our New Year New Books program this weekend. Love the variety of settings!
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A beautiful look at what it means to live a life, to be known. Graham Norton is a gifted and entertaining storyteller. This one will stay with me for a long time.
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I enjoyed hearing the story of Frankie and all she went through in her life. It was enjoyable but I didn't love it.
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Thanks to Harper Audio & NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Graham Norton continues being the Rightful Heir to the Crown of Maeve Binchy. This story is not as good as his most recent novel, but it's quite enjoyable (I do tire of the dual timeline trend, though - ugh).
Damian is a young gay man who works as an in-home carer for elderly and/or injured folks, and Frances "Frankie" Howe is his current client. She is around 80, with a broken ankle, a London apartment, and a flamboyant best friend, Nore (Nora). We learn Frankie's dramatic history as told to Damian while they spend evenings together drinking tea, or, if Nore is with them, Calvados (in good china teacups). There are also keepsakes in the form of newspaper clippings and old photos.
This is a sweet story that covers growing up in little-village Ireland in the '50s all the way through to unlikely adventures in New York City in the '80s. Norton is big on representation and there are many gay characters, as is usual for him. The stories about Frankie living through the AIDS crisis and losing many friends is especially poignant. My only real complaint - because I am not expecting superb writing from Graham Norton, so central casting characters like Nore (freewheeling lesbian who is married to the gay scion of a very wealthy family) don't bother me in this context - is the lack of depth for Damian's character. He might as well be the little boy enjoying the bedtime story in "The Princess Bride" for all we get of him, aside from a few notes about his parents, fractured from him by his coming out, and the pain of the loss of his mother, who's sided with his intolerant dad. I would've loved to hear more about THAT, and normally Norton ties up all his loose ends, but not this time. I also have some quibbles with the ending, but ... whatever. I felt a sense of anticlimax which was annoying and a little dispiriting, if more realistic than anything else in this book.
A solid effort, for this sort of book, and Norton continues to provide a full array of distinct voices and ALL the emotions and nuances in speech that you want in a one-man, 3 act audio play.
3.5 stars rounded up