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Home > The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
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The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
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By E. Lockhart
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 (82 Reviews)
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December 31, 1969 |
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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:
Aknockout 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 ex-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.
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Customer Reviews:
Add Your Own Review |
 An Incredible Personal History, March 25, 2008
By Little Willow (USA)
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The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks begins with a written confession addressed to the administrative powers-that-be at the Alabaster Preparatory Academy. In the letter, Frances Rose Landau-Banks claims "full responsibility for the disruptions caused by the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds . . . [t]hat is, [she] wrote the directives telling everyone what to do."
But just who are these Hounds and what did they do? Who is Frances and why would she send her fellow students on these random acts of disruption?
Alabaster was once an all-male prep school. Even after it became co-educational, its secret society remained a boys-only club. The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds was famous - infamous, really - for its pranks, which were more kooky than cruel, more sophomoric than serious.
Frankie was once a quiet girl. Even after she became a curvy sophomore, she remained true to herself, not really aware of her new looks. Then she got her first serious boyfriend, and she was content with their relationship - for a time.
Before she was (in)famous, Frankie was the harmless little sister, the underclassman, the girl who knew but didn't really know. She was the younger sister of outspoken senior Zada. She was the youngest child of divorced parents, getting her name from her father, Alabaster alum Frank Banks and her conservative nature from her mother, Ruth. She enjoyed her freshman year at boarding school. She enjoyed the summer after her freshman year, when she read Dorothy Parker stories on vacation and had a chance encounter that would later prove interesting.
The book follows her through the age of fifteen, then sixteen, as her sophomore year and her curiosity lead her down an interesting path. After learning about the Order, she quickly assumes power over the group - without any of the boys knowing it. What happens next is a quiet riot, a series of misadventures involving (though not simultaneously) a statue of a fish, a Superman T-shirt, a lot of dog masks, a burned arm, and a small notebook.
Both snarky and serious, this History is written by the victors: the memorable narrator and the author. Frankie is smart, grounded, and direct, but she also has a quirky side. She has a thing for "impeas," imagined neglected positives, like ept as opposed to inept or gruntled as opposed to disgruntled. Author E. Lockhart (The Boyfriend List, Dramarama) writes with heart and authentic feeling. In this novel, she uses third-person present-tense, yet is able to capture her protagonist's thoughts and actions so well that readers will feel as though they are Frankie's roommates.
This book is, dare I say, a coming-of-age story. It's not about breaking the rules, nor it is about controlling others. It's about daring: daring to be yourself, daring to stand up for yourself, daring to step outside of your comfort zone, daring to change the world. This novel possesses all of the elements necessary for a good bildungsroman, following the protagonist's journey through her formative years. History has an incredible conclusion, and Frankie becomes a remarkable young woman.
35 of 39 people found the above review helpful.
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Courtesy of Teens Read Too, April 24, 2008
By Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier. (All Over the US & Canada)
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Frankie Landau-Banks has gone from geeky to gorgeous over the course of the summer, and she can hardly believe it when Matthew Livingston, the senior she worshipped from afar the year before, seems interested. But being Matthew's girlfriend comes with a lot of things Frankie didn't expect. She feels uncertain navigating the complicated politics of his social circle, and uneasy with the antics of his friends, which often seem to exclude her. Worst of all, she senses that he's not letting her all the way into his life--that, because she is a girl, he will never see her as an equal.
Then Frankie discovers that Matthew is a member of the school's exclusive--and male-only--secret society. At first she only spies on them out of curiosity. But as her desire to prove herself every bit as capable as Matthew's male conspirators grows, she finds herself getting wrapped up in the society's business of sneaking and pranking, without any of the boys suspecting a thing.
With Frankie pulling the strings, anything is possible.
THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS is one of those rare books that is equal parts entertaining and thought-provoking. Frankie's exploits are full of humor, suspense, and drama, but she's not afraid to stop every now and then and consider the consequences of her actions. Her insecurities make her as believable as her smarts and her guts make her admirable. Readers will be cheering her on from beginning to end--and wondering how the things she learns along the way might apply to their own school adventures long after they've put the book down.
Reviewed by: Lynn Crow
17 of 20 people found the above review helpful.
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 Disreputable Frankie, October 4, 2008
By sonia (Oak Park, IL)
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First of all, I appreciate that this book had a girl-power theme, but I do not think the main character, Frankie, is a good representation of an admirable woman. Although she was intelligent and competative, she was the worst stereotype of a jealous, conniving, sneaky b----. I thought she made girls look totally bad. She was jealous that her boyfriend was in a secret all-male social club, and was insulted that she wasn't invited and that he wouldn't tell her about it. Frankie, it's a secret boys club! Start your own secret girl's club! that's my opinion. She was so annoying. If a character said something like, for example, "Boys are more agressive than girls because of their testosterone" which is true, right? (I personally believe there wouldn't be any wars if there weren't any men), she jumped all over them with a smart rebuttal. Her boyfriend couldn't even call her adorable or give her his shirt to wear without arising the questions: is he marking his territory, or does he love her for her mind? These might be good questions, but the problem I have is, I did not buy that Frankie was in love with Matthew at all, even though the book said she was; the book did not acknowledge any such thing as chemistry between them. Frankie was all sore that Matthew's buddies had higher status with him than she did; how DARE he put them before her when she's been going out with him for THREE WHOLE MONTHS! OMG! Maybe another reason I didn't connect with Frankie was the brisk tone in which the story was written. It was chronicled with a hip, journalistic brevity. My last thoughts: guys love to do guy things. They will play video games and watch sports til the end of time, and ignore their women while doing it; what's wrong with that? Frankie, ironically, seemed so needy. She went about making her point by breaking a lot of rules, and really, it was just to get the boy's attention.
11 of 18 people found the above review helpful.
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 Meh, December 29, 2009
By Me
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I'm about halfway through this book, and I really don't feel like finishing it. There were countless times when I though that the book may actually be getting better, or atleast more interesting, but it just...doesn't. One of my main issues is Frankie herself. I don't like her. AT ALL. She's overbearing and snarky, and just can't leave things alone. Every time someone does something for her out of love or affection, she analyzes it to death. I agree with her sister, Zada; why stop Matthew for having his little drinking club? Why do you need to be in the center of everything? She's doing it for the sake of connections when she scorns her dad for having the exact same mentality! Honestly, the point of a club is so that it's SOMEWHAT exclusive. Deal with it. Also, her relationship with Matthew isn't very solid. He himself isn't amazing, to be honest, and there's absolutely no chemistry between them. She doesn't give a rat's posterior about him for whole sections of the book, and then suddenly it's twu wuv. Plus, she frequently points out that she loves being with his friends as much as she loves him. I interpret that as using someone, plain and simple. Finally, the prose is stilted and uninteresting. Parts of the book read like textbook pages, and there's no attempt to spice up the writing. And the neglected positives aren't clever, just annoying. It can be summed up in one word: DULL. In the interest of fairness, I'll add an extra star because of the ideas. I wholeheartedly approve of feminism and being yourself, but these themes aren't really conveyed accurately. In the end, it's just not worth reading, and this novel is probably just going to gather dust in my bookcase. Fact.
***Update***
I'm a liar. I finished it; I'm kind of OCD about these things. It actually became considerably better, and it was intriguing how Frankie accepted her...psychotic tendencies. Don't worry, I still don't like her, and I think she got what was coming. But hey, you are what you are. Anyways, I'm glad I stuck with it, but I don't feel quite so generous as to give it another star. I think it's one of those novels that you either like or hate, and it's really all about how you interpret it. But whatever. I'm done with Frankie.
10 of 14 people found the above review helpful.
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 Feminism at its best, May 4, 2009
By YA book lover
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This is definitely one of those clever YA books that is a must-read for any teenage girl.
Frankie might not have made all the smartest decisions in this book but she figured out the main thing right: it is important to be your own person (not just a man's arm-candy), to be appreciated for your personal qualities and talents and not only for your pretty face and nice figure.
Writing style is flawless, dialog superb. I had to take away one star because the ending felt a little too open for me, I thought it called for something more. Maybe E. Lockhart is planning a sequel, I am not sure. But if she does, I will definitely read it and give her other books a try.
6 of 7 people found the above review helpful.
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Intrigue, power, and basset hounds, July 8, 2008
By bookcentric
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The story is set in a prestigious east coast boarding school that has yet to shake off its boys school roots and features a clever, thoughtful, ambitious heroine who refuses to accept the status quo. The first 50 pages didn't fully hook me, but Frankie's obsession with her boyfriend's all-male secret society eventually drew me in and forced me to stay up late to finish it.
I don't know what it's being marketed as, but it read like a YA novel aimed primarily at adults, not teens. The biggest problems for me were my inability to like most of the characters, the neglected positives (clever but grating after the first few), and the supposedly entertaining conversations between the group of guys Frankie admires. And while the novel and especially the ending are gutsy, I'm not entirely sure they make up for the first half's skimpy plot. I'm glad I read it, but I don't know that I'll want to reread it.
6 of 10 people found the above review helpful.
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Richie's Picks: THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS, April 3, 2008
By Richie's Picks (Sebastopol, CA United States)
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"Ever since the world began
Women been banned from the ways of man
Listen boy cuz I've got a plan
Give it up, don't try to understand.
It ain't me
It's the people that say
Men are leading the women astray
But I say, it's the women today
Smarter than the men in every way" -- Norman Span, aka King Radio
"In the main building, as well as in several other prominent locations, pompous oil paintings of past headmasters, distinguished teachers, literary figures, and board presidents hung with imposing and slightly ridiculous grandeur. All of the subjects were men."
I recognize that for some people, it might be easy to view the U.S. as a place where things have always been and continue to be fair for women. Hey, it's been the better part a century now since women have been permitted to vote. One has to be my age or older to remember when the classifieds in the daily paper listed different rates of pay for the same job based upon whether one was a female or a male. And it's similarly been decades since the Supreme Court recognized the right of women to utilize birth control, control their own bodies, demand parity with men in the college admissions process and in the funding of high school sports teams, and actually found female justices included among its ranks.
I could just imagine high school sophomore Frankie Landau-Banks someday sitting on the U. S. Supreme Court. Frankie is a bright young woman who has blossomed physically over the summer and has now caught the attention of dreamboat and newspaper heir Matthew Livingston. She attends Alabaster, the exclusive New England boarding school previously attended by her father and grandfather before each of them headed over to Harvard. For Frankie, it is mystifying why the paternalism that existed at Alabaster during those previous generations appears to remain so alive and well in the Twenty-first century.
And why, she ponders, are women at Alabaster still not being permitted entry into the Loyal Order of the Basset Hound, the generations-old Old Boy male-only secret society at the school? Following her attendance at a Basset-instigated nighttime party on a nearby golf course -- and a lip-locking session with Matthew -- Frankie imagines what she might have done differently if she were in the loop:
"Most young women when confronted with the peculiarly male nature of certain social events -- usually those incorporating beer or other substances guaranteed to kill off a few brain cells, and often involving either the freezing-cold outdoors or the near suffocating heat of a filth dorm room, but which can also, in more intellectual circles , include the watching of boring Russian films -- will react in one of three ways...but Frankie Landau-Banks did none. Although she went home that night feeling happier than she had ever done in her short life, she did not confuse the golf course party with a good party, and she did not tell herself that she had had a pleasant time.
"It had been, she felt, a dumb event preceded by excellent invitations.
"What Frankie did that was unusual was to imagine herself in control. The drinks, the clothes, the invitations, the instructions, the food (there had been none), the location, everything. She asked herself: If I were in charge, how could I have done it better?"
Frankie's high-tech scheme to hijack leadership of the Bassets and her epiphanies regarding male-think and continuing male dominance make for a great and exuberant story that will ignite the imaginations of many young adults.
But that scheme is just the beginning of what makes THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS an extraordinary read and a book that will really brand E. Lockhart as a major league YA author. Among other memorable aspects is Frankie's being inspired to linguistic innovation as the result of reading Brit writer P. D. Wodehouse. Another is the philosophical probing of rules, for which the author introduces us to the concepts of the panopticon:
"The students read architecture criticism, a history of Paris, and studied the panopticon -- a kind of prison designed by late eighteenth/early nineteenth-century philosopher Jeremy Bentham, which was never actually built.
"The architecture of Bentham's panopticon was created to allow a watchman to look at all his prisoners without the prisoners knowing whether or not they were being observed -- making them feel as if they were constantly being watched by an omniscient being.
"In other words, everyone in the panopticon knew they could be watched at all times, so in the end, only minimal watching actually needed to happen. The panopticon would create a sense of paranoia so pervasive that its inhabitants became practically self-governing."
Recently, a library student asked her fellow members of a listserve to which she belonged to cite examples of stellar adolescent role models. In my book, the contemplative, vulnerable, brilliant, and tough Frankie Landau-Banks is a heck of a Twenty-first century adolescent role model.
5 of 10 people found the above review helpful.
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Not as clever as it wants to be, January 8, 2009
By Jennifer L. Rinehart (United States of America)
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Poor little rich girl would be a better title.
Sadly, what should have been a dizzying screed on the perils of secret societies and patriarchy run amok instead is a dragging look into the mind of a rich girl surrounded by other rich people.
Everything is terribly posh and no one worries about little things like money, future careers or their families and why should they? They've all got money to burn, as Frankie does when she buys up dozens of stuffed dogs (I hate it when authors sidestep money issues by using the Bruce Wayne persona). Considering the cost $15 plus shipping, let's say $5, that's $20 per dog times 20 dogs, well you get where I'm going with this.
Then there's Frankie herself, she's adorable, brilliant and obsessed with her boyfriend and the secret society he and other boys on campus belong to. All we know about why she likes Livingston so much is because he is just too cool for school. I started to wonder if she was gay because of the lack of true emotion and healthy teen lust that was so absent from her feelings for him.
The voice of the novel is oddly disjointed and I found myself mentally transcribing it to make it sound more normal. Because, as written, it's like a bizarre godlike being is describing events for the reader AFTER they happened.
All in all, I'd give this one a miss. There are so many quality YA books to choose from there's no reason to waste time on this one.
5 of 17 people found the above review helpful.
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good, but not great, July 26, 2009
By Amy C (Pennsylvania)
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I liked Frankie Landau-Banks. I really did. Sort of. She is privileged, but still manages to be sympathetic, especially to anyone who was ever a smart, driven girl told that she couldn't (fill in the blank) because she wasn't a boy. Frankie's revenge on the system, such as it is, was a good story....
BUT--the author kept putting in these long, dry, I-guess-explicatory passages about pranks and prep schools. It was like reading a college essay dropped into the middle of the story. Odd, boring, unnecessary.
AND--Frankie was unhappy with the user mentality of these over-privileged people she had thought were her friends, but she herself has the same mentality toward several of her classmates, and she never really gets that. I wasn't sure, at the end of the book, whether she really had learned much that changed her from the beginning of the book. I wasn't sure she was really going to turn out to be a person I would like. She seemed to be okay with doing anything that would get her what she wanted, the book is all about her figuring out what she wants, not whether it is worth having. I guess I rooted for her as the underdog in a sexist system, but when all was said and done, I'm not sure the book was really about the right lessons. I'm not sure Frankie Landau-Banks was a "criminal mastermind" and not just a spoiled little brat.
4 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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Amazing, February 14, 2009
By Carolyn Sue Brunty
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I absolutely love this book. It's a story of a prep school girl, Frankie Landau-Banks, who gets noticed in her sophomore year by the cutest, most popular guy in school. This changes her life. She gets introduced into a new world, where she discovers a secret society. Frankie has really good views on things and has some pretty awsome debates that make you think. I recommend this book to any and everyone!
4 of 5 people found the above review helpful.
