A Very Good Read ~

The author of this novel, Graham Norton, is also a British TV host. Although I haven’t watched his shows, I’ve heard they’re very good and quite enjoyable. So when I saw him recently on MSNBC promoting his new novel, Frankie, it sounded great and I knew I had to check it out. I’m glad I did!

Frankie is an elderly woman living alone in London. She recently fractured her ankle, requiring her to have a caregiver. A young fellow named Damian has been hired to provide her care.

What begins as frosty on her part turns into not only a beautiful friendship but a sharing of her interesting life. Damian is captured by her life and her past and encourages her to keep sharing it with him. As a reader, I felt like I was right there in the room with both of them.

I was a home health RN in Florida for 18 years and although I loved utilizing my nursing skills, my favorite part of my job was the interaction with my patients. Everyone has a story and many times it only takes a bit of coaxing for them to share it. I met some of the most remarkable people over the years. The mother of Peter Jennings, the anchor of ABC World News. His mom proudly displayed one of his 16 Emmy Awards at her condo in Clearwater. I met a holocaust survivor who had been the subject of one of Dr. Mengele’s medical experiments because she was born with a cleft palate and clubfoot. As a result of the experiments, she was left sterile for life. Another patient and holocaust survivor still had his Auschwitz number tattoo on his left forearm. I met so many wonderful and interesting people over the course of my career. So needless to say, reading this novel took me back in time right along with Damian.

The author seamlessly takes the reader back and forth in time. Some of the past is told in that timeframe and other parts are present day with her long time best friend, Norah, during their conversations.

If you’re looking for a well written, interesting and uplifting novel, I highly recommend this one. It was extremely satisfying. Because I liked his style of writing, I decided to try another one written by Norton and I’ll share that with you soon.

See you here next time…………………..