With the wealthy and secluded Bel Air as a backdrop, the relationship between a reclusive “one hit wonder” author and her delightful, but complicated son, Frank, sets the stage for this offbeat, put poignant story.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. MY REVIEW: Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnsonīe Frank with me by Julia Claibourne Johnson is a 2016 Willam Morrow publication. When Alice Whitley arrives at the Banning mansion, she’s put to work right away-as a full-time companion to Frank, the writer’s eccentric nine-year-old, a boy with the wit of Noël Coward, the wardrobe of a 1930s movie star, and very little in common with his fellow fourth graders.Īs she gets to know Frank, Alice becomes consumed with finding out who his father is, how his gorgeous “piano teacher and itinerant male role model” Xander fits into the Banning family equation-and whether Mimi will ever finish that book.įull of heart and countless only-in-Hollywood moments, Be Frank With Me is a captivating and heartwarming story of an unusual mother and son, and the intrepid young woman who finds herself irresistibly pulled into their unforgettable world. Mimi reluctantly complies-with a few stipulations: No Ivy Leaguers or English majors.

“Mimi” Banning has been holed up in her Bel Air mansion for years, but now she’s writing her first book in decades and to ensure timely completion her publisher sends an assistant to monitor her progress. ABOUT THE BOOK: Reclusive literary legend M.

Be frank with me book review