Reviewed by Kelly on
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/01/the-disreputable-history-of-frankie.html
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.
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.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 23 December, 2014: Finished reading
- 23 December, 2014: Reviewed