So I disappeared for awhile (sorry). And now I'm back and ready to talk books again. I spent my quiet year reading, so I have lots to talk about.
One of my favorites this year has been Be Frank With Me. As I read this story, and I read it as quickly as I could, all could think was, "charming." It is a charming story with charming characters, and I would have loved to meet Frank just once, just to see how he was dressed and to listen to him talk about movies for awhile.
The story is about reclusive author Mimi Banning, who hasn't published a book in decades. Her first novel, a runaway bestseller, made her plenty of money and wary of her fans, who still hang around outside of her Bel Air house. Her New York editor wants to ensure the success of the writing, so he sends editorial assistant Alice Whitley to California to do whatever it takes to get the new manuscript.
Alice is a straight-talking Midwestern girl who can deal with most things that come her way. And what comes her way in California is Frank.
Frank is a precocious nine-year-old with a closet full of vintage clothes and a head filled with facts about old Hollywood. With panache that you just don't find anymore and a knack for getting himself in danger, Frank is almost more than Alice can deal with while Mimi is locked away with her novel. Between Frank's fascination with fire, the mysterious Xander, and the inscrutable Mimi, Alice has her hands full.
It's no surprise that I am a book fan, and that I am fascinated with the publishing industry. This novel shows a piece of that magical industry, and while that drew me in to the story at the beginning, it's the engaging relationship that Alice develops with Frank that made me love this book. Charming, charming, charming. Highly recommended.