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16th out of 88 books
—
147 voters
The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt
by
Caroline Preston (Goodreads Author)
For her graduation from high school in 1920, Frankie Pratt receives a scrapbook and her father's old Corona typewriter. Despite Frankie's dreams of becoming a writer, she must forgo a college scholarship to help her widowed mother. But when a mysterious Captain James sweeps her off her feet, her mother finds a way to protect Frankie from the less-than-noble intentions of h...more
Hardcover, 228 pages
Published
2011
by Ecco
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Book 5 of 52
I was pleasantly shocked that something like this existed. And more than a little excited to see if the format would actually tell a fulfilling story.
The vintage memorabilia was simply breathtaking, I loved all the little touches, and the style was completely accurate. It all felt very real. At one point a newspaper clipping mentioned "the little old lady in Dubuque Iowa" which I got very excited about, since many moons ago I was a proud Iowan. When I mentioned the clipping to my Da...more
I was pleasantly shocked that something like this existed. And more than a little excited to see if the format would actually tell a fulfilling story.
The vintage memorabilia was simply breathtaking, I loved all the little touches, and the style was completely accurate. It all felt very real. At one point a newspaper clipping mentioned "the little old lady in Dubuque Iowa" which I got very excited about, since many moons ago I was a proud Iowan. When I mentioned the clipping to my Da...more
My thoughts upon beginning this book: Why, oh why, didn't *I* write this book? It has everything I love; scrapbook/diary format, 1920s, ambitious young writer heroine, and oodles of beautiful vintage ephemera. Sigh.
My thoughts upon completing this book: Still sighing/swooning over all the "full-color vintage memorabilia on every page" that the cover so giddily promises. Since one of my favorite relaxing pastimes is browsing vintage greeting cards and magazines on etsy.com (and buying a few of my...more
My thoughts upon completing this book: Still sighing/swooning over all the "full-color vintage memorabilia on every page" that the cover so giddily promises. Since one of my favorite relaxing pastimes is browsing vintage greeting cards and magazines on etsy.com (and buying a few of my...more
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What a clever idea for a whimsical picture storybook! It felt as if I had discovered a hidden gem from my great-grandmother's scrapbook stored in the attic, full of vintage memorabilia, souvenirs and terminology from her days of graduating high school to discovering true love though honest trial and error of the roaring 1920's.
Frankie an adventuresome and fearless flapper, hit all the hot spots in history. Everywhere she went were historic discoveries starting from High school graduation, First...more
Frankie an adventuresome and fearless flapper, hit all the hot spots in history. Everywhere she went were historic discoveries starting from High school graduation, First...more
I discovered this one when I was looking around for quirky epistolary novels (a work thing...). What an awesomely unique find! I loved looking at all the 1920s ads and images while still getting Frankie's story. Fun read, for sure!
Also loved this article from the author: "How My Love for Vintage Ephemera Inspired a 'Scrapbook Novel'"
Also loved this article from the author: "How My Love for Vintage Ephemera Inspired a 'Scrapbook Novel'"
I was a little unsure of what to think of this book when it first was delivered to me at the library. Once I opened the novel and began reading, though, I instantly devoured it. I absolutely adore anything about the 1920s: Fitzgerald, the Flappers, the Expats….all of it. The allusions to the culture and especially the writers were divine. It felt like looking at a real scrapbook, but more importantly, it also told a story you actually were invested in. Will Frankie and Jaime meet again? Will Fra...more
Oh, how I wish I'd written this book (or one like it!). I may yet have to give it a whirl. As an avid scrapbooker, genealogist, amateur historian and author, there was no element of this vibrant novel in pictures/things that I did not absolutely adore. The vintage ephemera was perfect in every way (worth all those countless hours the author says she spent on ebay).
Although she was not a perfect contemporary of author Rose Wilder Lane (daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder), Frankie's story mirrored,...more
Although she was not a perfect contemporary of author Rose Wilder Lane (daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder), Frankie's story mirrored,...more
This was a sincerely enchanting novel. Well, scrapbook novel. Whatever you would like to call it, this book is presented in the way of a scrapbook put together by a one Frankie Pratt and details her life between the years 1920 and 1928 while she graduates high school, falls in with the wrong man, goes to Vassar, moves to New York City, moves to Paris, and then returns home. Each locale is given a different chapter.
It was really impressive that so full a story could be conveyed in this sort of b...more
It was really impressive that so full a story could be conveyed in this sort of b...more
Truffé de petits documents et souvenirs vintage, de bouts de lettres, de portraits familiaux, de photos en noir et blanc, de tickets de spectacle, de cartes postales, de coupures de presse, d'illustrations en tous genres, cet ouvrage, comme son titre l'indique, se présente comme un scrapbook.
Frances Pratt (dite Frankie parce qu'elle déteste son prénom ) nous raconte son quotidien de jeune fille du New Hampshire puis d'étudiante à l'université prestigieuse de Vassar (pour laquelle elle a obtenu u...more
Frances Pratt (dite Frankie parce qu'elle déteste son prénom ) nous raconte son quotidien de jeune fille du New Hampshire puis d'étudiante à l'université prestigieuse de Vassar (pour laquelle elle a obtenu u...more
A very interesting concept: a novel told in the form of a scrapbook, complete with 1920s era memorabilia. Frankie Pratt is a young woman from small-town New England who wins a scholarship to Vassar then moves to New York and, later, Paris to follow her dream of becoming a writer and finding love.
