A beautifully written novel by the excellent Graham Norton who has never let me down yet.

This is an emotional and reflective novel that delves into the quiet, thoughtful life of Frankie. Frankie Howe has lived most of her life on the side lines avoiding attention. Now elderly and recovering from a fall, her life takes an unexpected turn when a young Irish carer named Damian, arrives at her London flat. His influence on her sparks memories which have remained long buried until now and through her conversations with him, Frankie revisits her past, starting in post-war Ireland and stretching across decades to the lively wild world of 1960s New York.

Frankie opens up to Damian and her fortitude and the richness of her experiences come alive. Graham Norton always seems to create fabulous characters that pull at the heart strings and he has done it again with Frankie. Damian and Frankie connect and she tells him of her past which is full of chance encounters and friendship. Her story is told little by little and we observe a life fashioned by loneliness and struggle, but also has moments of radiance and beauty.

The writing is warm, sensitive and full of empathy. Frankie is a woman whose life, although apparently ordinary is saturated with an inner strength.

Beautifully written that left me thinking about long after I had finished reading the novel. Highly recommended.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

A charming and compelling story about Frankie Howe, an elderly woman convalescing in her London flat after a fall. Her wealthy friend, Noh, engages a young carer, Damien, to support her through her recovery. Both Frankie and Damian come from the same part of Ireland, which prompts Frankie to tell him her life story, which encompasses childhood tragedy, an early marriage, the running of a restaurant in New York and a return to London in her later life. Her friend Noh is a constant in her story, and although living her own colourful life, is always around to pick Frankie up when life deals her blows. Beautifully written, this warm hearted story about love, friendship and the resilience of a life well lived is rather brilliant. I really enjoyed it.

Graham Norton is so good at characterisations- all the people he writes about really come to life. In this book he tells the life story of Frankie, an elderly woman who has broken her ankle. When Damian, her carer asks her about her earlier life, it is an excuse for Frankie to relive her past and lay a few ghosts to rest.
As ever some of the story is set in Ireland, Cork, obviously an area that the author knows well and most of the second part of the book is set in New York, again a place that Norton has lived making the descriptions very authentic.
Frankie’s earlier life in Ireland as a child and a young woman is just awful and immediately elicits sympathy for her. Nor, her best friend, features a lot in the story, rescuing her several times in the course of her life but the main focus of the story is Frankie.
I loved the dialogue between the characters which really brings them to life. I don’t want to reveal too much of the plot but suffice it to say it is really an engrossing and compelling read. Graham Norton certainly knows how to tell a story and personally I have loved all his books. Each one is very different but all engaging and interesting reads. A very talented writer ! Highly recommended- I will definitely be suggesting my friends read this!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Gorgeously warm hearted. I’ve read all of Grahams novels and j think this might be the most commercial yet.
Damian is a young carer who is hired to look after Frankie, an elderly woman. She opens up to him about the story of her life. From small town Ireland to the big city of New York.

When I have seen or heard an author I find I can hear them narrating their book. This is the case with Jeffrey Archer, Adam Croft, TM Logan and I can now add Graham Norton to this list with Frankie being the first Graham Norton book I have read. An easy and quick read with a gentle but at times sad story to tell. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

I absolutely loved Frankie and almost didn't want to finish the book as that meant saying goodbye to her, it was a beautiful and emotional read overall.

Frankie begins with the title character as an elderly Irish woman living in London, who is being cared for by a young Irish man called Damian. They get to chatting and Frankie’s life story unfolds, where she tells him of her life living in New York in the 1970s & 80s. The book touches on so many topics, including leaving home, homosexuality, the AIDS crisis, food, art, and love.

This book is so different to Graham Norton’s other books in my opinion, but still has that amazing storytelling that all of his works showcase. The best way to describe this book for me would be heartwarming. From the first few pages I already felt connected to the protagonist, and was dying to see how her story would unfold.