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Ugh, Waste of Time, January 28, 2009
By Underage Bookworm
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The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks was trying to be a book that would keep you enchanted and thinking about it forever, but it failed miserably. Lacking voice and structure, it made a book that was not worth reading at all.
Frankie has grown up. She used to be a bunny, but now is the honey of the most popular guy in school: Matthew Livingston. She goes to Alabaster, a premier school for rich kids, and now, in her sophmore year, is finally finding her place in school society. Suddenly she has been elevated to the post of popular and is no longer a geek. As much as she loves Matthew, she can't help but feel annoyed when he runs off with his friends. So she devises a plan, a plan that will change the secret society Matthew is running.
First of all, the distant narration made Frankie sound like a heroine, which she is not, and made the book boring to read. Several times I skipped over whole sections of the text. The plot seemed implausible, though I like the girl power she established. I don't think that a girl could change so completely from annoyance, and found the whole book to be a boring waste of time.
4 of 13 people found the above review helpful.
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 Proceed with caution, March 13, 2009
By Public Librarian (Baltimore)
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Even though this book is written for a young adult audience, I would not recommend it to all teenagers. First of all, the book is quite wordy. The language is pretty sophisticated and the dialogue sounds more intellectual than an average teenager would use. Second, the students at the prep school use marijuana, drink beer, and smoke cigarettes, although Frankie, the main character does not. Third, the book's "humor" may not appeal to everyone. While some people may find Frankie's pranks "good clean fun," this would not be universally true. Personally, I didn't think it was funny when Frankie spied on people, stole keys, snuck into places she wasn't allowed to go and pulled pranks against the school authorities. She may have been showing her rebellious side, which is a common teenage trait, but I think Frankie went a little too far. The consequences for her actions, in my opinion, were not equal to the severity of the crime.
4 of 39 people found the above review helpful.
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Finally a Strong Female Protagonist!!!, June 15, 2009
By Andrew W. Roberts (Kirkland, WA USA)
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As a fourteen year old girl, (using her father's account!) this book has been one of my favorites that I've read recently! Frankie Landau Banks transforms over one summer from a geeky, frizzy haired girl who found pleasure in debate club to a gorgeous, sleek haired girl with a knockout figure! When the new semester begins at her fancy private school, (She is a sophomore) the totally-hot-and-popular-senior Matthew, starts taking an interest in her! From then on her life is a whirlwind of discovering how to play and what it's like to be played by her boys, discovering & secretly infiltrating a secret all male society and generally causing mayhem!
This book is a perfect read for any girl who is tired of being "part" of a guys' group, but never really included in "guy stuff"! This book was a fun and interesting read, because when reading about her life at the boarding school (because many of them smoke, drink and have wild and yet utterly cool parties) I felt inspired (in the utterly cool party and secret society sense) to go out and start something that would be remembered years later!
As well as being intriguing, this book was also hilarious! Frankie's mind works in such a cool way, from deciphering the real motives behind people's behavior to planning devious pranks that work perfectly; it is just awesome to be able to delve into it! It is also easy to relate to, because many of the things Frankie thinks about are what you begin to notice after reading this book! Things involving boys, cliques, and other school drama!
The only bad part about this book (and the reason it is only 4 stars) is because of the ending! You are furious because of the way Matthew and his friends act and saddened by what follows. I couldn't believe what happened, and then I thought about what happens in the book and realized that they are somewhat justified. (In the sense that I think they over reacted but they have a right to feel hurt and angry.) (Am I giving too much away there?) Anyway I came away from this feeling that it was too abrupt of an ending and that the author left several strings hanging! I'm hoping she writes a sequel because I always felt that Frankie and... should have ended up together!
Overall this book was awesome and I couldn't put it down after I got it!!
3 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Angieville: THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS, January 9, 2009
By Angiegirl (Rocky Mountains)
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I read The Boyfriend List (Readers Circle)t awhile back and enjoyed it but somehow didn't make it on to its sequel, The Boy Book: A Study of Habits and Behaviors, Plus Techniques for Taming Them (Readers Circle), or any of E. Lockhart's other titles. Then THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS came out and there was just so much buzz. And then it was named a finalist for the National Book Award. So I figured I'd better pick it up. Fortunately, Santa brought it to my home this year so I was able to jump right in.
Frankie is a sophomore at Alabaster Prep, super exclusive boarding school for the children of the elite. Ever since she was a kid, Frankie had heard her father and his cronies go on about a mysterious secret society known as the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. Once she starts at Alabaster it becomes clear that the Order is alive and thriving and open only to males. When she suddenly gains a few curves in the right places and a snazzy new boyfriend to go with them, Frankie becomes aware in a way she hadn't been up to this point in her life. And when the darling boyfriend starts evading her all the time, haring off to locales unspecified with other guys she just knows are in the Order, she decides to follow him. What she discovers from following Matthew (and the subsequent actions she puts into motion) change Frankie (and the Order) permanently. For the better? That's up to the reader. I say yes, but the whole thing is still painful to watch.
I am a bit conflicted over this book. For a variety of reasons. I felt like it really wanted to be Secret Society Girl: An Ivy League Novel meets Looking for Alaska. Not the best combination, IMO. This wasn't helped by the fact that I kept picturing Alpha (my favorite character) as The Colonel in my head. I usually quite like third person present narration, but in this case it felt slightly contrived, particularly since Frankie never gelled into a tangible character for me. I laughed several times while reading and I liked Frankie but I didn't love her. I liked her for her dogged attempt to wade through the ever shifting waters of a rather assaultive adolescence and an unsympathetically exclusionary pack of boys who told her they liked her but clearly didn't know her at all, nor did they seem to care to. Despite these obstacles, or perhaps because of them, she managed to carve out a place where she could be herself, free from manipulation. I liked her combative and compelling relationship with Alpha. In fact, I wanted more of that and less mooning over lackluster Matthew. But the book ended just when things were getting interesting. I suspect I would really enjoy a sequel.
3 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Brilliant, March 26, 2008
By bridgettesbooks.blogspot.com (TN, USA)
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I'm not sure what more I can add after Little Willow's excellent review, other than to highly recommend this. The History is a coming of age (as odd as that sounds) story. Frankie is automatically a wonderful, likeable character. E. Lockhart is incapable of writing a "simple" story. One thing that sticks out particularly in my mind is Frankie's neglected positive words. The small paragraph about her making that up, so don't try to impress your English teacher with this was wonderful and hilarious. Frankie is brilliant with her planning and schemming (I won't give away any spoilers.) If you're looking for a new, excellent book, go pick up The History (and her other books) at your local bookstore.
3 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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Irritating, June 26, 2009
By Y_E_A_H (Somewhere pretty boooring)
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I don't know about the ending. I'm about 150 pages in...and wondering if I should even finish it. This book is trying to be clever, and possibly educational and it seems to em that it fails at both. The way its written makes it seem like Frankie is a strong, powerful, feminest who doesn't need anyone.
But in several cases, like when she meets up with Porter, or is given the shirt, she acts like either a.) a total b**** or b.) amazingly insecure.
And then theres the wordy part of it. I actually enjoyed the neglected positives, but sometimes the way E. Lockhart writes it is confusing, as if she's trying to make it sound SUPER smart, and not just like another YA Novel. Which is fine, if you don't mind a lot of big words that don't really pertain to the story whatsoever.
But reading the other reviews, about a good ending I thin I'll stick with it. Who knows? Maybe it will get better.
3 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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Stealth Feminism - love it!, February 8, 2009
By bibliothecaire (USA)
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Frankie Landau-Banks, used to fading into the background at her expensive private boarding school, is more than a little surprised as she starts her sophomore year to finally be receiving attention from her crush, senior and big-man-on-campus Matthew. But despite the exhilaration of being sucked into Matthew's group of friends, sometimes she still feels like an outsider - and never more than when Matthew disappears off to the meetings of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hound, a male-only secret society and Good Old Boy training ground that has existed at the school for decades. Frustrated at being left out and underestimated, Frankie decides to take matters into her own hands, setting off a wild and rebellious prank war that will rock the school to its foundations.
My take: Feminism, yay! I think my favorite thing about this book is the way it will hopefully get girls (and boys too, of course) thinking about their own identities, their place in society, and what they're willing to do to either fit in or stand out in a crowd. I loved the way this book tackled the subtle but still very real ways in which male privilege is encouraged even in a supposedly equal society. I loved the way it dealt with a fun, intelligent girl who wants to be accepted as an equal and as "one of the guys," and her slow realization that in the minds of these guys, her gender will always exclude her from the group - unless she's in the official position of girlfriend, and even then she's relegated to the fringes. I loved the way Frankie took what she was learning about societal rebellion and culture-jamming in her classes and applied it to her own problems at Alabaster. The only thing I didn't overwhelmingly love was the ending, which was a bit of a downer and almost seemed to negate the whole go-against-the-flow message of the rest of the book. Sure, I expected there to be consequences for Frankie's actions, but I think I would have liked a more upbeat ending. The reader is left with no doubt that Frankie will keep fighting and that she's going to end up doing some incredible things with her life, but it still feels like a setback. Anyway, overall, loved it, would recommend it to a lot of teen girls I know. I'm so glad it won the Printz Honor!
3 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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Unlikeable protagonist and intrusive writing ruined it for me, May 12, 2011
By Dunyazad (New York, NY)
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This one kept showing up on recommendation lists, has won several awards, and had a very positive blurb from Ally Carter. Also, I'm sort of addicted to boarding school settings. So it was probably inevitable that I would pick this one up eventually, even though the basic premise didn't particularly appeal.
In the end, I probably should have gone with my gut rather than being swayed by all the praise. This was a quick read, and I actually stayed up a bit too late to finish it last night, but I still came away pretty disappointed in the story as a whole.
The main problem is that I didn't much like the protagonist. Frankie-Landau Banks attends an expensive boarding school, but was basically a nobody her first year. In the summer, though, she magically develops an amazing body and is soon dating a very popular senior.
Unfortunately, he's more concerned about his all-male secret society than about Frankie. He's not particularly interested in listening to her opinions. So Frankie comes up with all sorts of devious plans to show that secret society what a girl can do.
This could have been a good story, and Frankie's various pranks are certainly entertaining enough. What I didn't like was the fact that while supposedly rebelling against people's preconceptions of her, she's simultaneously extremely concerned about maintaining her relationship with this guy who doesn't respect her. It's not clear what the attraction is, beyond the physical and the fact that she likes being part of his group of friends. So much for the message of girl power and thinking for yourself.
At the same time, Frankie hardly ever seems to think about her old friends now that she's part of the popular crowd. She uses her roommate, certainly, whenever she needs to be let back into the dorm after sneaking out at night. But she never confides anything to her and readily ditches her when her new friends come by. In fact, Frankie's treatment of her roommate is pretty much the same as her boyfriend's treatment of her, so the fact that she finds fault with him while acting the same way herself makes her the worst kind of hypocrite.
I also wasn't particularly enamoured of the writing; I found it overly self-aware in a way bordering on the pretentious. On page 107, for example, far enough along that I'd like to be thoroughly absorbed in the story, a chapter begins with the following two paragraphs:
"How does a person become the person she is? What are the factors in her culture, her childhood, her education, her religion, her economic stature, her sexual orientation, her race, her everyday interactions--what stimuli lead her to make choices other people will despise her for?
"This chronicle is an attempt to mark out the contributing elements in Frankie Landau-Banks's character. What led her to do what she did: things she would later view with a curious mixture of hubris and regret. Frankie's mental processes had been stimulated by Ms. Jensson's lectures on the panopticon, [and various spoilers omitted]. All these were factors in what happened next. And here is another:"
Besides the fact that I wanted to be inside the story rather than analyzing it from a distance, I found that the events themselves didn't quite justify the build-up.
I was planning to write more, but I think I've already said more than enough. On the whole, this was a quick read but not ultimately a very satisfying one. Of course, I'm aware that I seem to be in the minority here. I wouldn't want anyone to avoid reading the book solely on the basis of my review, but I would encourage anyone who's considering it to think twice.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Entertaining and insightful, but also a little obscure for its intended audience, August 8, 2010
By Katie (Belmont,NC,USA)
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I picked this book up at the library and wasn't 100% sure if it would be my type of book. I got it anyway and after reading the books I was really interested in, I picked up this one. I'm glad I read it because it really is a good book.
The story centers around Frankie Landau-Banks, a newly blossomed sophomore who is attending Alabaster Preparatory Academy, the same boarding school attended by her father and sister. During her freshman year, Frankie's sister was still in school to guide her around and watch out for her. Therefore Frankie was able to hang out with a more popular crowd but was not actually part of the group. Now that her sister has graduated, Frankie will have to navigate through school on her own. Although she's an underclassman member of the debate team (and the Geek Club Conglomerate, by pure accident Frankie manages to intrigue and become the girlfriend of Matthew, one of the most popular seniors. While in most YA books this would cause the main character to be overjoyed, Frankie is unsettled by Matthew and his group of friends (including Alpha, someone she had met before yet he pretends not to have remembered the meeting). Frankie is unsettled by Matthew's devotion to his friends and how no matter how much Matthew involves her in his life, he is never a part of hers. Frankie soon discovers that Matthew and his friends are members of the school's secret society, The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, the same secret society her father was a member of when he was at Alabaster. Upon discovery of this, Frankie decides that she wants in and she embarks on her mission to infiltrate the Loyal Order.
I believe this book offers a fresh twist on prep school life and a teen girl's interactions and relationships with guys. Unlike Gossip Girl, there are no immature cat fights, purposely teasing and belittling one specific person, desperate and mindless swooning over boys, and obsessive tendencies towards gossip and fashion. Also, the book is much much much more intellectual then it's other teen prep school counterparts. It's also pretty mild when it comes to relationships. While it is suggested that two characters have had sex, the main character and her boyfriend don't do much besides kissing. I don't recall any particular use of profanity or questionable language. However, the boys in the story were keen on drinking beer and pot is referenced to by Frankie's fathers recollection of his time at Alabaster. The only other content problem was the blatant disregard for rules. The story is pretty much based on pranks and the breaking of both written and unspoken rules. While the pranks pose no harm to people, it shows disrespect for the institution.
I personally found this to be a really interesting story. I was eager to learn the secrets of the Bassets as much as Frankie was. The plot was a great one and a welcome new perspective on the prep school trend. The plot was engaging and fresh and seems like a very new concept to me. Based on the plot alone I would give this book 5 stars.
My problem with the story is mainly Frankie and the writing.
From a technical point of view, some parts of the book flew way over my head. Although the chapters are not long, the author did take up about half a chapter discussing a grammatical concept of "neglected positives" that I am still unsure of whether this concept exists or does not exist. The author seemed to be hinting that Frankie invented this concept. Neglected positives are described as words that are apart of a traditionally negative word but that have had the negative prefix removed. Examples of this would be "gruntled" stemming from "disgruntled" or "maculate" as opposed to "immaculate." Now although this is an obscure and very possibly made up form of vocabulary, I did not need more then one page to fully understand the concept. It's pretty self explanatory for something that may not even exist. I thought multiple pages on a fake grammar lesson was totally unnecessary.
Another thing that readers might find obscure is that for the rest of the book, Frankie proceeds to use words like "gruntled" and "turbed" (the neglected positive of disturbed). Not only is it slightly annoying to have these maybe fictional words thrown at you, but her use of them results in the other character questioning her vocabulary and Frankie having to explain it to them. While staying on the same subject, I also would like to note that Frankie's boyfriend Matthew is the son of a newspaper tycoon who got his start as a copy-editor. This means that Matthew also donates some grammar lessons to the dialogue. Not only do I not want to hear grammar lessons as I read a book for fun, the plot can totally make do without them. These grammar corrections just slow down the plot. I understand that they help explain why Frankie tries to infiltrate the boys club, but the rest of the plot can do that without discussions of grammar.
