The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks
Written by E. Lockhart
Contemporary, Coming of Age
Published January 1st 2015
352 Pages
Add to Goodreads
RATING ★★★
Frankie Landau Banks at age 14. Debate Club. Her father's Bunny Rabbit. A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.

Frankie Landau Banks at age 15. A knockout figure. A sharp tongue. A chip on her shoulder.

And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend. The supremely goofy, word obsessed Matthew Livingston.

Frankie Landau Banks. No longer the kind of girl to take no for an answer. Especially when no means she's excluded from her boyfriend's all male secret society. Not when her former boyfriend shows up in the strangest of places. Not when she knows she's smarter than any of them. When she knows Matthew's lying to her. And when there are so many, many pranks to be done.

Frankie Landau Banks at age 16. Possibly a criminal mastermind.

This is the story of how she got that way.
The summer is over and Frankie Landau Banks finds herself back at Alabaster, minus sister Zada and with added curves. She's no longer the shrinking wallflower that blends in with the crowd. It isn't long until popular high school senior Matthew Livingston begins to notice Frankie and invites her to join his circle of friends, the wealthy and elite of the private boarding school where Frankie's own father attended. Once an all boys college, little has changed at Alabaster Preparatory Academy where the son's of the former alumni carry on the tradition of the Basset Hounds.
It was part of their mission as a secret society. As it is part of the mission of most secret societies, actually, to not be entirely secret.
It seems Matthew is a member along with Alpha, who has just returned to Alabaster and asserts himself as leader of the Basset Hounds once more. As Frankie vies for Matthew's attention, it's clear that she's only seen as another attractive girl who has no business prying into his affairs. But Frankie is determined to play the secret society at their own game, proving that she can outwit, outsmart and won't be the victim of Matthew's deception.

MY THOUGHTS

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks is sassy and intelligent with a touch of feminism. It follows the story of Frankie, her father's Bunny Rabbit and the girl who blends into life as just another teen in the crowd. Not anymore. Frankie was once the unassuming girl, but at just the mention of the Basset Hounds, finds herself on the defensive. Her father was once a member, and the secretive all boys exclusive club is about to find themselves as mere puppets in Frankie's game.

Frankie is sassy, impulsive and tends to fly off the handle when she feels she's being excluded or judged. So when Matthew shows an interest in getting to know her, Frankie is wary of his motives. But as their relationship develops, it's clear she's sharing his affections with best friend and apparent leader of the Basset Hounds, Alpha. Time and time again, Frankie is pushed aside, until she decides to take matters into her own hands.

The storyline is incredibly slow to start. Frankie is intelligent and self aware, but comes across as pretentious and self centered at times. Her quick wit and cunning is her downfall. I wavered between admiration towards Frankie wanting to infiltrate the Basset Hounds, to loathing her argumentative streak. Secondary characters Matthew, Alpha, her best friend and also former boyfriend barely rate a mention. Although present, their characters are only surface deep and aren't developed any further than their part in Frankie's storyline. Told in third person narrative, I felt I couldn't connect with Frankie and her plight for equality sadly.

THE VERDICT

Regardless, it was entertaining once the storyline picked up. Fans of Melina Marchetta's Looking for Alibrandi and Saving Francesca will enjoy this one. It's clever, wonderfully written and serves up sassy young adult feminism.

32 comments

  1. I was quite enjoying this but put it down because I was really in the mood for some adult crime particularly paedophilia because I'd been watching a lot of documentaries on it and whether they should get help like a drug addict would (don't judge, I'm normal I swear)

    Anyway, I totally agree with you on it being a slow start, I was wanting to put it down a few times but I kept going and I would've continued if it weren't for my mood change, I'm very much a "in the mood" reader.

    I really like how intelligent Frankie is and the way the book is written just... feels really intellectual, I hope you understand what I mean, but I really liked that, it was different and it confused me a little and I like to be confused, what fun is sailing through?

    I do wish it was written in first person though, I would've liked to hear more on Frankies thoughts on the lack of equality but maybe that's just because I haven't finished it yet, we shall see!

    Great Review as always :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She was complex, but without being obvious. I completely agree. There was something about the storyline for me though, with some greater understanding being just out of reach.

      I would have preferred that too. Especially when it comes to contemporaries, you need that first person point of view to be able to feel that connection. It would have made a huge difference in Frankie's case.

      Delete
  2. I've been wanting to give E. Lockhart a chance after I disliked her We Were Liars book. I always thought this book sounded pretty interesting, but I'm not sure if I would like Frankie all that much. Regardless, maybe I'll borrow it from the library one day. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Marianne.

      It has a completely different feel from We Were Liars. I loved that book, mainly due to being so surprised as most books fail to really shock and delight me any more. But like We Were Liars, it's also slow to start and doesn't pick up until halfway through when Frankie starts playing the Basset Hounds at their own game.

      Hopefully you can pick up a copy. Looking forward to seeing what you think.

      Delete
  3. This book sounds great. I read E. Lockhart's We Were Liars and really enjoyed her writing. Hopefully I'll be able to pick up this one soon!

    ~Cindy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looking forward to seeing your thoughts on it Cindy. I loved We Were Liars and did enjoy this one too, despite my frustrations.

      Delete
  4. This book sounds FUN. Reading it this year for sure.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's a quick and entertaining read. It felt more like a Marchetta novel though compared to her previous release, We Were Liars. Looking forward to seeing your thoughts Alyssa.

