The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

By E. Lockhart, Reviewed by Jenny McWha, originally in August 2008 again November 2009

Have you ever felt like someone has underestimated you, has told you that you couldn’t take that advanced math class because it would be too hard, asked you not to try out for basketball, even though you’ve been practicing all summer?! That’s exactly how the heroine of ‘The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks’ feels all the time. Her family won’t stop calling her Bunny Rabbit, her mother won’t let her walk into town by herself, and her boyfriend doesn’t think she’s anything more than “adorable”, especially when she falls off her bike. So when her good-looking senior boyfriend won’t let her into his secret society at their elite boarding school (let alone even tell her about it), Frankie decides to take matters into her own very capable hands.

THE GOOD: I really enjoyed how unique this book was. Not only did it teach me a lot of new things about secret societies, and imaginary neglected positives; but the story went a lot deeper to touch on how girls and women are still placed into a mould of what society thinks they should be. Frankie constantly gets the impression that she is not good or capable enough just because she’s female. It really opened my eyes to how lucky I have been for going to an all girls’ school! (Where there are definitely no all-male secret societies).

I also loved E. Lockhart’s writing style. I don’t know really what to call it, but in my head I think of it as ‘detached’. The narrator goes through a few months in Frankie’s life; situations that made her into the person who she is at the end of the book. The reader never really gets a sense of who Frankie or the other characters are and never really can get attached to them. The narrator often times starts to introduce totally random information that will indeed come into play at some point. And of course, it’s all done with lots of wit and humour. Plus it’s an easy read: I finished it incredibly fast!

DOWNSIDE: I somehow expected more from this book from what I read on the dust jacket. But what I actually got was just as good. I expected to see more of Frankie’s character at the end, but I do feel that she has hidden depths that the story barely touches on. For those of you who want a gripping love story and a character who you want to be best friends with, The Disreputable History may not be for you. Mathew definitely is not the best boyfriend, and I’m not even quite sure that I like Frankie. But let me tell you, she is one of the most intriguing characters that I have read about; up there with all those delicious grey denizens of literature. Of course, she’s practically a criminal mastermind…

GENRE: Hmm, this has to be a genre of its own. A little bit of spy, a little bit of romance, a little bit of mystery.

RATING: Two Thumbs Up! I would say any age above 11 could read this. The writing is pretty easy to comprehend and the story relatable.

OTHER BOOKS: I must say that I have no idea of another book like this one. E. Lockhart has some other books, though, including Dramarama, The Boyfriend List, Fly on the Wall, The Boy Book, and How to Be Bad. If you’re interested in secret societies and other interesting topics covered in the book, she recommends The Interventionists: Users’ Manual for the Creative Disruption of Everyday Life edited by Nato Thompson and Gregory Sholette, and books by P.G. Wodehouse, including The Code of the Woosters.

Comment

Jenny McWha

Hey Girls! Just a little question to get the discussion started: Did you relate to Frankie in this book? Have you felt that you were underestimated, and did you fight back? How about the humour in the book? Did you like it? I really want to see your responses! Don't be afraid to join the discussion! -Jenny