Another thing that broke up the plot was Frankie's essays for one of her classes. Although the essays on (real) groups of people who intentionally go out and break the unspoken rules of society are related to the pranks the Basset's play on the school, I could have really gone without 4 pages about the Suicide Club of San Francisco and another 4 on the Cocophony Society. I feel that the story just had too much unnecessary lessons on the most random things and it really hurt the plot.
I also wasn't pleased with how at the end *SPOILER* although the regular punishment for her pranks would be expulsion, Frankie got away with probation because the school didn't want to lose her fathers donations. While the book wasn't cliche, the ending obviously played upon the cliche that money can buy your way out of trouble.
My last problem is with Frankie herself. Although the plot is about a girl trying to fit in with boys who were their own secret society, I find her infiltration of the boys group more then just curiosity and low self esteem. In my eyes the distance she feels from the boys while being a part of her group is natural of boys of that age. Frankie tells of how when one of the boys broke up with his girlfriend (who would always sit with the boys at lunch and be included in the group), the next day no one said hello to her or acknowledged her. Frankie perceives this to be because she is no longer in their world so she no longer exists. Because she was just a girlfriend, she wasn't a real group member and is easily expendable.
Frankie also makes a point at sitting at the boys' senior table although the boys have not arrived to the dining hall yet. Frankie sees this as an act of rebellion against the group structure yet when everyone comes to the table, no one really cares that Frankie sat there prior to the senior boys arriving. While most people would be relieved that they could get away with doing that, Frankie seems annoyed that no one was offended by her action. I gathered the sense that she wanted them to be shocked and that she was offended that they didn't notice her being there first. It felt that because they didn't make a big deal about her sitting there, she had to retaliate.
Frankie's reasoning can be so immature and juvenile at times all while being overly deep. She thinks she is outwitting the boys but in reality she is just being jealous and manipulative because in her mind the boys are practically discriminating against her and she is trying to defeat them over something that has never happened yet. While the boys have a more sophisticated method of being high school boys, in reality they are just that and they are acting no different then other boys their ages except they have a club name to call themselves. I admire Frankie's roommate though because she didn't care whether or not boys had a secret club. She was just content in the life she was living. Overall I just thought Frankie was too obsessed with "the man" being out to get her and she went beyond curiosity. I felt like she wasn't trying to figure out why her boyfriend was sometimes distant as much as she was trying to make sense of the conspiracy theory in her head. I actually felt bad for Matthew because sometimes it seemed as if Frankie was more invested in making a point and fighting "the man" then in having a boyfriend.
While this was very interesting and I really loved it (I even shed a couple of tears at the end) not matter how much I criticize Frankie's motives, it got very intellectual a times. Not only was there grammar lessons, but Frankie's motives can be seen as very sophisticated and cerebral all while being juvenile. But, I do recommend this book. As long as you can deal with some grammatical references, this is a really great book with a fresh new perspective. The plot is a good one and I really appreciated the fact that this wasn't a normal cliche prep school book. While I thought Frankie did over analyze the situation sometimes, I would rather take that over the shallow clothes, boys, and money topics of prep school books such as Gossip Girl. It's better to think about the story and have a reaction then it is to just read about the superficial. So if you're ok with thinking about what happened, I recommend this book.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Sometimes, a girl has to choose..., December 19, 2009
By Gaby Chapman (Willits, CA)
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Frankie Landau-Banks just wants to be let in. As a sophomore at a prestigious East Coast boarding school, she is very happy that a really popular senior thinks she is adorable. But he and his buddies have the camaraderie, the intellectual repartee, and the bonding that appears to be creating a potential springboard for their future lives. That's where Frankie wants to be, but her boyfriend cannot imagine including her. Smart, philosophical, and highly creative, Frankie wants to be both arm candy and also to be, not only included, but the leader of the pack. She will have to choose, and though the going gets rough, she will choose and she will eventually be happy with her choice.
Author E. Lockhart writes books for teenage girls that helpfully explain boys to them and that also encourage girls to not become dependent on boys for their own identity. She does this in a very entertaining and light-hearted fashion-her books are page-turners, well-written, entertaining, and helpful. The Disreputable History of Franki-Landau-Banks won the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature and was a finalist for the National Book Award. It is a pleasure to recommend it for teenage girls-the content is even appropriate for middle school girls, though high school girls will probably find it more interesting.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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What a tangled web we weave, March 13, 2009
By YALitTeacher (United States)
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Teaching young adult literature to college students can be overwhelming, especially when trying to find a story with a female protagonist that won't make most of the guys in the class groan, "Not another mushy, girl story!" Here's a fantastic story for all. What stands here is a strong young lady, coming into her own, by her own wits and will. Frankie out-thinks the guys, a modern-day woman (not womyn) who gives the reader someone to cheer. Way to go E.!
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Creative, fun G rated book, February 2, 2009
By caligirlinnc (Raleigh, NC)
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Loved the book! Clean, fun, very creative. Would recommend this light read to all ages. G rated.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Yes. Rebel., August 27, 2008
By http://interactivereader.blogs.. (Seattle, WA)
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Some are turned off by the subtle (or not so) feminist undertones in The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. I am not. Why? Because I think it's new information to Frankie, and let's be honest, the intended audience, and because the info was given in annoying lectures by Frankie's older sister. Was her older sister simply a tool for that purpose and not fleshed out enough beyond that? There, you may have an argument, but in the context, I'm ok with it. What with sis off at college, and Frankie at the swank school alone for the first time - she makes her own interpretation of the feminist ideal. A funny, clever, action-prone, make-you-want-to-cheer interpretation.
Frankie's dad was a member of the Secret Order of the Basset Hounds. She's known OF them, but they've never been anything more than a name to her, what with them being a secret society and all. But the summer between freshman and sophomore year Frankie grew up. She goes back to her swanky and competitive boarding school a total knockout. And now people notice her. Now the most popular boy at school notices her. When the call goes out recruiting new Basset Hounds (all boys) and she begins to suspect that her boyfriend is the leader of the pack (vroom-vroom), Frankie decides she will show them that Girls are just as good as boys. Even if it means she has to go behind all of the boys' backs.
Favorite quote:
"...Frankie remembered how Matthew had called her a 'pretty package,' how he'd called her mind little, how he'd told her not to change -- as if he had some power over her. A tiny part of her wanted to go over to him and shout, 'I can feel like a hag some days if I want! And I can tell everybody how insecure I am if I want! Or I can be pretty and pretend to think I'm a hag out of fake modesty -- I can do that if I want, too. Because you, Livingston, are not the boss of me and what kind of girl I become.' But most of her simply felt happy that he had put his arm around her and told her he thought she was pretty" p 79-80.
Notice something a little different with that bit? It's 3rd person omniscient. It's unusual to find it in teen novels, and it lend an equally unusual, almost voyeuristic, tone to the title. There's a touch of distance between the reader and, well. Remember those nature movies Disney used to make? The narration in Frankie sometimes reminded me of those. It absolutely works, in fact, it makes it stand out. I also adore the duality of desire there - she wants to be recognized as an independent woman while still getting to be told she's pretty. All girls, no matter what, want to hear they are pretty once in a while. All girls should demand both.
It shoots out to the front when we speak of my favorite of E. Lockhart's (displacing Dramarama - though I've not read Fly on the Wall, and that's frequently other people's favs. According to my sources.).
Will there be a sequel? I don't know, but it wouldn't surprise me. There's definitely an open window. I'd read it. I think it will appeal to the general girl audience, but especially to those who like Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls books.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Great read for female kind..., April 14, 2010
By Heather (Nashville, TN)
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This is my second read of "The Disreputable History" and while I initially gave it a three star rating, I have since decided to give it an additional star. I would; however, like to note that Frankie still grates on me like sandpaper on bare arse.
When I first read this book, I was thrown off the story as there isn't a single "likeable" character that isn't minor (i.e. Trish and Zada). The book's heroine, Frankie, is described as attractive and intelligent, but as the story progresses, it is easy to ascertain that she is also deluded, hypocritical and pig headed. She makes terrible choices and yet is the first to throw stones on the choices and actions of others. I found it irritatingly duplicitous that she judged all her female peers for daring to enjoy being "feminine" (i.e. cooking and crafts) and yet was frustrated by the boys at her school for judging her for her gender. Was she not just as guilty? Furthermore, she secretly mocks these girls for being at these boys beck and call when Frankie's every action is geared toward earning their approval. Even after the fallout and Frankie's supposed self awareness takes hold, Frankie's heart surges when Alpha praises her, this from a boy who treats women like dirt and whose entire persona is a lie. Even on the last page, she is pinning away after her ex, Matthew, hoping to earn a place in his good graces, until he makes it clear he has no interest, and then of course, she is better than him, he lacks awareness, etc. Yeah, right.
So as I was saying, I was initially deterred by a book that possessed an unlikable heroine, a cheating ex-boyfriend, a patronizing current boyfriend, and a lying, arrogant womanaziser. If this book was meant to be about feminism, Lockhart missed the mark in Frankie. She isn't a feminist; she's a judgmental whack job, Zada and Trish, however, would have fit the bill perfectly. But then, I thought about it, and realized that perhaps that is the beauty of it. E.Lockhart has endeared herself to me as a favorite author because she pens such honest, authentic characters. I don't like Frankie, I don't respect her choices, I disagree with her assumptions, but there is no denying she is affecting, and more to the point, she is bona fide.
"The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks" may make you grit your teeth, role your eyes, and dislike Frankie, but it will also force you to turn the pages for sheer readability, and perhaps may also cause you to realize that there is no such things as flawless, authentic characters, in life or in books, which for me, was the true moral of the story.
2 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Entertaining and insightful, but also a little obscure for its intended audience, August 9, 2010
By Katie (Belmont,NC,USA)
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I picked this book up at the library and wasn't 100% sure if it would be my type of book. I got it anyway and after reading the books I was really interested in, I picked up this one. I'm glad I read it because it really is a good book.
The story centers around Frankie Landau-Banks, a newly blossomed sophomore who is attending Alabaster Preparatory Academy, the same boarding school attended by her father and sister. During her freshman year, Frankie's sister was still in school to guide her around and watch out for her. Therefore Frankie was able to hang out with a more popular crowd but was not actually part of the group. Now that her sister has graduated, Frankie will have to navigate through school on her own. Although she's an underclassman member of the debate team (and the Geek Club Conglomerate, by pure accident Frankie manages to intrigue and become the girlfriend of Matthew, one of the most popular seniors. While in most YA books this would cause the main character to be overjoyed, Frankie is unsettled by Matthew and his group of friends (including Alpha, someone she had met before yet he pretends not to have remembered the meeting). Frankie is unsettled by Matthew's devotion to his friends and how no matter how much Matthew involves her in his life, he is never a part of hers. Frankie soon discovers that Matthew and his friends are members of the school's secret society, The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, the same secret society her father was a member of when he was at Alabaster. Upon discovery of this, Frankie decides that she wants in and she embarks on her mission to infiltrate the Loyal Order.
I believe this book offers a fresh twist on prep school life and a teen girl's interactions and relationships with guys. Unlike Gossip Girl, there are no immature cat fights, purposely teasing and belittling one specific person, desperate and mindless swooning over boys, and obsessive tendencies towards gossip and fashion. Also, the book is much much much more intellectual then it's other teen prep school counterparts. It's also pretty mild when it comes to relationships. While it is suggested that two characters have had sex, the main character and her boyfriend don't do much besides kissing. I don't recall any particular use of profanity or questionable language. However, the boys in the story were keen on drinking beer and pot is referenced to by Frankie's fathers recollection of his time at Alabaster. The only other content problem was the blatant disregard for rules. The story is pretty much based on pranks and the breaking of both written and unspoken rules. While the pranks pose no harm to people, it shows disrespect for the institution.
I personally found this to be a really interesting story. I was eager to learn the secrets of the Bassets as much as Frankie was. The plot was a great one and a welcome new perspective on the prep school trend. The plot was engaging and fresh and seems like a very new concept to me. Based on the plot alone I would give this book 5 stars.
My problem with the story is mainly Frankie and the writing.
From a technical point of view, some parts of the book flew way over my head. Although the chapters are not long, the author did take up about half a chapter discussing a grammatical concept of ""neglected positives"" that I am still unsure of whether this concept exists or does not exist. The author seemed to be hinting that Frankie invented this concept. Neglected positives are described as words that are apart of a traditionally negative word but that have had the negative prefix removed. Examples of this would be ""gruntled"" stemming from ""disgruntled"" or ""maculate"" as opposed to ""immaculate."" Now although this is an obscure and very possibly made up form of vocabulary, I did not need more then one page to fully understand the concept. It's pretty self explanatory for something that may not even exist. I thought multiple pages on a fake grammar lesson was totally unnecessary.
Another thing that readers might find obscure is that for the rest of the book, Frankie proceeds to use words like ""gruntled"" and ""turbed"" (the neglected positive of disturbed). Not only is it slightly annoying to have these maybe fictional words thrown at you, but her use of them results in the other character questioning her vocabulary and Frankie having to explain it to them. While staying on the same subject, I also would like to note that Frankie's boyfriend Matthew is the son of a newspaper tycoon who got his start as a copy-editor. This means that Matthew also donates some grammar lessons to the dialogue. Not only do I not want to hear grammar lessons as I read a book for fun, the plot can totally make do without them. These grammar corrections just slow down the plot. I understand that they help explain why Frankie tries to infiltrate the boys club, but the rest of the plot can do that without discussions of grammar.
Another thing that broke up the plot was Frankie's essays for one of her classes. Although the essays on (real) groups of people who intentionally go out and break the unspoken rules of society are related to the pranks the Basset's play on the school, I could have really gone without 4 pages about the Suicide Club of San Francisco and another 4 on the Cocophony Society. I feel that the story just had too much unnecessary lessons on the most random things and it really hurt the plot.
I also wasn't pleased with how at the end *SPOILER* although the regular punishment for her pranks would be expulsion, Frankie got away with probation because the school didn't want to lose her fathers donations. While the book wasn't cliche, the ending obviously played upon the cliche that money can buy your way out of trouble.
My last problem is with Frankie herself. Although the plot is about a girl trying to fit in with boys who were their own secret society, I find her infiltration of the boys group more then just curiosity and low self esteem. In my eyes the distance she feels from the boys while being a part of her group is natural of boys of that age. Frankie tells of how when one of the boys broke up with his girlfriend (who would always sit with the boys at lunch and be included in the group), the next day no one said hello to her or acknowledged her. Frankie perceives this to be because she is no longer in their world so she no longer exists. Because she was just a girlfriend, she wasn't a real group member and is easily expendable.
Frankie also makes a point at sitting at the boys' senior table although the boys have not arrived to the dining hall yet. Frankie sees this as an act of rebellion against the group structure yet when everyone comes to the table, no one really cares that Frankie sat there prior to the senior boys arriving. While most people would be relieved that they could get away with doing that, Frankie seems annoyed that no one was offended by her action. I gathered the sense that she wanted them to be shocked and that she was offended that they didn't notice her being there first. It felt that because they didn't make a big deal about her sitting there, she had to retaliate.
Frankie's reasoning can be so immature and juvenile at times all while being overly deep. She thinks she is outwitting the boys but in reality she is just being jealous and manipulative because in her mind the boys are practically discriminating against her and she is trying to defeat them over something that has never happened yet. While the boys have a more sophisticated method of being high school boys, in reality they are just that and they are acting no different then other boys their ages except they have a club name to call themselves. I admire Frankie's roommate though because she didn't care whether or not boys had a secret club. She was just content in the life she was living. Overall I just thought Frankie was too obsessed with ""the man"" being out to get her and she went beyond curiosity. I felt like she wasn't trying to figure out why her boyfriend was sometimes distant as much as she was trying to make sense of the conspiracy theory in her head. I actually felt bad for Matthew because sometimes it seemed as if Frankie was more invested in making a point and fighting ""the man"" then in having a boyfriend.
