Minding Frankie [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Maeve Binchy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2011

Maeve Binchy is back with a tale of joy, heartbreak and hope, about a motherless girl collectively raised by a close-knit Dublin community.

When Noel learns that his terminally ill former flame is pregnant with his child, he agrees to take guardianship of the baby girl once she’s born. But as a single father battling demons of his own, Noel can’t do it alone.

Fortunately, he has a competent, caring network of friends, family and neighbors: Lisa, his unlucky-in-love classmate, who moves in with him to help him care for little Frankie around the clock; his American cousin, Emily, always there with a pep talk; the newly retired Dr. Hat, with more time on his hands than he knows what to do with; Dr. Declan and Fiona and their baby son, Frankie’s first friend; and many eager babysitters, including old friends Signora and Aidan and Frankie’s doting grandparents, Josie and Charles.

But not everyone is pleased with the unconventional arrangement, especially a nosy social worker, Moira, who is convinced that Frankie would be better off in a foster home. Now it’s up to Noel to persuade her that everyone in town has something special to offer when it comes to minding Frankie.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Reading a Maeve Binchy novel is like settling in for a cozy visit with an old friend. In vintage Binchy style, a cast of colorfully eccentric characters living in a snug Dublin neighborhood seamlessly weave in and out of each other’s lives, united by family, faith, friendship, and community. When a young alcoholic learns he has fathered a child with a dying woman, he must step into the role of father, protector, and provider to his infant daughter, Frankie, in a matter of weeks. Determined to succeed, though totally unprepared for his new responsibilities, Noel gets an essential assist from his visiting American cousin. Exercising her tremendous gifts of organization and insight, Emily cobbles together a neighborhood support system, featuring a few familiar faces from previous Binchy books. As everybody begins to mind Frankie, a suspicious social worker pokes her nose in where it doesn’t belong, attempting to dredge up any dirt she can on Noel and his slightly unorthodox network of babysitters. Readers will need a box of tissues handy as the good-hearted residents of St. Jarlath’s Crescent prove that it does indeed take a village to raise a child. --Margaret Flanagan

Review

“One of Binchy’s best works. She harmoniously handles a diverse group of characters, the good deeds that characterize life in Ireland are believable, and the ending is sweet. One hopes to find Frankie in one of Binchy’s future novels.” —Susan Rogers, Newark Star-Ledger
 
“Binchy’s world view is a large, benevolent one, and the reader is happier for it . . . bless her big Irish heart.” —Laurie Hertzel, Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Maeve Binchy has done it again [with] yet another warm tale of individual growth and human community, [in which] she assembles a large cast of characters and deploys them with her characteristic playfulness . . . Binchy specializes in exploring human foibles without spelling them out in tiresome detail . . . There’s a good chance that many readers, like this one, will consider Minding Frankie one of Binchy’s best novels yet.” —Maude McDaniel, BookPage
 
“Joyful, quintessential Binchy.” —Karen Holt, O, The Oprah Magazine 
 
“All across America, Maeve Binchy fans will be kicking off their shoes, making a nice cup of tea, and curling up on the couch as they re-enter Binchy’s cozy world. The Irish author returns here to a charming Dublin milieu of favorite characters from past novels, with some important new ones.” —Melinda Bargreen, The Seattle Times
 
“Binchy is a national treasure in her homeland of Ireland, and her latest novel is a perfect illustration of why.…Your heart will have no trouble recognizing the landscape [of this] touching saga.” —Publishers Weekly
 
“Reading a Maeve Binchy novel is like settling in for a cozy visit with an old friend.  In vintage Binchy style, a cast of colorfully eccentric characters living in a snug Dublin neighborhood seamlessly weave in and out of each other’s lives, united by family, faith, friendship and community....Readers will need a box of tissues handy as the good-hearted residents of St. Jarlath’s Crescent prove that it does indeed take a ‘village to raise a child.’” —Margaret Flanagan, Booklist

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Knopf; Large Print Edition edition (March 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307273563
• ISBN-13: 978-0307273567
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1.4 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (144 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,591 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > Irish

More About the Author

Maeve Binchy is the author of numerous best-selling books, including Nights of Rain and Stars, Quentins, Scarlet Feather, Circle of Friends, and Tara Road, which was an Oprah's Book Club selection. She has written for Gourmet; O, The Oprah Magazine; Modern Maturity; and Good Housekeeping, among other publications. She and her husband, Gordon Snell, live in Dalkey, Ireland, and London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

228 of 235 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A small gem of a novel from the Emerald Isle, January 29, 2011

By 

Sharon Isch (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Minding Frankie (Hardcover)

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Nothing like waiting out wicked winter weather and a bad cold with the companionship of a good piece of chick lit, especially when it comes from one of the great and gifted Irish storytellers.

