Be Frank With Me

Be Frank With Me is a delightful, fun book- a just-right novel for the snowy day I spent curled up with it.  

Alice has been sent by her boss Mr. Vargas at her publishing company to monitor the progress of recluse author M. M. Banning, who must publish a novel to generate an income after having lost nearly everything in a bad investment.

Alice is exactly what the author is looking for - she is not an English major and she is good with kids.  

Her skill with children is essential as she is the companion and caregiver to Banning's son, Frank.  Frank is like no child Alice has ever met before. He dresses in zuit suits and seersuckers and plaid and has an encyclopedic knowledge of nearly everything.  He loves to watch old movies.  He does not have any friends his age and school is a trial for him.

Frank is absolutely delightful.  Despite the fact that Banning is a bit difficult to work for and to get to know, Alice can't help being taken with Frank.  

Athough the question of Frank's parentage is brought up and Alice herself wonders who his father may be, I did not feel this was a driving force in this novel.  A synopsis I read stated that Alice's obsession with Frank's parentage was the focus of the book, which I feel is a bit off the mark.

Instead Alice is entirely taken in by this family. And although she wonders at what Xander the piano teacher truly means to Frank and his mother, it is more question of needing to know so that her relationship with Xander can be developed.

Be Frank With Me is a fun book, entertaining from beginning to end.