While this was very interesting and I really loved it (I even shed a couple of tears at the end) not matter how much I criticize Frankie's motives, it got very intellectual a times. Not only was there grammar lessons, but Frankie's motives can be seen as very sophisticated and cerebral all while being juvenile. But, I do recommend this book. As long as you can deal with some grammatical references, this is a really great book with a fresh new perspective. The plot is a good one and I really appreciated the fact that this wasn't a normal cliche prep school book. While I thought Frankie did over analyze the situation sometimes, I would rather take that over the shallow clothes, boys, and money topics of prep school books such as Gossip Girl. It's better to think about the story and have a reaction then it is to just read about the superficial. So if you're ok with thinking about what happened, I recommend this book.
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Excellent blend of feminism in a YA novel, June 27, 2010
By Tia (Secane, PA)
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Frankie, a sophomore a Alabaster Prep, a prestigious boarding school, is surprised when the hot and popular senior Matthew takes an interest in her. But Frankie soon realizes that she doesn't just want to be Matthew's girlfriend; she wants to be a part of his group of friends and their all-male secret society. However, in their eyes, no matter how smart or interesting she is, Frankie is just a girl who can never be one of the guys. Frankie's awareness leads to infiltration of the society and social protest as she aims to prove she should not be underestimated.
The Disreputable History is an excellent read for people who love strong characters but might be wary of stereotypical ""prep school"" fiction. Frankie is a feminist hero who actively rebels against the unwritten codes of behavior, specifically those that govern men and women's actions, and more broadly those that govern how people act within society. Not that Frankie doesn't experience moments of doubt along the way--after all, she likes Matthew and wants to be his girlfriend--but that won't stop her from doing all she can to prove she's more than others expect her to be.
Frankie's great at breaking down gendered standards that guide relationships. She has an awesome rebuttal to an ex-boyfriend's paternalistic attempt to warn her against Matthew, and she has a similarly independent response to her sister when her sister says she is a toy of Matthew for wearing a shirt he gave her. Lockhart does an excellent job capturing the dynamics of boys' and girls' relationships in high schools that I thought was very true to life.
Disreputable History also spends a considerable time on the panopticon (idea comes from a prison design): the concept that people feel as if they are being watched and judged at all times, thus causing people to obey standards of behavior even when alone. In this way Lockhart explores how many of our behaviors and interactions are guided by fear of societal reprisal. It's heavy stuff for a young adult book, but it doesn't feel heavy at all in the novel.
Lockhart keeps an active and conspiratorial tone in the book which, although told in third person, conveys Frankie's attitude and voice perfectly. The social commentary is worked into snappy dialogue and the genius mechanism of Frankie's mind, so the book never feels dogmatic.
There's perhaps a bit too much time spent on imaginary neglected positives (INPs). For example, ""Impetuous means hotheaded, unthinking, impulsive. The positive of it doesn't exist, so you can make a new, illegitimate word. Petuous, meaning careful"" (111). It's cute and funny, but the joke drags on some.
Otherwise, the book is fabulous. Frankie is the awesome girl everyone wishes he/she knew, and the ending is satisfying and realistic. I think it would be an excellent way to jump-start discussions on gendered expectations within the classroom.
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going great, then blah, October 8, 2011
By reader88
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I checked out this book after one of my favorite authors (Ally Carter) recommended it. It was very interesting and definitely had a strong lead character. The elaborate things she worked out were fun reading and then... came the non-ending. I won't put a spoiler but for me, I felt the author used up all the cleverness 3/4 through the book and then just stopped. Oh, I'm sure it was meant to be a trendy, "just imagine" type ending but I'm not a fan. If I want to imagine character plots and choices for myself, I'd write by own book. So, promising and then... blah. blah.
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Fun (Maybe) But Flawed, August 12, 2011
By A. Martin
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I was coaxed into reading this book by a friend who'd read it and wanted to talk about it. It's that kind of book. It brings up a lot of issues and will make you think. However, I don't think it deals with its issues in a clear way (and not in an intentionally ambiguous way either, from what I can see). It seems confused.
'Muddy' is the best word I can find to describe this book. I was often uncertain as to how the author intended certain events to be interpreted. Other reviewers have mentioned some of their concerns. The big one is: how much of a feminist is Frankie really? Is she a strong female character, or just a borderline psychopath? Is she overstepping gender expectations, or just expectations we have for humans generally? And if she's taken her issues beyond gender issues, does E. Lockhart know?
The book itself raises a number of questions, but many of the questions just muddy the waters. The book takes on a lot of issues -- too many to explore comfortably, and none that can quickly be answered/resolved.
A few other notes:
Almost none of the characters are likable. I doubt they're supposed to be likable. I don't think this makes the book a bad book, just one you might not enjoy.
E. Lockhart does a good job of following the actions of the characters to their logical conclusions. She doesn't tack on an easy ending.
Some reviewers have complained about the little grammatical tangents, which I personally enjoyed very much. The book is written in a self-conscious style that I thought mostly worked. However, it could easily get on some people's nerves.
This was a daring book to write, and I'm glad Lockhart gave it a shot. I'm just not sure how much she succeeds.
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Hilarious and Fabulous!, January 27, 2011
By Reading Teen Blog (DC)
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Frankie is a sophomore at her prestigious boarding school, trying to figure out where she fits in now that her popular sister has graduated. The previous year, no one really paid her any attention, especially Matthew Livingston, who is now the most gorgeous and popular senior at the school. But this year is different. This year people are noticing her. And when Matthew not only notices, but starts dating her, she doesn't think anything could be more perfect.....at first. But Frankie isn't happy just being someone's "arm candy". She has a brain, she has ambitions, she has ideas, but she is constantly underestimated: by her family, by her friends, and especially by Matthew.
When Frankie finds out about a secret, exclusive, all-boys society that her boyfriend and his friends are involved in, Frankie decides she will show them that she's just as capable as they are.....maybe even more so.
Let me get this out of the way, because I want my review to end on a positive note. I do NOT like the covers for this book. I would NEVER have picked it up if it weren't for the fact that I won it in a contest, and because of the recommendation of Kiersten White (author of Paranormalcy....my booklove). My other, semi-complaint is that I'm somewhat unsatisfied with the ending. Although logically it made sense, and the "girl-power" part of me was happy, I still wish there would have been a little more happiness at the end. I wanted Frankie to be happy, and at the end, I still felt bad for her.
Ok, on with the good part:
This pseudo-documentary shows us Frankie's transition from "nobody" to "evil genius mastermind" in a way that makes you quickly fall in love with her. I can't name a single female main character that I feel was better portrayed than Frankie was. Normally books are so focused on how hot and wonderful the guy in the story is, that I'm left wondering what was so great about the girl, and why all these guys are falling all over themselves for her. This was TOTALLY NOT the case with Frankie. Honestly, I thought Matthew was ok, but I completely fell in love with Frankie! She was so smart, and witty, and fun, and fresh! I loved that she could be so confident, but somehow at the same time still have all these insecurities, and while having the insecurities, she would realize her insecurities (and fears) and talk herself into going against them. She was such a schemer, and over-analyzed everything, but it was SO fun to read her internal dialog.
I also loved all the word games, and the playful use of language (though younger readers may be thrown a little by it, or possibly bored). I found myself laughing out loud over and over again.
Example-an email conversation between Frankie and her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her:
Porter:
Frankie, what's up? Hope your term is going well so far. I want to apologize for what happened with Bess last year. -Porter
Frankie:
You mean, you want to apologize, or you are apologizing? Your grammar is indistinct.
Porter:
This is me, apologizing. I apologize.
Frankie:
Also, "for what happened with Bess." Meaning, what? Is your vaguery advertent?
Porter:
Vaguery was inadvertent.
For fooling around with Bess behind your back. You let nothing slide, do you?....How about a burger Wednesday?
Frankie:
Why should I have a burger with you? Give me three reasons.
Porter:
Free burger bought by me.
Because I would like to be friends.
Because there's something I want to talk to you about.
Frankie:
What do you want to talk about?
Porter:
I'll tell you when I see you. xo Porter
Frankie:
Don't xo me, Porter. Just because I'm letting you by me cheese fries doesn't mean you can xo me.
I just LOVE her!! And actually, it wasn't just her, it seemed like almost all of the characters were quick and witty and a little bit snarky (in a good way). It reminded me of the dialog in The Gilmore Girls. :) Also, I think it must attest to the personality and wittiness of the author, so kudos to you miss Emily Lockhart!
While the story acknowledges the existence of sex and drinking in high school, it isn't glorified or magnified. In fact, Frankie doesn't seem phased by anyone else's choices, but instead is very "comfortable in her own shoes," living the way she feels is best for her. I really appreciated that as well. She seems to let peer pressure roll off her like water off a duck's back!
AND THE PRANKS! Did I mention the pranks? How much fun is that?? I loved that she masterminded all these pranks and made the "good 'ol boys" just follow along to her every command. How fantastic! It made me want to be a part of it! Actually I just wanted to BE Frankie!! I wish I was half as witty and courageous and inventive as she is.
I could go on and on about this book....wait, I think I have. I have a feeling this is a book you'll either love or hate. For me, I loved it! I hope you'll give it a chance, and that you'll love it as much as I do!
-Andye [...]
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Underappreciated, August 12, 2010
By (author of Filter)
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I hate reviews that tell the whole story so I will simply say, I wish there was a Book Two. I hated seeing the end of the story. This has to be the best teen read I have come across in the last year...and yes, that includes certain more popular books. Lockhart doesn't take the obvious road and she allows Frankie to do her own thing. Sometimes writers twist events and characters to fit into a mold that will make their work more marketable or more appealing to how they themselves would want things to be. Not E. Lockhart, she allows her story to take the path that's weeded over and largely unpleasant. It was a fantastic read that I will be reading again..since it is sadly not a series.
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[...] Recommends Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, October 30, 2009
By Daisy Whitney (San Francisco)
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You know those hypothetical questions where someone asks "If you could be any character from a book who would it be?" I have my answer now that I've read E. Lockhart's "The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks." The answer is Frankie Landau Banks because she is a modern-day rabble-rouser, a provocateur, a troublemaker in the best, most playful sense of the word. Frankie Landau-Banks is a sophomore at the prestigious Alabaster Prep school in Massachusetts (think Exeter, Andover, etc.) when she learns about the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, an all-male secret society at her school. She's fascinated with the camaraderie of the boys in it, their clubbiness, but also their exclusivity. She infiltrates the group and begins commanding them to commit a series of fantastic pranks across the school, all without them having a clue she's the mastermind. And yet it keeps gnawing at her that the only reason she can't be in this group is because she has boobs. Frankie is a feminist, a malcontent, someone who will always question the social order. And that's something we need to see from time to time in young adult literature.
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Don't mess with a smart girl, September 5, 2009
By Tattooed Books (Troy, IL)
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Frankie Landau-Banks has transformed into a girl over the summer. Not only did she change so much physically that more boys are noticing her, but her attitude towards her male-dominated, prep-school world has become wrathful. After growing up listening to her father and his buddies regale her with tales of outrageous things they did with their prep-school secret society, The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, Frankie decides that she will join this "renegade" society. To her dismay, she discovers not only are girls not allowed, but the Bassets have fallen from their glory days.
Due to her summer transformation Frankie manages to attract the attention of gorgeous senior Matthew, who happens to be a member of the secret society. Through Matthew, Frankie determines who the leader is and decides to make a little mischief to reclaim the glory that was once so prevalent on campus. Little does she know what sleeping dog she will awaken...
Frankie Landau-Banks is a terrifically accessible character for many younger girls. Always thought of last and disregarded as the "baby of the family" she asserts herself in the ways that most people only dream about. Luckily for the story, instead of everything working out to her benefit, she has to watch as her world mutates into something unrecognizable when she loses control of the monster she has created. A thoroughly enjoyable read!
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A Fun and Reputable Book, August 22, 2009
By dcb (Holladay, Ut United States)
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My genius librarian daughter in law recommended this book to me. I had asked her to give me five books in the young adult literature category that I may enjoy. And, I did enjoy the book immensely and raced right through it, tickled here, laughing there, cringing now and then and having deja vu moments going all the way back to high school and those never forgotten times. I do have to wonder if normal high school kids will really understand the book as well as adults. But if they're like Frankie, they'll understand it better than I did.
It's a great and quick read, almost more of a novella. Give it a try when you're in the mood for something old fashioned and clever.
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A page turning, thought provoking read, June 29, 2009
By Bookduck (Midwest)
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Frankie returns to Alabaster Preparatory Academy, a boarding school, for her sophomore year. She's a little curvier than before, and the boys are noticing--although the only boy she cares about is Matthew Livingston, her crush since freshman year. In fact, much of the story
is set in motion when Frankie, who is riding a bike, sees Matthew in the first few days of school and becomes so distracted that she loses control of the bike and skins her knee. Matthew comes running over to make sure she's okay, and the two begin to flirt. Two important threads are established: 1) Matthew cannot remember meeting Frankie in the previous year, and 2) Matthew obviously enjoys coming to Frankie's aid.
Matthew's inability to remember Frankie gives her a small feeling of insignificance, and inadvertent as well as fake forgetfulness figure prominently in the novel. When Frankie begins to suspect that Matthew is involved in a secret society called the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, she follows him. As their relationship develops, she expects him to tell her more about the Order. Matthew doesn't. Frankie is frustrated--Matthew won't trust her, and she can't join the Order because she is a girl.
In addition to dating Matthew, Frankie is swept up into his world, his friends--and she likes it there, something that I believe many girls can identify with. Most of us have either been Frankie or Frankie's friend, watching her become so wrapped up in her boyfriend's life that she begins to forget she has her own. Matthew is sweet and nice--everything a girl could ask for, but he never makes an effort to get to know Frankie's world. And as much as Frankie loves being with Matthew and his friends--other members of the Order and their girlfriends--she dislikes her place in that world. Matthew and his friends discount her as being a sweet sophomore girl. Frankie longs for equal status, recognition, and power. So she decides to do something about it.
I loved this book. LOVED. IT.
The cast of characters is strong and well-rounded, no matter how big or small their roles. The pacing was spot-on; every time I sat down to read for "just a little while", I lost track of time and just kept reading. I had to know what happened next! I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, and Frankie's wordplay is half the fun of the book. She plays with grammar and comes up with "neglected positives". For example, possible is the neglected positive of impossible. When applied to other words such as "disturbed" and "indulge", the concept becomes more amusing. (I'll save the full explanation for Frankie). There's also a secret society, a mystery, a relationship, and many pranks!
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is also a book that stayed with me--it's been two days since I finished it, and I'm still trying to make sense of Frankie. Thank you, E. Lockhart, for an engrossing, entertaining, and thought provoking book. I highly, highly (with a gold star!) recommend this book.
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A New Favorite, May 31, 2009
By Shen Git (USA)
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Wow. This is one of the coolest books I've picked up in quite a while. Somehow a hardcover wound up on the Bargain table at Borders, and when I learned that A) Frankie was a girl, B) She was leading the Loyal Order of Basset Hounds, and C) She was possibly a criminal genius... I just had to buy it. Good choice.
It turns out that Frankie has [...] including the National Book Award--which was given out at my university, long before I knew the book existed. CURSE YOU, CHANCE!!!
