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.

Review: Forever Home

Title: Forever Home

Author: Graham Norton 

Publisher: 27th September 2022 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 360 pages

Genre: contemporary

My Rating: 3.5 cups

Synopsis:

Carol is a divorced teacher living in a small town in Ireland, her only son now grown. A second chance at love brings her unexpected connection and belonging. The new relationship sparks local speculation: what does a woman like her see in a man like that? What happened to his wife who abandoned them all those years ago? But the gossip only serves to bring the couple closer.

When Declan becomes ill, things start to fall apart. His children are untrusting and cruel, and Carol is forced to leave their beloved home with its worn oak floors and elegant features and move back in with her parents.

Carol's mother is determined to get to the bottom of things, she won't see her daughter suffer in this way. It seems there are secrets in Declan's past, strange rumours that were never confronted and suddenly the house they shared takes on a more sinister significance.

In his tense and darkly comic new novel Norton casts a light on the relationship between mothers and daughters, and truth and self-preservation with unnerving effect.

My Thoughts

‘They were two single adults who had found a second chance for happiness. Perhaps predictably, the rest of Ballytoor didn't appear to see things in such simple terms.

The age difference.

The fact she was the teacher of his children.

That she was divorced.

That his wife had fled.’

Graham Norton can certainly add great storytelling to his list of achievements. Forever Home is set in a small town in Ireland with the usual inclusive mix of somewhat quirky yet relatable characters. With an intriguing storyline containing everything from a mystery, to black humour to heartwarming moments, Graham has penned yet another engaging tale. 

When Declan is diagnosed with early onset dementia, Carol is devastated especially when his grown children wish to sell the house that they had been sharing. When it eventually goes on the market, Carol buys it with the assistance of her parents. This in turn leads to a discovery that will set off a whole chain of events - a mystery to solve that will prove both emotional and comical.

The setting and dialogue are distinctly Irish, transporting you into the heart of the community. With some characters carrying dark comic traits (especially Carol’s mother who most likely is the star of this tale) there is much to attract and engage readers of this genre. Graham Norton’s fame may be what initially attracts readers, however, his quality of writing will see them return to the books he is regularly offering the reading community.

‘Carol wished she could tell … the truth about what had happened all those years ago. They deserved to know, but it wasn't her secret to share.’

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.

Review: Home Stretch

Title: Home Stretch

Author: Graham Norton

Publisher: 29th September 2020 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 360 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: contemporary

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

It is 1987 and a small Irish community is preparing for the wedding of two of its young inhabitants. They're barely adults, not so long out of school and still part of the same set of friends they've grown up with. As the friends head home from the beach that last night before the wedding, there is a car accident. Three survive the crash but three are killed. And the reverberations are felt throughout the small town.

Connor, the young driver of the car, lives. But staying among the angry and the mourning is almost as hard as living with the shame, and so he leaves the only place he knows for another life. Travelling first to Liverpool, then London, by the noughties he has made a home - of sorts - for himself in New York. The city provides shelter and possibility for the displaced, somewhere Connor can forget his past and forge a new life.

But the secrets, the unspoken longings and regrets that have come to haunt those left behind will not be silenced. And before long, Connor will have to meet his past.

My Thoughts

Graham Norton is well known as a comedian, TV chat show host and , much to my surprise, novelist! I wanted to reconcile this funny man with what type of novel he would produce. Well, it would seem his talent list is long - this man can write! With very real characters and a most engaging ,topical story to tell, this read proved itself on multiple levels. All up an overall heartwarming tale that packs a powerful punch when it comes to families, friendships and the secrets that are kept. 

‘There are moments in any life that are to be treasured, but only sometimes are they recognised as they happen. That was how the five people in the blue estate car felt that day. The windows down, an optimistic glow about the town, two of their number about to embark on a whole new life together. It felt special. This was not a day to be forgotten or confused with all the others.’

Graham delivers some really heavy and topical themes in the book - everything from death and guilt, to prejudice and harmony. Credit to him, however, he pulls it all off with much aplomb. Through the use of flashbacks to the key car crash event of 1987, Graham writes through multiple POV communicating piece by piece of the life changing events that occurred on that fateful day. It is the authenticity that shines through as the range of emotions of key characters speak openly to the reader. Exploring how times have changed from 1980s to the present day, Graham masterfully writes about stigmas especially pertaining to being gay. This story could easily have become heavy and hard to read, but cleverly Graham makes the overarching theme one of hope and right winning at the end of the day. Cleverly balancing good and bad, right and wrong, he merges it all into one very engaging tale. 

‘The years, so many years, the hiding, the running, the love for these people he hadn’t allowed himself to feel, all came clattering down on him, leaving him crushed.’

Some readers may find it hard to understand and support but stick with it, for the book whilst having a bumpy start, really picks up pace and with some clever plot twists, comes out strong in the end. At the beginning there seemingly appears to be a multitude of characters to get your head around but that thins out sooner rather than later. One must also be prepared for not only chapter jumps in time (back and forth) but also within a chapter ie. ‘two years later...’ a new paragraph may begin. 

In the end I found Home Stretch to be quite the read. A compelling tale for the modern reader from family to societal evolution seen through the eyes of one small Irish village. Multilayered and ultimately a most entertaining and engaging story. 

‘Barry’s roundabout .... This was the scene of such devastation, the destruction of so many lives, surely it should look more significant? Cars, oblivious to the awful history of the place, cruised past. Connor felt it was rude, disrespectful somehow. True, he had spent his whole life trying to forget what had happened on this spot, but for the town of Mullinmore to do so seemed wrong.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.