But after falling prey to a Bernie Madoff-style Ponzi scheme, she's flat broke. 'Mimi' Banning has been holed up in her Bel Air mansion for years. Genres: Fiction, Literary, Family Life, Humorous, General Published by Harper Audio on January 29th 2016

With thanks to GoodReads for this Giveaway copy to read and review.Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson

This is a stunning debut novel: poignant, thought-provoking and, above all, very funny. And while the plot involves broken glass, explosions and fire, as well as a bit of detective work, there is a heart-warming happy ending. While there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, there are also quite a few to choke the reader up, and Johnson explores some age-old issues: how overwhelming guilt can affect the one who bears it and why society sets such a high value on conformity. Johnson gives her reader a cast of characters who, for all their flaws, are truly appealing: despite his quirks (or perhaps because of them), Frank is instantly likeable Mimi is prickly and rude, but her obvious love for Frank overrides that in spades Alice misses the point occasionally, but her heart is in the right place, as is Xander's, even if reliability is not his forte. Because Frank is different: his encyclopaedic knowledge of the film industry and his movie-character wardrobe ensure that he stands apart, wherever he goes. When she meets nine-year-old Frank, she is at once fascinated, curious and, quite soon, wondering just what she has let herself in for. Which is why accountancy graduate, Alice Whitely finds herself on Mimi's Bel Air doorstep, her brief being to do whatever is necessary to allow Mimi to finish her book. Years ago, her first (and only) book was such a popular bestseller that she went into hiding in California now, a drastic change in financial circumstances means Mimi needs a publishing success. When reclusive author, M.M.Banning (aka Mimi Gillespie) contacts Isaac Vargas, her New York publisher, to ask for help with a new book, he is prepared to bend over backwards to assist. It may take him a while, but someday he'll figure out how to live in the world of ordinary mortals.''īe Frank With Me is the first novel by American author, Julia Claiborne Johnson.

'He's an odd duck, but brilliant children often are.

Be frank with me review