Frankie is a fifteen year old girl who attends a very classy boarding school--the kind that's over a hundred years old and entrenched in Old Boy culture. This bothers Frankie on some level, but she hasn't done much about it. Then, between freshman and sophomore year, she grows boobs and starts to feel rebellious. On her return to school, she is noticed by Matthew, the most popular boy there. She is welcomed to their lunch table with the other girlfriends... but girlfriends are, essentially, expendable. It's the boys who are solid, the boys who are bonding for life and will one day be high-powered CEOs and politicians who do each other favors. Frankie watches other girls disappear from their radar as though they had never existed.
She wants in. She adores these boys and their camaraderie. She wants to join them, be part of this exclusive club... which it turns out is an actual club: The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. But she never can. They will never even consider it, because she is a girl. So Frankie takes matters into her own hands... she usurps control and starts orchestrating the biggest, most effective pranks the Order and the school have ever seen.<!--more-->
But will the boys ever really accept her? Will Matthew ever willingly confide in her?
This novel is unique in that Frankie is a strategist, and a very well informed one. When relationship crises come up with Matthew--is he breaking up with her?--she thinks through all her options. If she pouts, nothing. If she gets angry, nothing. So she responds with careful calculation as to the results. Her mind is awakening. Her sister exposes her to feminism. Her new class is about authority, disobedience, and questioning the standard use of spaces--about obedience. It's an intellectual awakening paired with an awareness of her own emotional needs that is well beyond what most teens feel. At the same time Frankie is aware that something is changing in her, and that if she were normal she would be worried about girlish things and her other activities... not obsessing over the Basset Hounds.
Of course, things do eventually catch up with her. The boys don't appreciate being played. Frankie isn't entirely sure she likes the person she's become: shred, secretive, calculating. Her family worry that she's become unstable somehow.
I don't think she has. I recognize in Frankie an intelligence and awareness that is rarely appreciated in teenagers. Those kids suffer without understanding and opportunity.
The only 1 Star review on Amazon is a complaint that the behaviors in the book "aren't funny"--things like the boys drinking beer on the golf course, and Frankie spying on them. To which I say: Kids do these things. It doesn't help to hide them.
In fact, this novel contains the most realistic teen dialog I've ever seen. It's natural, current, and fun. I have had, and listened to, conversations just like these. It should be noted that the kids at this school are well-educated, but that just makes it even more fun. (Then again, maybe I'm the perfect audience for this book because I went to liberal arts school.)
As if all this weren't enough, a quick poke around Lockhart's website shows that she is an awesome woman, indeed. [...]
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More Than Just a Pretty Face, April 15, 2009
By For the Love of Books (Mankato, MN)
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Frankie, whose family calls her Bunny Rabbit, is a lot more than Zada's little sister and `just' a Sophomore at the Alabaster Preparatory Academy. She's also Matthew Livingstone's girlfriend - which is a major reason why she does the things she does. Her thoughts, feelings and emotions are probably more complicated than that of the general population. This girl is special. (So special that I want a sequel that talks about what happens when she grows up. World domination maybe?)
The book begins with A Piece of Evidence in which we read Frankie's confession and we get a glimpse of the joys ahead: the Night of the Thousand Dogs, the Canned Beet Rebellion, the Library Lady, the Doggies in the Window and the abduction of the Guppy (1). Frankie doesn't name her `co-conspirators' in her confession, but you will meet them all shortly enough. Lockhart takes us back to the beginning of the school year to explain how these events came to be, and the how and why of why Frankie does the things she does. And like I said, Matthew Livingstone is a major reason, but you can't discount his best friend, Alpha, either, because he's a complicated character himself!
I'm totally afraid of giving too much of this away. Let's see, what's safe to tell you...oh! There's the secret societies, the rebellion of the students, the pranks (named above), and a little romance! It's not the mushy kind, it's the young, somewhat innocent kind. Except that with Frankie you better not be keeping secrets if you're going to be dating her, and Matthew makes that mistake. When Frankie finds out what he's doing, she lays out a plan that will prove she's worth more than the superficial value Matthew has given her - but will it keep him close to her or make her lose him? And what about her ex-boyfriend Porter? Why is he trying to warn her about Matthew? The way Frankie's mind works to sort through these questions is amazing. She is one calculating young woman!
There is just no way that what I've written has done this book justice. The language alone is worth the read: Frankie takes words and uses their inverse, even if there technically isn't one. You'll notice three examples of this in the first two pages. Okay, okay, I'll tell you one: disgruntlement/gruntlement (and in the context of the letter, it's just fantastic!) The prose the author uses to describe Frankie's thoughts is sheer brilliance - you really feel like you're listening in on a very private conversation she's having with herself (you know you do it too!) and Lockhart really lets you feel the emotions that Frankie goes through. Even if it's been awhile since your teen years you'll still recognize a lot of the feelings and emotions Frankie has, but I'm sorry, there's just no way all of you are the masterminds that she is!
Notes on the Cover:
I love it! The seal from the Society of the Bassett Hounds on the pale blue envelope is an important part of the story, and it's a simple, yet inviting cover. That's about all I'm going to say on it - I like it a lot!
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And Another Book Read Reviews, April 14, 2009
By And Another Book Read
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Frankie Landau-Banks is not your typical teenager. She seems more interested in participating in debates than painting her toes. After an amazing summer where she transformed for a duckling to a swan she is ready to return to Alabaster, the boarding school she calls "home" for most of the year. Alabaster used to be a male only school, but they allow girls to come as well. Even though girls are allowed at Alabaster now there is still a strong male dominance. Especially concerning a famous secret society, The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, who are infamous for their scandalous pranks. Frankie has only briefly heard of this rumored society from conversation her dad has had, as he was an alum of Alabaster and supposed member of the Order. Shortly after school begins Frankie captures the heart after the gorgeous, much sought after Matthew Livingston. She is soon his girlfriend and invited into his inner circle of friends. While she loves being apart of this group of guys she realizes that they are all apart of the Order and are keeping it a secret from her. With ambition and some super sleuthing skills, Frankie listens in on a couple of meetings and learns that Matthew and is right-hand man Alpha are the current, so-called Kings of the Order. Whenever tries to lure information out of Matthew-and o, does she try- he either acts like he is clueless or just plain ignores her. This infuriates Frankie in more than one way. First of all, she doesn't think her boyfriend should be keeping secrets from her and second of all she doesn't think it's fair that the Order only allows male members. Being the type of girl that she is Frankie finds a devious way into the Order and makes sure that her name will go down in history. She devises many pranks and lets her message ring clear, but how is she getting away with it and how long can she make it last? Along her hilarious journey she realizes many things, not only about herself, but about how she should be treated.
When picking up this book I had high expectations, because it was written by the amazing E. Lockhart. Let me tell you, this book did not disappoint. In fact I think this is E. Lockhart's best book to date. Frankie's character was original and I felt like I instantly connected with her. I too have a lot of views that Frankie has, such as why do guys have different standards than girls and so forth. The way Frankie stood up for herself was great. I wish I could do as good a job as she could! Also the book was fall on the floor funny. I was laughing at all the pranks that got pulled and just the words that came out of Frankie's mouth. The setting was also really neat. I could actually picture myself sitting in the cafeteria eating the wilted vegetables, and walking on the grass where it deliberately says "No Walking on the Grass!" I definitely think that this is a must read for anyone looking for a truly humorous, honest, and all around great book!
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absolutely delightful!, March 14, 2009
By Lorel Shea (New England)
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Frankie is fifteen and has returned to her exclusive private boarding school for sophomore year. Over the summer, she's put on several inches and twenty pounds, "all in the right places". Suddenly, she is getting noticed by even the most popular of the campus boys. Before she knows it, she has the attention of the most popular senior guy. This change of status is thrilling for Frankie, until she realizes that she is really just viewed as an accessory and not a member of the group in her own right. She finds a way to become more involved and perhaps win some grudging respect, but what will it cost her in the end?
This is a wonderful read, and truly a difficult book to put down. Frankie is original, smart, funny, and the best young adult character I've come across in ages. I'd love to read more about her adventures, and I hope there will be a sequel.
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A terrific must-read, March 1, 2009
By KatyM (Minneapolis, MN USA)
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The only book I've ever found that deals with the dismaying reality of teenage dating, in a way that shows Frankie is far better than her circumstances. When Frankie turns into a "hot potato" but people keep thinking that she's still their little bunny rabbit, she turns her clever brain to secret plots. Lockhart may have written a classic.
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A Wonderful Book with Admirable Characters, August 12, 2008
By Bobbi Gore (OKC, OK)
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I really enjoyed this book, and the way the author had intellectual characters throughout. The main character, Frankie, is a feminist who does not like being left out of the club that her boyfriend and his friends belong to. The book is both funny and empowering, and it is very enjoyable to read.
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An author who knows teens aren't stupid!, August 7, 2008
By Lindsey, the crazy book girl (Rising Sun, MD)
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I got this book at the library but almost didn't start reading it. I barely look in the YA section of my library anymore, but lately, i've been finding myself heading over there. Well, I was quite impressed with this one. I've never read this author before, but I certainly will in the future!
Frankie Landau-Banks is a slightly geeky teenager attending an expensive private school. But the summer after freshman year, she grows up and becomes attractive enough to catch the eye of Matthew Livingston, one of the school's most popular guys.
I know it sounds predictable, but keep reading. Matthew is part of a secret society- a secret society that he refuses to tell Frankie about. So Frankie takes matters into her own hands, infiltrating the secret society, the Order of the Basset Hounds.
I did not like the way Matthew treated Frankie- he acted like she belonged to him and that she was too stupid to understand anything. However, I realize that's just his character. This book was refreshing, and it ended on a slightly mysterious note, so I hope perhaps the author is open to sequels. Greatly recommended!
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Witty, flirty & thought-provoking, April 20, 2008
By www.bookami.com
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With a cover reminiscent of The Secret, this book's secret is that it is a witty, flirty chick-lit novel that offers it's readers so much more than the typical girl trying to get the guy story.
Frankie Landau-Banks, "Bunny Rabbit" to her family, has always felt inconsequential. Her father, an Alabaster alum from the days when the school allowed only men, treats her as if she is a five-year-old. Her first and only boyfriend, Porter, fooled around with another girl and never even apologized. And when she begins her sophomore year and discovers that her big crush, Matthew Livingston, doesn't even remember her from last year even though she was introduced to him twice, it's certainly discouraging. Matthew only notices her when she falls off her bike and gets hurt. Frankie realizes that he totally likes the idea of rescuing a damsel in distress. Why is that? Of course, it does get her invited to a late night golf course party as his date, and soon she becomes his girlfriend. At first, Frankie is totally thrilled to be Matthew's girl, but soon he begins to cancel plans he made with her to go hang with his friend, Alpha. He's also lying about where he's going. Frankie decides to follow him one night and discovers that he belongs to the Basset Hounds, a secret all-male organization dedicated to partying and pranking. Why does this group exclude women when Alabaster is now co-ed? And why does Matthew always ditch her for his friends in the club? With Halloween approaching and the need for an awesome prank, Frankie creates the perfect opportunity for her to become the secret puppet-master of the Bassets.
I really love how this novel takes what we have come to view as typical teenage behavior and turns it 180. In so many novels girls lose their self-worth when the boy their pining for treats them badly. When Matthew treats Frankie badly, she takes action. She becomes the leader of Bassets and does it better than Matthew or Alpha ever could. She creates pranks that have meaning. Her exploits force the school to offer healthier food choices, recognize that school wide meetings should not be held in a chapel, and that the "old boy prep school" attitude is as dried up as an out of use swimming pool. When Matthew rudely and continuously corrects her grammar, she creates her own vernacular based on what she calls "neglected positives" (disgruntled-negative, gruntled-positive). Frankie is an innovator. She can change the world. As she herself thinks at the end of the novel:
"It is better to be alone, she figures, than to be with someone who can't see who you are. It is better to lead than to follow. It is better to speak up than stay silent. It is better to open doors than shut them on people. She will not be simple and sweet. She will not be what people tell her she should be. That Bunny Rabbit is dead."
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1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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A wonderfully refreshing read!, May 7, 2009
By Aira
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I thoroughly enjoyed every minute I spent reading this book. The title was not very enticing for me but I'm glad I did not judge a book by its title. I won't summarize the story as many have done so already.
The book is one of the best coming of age books I have read in a long time. It tells the story of Frankie and the changes that she goes through ages 14 to 16, laying the foundation for the young lady that she will grow up to be. The author sets the story in a prep school and we get a good insight into the life of students at these schools. She has developed her characters amazingly well and story is very realistic. You feel for Frankie and Alpha and all their friends.
I like that Frankie shared a good strong relationship with her sister. Frankie has a great sense of humor, is very smart but has her flaws as well. In fact all the characters have their flaws but they work to make the best of what they have. In the end, Frankie stands up for herself while learning some important lessons all women need to learn along the way.
The authors writing style is different and delightful. She seems to have a good grasp of a teen boy's mentality too. The plot is well woven and is air tight. The book is very refreshing and the author does a great job with the pranks Frankie pulls and they will make you laugh. Frankie is courageous, strong and an absolutely lovable person and this book is something I would definitely recommend that teen girls read.
1 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Funny, sad, and just a bit twisted, May 18, 2008
By BooksForABuck (Long Beach, CA)
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During the summer between her freshman and sophomore year, Frankie Landau-Banks grew four inches and added breasts. At her boarding school, she goes from being invisible (despite being the younger sister of an attractive senior the previous year) to sought after by the sexiest guy in the senior class--Matthew Livingston. Through her association with Matthew, Frankie can sit at the senior table, hang out with Matthew's popular friends, and bask in the envy of those not-so-lucky. There are a couple of complications, though. First, there's Alpha--who just might be the right guy for Frankie and who battles her for Matthew's attention. Second, she knows that her position is a gift--one that can be taken away. If Matthew dumps her, for whatever reason, she'll go back to being invisible.
When Frankie discovers that the Basset Hound Order, an organization her father was a member of, and that still defines his business and social relationships, is still active at the boarding school, she also learns that the boyfriend/girlfriend relationship has its limits. Although Matthew professes to be crazy about her, he won't tell her anything about the Basset Hounds. So, Frankie decides she'll teach all of them a lesson--and at the same time send some subversive and veiled feminist messages to the school and the world. Assuming an e-mail identity that the Basset Hounds believe to be that of Alpha (and that Alpha, caught up in the cleverness of her ideas and the praise he gets from his fellow Basset Hounds doesn't deny), she directs them on a campaign of pranks and subtle protests that threatens to alter forever their school.
Author E. Lockhart creates an intriguing and complex character in Frankie. Like any teenage girl, she wants to be accepted, to be popular, to be thought of as intelligent and worthwhile. Yet she faces institutions that remain stubbornly male, and that reward false rebellion more than the genuine article (the SUV purchase that shows that its owner could, although he won't, go off-road and climb mountains). Using the 'neglected positive' (e.g., if possible is the positive of impossible, then gruntle should be the positive of disgruntle), amusing pranks, and a believable look at the privileged world of high school boarding schools, Lockhard draws the reader into the story.
There is, however, a distressingly literary twist to the story. In genre fiction, Frankie's rebellion would ultimately, through heroic efforts, lead to some sort of victory. But in literary fiction, rebellion is ultimately punished by the implacable system. In Frankie's case, the ultimate victory of the system is foretold in the confession letter that opens the novel. This twist makes the story deeper--hey, that's the point of literary fiction, but also sucks some of the joy out of a mostly funny story. Because the reader can see that Frankie's rebellion is doomed from the start, that she doesn't even have a plan that could lead to the results she wants, we're both forced to think about the society she (and we) live in, and cheated out of some of the enjoyment of that rebellion.