Also unlike his other novels, most of this book is set outside of Ireland, which is a nice change. I loved the world of New York in the 70s and 80s that Norton created in this novel. If you’re looking for his usual mystery style story, you may be disappointed with this one, however I loved it. Now that it’s finished, Frankie feels like a real person to me, who I would have loved to known. ❤️

Huge thanks to @hodderbooks for approving me to read an advanced copy of this via @netgalley . I had it pre-ordered anyway as this was a hugely anticipated read for me, but it was great to get started on it ahead of publication!

Frankie is out now.

Frankie is a whimsical story about an elderly lady, Frankie, and her carer. Frankie tells Damian her life story, covering many lows, but some high highs.

I can understand Frankie’s mistakes - she is an innocent and naive young Irish girl who is married off to an older man. A change in her life results in a trip to London and then New York.

This was an okay, easy read. A bit too saccharine for me, I felt that there could have been more character development.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Frankie is one of those characters who is really memorable. The main character of Graham Norton's latest novel is an elderly lady when we first meet her, grudgingly reliant on carers following a fall. Like Frankie, young carer Damian is also from Ireland and the two strike up a friendship. Frankie begins to open up to Damian and reveals much of her remarkable life.

I really liked Frankie as a character and felt so much empathy for her as a young girl married off to an older man, a man of the church but most definitely not showing caring Christian ways. The failure of the marriage, not Frankie's failure, led her to live in London and then on to New York. I enjoyed reading about her life and her resilience. From difficult beginnings in Ireland, Frankie took advantage of opportunities offered to her and what a life she had.

The standout part of the book for me was the friendship between Frankie and Norah. Friends as children, they parted ways but in later life were incredibly close. We follow these women through the ups and downs of life and although it took them in very different directions, they were always there for each other and remained close through their lives.

Although I did enjoy the book, it isn't my favourite of Graham Norton's books - that would be Home Stretch. For me, the story lost its way a little in the New York section of the book. When Frankie met and married, the parts of the book relating to her husband's art career felt like it didn't add anything to the book for me. Having said that, I found the scenes when AIDS began to cause such fear and devastation to the gay community very moving.

I find it quite interesting that the tagline for this book is that Frankie was never the main character in her own life. I think she absolutely was the main character albeit perhaps in a quiet way. She was so central to the lives of so many of the characters. I'm glad I read Frankie's story and although I didn't love this book, I would certainly read more by Graham Norton again. His style of writing is insightful, often witty and very engaging.

Another wonderful tale from graham Norton. A different setting from his usual Ireland this book is in part set in the USA before coming to London. The characters are likeable and the tale interesting and engaging throughout. I would thoroughly recommend this book.

I've read all Graham Norton's books with great enjoyment, and while this wasn't my favourite, his trademark writing style shone through. To begin with I was unsure of the conceit of using a carer as a means of allowing an elderly lady to tell her life story, and I would still have liked to find out more about Damien. However, I was gradually sucked into the narrative and wanting a good life for Frankie. Also, Mr Norton can pack a real emotional punch with a few words and I found the ending very moving.
Thank you to netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an advance copy of this book.

Oh my heart! Frankie by Graham Norton is a contender for one of the best books I have read all year. I absolutely adored the amazing titular character and was totally swept away as I followed her journey across oceans and through the decades and I think I fell just as much in love with her as Damian, the young man hired to care for her following a fall, did. This is not the first book I have read from this author, but it is easily his best to date and shows that he has gone from strength to strength in terms of both story telling and writing style.
When we, and Damian, first meet Frankie, she comes across as rather curmudgeonly and certainly irritated by Damian's attempts to win her over, but over time as their relationship develops and her story unfolds we see that she is a kind, caring and generous person whose life has been a series of huge ups and downs, from losing her parents at an early age and a forced marriage to life among the theatre crowd in London and owning a restaurant in New York . It is the definition of a life well lived and I was enthralled from the first page to the last. so much so that I read the book in a single sitting, unable and unwilling to put it down. It is the sign of a truly well crafted character when you find yourself wishing that you could meet them and hear their story in their own words, and in this book Norton gets as close as possible to that experience. I simply can't express how much I loved this book , it is one that will definitely stay with me and one that I will be recommending to many many friends.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I loved Graham Norton as an actor and I love him as a presenter but up till now hadn't read any of his books. I did try and watch the television adaptation of his book Holding but I can't say that I enjoyed it, so I started reading Frankie with an open mind and within a few pages I was totally engaged. This is a warm, captivating, evocative novel with so many interesting characters and scenarios. I rationed myself because I really didn't want it to end and I shed quite a few tears towards the end, now I've finished it I feel like I've lost a friend and so cried a few more. I cannot remember when I last enjoyed a book so much.
My grateful thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my early copy in return for my honest review.

