Description

The beloved Sunday Times bestseller

‘I couldn’t stop reading it, but feel bereft now that I’ve finished’ Nigella Lawson

‘Wonderful’ The i

‘A warm, deeply moving, life-enhancing novel’ Sarah Winman, author of Still Life

‘A masterclass in storytelling that grabs you by the heartstrings from page one and refuses to let go’ Sunday Independent

Frankie Howe was never quite sure enough of herself to take centre stage – after all, life had already judged her harshly. Now in her eighties, she finds it easier to forget the life that came before.

Then Damian, a young Irish carer, arrives at her London flat to keep an eye on her as she recovers from a fall. A memory is sparked, and the past crackles into life as Damian listens to the story Frankie has kept stored away all these years.

From post-war Ireland to 1960s New York – a city full of art, larger-than-life characters and turmoil – Frankie shares a world in which friendship and chance encounters collide. A place where life blazes with an intensity that can’t last but will perhaps live on in other ways and in other people. But as Frankie’s past slowly emerges, her spirit and endurance are revealed as undeniable . . . and unforgettable.

‘Warm and wise, Frankie is a woman worth getting to know’ Bonnie Garmus, author of Lessons in Chemistry

‘Frankie is one of the most wonderful characters I’ve come across in a long time’ Good Housekeeping

‘A perfect song of a book’ Andrew O’Hagan, author of Caledonian Road

‘Immersive, stunningly written, and very emotional – this is a triumph’ Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things

‘I was bereft when I turned the last page. I adored Frankie and the storytelling was sublime’ Prima, Book of the Month

Publisher Review

I was enthralled by Frankie from page one. It’s a beauty. A warm, deeply moving, life-enhancing novel — Sarah Winman Wonderful … [Norton’s] sweeping fifth novel traces the life of the eponymous protagonist as she relays it to her young Irish carer * The i * Beautifully warm and empathetic . . . Frankie is one of the most wonderful characters I’ve come across in a long time * Good Housekeeping * A masterclass in storytelling that grabs you by the heartstrings from page one and refuses to let go * Irish Independent * I was bereft when I turned the last page. I adored Frankie and the storytelling was sublime * Prima, BOOK OF THE MONTH * Travelling from 1940s Ireland to the glamour of New York in the 1960s, this tender and witty story shows that the TV star is a writer to reckon with * Best * Frankie is popular fiction at its best… Beautifully crafted and impeccably researched * Irish Examiner * An eventful story about well-drawn characters… Compelling, interesting and enjoyable * Irish Times *