Once upon a time I was a regular Maeve Binchy reader, but I'd long ago drifted away--having grown tired of too many plots based around class issues and out-of-wedlock pregnancies and miserable marriages there was no way out of--and I'd moved on to other authors like Colm Toibin, William Trevor, Anabel Davis Goff and Deirdre Madden. But when I was offered an opportunity to get an advance look at the newest Binchy novel, I took it and I'm glad I did. I'd forgotten how gifted Binchy is at creating a cast of characters you quickly come to care about and bringing them and their stories so vividly to life.

While misery, unwed motherhood, unrequited love and alcoholism all figure prominently into this story, they're more than balanced out by the determined efforts and optimism of a can-do American cousin and the arrival of a motherless child. Watching cousin Emily and wee Frankie give a whole neighborhood a new lease on life makes for a very good read and I recommend it.

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heartwarming and Lovely ..., February 2, 2011

By 

Busy Mom (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Minding Frankie (Hardcover)

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Every single time I pick up a Maeve book, it is like coming home after a long exhausting trip and falling into that comfortable easy chair, with the endless cups of hot tea at your side and all the favorite characters in Dublin hovering around ... if only life can be that comforting!! I read Maeve for the reasons I have stated above and for the fact that she really is a talented writer, who manages to keep the reader's interest in ordinary characters. Ordinary characters with ordinary concerns and issues ... and yet somehow she makes them special and interesting. She writes compellingly of life in Ireland that some day I must go there and see with my own eyes the beautiful land she loves so deeply.

I was so excited to get this advanced copy that I managed to read this within two days ... it helps that I am snowed in as well. I hated to see the end of this book as I didn't want to let go of the characters. I hope Binchy will write another one soon ... especially about that annoying social worker, Moira. I'd like to know what happened to her!! She is probably the most annoying and pathetic character I have yet to read from Binchy's collection. Unable to grasp that a recovering alcoholic can raise a baby and do it so well with the love and support of so many, Moira always expect the worst of people.

A lot of familiar characters have been re-introduced such as Muttie and Lizzie Scarlet, the twins, Noel, the young and dashing doctor who is happily married and his parents; they all play a minor role in this novel but their lives are entwined with Noel, the young father mentioned above. Noel was a drifting loner, bored out of his skull with his life and finding solace in the bottom of his cups. His parents were more concerned about their religious convictions and didn't know what to do with their lonely, morose son. Then one day, a former flame contacted Noel and told him that he's the father of her unborn child. Noel, who had just decided to stop drinking and do something with his life, was stunned and overwhelmed, but with the support of his parents and his American cousin, Emily (who really was the glue of everyone in the community), he agreed to raise the motherless baby. Even with the constant scrutiny of the social worker, Moira, Noel manages to turn his life around.

This is such a heart-warming novel and full of interesting characters. Some will say this is a predictable book but there are times in life when a novel like this one just is the cure for what ails you. It is full of interesting characters and stories, told only by a talented author like Maeve can.

Maeve's fans will love this book as well ... so don't hesitate to pick up this book!!

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless Novel, February 3, 2011

By 

Steven James (Washington State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Minding Frankie (Hardcover)

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There is something comforting in a Maeve Binchy novel. There are no pyrotechnics or earth-shattering histrionics in MINDING FRANKIE yet it manages to hold and keep one's attention throughout. I think it is Binchy's unparalleled knack for creating characters one truly cares about. Even the most reviled character in this wonderful book (Moira Tierney...the social worker from Hell) is relatable as we come to know her life's circumstances.

You will find yourself rooting for the protagonist at the heart of MINDING FRANKIE. Noel is an ex-alcoholic who is teetering precariously on the precipice of sobriety when he is faced with raising a baby on his own. The cast of characters he surrounds himself with are all supportive and come to his aid when he needs help with Frankie, the baby girl he "inherits." The characters are the real heart of this novel. They are funny, sympathetic, flawed and real people whom we come to know well and identify with. I couldn't wait to crawl into bed each night and escape to the Emerald Isle with all my new "friends."

While we are introduced to new characters in MINDING FRANKIE there are a lot of familiar faces from Binchy's previous works. This is a stand-alone novel, but many of the characters were introduced in other books such as QUENTINS, SCARLET FEATHER and HEART AND SOUL. It is not necessary to read the other books before starting MINDING FRANKIE, but it certainly enhances the reading experience by having a past with them.

The reason I called this book timeless is because if it weren't for the occasional reference to cell phones, the internet and other modern conveniences one would find it diificult to determine if this book takes place in 1950 or 2011. The story is classic and transcends time.

The one criticism I could find is that there are a LOT of characters to keep track of, and the author often refers to them by first-name only. I had to stop reading several times and go back and try to figure out how they fit in. It is a minor criticism of a book I truly loved. I highly recommend this book if you like calming, character-driven well told tales.