You may know that I really like Graham Norton's books. I really rate him as a celebrity who is also an author, unlike some people we could mention. I always look forward to another of Graham's books, so when I realised I hadn't got to this one yet, I requested it at the library.
The story is about a woman called Frankie. She is elderly now and her friend Norah has hired a carer for her after a fall, while she recuperates. The two live in London now, but they're from the same small town in Ireland and have known each other since they were little. Nor is worth a lot of money; Frankie lives in a flat crammed with things which are all a bit faded glamour. The carer is called Damian. He is gay, and also Irish. He is young but he and Frankie forge a friendship and she tells him about her life.
After a tragic start, Frankie was brought up by her aunt and uncle, a conservative couple who kept her very sheltered. She was married off to a much older man who was a Church of Ireland vicar. He treated Frankie terribly and the marriage failed. Her relatives, outraged by this, disown her. She ends up in London where she meets Nor again. She ends up in New York where she becomes a chef eventually, and meets Joe, who is an artist. It's the 60s and 70s and they're in basically Warhol's world. Time goes on and other things come up. I loved Frankie and her life. She's a strong character and utterly likeable. I liked that the story concerned the Church of Ireland in the beginning because I feel like I haven't read books about that very often. Frankie thinks that she isn't the main character of her own life and I kind of get what she means, but the story IS about her and her backbone and strength throughout her life.
I liked the device of telling Damian her story, it sort of brought together old Ireland and new Ireland. I liked the book a lot, can't wait for his next one! I'm giving this four out of five.
No comments:
Post a Comment