The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by, E. Lockhart

 

Summary: 

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 14:
Debate Club.
Her father’s “bunny rabbit.”
A mildly geeky girl attending a highly competitive boarding school.

Frankie Landau-Banks at age 15:
A knockout figure.
A sharp tongue.
A chip on her shoulder.
And a gorgeous new senior boyfriend: the supremely goofy, word-obsessed Matthew Livingston.

Frankie Laundau-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. (Via Goodreads.com)

 

Pages: 342

 

Release Date: March 25th 2008

Review:

     Going into this novel I had very high expectations:
           1) it is one my favorite authors, Ally Carter, favorite book of all time
           2) the novel has won a couple awards 
So, it came to my surprise when about a third way through the book, I was frustrated at the novel. I rate this book book 3 out of 5 stars, which is rather generous. 
     The major problem I had with this novel is its characters. A book with a bad plot is forgivable if it has great characters, but a book with an okay plot and horrible characters is not alright. I mostly read books to connect with characters and share experiences, I could not connect with any of these characters. Frankie is one of the most annoying female heroines there is. She was dependent on Matthew, her boyfriend.  She only did things because Matthew said it was okay and basically worshiped him. She doesn't seem able to connect with any other human being and verbally fights anyone that does not agree with her on the most stupidest things.
     I have never been in love but I have seen it before with my eyes, so when it came to Frankie and Matthew's relationship, I knew there was no spark. When it comes to Frankie describing him, all she says is that he is attractive and rich. I am able to picture him because his appearance is described but his personality is never described. All we learn is that he is rich, attractive, and how I perceive him, snobby. Matthew has no personality, arrogant, and points out every grammar mistake when someone talks. He is highly irritating.
    I still do not understand the point of the Basset Hound's society. Why was it formed in the first place? And what was the big deal with Frankie wanting to join? She was the one who came up with the prank plans, and, therefore, proved she was worthy of being a member. She should have just asked. The worst they could say was no.
    The one thing I liked about the book was that The Disreputable History, the old journal that recorded the history of some things the group did since founding, was hidden. That Frankie had to find it, even though I still do not believe it was hidden in a subtle place, or it could have logically fit there, but, at least it was hidden and she did not ask someone about it and automatically get the book.
    Overall, the novel was okay. It has its okay parts but I will mostly never reread this book. I would not recommend it, unless you want a really quick read that you may end up liking or completely hating.
~Casey