Review: Frankie

Title: Frankie

Author: Graham Norton

Publisher: 10th September 2024 by Hachette Australia & New Zealand | Coronet

Pages: 336 pages

Genre: General Fiction (Adult)

Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

Frankie Howe has lived a long life, her small flat is crammed full of art, furniture - and memories. Damian, her young carer, listens as she gradually tells him parts of her story - a story that takes us into a progressive, daring world of New York artists on the brink of fame, aspiring writers and larger-than-life characters.

Always just on the periphery, looking on, young Frankie is never quite sure enough of herself to take centre stage. But the outsider holds certain advantages, sees things others don't, can influence without drawing attention. And when the map has been lost, it's anyone's guess where you may end up, or the accidental choices you find you have made. Frankie discovers that life is not always the one we hope for, or the one others expect of us.

Travelling from post-war Ireland to the dazzling art scene of 1960s New York by way of London, Frankie is an immersive, decade-sweeping novel about love, bravery and what it means to live a significant life.

My Thoughts

I previously read Graham Norton’s, Forever Home, and loved it! I had high hopes for his latest, Frankie - and I was not disappointed. The blurb sums it up beautifully: ‘Traveling from post-war Ireland to the dazzling art scene of 1960s New York by way of London, Frankie is an immersive, decade-sweeping novel about love, bravery and what it means to live a significant life.‘

‘My point is that there is nothing tragic in me knowing that the best days of my life are behind me, and’- she squeezed the scrapbook to her chest - ‘these were the happiest years of my life. I know that now, and I’m grand with that. I was lucky to have them.’

Graham Norton writes so well -  it is such a great story with memorable characters and is beautifully written with not only attention to detail but encapsulates all the themes of love and loss, family and friends. This is one the story of one woman’s journey and Graham draws the reader in until you think he is describing one of your friends. 

‘To know that you’ve known happiness, to know that you’ve been loved, there is a great comfort in that.’

Take a trip with older Frankie as she looks back on her life sharing her story with her carer. It sucks you in and you don’t realise how so until you are grieved that it has come to an end. You will laugh, you will cry but you will not soon forget the remarkable story of Frankie. 

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.