Customer Reviews

Finny: A Novel

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Finny is a dramatic character-driven novel that follows Delphine "Finny" Short's life from early childhood well into adulthood. It's sort of a coming-of-age novel, not ending with young adulthood, but continuing through each phase of Finny's life. Calling it a dramatic novel doesn't really do it justice, because it's funny as well. It's another of those books that had me laughing out loud making people around me look over to see what I was reading. And I wanted to tell them. In fact, I wanted to do more than that. I wanted to read them the scene that made me laugh, and how completely delightful I found this book. And I usually did.

Not only did I want to talk to others around me about this book, but I found myself shouting at the characters at least in my mind, like some people (ahem) might do as they watch reality TV: "Don't do it!" or "Tell him!" or "What are you thinking??"

This is one of those novels that has a timeless feel. Though it has a contemporary setting, I still found myself surprised when a reference to something contemporary, such as Jenga, crept into the story.

It's sad to see a book end when you've come to love the characters, the storytelling, and the writing so much, but the final chapter was so satisfying. All of the characters were brought back together, so I felt like I could properly say goodbye. It reminded me of the series finale of a TV show, where you really want to see everyone one last time, and the writers indulge you.

This is a wonderful debut novel, and I know that I will definitely keep an eye out for what Justin Kramon writes next.

The (believable) story of a girl that is amusing and cute. Finny is told over three sections of tweens, college and late 20s/early 30s with rather fast interlude chapters to explain what occurred inbetween. Each section has its moments that resulted in me actually laughing out loud in public. The book's transition to later life was gradual and flawless as the jokes seemed to taper off later in Finny's life and the tone became more serious. I felt like I was becoming wiser along with Finny. Overall it was a well-written story of love, loss, and... well, living.

I really liked this book, it was quirky and unusual and the things I thought might happen didn't. If you don't read it for any other reason, do so for the sometimes beautiful metaphors. I'll choose a line in the book to sum it all up: "The story was about something sad, though [he] hadn't been afraid to make it funny."

I believe this book falls into the category of lite fiction, so it is hard to critique it seriously. I did not find it that funny or heart warming. It is just an easy read. I do not know if the author was aiming for literary, I hope not cause it definitely is not that. This is a mildly interesting book. The style strikes me as amateurish but I guess that is why it is an easy read. The content is familiar about growing up, friendships, lovers etc. the author makes it interesting enough.

this book is my favorite type of novel: a coming of age story with characters that simultaneously drive you to keep reading the book because you're THAT involved in their lives... and make you sad when the book ends because you feel like you're leaving behind good friends. yes, it's THAT amazing. i loved finny short and the collection of quirky and wonderful people in her life. there is a depth and beauty in the story that is surprising given how funny much of the book is AND how read-able it is. it's a great look at human nature/relationships and how they change over our lifetimes. there's a love story woven throughout the entire narrative, and yet, it's not "a love story." hard to describe other than say: READ IT! you'll be glad you did!

Read this book! It's instantly engaging and keeps up a good pace throughout. The prose is beautifully written- this is a fun book to read! You really care about Finny and the other characters- in this novel the character development shines! It's a coming of age story, and you truly get the sense that you're watching a fully-formed life unfold. Finny is a charismatic focal point and the evolving supporting characters enrich the story, adding humor and perspective.

Justin Kramon delivers an amazing and all-encompassing story in Finny.

One of the things that I noticed, from the first sentence, was the delightful prose and smooth writing style of the author. The main character of Finny is a delightfully engaging and a marvelously captivating character that readers will easily and quickly be drawn to. This is the story of a young girl, Finny, who is a bit of a misfit, especially within her family's world. Not obsessed with social presence like her mother, nor having a deep seeded desire to constantly quote "great men" like her father, Finny is her own person. She is unsure of where she fits in in the world and feels a bit like an outcast.

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Finny spent the afternoon in her bedroom, trying not to cry, then giving herself over to it in short, maudlin bursts. She stuffed her face into her pillow and howled, shook with tears. The thought of it, of how she looked, made her sick. If one of her parents or her brother had walked in during these brief concessions to grief, Finny probably would have hopped out the window, or pretended she was trying to suffocate herself. Anything to not be seen like this, so vulnerable, so compromised. She thought of herself like the white birch tree in her parents' yard, which grew far away from all the other trees because it would wither in their shade. On its own, though, it flourished. She wanted to be like that, so odd and lonely and strong.

She thought of things she could do to get them. She could stick a knife in her shirt and spill some ketchup on it, so it would look like she'd stabbed herself. Or she could take one of her mom's earrings and hide it and pretend Raskal ate it. Or stick pictures of women inside her dad's great men books. But all these ideas seemed silly, a little clumsy. She could see them shaking their heads at her, like she'd tripped over her shoelace, or accidentally put her underwear on over her pants. She was hopeless, they'd think, a bum toaster or a wobbly table, something they'd just have to live with because they'd already shelled out the cash.