Constructing a failed rebellion in the center of privileged represented by an elite boarding school (where the ultimate fear is that trouble in school may interfere with early admission at Harvard) is a bit audacious. Also audacious is Frankie's decision to risk the standing she achieved by being Matthew's boyfriend in an attempt to change the world--and to send a message that, ultimately, only her girlfriends were likely to understand. The irony was, she didn't need complicated hijinks to convince them--they already knew.
1 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Exellent coming of age story, April 28, 2008
By Not Enough Bookshelves (USA)
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The cover made me stop and pick this book up.
It's a fabulous cover. The title is great too. I flicked it open and was sold.
The story lived up to the promise of the cover, title and blurb. I loved it.
It's Frankie's coming of age story, she's finding out who she is and who she wants to be. She's making choices and living with the consequences.
Frankie is a great character; with a very strong voice. I was completely engaged in her story and rooting for her all the way. She's a girl of today and even though she breaks all the rules, she's a role model.
There were so many things I loved about this book: Frankie's refusal to not be excluded from the boys activities; the paper on The Suicide club; the secret society; the pranks; the references to P G Wodehouse; the playing with words. Most of all I loved the idea of being who you are rather than who the people you love want you to be, painful as that can be at times.
I'm really hoping this is the start of a series and we'll see more of Frankie. For now though I'll be rushing out to buy E. Lockhart's other books.
1 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Way above average, but still uneven, May 8, 2012
By Pop Bop (Denver, Colorado United States)
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Sometimes the writing is drop dead gorgeous, and some of the insights and observations, (either briefly noted or presented at length), are quite arresting.
But other times the writing just leaves us in "Gossip Girl" territory. Lockhart does women, (Frankie and her roommate, Frankie and her older sister), very well. Her treatment of the Alabaster boys is awfully shallow. That works well enough for this story, but it is a shame to miss adding a little more depth and understanding to those Basset Hound boys.
But that's a quibble. There are more interesting things going on in our heroine's head than in any other teen/ya book I've seen, and there is more entertainment in the plot and satisfaction in the writing than one has any right to expect. This is certainly a great choice for a more adventurous teen reader. (For what it's worth, if you are thinking about this book or have read it and liked it, the next step might be Libba Bray's Rebel Angels trilogy, which has a fantasy element but also a very realistic treatment of young schoolgirls in the Victorian era. A private school book with very well developed male and female characters and a 1920's setting, (and the same "rebel" theme), is Jeff Carney's "Adventures of Michael MacInnes".
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review: the disreputable history of frankie landau-banks, May 7, 2012
By Jen (Texas)
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If you like words, you'll love this book.
If you like wit, you'll like this book.
If you like sarcasm, you'll like this book.
If you like strong female protagonists, you'll like this book.
I feel as though I can end the review now, because it's really all you need to know: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is smart, witty and sarcastic, and features a wonderfully strong, quirky protagonist who loves words and uses neglected positives liberally. (She also made up the imaginary neglected positive - or INP - for when neglected positives aren't actually, you know, words.)
Frankie takes on the established hierarchy at her elite private school and its heralded secret society and proves that she's smarter than just about everyone. (Oh. Did I mention that you'll like this book if you like Veronica Mars? Because Frankie and Veronica would totally be BFFs if either of them existed in real life.)
She's so subversive and funny and empowered - even though I wished she would've kicked Matthew to the curb almost as soon as they started dating. There were so many times I laughed out loud, which attracted some pretty strange looks. I really must learn to stop reading in public. I almost always embarrass myself.
In conclusion, Girl Power is awesome.
The End.
P.S. You should really read this book.
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The What? What? of the What who?, March 15, 2012
By invinsiblechic
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This book is a great read for probably girls more than it would be for boys, within the first 5 pages your already intrigued in the book and wanting more and that is hard to find in most books today. With all the development of the character and plot and ya-da-ya-da-ya-da. I am looking forward to read more books from Lockhart and I hope everyone can enjoy this great book.
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4.5 stars for a refreshing perspective., February 13, 2012
By K. Parton (Laurens, SC)
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"The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks" by E. Lockhart is a great read for high school girls (or advanced middle school readers). This book is about an intelligent girl who has always felt underestimated by everyone around her, but during her sophomore year in high school, she dares to go up against a male only secret society at Alabaster, the boarding school she attends.
While not a fast read, "The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks" is an interesting book about our male dominated society, how we respond to girls who don't fit the mold, and how intelligent girls who break the mold fit into our society's 21st century boys club. A smart glimpse into the world of today's young women, this book will leave you wondering about the panopticon and which rules are worth breaking.
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Frankly, A Good Book, December 13, 2011
By SamD1996HHS
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The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart, is about Frankie and her Sophomore year at Alabaster Prep School in northern Massachusetts. During her summer, she matured and became very beautiful. When she started dating her idol, Matthew Livingston, she was invited to The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds; a secret all male club. Plus, she sees a boy, Alpha, she met over summer adding an interesting twist in the book. Over the course of the story, Frankie becomes much more wise and starts to manipulate the all male society. This was a fantastic book because it put a different perspective on prep schools and made you wonder about the outcome. Teens will love this book, too, because of the flow of the writing and the teen perspective. I would recommend this book for teens and young adults because it's a fun and exiting read!
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Inspired storytelling, December 9, 2011
By dee (Australia)
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Frankie Landau-Banks grew up over the summer. Her frizzy hair smoothed, legs got long, bra filled out and now heads are turning, for a change.
To her family she was `bunny', the last-ditch effort to save her parents flailing marriage, and her father's last (shattered) dream to have a boy.
To her fellow pupils at the prestigious Alabaster Preparatory Academy, she was known as Zada's little tag-along sister.
But now Frankie is sixteen, and by the end of the new school year she will have abducted a Guppy, campaigned for the rights of vegetables, created a subtle feminist rebellion and become the most despised student on campus.
This is her story, or at least, the prelude to her life's story.
`The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks' was the 2009 Printz Honor contemporary young adult book by E. Lockhart. It was also a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
Wow. Just, `wow'. I adored this book. `The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks' is exploring big ideas very subtly, and with a phenomenal narrative voice. This book covers a lot of teen dramas; dealing with social power-plays, sexism, feminism and inequality.
Frankie is starting at Alabaster boarding school afresh. She has gone up a cup-size over the summer, and now the popular senior boys are paying her attention. In particular, Matthew Livingston, heir to a newspaper empire and one of the Kings of Alabaster. But as Frankie and Matthew's relationship gets serious, his friends start vying with Frankie for his attentions, in particular Alessandro `Alpha' Tesorieri. When Frankie pieces together a curious puzzle concerning a secret all-male Alabaster society (so named the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds), Frankie concocts a plan to win her boyfriend's affections (and attentions) and insert herself into the masculine exclusivity of the tempting Basset Hounds.
But as their pranks get wilder and more politically-minded, Frankie starts to really come to care for the floppy-eared rebellion. She starts questioning her place as a `little woman' in a school of men.
The storyline could have deluged into so-so, mediocre territory if not for the utterly remarkable third-person narration that makes `Disreputable History' a stand-out read. Our omniscient narrator feels more like a biographer. Someone who is picking apart Frankie Landau-Banks' life history, and looking for the triggering moment that made her who she is today (as this God-like voice muses, she could have gone on to be a criminal mastermind, or president of the United States. At the very least.) We are given the impression that Frankie has become a person-of-interest, and now the time has come to sort through her sordid life history and look for contributing factors to her remarkable life.
The third-person narration is pure genius. It gives the novel a sense of foreboding, as we ponder Frankie's brilliant scheming that will lead her to such infamy and memoir-exploration.
Frankie is a female protagonist unlike any other. She is clearly brilliant, but swamped by her feelings of female inferiority in a school previously overrun by men. Frankie is a planner and schemer, with a sharp mind and unlimited cunning. She is also a girl in love for the first time. It's interesting to read and observe Frankie's conflict, between her clear brilliance and her need to pander to Matthew's affections. It's clear early on in the story what Frankie's journey will be. Lockhart is writing a girl's first encounters with sexism and the antidote of feminism. But it never felt like these high-ideals were shoved down readers throats . . . I also appreciated the fact that themes of sexism and feminism aren't exactly your run-of-the-mill YA explorations. Lockhart is offering up something different, but vital for young female readers. I tip my hat to her, I really do.
I don't know why I'm constantly surprised into liking Printz Honor books. It happened with `Please Ignore Vera Dietz' too, when I was completely caught off-guard by my absolute love of a prestigious book. `The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks' is more Printz brilliance. E. Lockhart is writing a memoir-esque encounter of a girl's grassroots rise to infamy (starting at high-school level, but no doubt rising to world domination in a few years). Our protagonist is cunningly wonderful as she navigates a man's world but finds a way to manipulate it from within. I absolutely loved E. Lockhart's inspired narration, and the vital theme of feminism in this young adult novel. A definite must-read.
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A Perfect Example of YA Lit Empowering Young Women, December 6, 2011
By Abigail T
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I have written a five-star review of this book on my "noteworthy YA fiction" blog: The Stuff That Isn't Twilight, but I'll post an excerpt of it below:
With a satirical and anti-sexist/anti-classist feel, "The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks" is a book that everyone can read and relate to. The narrator is an omnipresent 3rd person who tells the story in a very matter-of-fact and straightforward manner, telling this somewhat peculiar story without a hint of sarcasm or judgement. I laughed and laughed throughout the entire book, and also felt a sense of pride when Frankie did anything that pushed the sexist limits of her peers, teachers, and parents. However, Frankie is by no means a flawless hero. There are times when she is ruthless, egocentric, and stubborn, but those qualities just make her an authentic character that you continue to root for.
I'd say this book is perfect for ages thirteen and up, but there are plenty of in-jokes for adults who might like to pick it up as well (for example, Frankie's affection for P.G. Woodhouse). E. Lockhart has written quite a few books, and each one is absolutely fantastic, but "The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks" truly takes the cake with its phenomenal presentation, original characters, quick pacing, and lively, engaging narrator.
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Honestly, One of the Best Books I've Ever Read, November 28, 2011
By pandasweatshirt
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As an avid book lover, I confess to there being many, many books that have come through my life and given me great joy. But of the hundreds of books I've read in my life, this book has touched me in a special way that only a few special stories ever have. I first read this book about six years ago, and to this day it holds a very special place in my heart. I know that it will forever be one of those books that no matter how many times I read it, I will be able to open it up to any page and just sink my teeth into it like it's brand-new to me. It's that good, and I love it that much.
What do I love about it? Well, first of all I love Frankie. She is a wonderful character that I identified with quite easily. The book's plot is clever as well, and the subtle, dry humor encased in the writing compels you to continue reading. The conclusion, to me, is perfect and I wouldn't want it any other way. The story speaks to me and in all probability always will. Once I read this book for the first time, I knew that I would love it forever. As a freshman in college now, I proudly profess my love for this book. I also love the book's boldness and brazen originality. It is in no way similar to other books aimed at the teenage girl demographic. It is a million times better. The plot is different, the heroine is different, and it is wonderful. It's bold and unafraid, and you would never hear anyone describe it as "cliche." No, in a world where it seems more and more books are simply rewritten copies of others, this book stands out on its own and does a darn good job of it.
No matter your age, if you want to read a quickly moving story starring a heroine infinitely more interesting than the heroines of most teen girl books, choose this one. You won't be disappointed.
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Great Imaginations Review of Frankie, September 14, 2011
By K_Malinczak
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I had a lot of fun reading this book. And for those that don't know, this book has been nominated for and won a ton of awards. I'm not sure if I agree with all that, but I did enjoy what I read.
I guess when you compare the plot of this novel to the plots of other young adult novels that are out there right now, it was unique and really original. It was fun reading about a strong female heroine and Frankie was a great puppet master, but I wish she would have had less remorse for the things she did. Because I really didn't think her pranks were all that bad. Yeah, the one kid might have gotten expelled, but I think the way the teachers and the headmaster acted was a bit extreme. They were just some harmless pranks. No one got injured and no property was vandalized, so really, what was the harm? And I think that was probably the reason that the book failed to connect with me like it could have.
It's a great book for feminists and people who like to laugh. And it's a hard review to write, because everything was good, fun, and entertaining, but wasn't great. I really want to sit here and rave about it like everyone else has, but the fact of the matter is, it's been about three days since I finished it and I'm having a hard time remembering what I read.
The pranks were fun, and the plot was fun but it really didn't stop me in my tracks like it did so many others. It was a fast read though, and if you are looking for something quick and enjoyable, this would fit the bill perfectly. The writing was great though. And this is the second book by E. Lockhart that I have read, and I have enjoyed them so far. I will continue to read them, in the hopes that one will completely blow me away. But it hasn't happened yet.
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A strong female main character!, August 11, 2011
By Jacinda @ The Reading Housewives (Indiana, US)
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Up until right now, I couldn't get the title of this book right in my mind. I always left out a word or spelled a name wrong...searching for this book anywhere took me awhile. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks could have an even longer name and I would still read it! The name works with the story and I'm finally able to recite it from memory.
Frankie is a wonderful narrator with a strong voice. I enjoyed her story. Her humor and her outlook had me wanting to read more...another page turner for me. Frankie just wanted to be treated as an equal throughout the story and to be part of something she thought she had a right and wanted to be included in.
Frankie's story isn't just good for teenagers. I was also questioning and thinking about things in my life I could change to be like Frankie. She's only 15 years old, but she could be a role model for any woman at any age. Frankie is very inspiring and the courage and strive she showed during her story is commendable.
I loved much of the talk of secret societies, this book pretty much revolves around them, or one in particular. The talk of even a popular secret society movie had me smile. E. Lockhart's writing style is just gorgeous and all the little details she adds regarding language and panopticon (the dictionary helped me here) enhanced the story.
I'm now an E. Lockart FAN! I will be checking out her other novels probably starting with The Boyfriend List because I already own it. I'm hoping her other novels are just as fantastic if not better than The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.
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Dissappointing., August 2, 2011
By Sparrow (America)
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This book was recommended to me by my favorite teacher. She absolutely loved it, having recently read it in her book club, and was excited for some of her students to read it as well. I was pretty into it at first, but as the book went on I realized that Frankie wasn't really making much of a statement at all! The book ended with her pining for her boyfriend, and I feel that none of the characters were strongly written at all. I was definitely disappointed with this read.
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Courtesy of Chick Loves Lit, July 22, 2011
By Shanyn Day (Elko, NV)
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As I begin to write this review, I am noticing just how many awards this book received. WOAH. Nominations and awards up the wazoo. I knew it was a National Book Award finalist, since my library copy has a big shiny sticker declaring that, but Goodreads lists a ton, too.
But anyway.
This book kind of kicked me in the pants in the beginning. I guess most of the YA I have been reading lately has used more simple language, which allowed me to read very quickly - because I certainly could not do that with The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. The tone and voice is quite distinct and intelligent, which is ultimately why I liked the book so much - even if it did catch me off guard. The sentences and thoughts and dialogue are very intricate, well written, thought out.
Besides the intelligent writing, E. Lockhart has written a book with a great message (and a CLEAR message - not one that you can kind of assume when the narrator chooses one guy over the other or decides to not use her paranormal ability anymore etc etc etc). The last page, last sentence, last thoughts of Frankie show her progression through the novel, what our reader should have learned about her - and what the reader should realize about themselves.
I appreciate a good message. I also appreciate good character development, which was evident in this book. A few of the side characters weren't very deep for me - I didn't have a clear picture of them in my head and didn't really totally understand their personality - but the main, major characters? Yeah, I got them. I pictured them walking through campus, having lunch, debating the lack of salad bar. So I'm not sure I minded too much about those minor characters kind of fading back.