      Delete
  5. I've never read E. Lockhart before and I must admit, that I will probably pass this up in a bookstore. The text cover is just unreadable for me :( The storyline is not something that I would normally read but Frankie sounds like an interesting character and I like that there's a touch of feminism in this book. Great review Kelly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd definitely try We Were Liars. I have a feeling you'll absolutely love it Amir. One of the best books of 2014, surprising and will leave you in a state of shock.

      Delete
  6. Sounds interesting. I've never read anything but We Were Liars by this author. I know this is very different, but I am curious to read more by the author in general.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me either until this one Lauren and I was surprised at what a change of pace it was. If you check her out on Goodreads, she's actually released a bevvy of young adult books. I'm hoping to check out her others as well.

      Delete
  7. Wow, this book wasn't quite what I expected but I love the sound of the feminism and everything. I like how Frankie is well rounded with her flaws and strong points as wlel. Lovely review Kelly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It wasn't what I had expected either Jeann, compared to how We Were Liars blew me away. I think Frankie's character is either one you'll love or loathe, depending how you feel about her plight against the all boy secret society. It brings feminism to the forefront for discussion, which is always a great sign.

      Delete
  8. "Sassy, intelligent, with a hint feminism?" That's all I need to be persuaded to get my hands on this ASAP! ;) I absolutely adored We Were Liars, so I hope this one is just as mind-blowing! I love the sound of how realistically flawed Frankie is. :) Can't wait to give this one a try - thanks for sharing Kelly!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It won't blow your mind Zoe, but it'll entertain. It has a completely different feel to We Were Liars and it's better to start reading this with a clean slate, or like me, you'll find yourself comparing the two books, which are really like chalk and cheese. I can't wait to see what you think of it Zoe.

      Delete
  9. Oh man. I have a feeling this would be something that will not be an enjoyable one for me. Frankie sounds like an acquired taste. As much as this book has been a favourite to some, I think I will give it a pass. :/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That she is Joy. She tends to be impulsive and fly off the handle at times, taking the feminism approach too far really. I'm not sure if I missed the greater meaning, but it was still entertaining, but this certainly won't be for everyone.

      Delete
  10. I love that this has feminism in it but sadly, I don't think this one will be for me. I'm afraid I might clash with Frankie--she sounds hard to warm up to--and I think that might ruin my reading experience. Hmmm now I've got an inner dilemma--do I follow the sass or do I skip out on potential disagreement with the protagonist. But forget me LOL Lovely review, Kelly! <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a tricky one Jess. I think you'd enjoy it overall, but I think Frankie will grate on your nerves. You'll need to be in the mood for a slow moving contemporary to read this one, it's entertaining, just incredibly slow for Frankie to come into her own.

      Delete
  11. I always love it when a girl is snarky, but only when she's intelligent snarky. You know the kind where she retorts and you're like "OOOH THAT'S MY GIRL GIVE THEM THE BURN" but yeah, there are times you encounter a snarky heroine that just grates your ears (or your eyes). I've had my fair share with them and I totes understand why you felt like loathing her. I just know that if I were in your shoes, I probably would have felt the same :P

    Faye at The Social Potato

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's the kind of protagonist I really enjoy as well Faye. I don't mind the sassy smartass who likes to have a crack, but not without reason. Frankie came across as just wanting to stir the pot more often than not, even before the introduction of the Basset Hounds. I wavered between liking and loathing her at times. I think I could have found her plight more relatable, had it have been written in the first person.

      Delete
  12. Saw this for super cheap on Amazon (Kindle edition) and was on the fence about it but after reading this I'm definitely getting it! Thanks for the great review. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If it's cheap, it's worth picking up a copy to check out. Even though I found it mostly entertaining, I don't think Frankie will be for everyone. She frustrated me too. I'm looking forward to seeing what you think of it too.

      Delete
  13. I didn't really enjoy E. Lockhart's We Were Liars but I like the sound of this book. I don't know if I'm going to like Frankie or not, but she seems like she would be a realistic character what with her intelligence and wit and flaws. I'm looking forward to reading this! Thanks for a great review. x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Naban. I actually think you'll enjoy this one, it's an intelligent contemporary and whether you like or loathe Frankie, she's guaranteed to make you feel something. I felt disconnected more due to the fact that it's told in the third person, but that's just my own personal preference really.

      Delete
  14. Hooray for young adult feminism! But I'm going to be wary and just borrow from others, because all the reviews I've seen for We Were Liars were pretty divided. But still, that synopsis sounds pretty damn awesome, though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I personally loved We Were Liars, but a big chunk of that was due to the ending really. It shocked me to no end and that really did influence my review. In comparison, I didn't enjoy this one nearly as much, but I think it'll appeal to fans of Melina Marchetta, nothing like We Were Liars though.

      Delete
  15. Hmm. I don't know what to think. Honestly I haven't heard of this book til now, I'm not really fan of reading about pranks and break-ins and snooping around (I'm such a goody two shoes, I can't even read about these things without feeling stressed out), so maybe I'll pass on this one :)

    Awesome review Kelly!

    ReplyDelete
  16. THANKYOU! I'm going to read this book as I recently saw it in a bookshop but had never seen it else's- thanks for your review!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Brilliant review, lovely! I'm not sure exactly what to think about this book, but I'm still going to give it a go. It sounds exciting from the blurb, and I look forward to seeing what actually happens in the book.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great review! I actually read this one, I thought it was quite slow at some parts but entertaining in others though. x Benish | Feminist Reflections

    ReplyDelete

© Diva Booknerd. Design by Fearne.