“You should be the main character in your life, but Frankie never was”. This line is what drew me to this book. I’ve been a fan of Graham’s hosting for many years but was always nervous of reading his books in case they didn’t live up to my expectations but I’m so glad I took a chance on this.

Frankie feels like a character in someone else’s story most of the time but it’s her retelling of the story of her life with her carer Damien that makes her and the reader realise that that was not true.

Frankie’s best friend Nor has hired a carer to look after her friend when she hurts herself. At first she resents having to be looked after but soon Damien (a fellow Irish man) has her regaling him with stories of her life and the trials and tribulations she’s experienced. Frankie soon warms to Damien and in her he sees a kindred spirit. It’s a story of love, loss, strength, friendship and hope.

I found myself thinking of Frankie when I wasn’t reading this book and when I was I felt totally immersed in the story and characters. I felt every awkward moment, every heartbreaking one and the warmth that Damien’s character allows her to show. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. There’s something for everyone in this beautiful story of taking chances and a life well lived.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for the ARC of this book. I will be reading more of Mr Nortons books from now on.

Graham uses a much larger canvas this time with this sweeping story of Frankie and not significant, but not insignificant life she lives through fascinating times. A long life bears witness to many things and this novel describes in loving historical and geographical detail, the story of a doughty Irish girl who becomes a feisty old Irish lady - recounting her story to her young carer.

Totally readable . A book that draws you in and keeps you reading . Excellent depiction of the characters and places so that you can picture clearly the there and now. Frankie’s lifetime experiences are conveyed through memorable chats with her you carer Damien. She may have been reclusive latterly but her life was not always that peaceful.

#Frankie #NetGalley Graham Norton is a great storyteller. I have enjoyed all his books and this one was no exception. Well written with some lovely characters, I liked the way that Frankie was telling her life story to Damian. Sad and uplifting at the same time. I look forward to more books by Graham in the future. A very well deserved 5 stars!!

Not only is Graham a highly rated broadcaster and one of my favourites, he's now achieving new heights as an author. I adore his books and this latest novel is no exception. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would do.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Frankie’ written by Graham Norton in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Damian is a young Irish live-in carer who meets Frankie when he’s sent to her home in Wapping, London, while she recuperates after breaking her ankle. During their hours together she tells him of her life, how at the age of ten her patients die in a freak accident and she’s sent to live with her Aunt Mona and Uncle, Rector Derek Roper. She continues with how she’s banished from Ireland to stay with her friend Nor in London, her unexpected arrival in America, the acquaintances she meets and the loved ones she loses due to the deadly disease AIDS that in the ‘80s is rapidly spreading across America, until she has no choice other than to leave and return to England.

‘Frankie’ is the wonderful story of a woman who experiences love, friendships and loss but who retains her resilience throughout. Graham Norton is a fantastic storyteller who has the gift of being able to get inside his characters and reveal their true selves, their strengths and weaknesses, and from page one I knew that Frankie was a woman I was going to admire and want to learn more of. I’ve been gripped throughout as Frankie made the best of the hand she’d been dealt but still managed to remain cheerful and come out on top. When I reached the final pages I had tears in my eyes and was so pleased she hadn’t forgotten Damian and the evenings they’d spent together. This is a truly magnificent story that I’ve loved reading and is worthy of every one of its five stars.

All the humour and wit you associate with Norton come through in this warming and sublime story. A worthy read, as talented an author as he is a presenter!