I'm thinking that The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is quite different from E. Lockhart's other books (The Boyfriend List, ..., ...,), in that the tone and subject matter are quite a bit different, but I will say that I am intrigued to see what she's done in those books much more after reading this one.
Overall an intelligent read, with clever bits and a strong female lead. Much enjoyed!
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Enjoyable, June 29, 2011
By Crys (AL)
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Lockhart has created a unique heroine in Frankie.
Frankie attends an exclusive prep school, is a sophomore, and dates one of the most popular guys on campus. Why isn't this enough? Because her boyfriend is a part of an elite, super-exclusive, all-male secret society, and Frankie is having none of it. She plots to become a member, and the outcome and consequences are what make her a powerful, modern heroine
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Relatable heroine who has an interesting choice of vocabulary, May 28, 2011
By Anaiz (Bay Area, California)
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4.5 Stars.This book was seriously entertaining! Frankie is underestimated, she is part of the Debate Club and is intelligent but she doesn't break rules or do anything out of the ordinary. She had frizzy hair and was awkwardly skinny. Over the summer however nature gives her a makeover. She begins sophomore year by attracting the attention of Matthew, most popular most gorgeous guy on campus who is also a senior. He and his friends claim to have never seen her before even though she has sat with them the year prior when her sister Zada was a senior and Frankie was a freshman.
I don't want to go into too much detail with the plot because I really think you should read it for yourself. Frankie does indeed show everyone what she is capable of, but once she does, is she satisfied with the outcome? I think most girls will relate to Frankie's character, I for one know exactly what it feels like to want to walk a different path. The writing in this book was great, it was funny and witty and I loved the "neglected positives and negatives" of words. I'm going to start using some of them just for kicks.
The pranks were one of my favorite aspects of the novel. They had fun names and had real meaning to them. Although I don't encourage others to replicate them, I kinda wish I could go back to my own high school days and whip out a few pranks. If nothing is damaged and no one is hurt I support any prank with a message. Or if it's funny. This book isn't a long read and once the ball got rolling I couldn't put it down!
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Girl Power, April 16, 2011
By Rachel Berbiglia
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One of the first reasons I loved this book is because it doesn't follow the typical `girl pines over the popular boy, girl gets the popular boy, girl gets jilted by the popular boy' format. Don't get me wrong. That is exactly what happens. But the refreshing part of the story is that Frankie never loses herself in her boyfriend. She starts to on several occasions, but she always reminds herself that she is not defined by her beau. I think this quote from the book (page 103) does a perfect job of summarizing: `They [girls] are so focused on their boyfriends that they don't remember they had a life at all before their romances, so they don't become upset that the boyfriend isn't interested.'
I think this book is a great way for girls to learn that they should not lose themselves in the boys that they will inevitably have crushes on. Frankie gets the guy and still has her own life. Refreshing.
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The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, March 31, 2011
By Chel (Chicago, IL)
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After reading some of E. Lockhart's previous books, I was slightly skeptical about starting this one. Not to say that her other books were bad... just not the best out there.
However, I have to say that I rank this book next to Dramarama. Meaning to say, it is one of her best (that I've read).
I won't spend much time summarizing, but basically this book is about a girl in a very elite boarding school. Frankie is not popular, but not a total reject. She somehow manages to snag the hottest guy in school, but there is a problem: he is keeping things from her. All she wants is to be a part of his inner circle of friends. And that's where the fun begins...
I loved the mysterious element of this book. It starts out in a confusing way, but it definitely captured my attention. I wanted to know how this seemingly innocent girl and, I hate to say it, goody-two-shoes, turned into a rebellious wild child. Like Frankie, I also found myself wanting to know just what was going on with the popular guys in the school.
I also enjoyed the tackling of a serious social issue, even if it was addressed in a fun and light-hearted way. The idea of men vs. women's rights is a tough one to address in today's society.
Although this review isn't going to focus only on women's rights, although that is a very good topic.
I enjoyed this book because of it's portrayal of this issue. Frankie wants nothing more than to be a part of her boyfriend's club, but he refuses to open up to her because of her gender, despite the fact that she has proven herself to be his intellectual equal. I feel that in the end Frankie learned something: that being a woman means not letting a man tell you no, even if that means letting a man go. This is a lesson to learn, because no woman should be treated as less than equal by any man.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book because of the very interesting story, the humor, and the important message. I think that all young women should read this book because of it's touching on that one important issue.
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Excellent book with a kick-butt heroine, March 31, 2011
By Heather ORoark (Winter Springs, FL)
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I've been anticipating reading The Disreputable History for as long as I can remember. I've been hearing such great things about this book for so long that I finally gave myself permission to just pick it up and give it a chance for myself.
And YAY for that because this book was everything I wanted it to be. This novel is fun, and funny, but it also has a lot more depth than I was expecting. Frankie is a person who does not believe in maintaining the status quo, at least not when the status quo is clearly beneficial for only the privileged few who get to enjoy the perks. This is a novel absolutely drenched in feminism, and I mean that in the best way possible. Frankie is not going to sit idly by, watching her male friends get to have all the fun, absolutely not. The fact that Frankie is smart, articulate, well-read, but also seeking Matthew's approval is a perfect illustration of those of us women who have been there as teens. I would have loved this book when I was fifteen - I can't say that I'm anywhere near as intelligent as Frankie is, but I certainly remember the feeling of wanting to be myself but also impress the boy I liked at the time - which could very well have meant dumbing myself down. It's a terrible way to feel, and Frankie does such a fantastic job of illustrating the fact that teen girls can be intellectual, politically aware, and hilariously funny all at once.
Honestly, I loved everything about this novel. While the ending was difficult, and my heart just broke for Frankie, it was actually sort of perfect and the only ending that realistically fit in with the rest of the story. Frankie is one of my new favorite kick-ass heroines, and as soon as I closed the book I found myself wishing for a sequel so I could be a part of more of her adventures. Plus, The Disreputable History is just ripe with topics for discussion - it would make an excellent book club pick.
I cannot more highly recommend The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. I beyond loved this book, really and truly.
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Really fun story!, February 5, 2011
By Frenzy of Noise
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This was a very unique story, which I say because of the narrator. Have you ever seen Pushing Daisies? Part of the reason that show was amazing was because of the narrator. If you clicked that link then you got to hear a snippet of his voice. Maybe it's just me, but that was the part of this book that stood out for me. I could imagine it all, see it played out like an episode of Pushing Daisies so that was a win.
I enjoyed reading the book. It was intriguing enough that I was able to read it quickly. Frankie was a strong, smart, fierce main character. They underestimated her and she outsmarted them. She's a good example of strength and a take charge attitude.
I smiled every time Matthew and his friends spoke--not because I was in love with Matthew, but because I could see my own guys friends in them. The playful banter, the remarks, the sarcasm. I liked the dogs a lot.
I didn't understand her motivation sometimes, which is the purpose of the book. I know that she doesn't either but as a reader I really wanted her to. I really wanted her to figure it out after 300 pages. I don't think I got that as much as I would've liked to, or as soon as. But all in all, it was a good read.
I liked the way it ended, the realization that she comes to about who she is and why she matters. I like that she doesn't accept things and go with them just because someone says that's how it should be. I like that she stands up for herself, even at great costs. That's the best kind of story.
For more of my reviews, visit my blog: [...]
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A book that will make you laugh out loud and wish you were in a secret society, September 18, 2010
By Reading Nook (New Hampshire)
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I present you Frankie Landau-Banks, named Frankie because her father wanted a son. Although, regardless of the name, her father does not think much of her. Neither does anyone else for that matter. Over the summer she blossoms into a young woman, but still no one thinks of her as more than "bunny rabbit". When she learns of a secret society, and just perhaps stumbles on some society secrets, she thinks she could run the society much better than "Alpha". When her pranks go too far though, Frankie knows she has to own up and admit it was her at the front of the pack, even if it means losing the boy of her dreams.
This was a ridiculously entertaining read. You will instantly either love or hate Frankie, there is no in-between. I loved her, I loved her word obsession where she decided that some words (those which aren't really words, but should be) are neglected, mostly neglected positives (I guess you'll have to read to find out). While Frankie's sister and mother claim to be feminist, Frankie takes it to a new level and completely dominates the secret society(all male) at her school. This is a fantastic girl power book akin to Fried Green Tomatoes (girl power wise, no crying and murder here). TOWANDA!!!! So, yes read this book. It has girl power, romance, secret societies, secrets, pranks and basset hounds. E. Lockhart is a really great funny, fun writer and this book is certainly no disappointment. So throw this on top of your TBR pile because you deserve it.
First Line:
"I, Frankie Landau-Banks, hereby confess that I was the sole mastermind between the mal-doings of the Loyal order of the Basset Hounds."
Favorite Line:
"Of course, anything named after a floppy-eared dog with short legs isn't deadly serious."
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Y.A. Love: I'm a character junkie and I LOVE Frankie :), August 27, 2010
By Sarah (GRAND BLANC, MI, United States)
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I've only read one other book by E. Lockhart, and I hate to say it, but I wasn't overly impressed. In the fall I attended a Y.A. conference and the speaker took some time to talk about The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. He said nothing but good things about it, but what sparked my attention is when he said it pairs well with The Chocolate War. In the spring when I put together my Donors Choose fundraiser I made sure to include this book. I'm so very happy that I did!
First of all, if you haven't figured it out already, I'm a character junkie. If a character is developed well, it's almost a guarantee that I'll love the book. Frankie is absolutely wonderful; I'd go so far to say she's one of my favorite Y.A. characters. She's at a private school trying to escape the shadow of her older, more popular sister. She has a great vocabulary (I especially love her made up words) and she's unsure of herself, but not in an annoying way. Frankie doesn't want to be her family's "Bunny Rabbit" anymore. She needs to prove everyone wrong and show what she's made of. Everyone will know that she's smarter than the rest. Frankie starts proving this when she and Matthew Livingston begin dating and he won't let her be a part of the secret society he's joined called The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds.
E. Lockhart has written a true "girl power" book, but it isn't overly girly. I definitely would compare this to The Chocolate War because of the setting and the secret society, but it also reminds of John Green's Looking for Alaska because of the pranks Frankie pulls. This book is witty, intelligent and fun. Frankie bends over backwards infiltrating The Loyal Order and secretly masterminding their pranks, but she can't truly take credit for her work. She is forced to learn the hard way how to prove herself properly.
I highly recommend reading The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks. It is a 2009 Michael L. Printz Honor Book and a 2008 National Book Award Finalist in the Young People's Literature category.
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A Unique coming of age story, February 27, 2010
By Meridenya (NYC)
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This book, about a teen's infiltration into a male secret society at her prep school, has a unique combination of teen life and immersion into quirky and engaging intellectual discussions. Budding feminists will enjoy the discourses on the nature of power. Frankie, as the main character, is a strong if conflicted lead and while it is true that her pranks are not always "good clean fun" I found it to be a more realistically depicted struggle of teenagerhood and the search for identity and the mistakes made along the way. There are many books out there where the main character is basically unquestionably "white" with not much grey or black involved. Frankie is very likable and we root for her the whole way through, but her decisions and actions definitely move into the grey areas. The consequences of her actions are not only the official ones but the interpersonal ones, and those are perhaps the longer lasting lessons to be learned in real life.
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So much fun!, November 10, 2009
By The Hiding Spot (Kalamazoo, MI)
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I bought The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks shortly after it was released in 2008 and I kept passing over it when deciding what to read next out of my ridiculously large TBR pile. A couple weeks ago I decided to head home for the weekend, which is, total, a 10 hour drive. When I was browsing audio books, I stumbled across Disreputable and decided it might be fun to listen to during the long drive - I had no idea just how much fun it would be!
Disreputable was my first audiobook experience and I have to say I think I made a great choice! I will admit to feeling a bit awkward because I was laughing aloud as I was driving along and my mouth would occasionally drop open as new twists in the plot came to light. By the time I got home I was 5 hours into the book and I went straight to my bookshelf to finish up the last hundred pages - I couldn't even wait for the drive back to listen to the rest!
Frankie Landau-Banks is a girl after my own heart. She makes her mistakes and she sticks to what she believes. I could definitely relate to her curious, and sometimes manipulative, nature. I would love to read another novel about Frankie's adventures!
I was in love with the secret society aspect of the novel. I can't say too much about it, as I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read this yet, but it was really well written, and from what I could tell, researched. I liked all the little facts E. Lockhart threw into the the story about different well known societies. All of the history behind the different pranks that were performed was also interesting, and, in many cases, hilarious.
The only part that I wasn't totally satisfied with was the ending of the novel. Again, I can't say much because of spoilers, but I really thought the story would end a bit differently. I still loved it though - ending and all!
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Great Read!, June 30, 2009
By Librarian Knight (North Florida)
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A great quick read. The book did not disappoint. I like how the author blends real factual things into her fiction. I loved it when Frankie was being a sleuth and trying to figure out the Basset's oath and Frankie's internal thoughts working out her and Matthew's relationship dynamics. It rekindled my daydream of what high school would have been like if I had gone to a New England prep boarding school.
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from missprint DOT wordpress DOT com, June 28, 2009
By Miss Print (NYC)
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"I, Frankie Landau-Banks, hereby confess that I was the sole mastermind behind the mal-doings of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. I take full responsibility for the disruptions caused by the Order--including the Library Lady, the Doggies in the Window, the Night of a Thousand Dogs, the Canned Beet Rebellions, and the abduction of the Guppy."
So begins The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (2008) by E. Lockhart. Though, to be perfectly honest, the above confession is not truly the beginning of anything but the realization that Frankie might be a criminal mastermind. The real story in this book is how she got that way.
Frankie was content to spend her freshman year at the prestigious Alabaster boarding school as a quiet mildly geeky girl on the fringe of the Alabaster social hierarchy. Everything changes the summer before sophomore year when, thanks to a surprising growth spurt, Frankie returns to Alabaster with an enviable figure. Possibly due to that sudden change, or possibly a result of growing older, Frankie also returns to Alabaster as a more assertive, more determined girl. Specifically, Frankie is determined to be noticed--especially by the beautiful and outrageous senior Matthew Livingston.
When Matthew not only notices Frankie but also begins to date her, no one realizes that their relationship will set Frankie on a path of unprecedented mischief, mayhem and intrigue. It seems even less likely, to all concerned, that these events could eventually lead Frankie to her ignominious status of possible criminal mastermind.
All the same, that is exactly what happens. As Frankie finds her time with Matthew cut short again and again due to mysterious obligations and last minute meetings, she is determined to find out what is more important to Matthew than his own girlfriend. The answer proves surprising. Matthew belongs to a long-standing, long secret, all-male society at Alabaster called The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. In an attempt to get Matthew's attention and respect, Frankie secretly infiltrates the organization's inner workings to harness the power of the Dogs to her own ends.
What starts as Frankie trying to prove herself to Matthew and his zany senior friends, turns into something much more as Frankie begins to use the Dogs to perpetrate elaborate pranks to amuse the student body, yes, but also to promote change at Alabaster. At least, that's the plan until Frankie's complex web of lies begins to unravel.
The real beauty of this book is that there is never any doubt that Frankie is a strong character and a feminist. Indeed, most of the tension in this book comes from Frankie's difficulties in negotiating the strong, feminist persona she has internalized and the external meek and adorable persona created for her by others. In addition to providing a heroine entirely capable of thinking for herself and standing on her own two feet, Lockhart also provides readers with a very humorous and exciting story. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks also offers a unique, albeit fictional, look at the inner workings of secret society found at many colleges and even in the works of P. G. Wodehouse (an inspiration for both our heroine and her author).
