Minding Frankie

By: Maeve Binchy

Narrated by: Sile Bermingham

Maeve Binchy is back with a tale of joy, heartbreak and hope, about a motherless girl collectively raised by a close-knit Dublin community.

When Noel learns that his terminally ill former flame is pregnant with his child, he agrees to take guardianship of the baby girl once she’s born. But as a single father battling demons of his own, Noel can’t do it alone.

Fortunately, he has a competent, caring network of friends, family and neighbors: Lisa, his unlucky-in-love classmate, who moves in with him to help him care for little Frankie around the clock; his American cousin, Emily, always there with a pep talk; the newly retired Dr. Hat, with more time on his hands than he knows what to do with; Dr. Declan and Fiona and their baby son, Frankie’s first friend; and many eager babysitters, including old friends Signora and Aidan and Frankie’s doting grandparents, Josie and Charles.

But not everyone is pleased with the unconventional arrangement, especially a nosy social worker, Moira, who is convinced that Frankie would be better off in a foster home. Now it’s up to Noel to persuade her that everyone in town has something special to offer when it comes to minding Frankie.

©2011 Maeve Binchy (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

“Binchy is a national treasure in her homeland of Ireland, and her latest novel is a perfect illustration of why.…Your heart will have no trouble recognizing the landscape [of this] touching saga.” ( Publishers Weekly)

“Reading a Maeve Binchy novel is like settling in for a cozy visit with an old friend. In vintage Binchy style, a cast of colorfully eccentric characters living in a snug Dublin neighborhood seamlessly weave in and out of each other’s lives, united by family, faith, friendship and community....Readers will need a box of tissues handy as the good-hearted residents of St. Jarlath’s Crescent prove that it does indeed take a ‘village to raise a child.’” (Margaret Flanagan, Booklist)

Classic Binchy, does not disappoint

Would you listen to Minding Frankie again? Why?

Yes. The story is gripping and I love the accents.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Minding Frankie?

When Noel's parents realized they could honor their saint as they wanted to, but also expand that by giving a playground to the community.

Which scene was your favorite?

The dedication of the new playground.

If you could take any character from Minding Frankie out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Probably the cousin, she is a very interesting character and seems to have the answer to everything!

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It kept my attention from beginning to end. No snoozing off like I do with many audio books!

Minding Frankie

Diverse, rich characters that are intertwined into their different lives for a common good to raise a little baby

Binchy just phoned this in, Very disappointing!

Not really, a novel, just a bunch of pat story lines loosely strewn together. Maeve Binchy can do much better and she should have.
No fully developed characters or story, not believable. And I’m sorry to have to say the narrator was not right either, although I’m guessing she put more effort into it, than the author did! I really hate to leave this kind of review, the plot sounded good and I am not against happy endings, even implausible ones, but to me this book felt like Ms. Binchy didn’t respect her readers enough to put any effort in.