So she did the only thing that made sense to her. She ran away.

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*The above is an excerpt taken from page 13. It is also one of my favorite scenes from the story, simply because it seems to describe Finny's innermost torment and it is so thought provokingly written, in my opinion.

Then one evening after deciding to run away from home, she meets a very unique boy, Earl. Earl and his father are like no other people Finny has met and she feels a wonderful bond with them. It is shortly after this that her parents discover Finny has been seeing this boy and has even shared a kiss with him. Enraged, they send her to boarding school in Boston, hoping to put an end to this "silliness" that Finny has so far made of her life. What her parents had not planned on, however, was Finny's roommate, Judith Turngate, who is not only a New York heiress, but also an incredibly mischievous girl. The girls become quick friends and life is never quite the same for Finny.

The novel Finny follows this lovely and quirky young girl through her early years. Beginning with the tumultuous tween years, on to college and then into early adulthood, the reader is truly able to develop a bond with Finny. With laughter and twinges of the heart, the reader will fall in love with the characters and follow along with Finny as she figures out just who she is and her place in the world. I truly loved this story and applaud Justin Kramon for his amazing talent, which shines through in this debut novel. I honestly feel that his is a talent to keep a very close eye on, as he is sure to become one of those author's names that thousands will quickly recognize.

Finny by Justin Kramon has quickly found a place in my heart and is at the top of my favorite books of 2010. I enthusiastically encourage everyone to pick up a copy and delve into the life of Finny.

I loved this book and the girl Finny. It makes me feel I've been on a fantastic journey myself, witnessing everything that happened to her. The book is unbelievably funny and yet felt so true. Sometimes it makes me want to cry. I'd recommend this book to my friends. Five stars.

Loved it, loved it. The characters in this book are inspired. When I read something with quirky characters like this I always wonder how they come into the mind of the author. This book is funny but warm and tender. You fall in love with the characters and don't want it to end. I great choice for book clubs

Finny, Justin Kramon's first novel, is delightful. I loved it. I don't think I say that too often about a book I've just finished reading. It's John Irving meets Armistead Maupin meets Charles Dickens, with interesting, ever-changing characters and a plot that whips on, and on, and on. In a very good way.

Born Delphine Short, our rebellious young protagonist quickly sees her name doesn't match and changes it to Finny. She is, as it's put, "A square peg in a world of round holes." Her brother, Sylvan, is intellectual while she's smart and powerful and plays by her own rules, often contrary to those of her sometimes soulless-seeming mother, Laura, and her faux-intellectual father, Stanley, who often quotes famous thinkers and loves conventions of every kind.

Very quickly, Finny meets the love interest that will last for at least the next twenty years. When Finny can't quite take her family anymore, she attempts to do what every adolescent seems to at least entertain at one point or another: run away from home. Instead, she runs into the boy-next-door type who steals her heart, unexpectedly and forever. Earl, the narrator tells us, will be present - at a minimum - in Finny's mind.

Finny meets Earl's father, a narcoleptic pianist, and figures out a way to spend time with both Earl and his father without fanning her mother's obsession with appearances and propriety - Laura wouldn't possibly condone socializing with these people - by asking to take piano lessons with the man. Delighted by her initiative, Laura and Stanley allow Finny to do so. Until, somehow, Laura finds out that Earl and Finny have kissed. And it's off to boarding school for Finny, where she'll meet lifelong friends with their own quirks and entertainingly bizarre friends.

Earl and Finny have a deep love for each other that continues despite the distances and relationships they have over the course of twenty or so years. Earl moves to Paris, where Finny will eventually visit, but they are frustratingly - to themselves and the reader - able to commit to one another in the way they, and we, want them to. But it's not entirely about that - the novel isn't entirely about anything but Finny and life and dealing with the kind of crap life dishes out - illness, lost love, lost friendship, betrayal. Yet Finny and the people who populate her world also entertain and are authentic enough in their kindness, forgiveness, and unexpected affection that it's a pleasure to read even the saddest, most tender moments of sorrow.

After reading a story of Earl's, Finny comments on his ability to evoke these things:

"...her view of life was very much that way - that it was both hilariously funny and devastatingly sad. And only if you saw both things could you ever have a realistic idea of the subject."

By the end, I'll admit that I was near tears. Without giving anything away, I'll just say that life gets in the way of life, but Finny deals wonderfully with even the worst, and her ongoing changes from a young girl of fourteen to a woman in her mid-thirties is remarkable, believable and enjoyable. It is a novel of reactions, and each one of Finny's creates a rounder, fleshed-out character that I wanted to know more as each page turned.