Some reviews have suggested that the pranks are ill-advised and even irresponsible on Frankie's part. In a way, that is true--but only very superficially and only if readers completely overlook the deeper meanings and motivations behind each prank (don't worry, Frankie is happy to explain all of that!). There have also been remarks that the language here is unrealistic to ordinary teens--also possibly true except for the fact that Alabaster is a haven for precocious and privileged teenagers, likely placing them at a remove from the "ordinary" teens who would be loathe to utilize speech patterns seen here.
The 2009 book awards season was hard for me this year as many of my favorite books and predicted contenders were beaten out by books I had not yet read by some of my favorite authors. Having read the 2009 Printz Award winner Jellicoe Road previously, it is easy to see why E. Lockhart's The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (2008) was selected as a 2009 Printz honor book. The titles have a lot of similarities. Were I not already deeply fond of the Printz winner I would say this book should have received the top honor. No matter which becomes your favorite, it is fair to say that if you like one, the other is sure to please.
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If Veronica Mars Went to Boarding School, May 18, 2009
By book nerd (CA)
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If Veronica Mars went to boarding school, I think she would've had a lot in common with Frankie Landau-Banks. Clever, driven and energetic, Frankie and her escapades fully entertained me. She begins the school year unsure of herself and her place in her world. The reader gets to enjoy Frankie's growth throughout the year in what is an incredibly well-written YA novel.
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beat them at their own game, January 8, 2009
By Mara Zonderman (NY)
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Frankie knows that she is just as smart, and probably way more clever than any of the boys in her boarding school's all-male secret society. But when her own boyfriend won't even acknowledge the possibility that she could even know the society exists, she decides to prove her worth in her own very special way. In the end, Frankie is on both the receiving and giving end of the comeuppance she was aiming for. This conclusion is both satisfying and realistic. The parts of the book that relate what she did are highly entertaining. Unfortunately, the rest of the book is a bit stilted (I think that was done on purpose, but it didn't help to know that) and repetitive.
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Frankie Landau-Banks: Teenage Con Artist!, January 4, 2009
By Katie C. (Easton, PA)
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Frankie Landau-Banks is underestimated by everyone, including her family, her friends, and her gorgeous boyfriend. When she gets an "in" with a very particular crowd at her prestigious boarding school, she wants permission to be in their all-male secret circle, which is something they refuse to acknowledge. With some charm, wit, and a good bit of secret keeping herself, Frankie may very well end up being the youngest con in her school's history, not to mention a brilliant mastermind. It's a story that involves secret societies, spies, set ups, and con artistry, all in the name of school pranks (or so everyone thinks).
The writing is quite clever and the characters are credible. Though this book features a female main character, I can see a wide variety of readers, both male and female, liking this book. I enjoyed reading about what Frankie's next move would be. However, I found myself slightly disappointed thinking that the entire book would be about Frankie's conniving ways, when in reality it's only the last half of it. The plot points in the first half of the book, though entertaining, may seem unnecessary. In actuality, they are absolutely critical for setting up the entire story line. Despite this, the story flows very well and keeps readers engaged. It was a really fun book to read. "The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks" kept me intrigued and I simply didn't want to put it down.
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This book makes me gruntled, November 11, 2008
By Bonnie Svitavsky (Puyallup, WA)
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Frankie is about to start her sophomore year at Alabaster Prep School. A few things have changed for Frankie: her older sister has graduated and moved on to Berkeley; she's no longer seeing Porter, her first boyfriend; and Frankie has become a knockout over the summer. When Matthew Livingston, one of the most popular seniors, finally notices and takes an interest in her, Frankie is thrilled. But although Matthew finds her adorable and pretty, Frankie wants him to see her as an equal, as a force to be reckoned with. It isn't long before Frankie begins to mastermind some of the most elaborate pranks ever performed on campus, all carried out by the secret, all-male Order of the Loyal Basset Hounds. If only they knew who was giving them orders.
I can't say how much I loved this book. The writing is clever, the story is fun, Frankie is a character you can't resist, there's a little philosophy and a lot of feminism in the mix, and a library is made to look like a giant boob. What's not to like? I think many girls/women who read this will share Frankie's frustrations - being underestimated, being told how to look and act, and the fear of being shut out just based on gender. It's not necessarily a tidy story, though I think I assumed a high-school prank book was going to be. But it's a story I definitely recommend.
This book left me very gruntled.
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Playful, fun; a must-read for all teenage girls, July 25, 2008
By Teen Reads (New York, NY)
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Something happened to Frankie Landau-Banks the summer between her freshman and sophomore years at Alabaster Preparatory, one of the nation's most elite boarding schools. Before, she was pretty enough, but lanky, a little awkward, the kind of girl you might not notice, known in her family as "Bunny Rabbit." Almost overnight, however, she turned into a full-blown swan. With a gorgeous face and a knockout body to match, Frankie is suddenly getting a lot of attention, particularly from senior heartthrob Matthew Livingston.
At first, Matthew seems like Frankie's ideal boyfriend. Smart, ambitious, with a gift for writing and a mind almost as critical as Frankie's own, Matthew appears to be Frankie's perfect match. But even though Frankie's body might have altered drastically, her whip-smart mind hasn't changed a bit. So when Matthew and his senior friends start excluding Frankie from the exclusive meetings of their top-secret club, the Order of the Basset Hounds (an invitation-only organization to which Frankie's own father belonged during his days at Alabaster), Frankie begins to question Matthew's other patronizing behavior toward her. Is she really his girlfriend, or just a cute new toy? "Being with him made Frankie feel squashed into a box --- a box where she was expected to be sweet and sensitive (but not oversensitive); a box for young and pretty girls who were not as bright or powerful as their boyfriends. A box for people who were not forces to be reckoned with."
Then and there, Frankie decides she'll never be called "harmless" again. Using a brilliant combination of tactics, she is soon turning not only the Bassets but also all of Alabaster Prep right on their tradition-steeped heads. As a brilliant (and beautiful) criminal mastermind, Frankie has finally found her niche --- even if it means risking everything she has gained as a result of that sudden beauty.
E. Lockhart has been writing smart, funny novels for young adults for a while now. With THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS, she should gain even more respect as one of the cleverest writers for teens. Not only a terrific coming-of-age novel, THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY is also a consideration of traditional prep-school culture, gender conventions and even cultural criticism, all tied up in a deftly plotted package.
Readers may be surprised to discover that the pranks Frankie researches (and later uses as her own inspiration) are actually real, historically-verified college practical jokes. Parents of teens may be concerned that readers might use these ideas as their own inspiration. It's more likely, however, that teens will come away from Frankie's story with a healthy skepticism of harmful traditions, an appreciation for creative thinking, and a reluctance to accept the status quo without a fight (or at least without some serious questioning). Frankie's "disreputable history" is also an affirming story of a girl who refuses to see herself as others see her, who instead defines herself according to her own set of rules.
Playful, quirky and idiosyncratic, E. Lockhart's latest work of fiction should be a must-read for any teen trying to figure out her own rules to live by.
--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
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Yay!, July 24, 2008
By optimism always. (somewhere in the caribbean islands)
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This is my new favorite book.
I picked it up at the library along with a stack of others without really looking at any of them in too much detail. I just needed something to read during the summer. And it looked mildly interesting.
But this book is much more than MILDLY interesting.
its amazing!
First of all, all of the characters were very original, especially Frankie herself. Frankie was smart and funny and a heroine that you can really let yourself like. And not hate. Alpha was another great character. Matthew, well, he was one of the more boring people. But then there were people like Trish, Porter, and Star who erased that. Characters get a ten out of ten.
Then, the plot itself. I loved everything about it. I love boarding school stories, I'll just start with that. Also, the idea of Frankie completely taking over her boyfriend's secret society--without him even knowing it? Brilliant! Frankie is not just another teenage girl, that's for sure. Plot gets a ten out of ten :)
Then, the writing style itself. I loved E. Lockhart's prose, it just flowed very well and I fell in love with it at once.
This book is a must-read!
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Terrific YA, July 16, 2008
By Liviania
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THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS features what I've come to expect from E. Lockhart - comedy, characterization, and competent writing. However, THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY is no fluff book. Frankie struggles to be recognized as an equal by her male peers and her family. She does this by orchestrating grand pranks at the Alabaster Preparatory Academy using the manpower of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. Frankie is clever, ambitious, strong, and feminine. But E. Lockhart does not paint her as perfect.
She pushes things to the limit. She enjoys power. Her plans, while well-executed, do not have the expected effect on the populace. She's high-minded, reckless, and many of her actions should not be emulated. For all that, she's a wonderful heroine. She doesn't play nice, but she plays for the right things. Girls should be frustrated with being condescended to, and they shouldn't be underestimated due to a lack of a Y chromosome. (Actually, one of the book's few flaws came after the climax, so I don't feel right discussing it in the review, but it has to do with this concept.)
I also like that the boys who make Frankie so frustrated in THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY aren't bad people. They're just average boys. They make mistakes, but they aren't simply evil male chauvinist pigs.
Lockhart also plays with the way she tells the story. She begins with a framing letter and anecdotes, building an excitement for what Frankie will become despite a rather innocuous beginning. The tone is playful, but ominous. Lockhart plays with language not only through the structure, but with the dialogue. Both Frankie and her boyfriend Matthew enjoy wordplay. Frankie's is inspired by P. G. Wodehouse; Matt's comes from his inner copyeditor. Lockhart's choices come together to create a unique voice that helps THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY rise above her other novels just as much as the unconventional Frankie.
I highly recommend this novel. It's not perfect, but it has a spark to it. It sticks out in my mind from the other novels I've read recently. There's hijinks, anger, love, and plenty of food for thought. Frankie has good ideas and bad ideas, but many are ideas that should be heard and then pondered further.
Excerpted from In Bed With Books
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Amazing!, June 26, 2008
By HPLunatic (Charlottesville, VA, USA)
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This was my second time reading this book. It's always a great read, but I've found it to be a pretty forgettable one as well, oddly. One of the bigger advantages this book has is its quirkyness: it's quirky and off-beat without being annoying, leading to an astoundingly funny and clever story told by a very authentic narrator. The one thing that stuck out to me the most through this read and the last was the astounding similarities between some of the characters in this book and their Harry Potter Marauder parallels, because that is just the default way I think. The book is a great combination of amazing writing and a fascinating subject: secret societies. Who hasn't been completely intrigued by the idea of those, right? I felt like the ending could have been sped up a little bit, to allow for more time dedicated to the ending, as I did feel the ending to be a last minute cramming of final details. I also thought it would be really neat to see what became of Frankie's brilliance in the future. I would have liked to see some resolution to the Frankie's love life, and I really did think she and Alpha's mischievous personalities would make a great match. I wonder if this book would lend itself to a sequel...=)
Rating: 4.5/5
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If you can't join 'em...then beat 'em., June 10, 2008
By The Book Muncher (New York, NY)
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According to the back cover, Frankie Landau-Banks as a freshman in high school was a slightly geeky girl in the Debate Club. But when she comes back the next year, nobody recognizes her because now she fills out her shirt. And that grabs the attention of a certain senior boy named Matthew Livingston, who soon becomes Frankie's boyfriend.
But Frankie isn't content. Matthew often acts distant and doesn't treat her like an intelligent human being. So one day when he cancels their date, she follows him and discovers that he's a member of an all-male secret society. Frankie wants in, but there's no way she can without him Matthew out that she lied to him. Frankie knows she has the brains to get in, so she creates a false email account through which she directs the secret society into performing various pranks.
Although these pranks have the desired effect of reforming some of the school's practices, no one seems to understand the significance, and whenever Frankie tries to explain it, people write her off as thinking too hard. And of course, the pranks can't last forever. Someone has to step up and take the blame.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks was an incredible novel and one that I won't forget for a long time because it provided a lot of food for thought. It got me thinking about concepts I never would've thought of before. Frankie's character is a mad genius and a work of art by E. Lockhart. I don't think I've ever read a novel with such an amazing and unique character as Frankie is. It was kind of strange how fast Frankie thought, but that is just part of her character. The ending was only slightly surprising, but then it was foreshadowed.
I highly recommend this novel to everyone, and it has become one of my favorites. Those who like secret societies such as the one in Secret Society Girl by Diana Peterfreund will enjoy reading about the Loyal Order of the Basset Hound. Readers who like the boarding school setting will also enjoy this novel. I definitely look forward to reading more novels by E. Lockhart.
[...]
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Identity and coincidence, June 3, 2008
By lenore531 (Wichita, KS United States)
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Two of my favorite themes in literature are coincidence and the search for identity --And when you get a book about how coincidence can have a part in shaping identity, all the better.
"How does a person become the person she is?" the narrator of The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks asks, adding, "This chronicle is an attempt to mark out the contributing elements in Frankie's character. What led her to do the things she did: things she would later view with a curious mixture of hubris and regret."
We know from the outset of the story that Frankie has somehow infiltrated a secret all male society, the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, on the campus of her exclusive prep school and masterminded some borderline criminal pranks. The story explores the how and the why.
The how is where coincidence comes in. Her father was a basset hound and she's heard his stories. Her new boyfriend, Matthew, is a basset hound and when he blows off a date, she follows him to a secret meeting. It just happens that her roommate's boyfriend has the keys to all the off limit places on campus. She met the basset hound "king", Alpha, on the boardwalk the previous summer and when he summoned away for a few days over Halloween, it gives Frankie the opening she needs.
The why is more complicated. Frankie is certainly tired of being treated like an innocuous "bunny rabbit" (her nickname) in need of protection. She's recently blossomed into a knock-out young woman, but she's not content to be anyone's arm candy. She's a firm believer in the equality of the sexes and it irks her to be shut out of "the old boy's club".
Frankie is a strategist, a debater, and someone who wants to be a real "off-roader". She asserts her unique identity by using "neglected positives" (i.e. ept to mean skilled - from inept) in everyday speech, by challenging the unwritten rules of who sits where in the caf, and of course by covertly taking over the basset hounds.
Frankie is a great character - one that I immensely enjoyed spending time with. And this is an excellent book - one that begs for a sequel!
Run and pick this one up ASAP. You will not be disappointed.
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Great book, boys club watch out!, May 31, 2008
By leslibrary (Addison, IL United States)
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I loved this story of a strong girl who found a way to make her mark even though the boys tried to exclude her. It was really ingenious the way she used e-mail to get a bunch of slacker boys to do inventive and exciting pranks. I would recommend this book highly to teen girls.
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The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks., July 12, 2010
By LRLibrary (NEK, VT)
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What a surprising and refreshing young adult, feminist novel! I was not expecting the feminist slant and when it was raised, I slightly cringed knowing the path YA feminist themes usually follow - smart outspoken girl falls for typical popular guy who both end up truly learning about themselves and life and love and coming out better people for it. Thank GOODNESS this book did not take that path. Frankie is a character women and girls can relate with in her struggle to deal with boobs, smarts, and the longing to be one of the guys while being LOVED dnd desired.
0 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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The Compulsive Reader's Reviews, March 31, 2008
By The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA)
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There's nothing Frankie Landau-Banks hates more than being underestimated. Her parents, sister, friends, and even her boyfriend are constantly doing just that. So when her boyfriend starts lying to her about a secret male society at their exclusive boarding school, Frankie decides not to put up with it. She knows she's smart, and rather than just infiltrate their group, she decides to own it.
E. Lockhart has artfully crafted a comical and intelligent read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Her frank voice immediately engages the reader, and creates a pleasurable atmosphere in a classic reading format that not many may pull off. Her wide array of vivid, deftly developed, and fallible characters come alive in this complex, sophisticated, and guileless masterpiece. Frankie especially is a strong and uplifting character whose livliness and never ending questions give this novel life. The pranks are brilliant, the strategies cunning, and the reactions priceless in this wonderfully candid read that's more than just another coming of age novel.
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