Frank is 82, he lives alone with his cat Bill and gives his neighbours Native American names. One day he finds he has the opportunity to visit his daughter Beth, and granddaughter Laura over in Los Angeles, and so begins his journey.
I really liked Laura, the granddaughter. She seemed to have her heart in the right place and was looking out for her mum. Beth seemed a little distant in the book. I feel that her character could have been explored further, but the distance worked well considering her situation.
Frank seems a nice enough man but I struggle to compare him with those in similar books such as A Man Called Ove, or The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of A Window And Disappeared. He has a lovely old man way of thinking, but doesn’t stand out like the others. The wonderful thing about stories of older people is the rich history they have of mistakes made, lessons learned and experiences shared. You don’t find out much about Frank’s past and I think that’s what prevented me from really connecting with him.
This is the second novel featuring Frank and I feel that perhaps I would have grown to love him more if I had read the first book.
Overall a quick, easy read that is relatively lighthearted. A good holiday read.
3/5
Get the book here Frank Derrick’s Holiday of a Lifetime and here Frank Derrick’s Holiday of a Lifetime (US)
I received this book from NetGalley
i like an honest review 🙂
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I really loved this and didn’t feel I’d missed out on not having read the first book so it’s interesting to compare our thoughts!
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