The book itself was beautiful, with pictures and various souvenirs from the 20s set against Frankie's typewritten commentary. The story, though, was a little lacking. It's understandable that there woul...more
The book itself was beautiful, with pictures and various souvenirs from the 20s set against Frankie's typewritten commentary. The story, though, was a little lacking. It's understandable that there woul...more
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This was a one-sitting book. I literally curled into my couch (a heating pad against the small of my back), flipped to the first page (not knowing what to expect), and did not move until I had reached the end (despite PH's requests to come to bed).
I know I will have to read this novel again. I know I could not have possibly caught everything, all the jokes and subtext and nods to history that I was supposed to get. And I will be happy to read this book again - I would right now, if I weren't so...more
I know I will have to read this novel again. I know I could not have possibly caught everything, all the jokes and subtext and nods to history that I was supposed to get. And I will be happy to read this book again - I would right now, if I weren't so...more
Some books are simply beautiful to look at. Other books are beautifully written. "The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt" is the rare adult (older YA) novel that is both. Marketed as the first "scrapbook novel," Caroline Preston weaves vintage photos, news clippings, postcards, and other archival treasures into a seamless volume that backgrounds the story of Frankie Pratt. Part coming of age novel, part romance, part historical fiction, the narrative centers on Frankie's studies at Vassar and time as an...more
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The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt is clever - a girl from rural New Hampshire gets to live a life few others could dream of: college at Vassar, life in Greenwich Village and Paris in the 1920s, working on influential journals, etc. And we get to learn about it through the scrapbook she created to chronicle her life.
However, I felt that the story was lacking in places. The reader is supposed to glean the details and the emotions of the girl's experiences and romances by analyzing not only the text b...more
However, I felt that the story was lacking in places. The reader is supposed to glean the details and the emotions of the girl's experiences and romances by analyzing not only the text b...more
I have to thank Wendy the Superlibrarian for reviewing this book. She made it sound so interesting that I just had to track it down. And I am so glad I did!
What a visual delight: it tells the story of Frankie (don't call her Frances) Pratt, a young woman in 1920's New England via the contents of her scrapbook. We get ticket stubs, graduation programs, Valentines, post cards,etc. plus her narrative as she goes from high school senior, through Vassar, to leading the 'starving artist's' life in Gre...more
What a visual delight: it tells the story of Frankie (don't call her Frances) Pratt, a young woman in 1920's New England via the contents of her scrapbook. We get ticket stubs, graduation programs, Valentines, post cards,etc. plus her narrative as she goes from high school senior, through Vassar, to leading the 'starving artist's' life in Gre...more
this is a pretty neat idea for a book. author caroline preston has spent years collecting vintage paper ephemera, like postcards, old magazines, patterns, bookmarks, telegrams, etc etc etc. she made a collaged novel out of her collection, documenting ten years in the life of one young woman as if the novel is in fact a diary. frankie pratt graduates from high school, hopes to attend college, suffers the death of her father, has to take a job, has a shameful affair with an older married man, atte...more
Very clever concept. It's a novel told through a fictional scrapbook made up of real illustrations and clippings from the 1920s. I thought I would have a difficult time reading it as I'd be distracted by the images. It was easier than I thought but still a bit awkward when the pages were very busy. Overall, I liked the story. I did get bored towards the end. I really think someone should have checked the language for historical accuracy. It would have been nice to see some 1920s colloquialisms,...more
I have never read a book like this one before, in the format of a scrapbook, telling a story through pictures, words, and full-color vintage memorabilia on every page. It was a treat for the eyes! Although I could have read this book in a few hours I really took my time and savoured it. Yes, this is a book to be savoured.
The story takes place from 1920 to 1928 beginning when Frankie Pratt gets a scrapbook as a high school graduation present. She finds her father's old Corona typewriter in the ce...more
The story takes place from 1920 to 1928 beginning when Frankie Pratt gets a scrapbook as a high school graduation present. She finds her father's old Corona typewriter in the ce...more
"The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt" is a delightful romp following in the tradition of "Thoroughly Modern Millie". The book chronicles an eight-year-period in the life of Frankie, a naive, aspiring writer from New Hampshire. You'll cheer along with Frankie as she befriends a wealthy roommate at Vassar, slums it with other artists in Greenwich Village, and explores Paris during the exciting days when American expatriates were en vogue.
The novel reads at a fast clip, peppered with literary and cultur...more
The novel reads at a fast clip, peppered with literary and cultur...more
I never really understood the scrapbook craze of the early 2000s—you know, the factory-produced, mass-marketed “hobby” characterized by rubber stamps, paper stencils and tubes of glitter. My wife and I have been “scrapbooking” since we first started dating. If you go to our upstairs guest bedroom and pull down a large book with swollen pages, you'll find a pair of movie theater ticket stubs for Flashdance and a small bouquet of dried violets. It's the artifact from a particular night of young, h...more
The 411:
In my opinion this was a sweet, fun, witty take on a novel. It was so much fun to scan all the photos on the page as I read the story of Frankie. Frankie is definitely a character you won't soon forget. When we meet her she is a fun loving, nice girl who us accepted at Vassar College but because of the price, she tells her mother she will not go instead she will work and save to become a nurse as her mother did. She knows her mother doesn't have the money to send her and doesn't want to...more
In my opinion this was a sweet, fun, witty take on a novel. It was so much fun to scan all the photos on the page as I read the story of Frankie. Frankie is definitely a character you won't soon forget. When we meet her she is a fun loving, nice girl who us accepted at Vassar College but because of the price, she tells her mother she will not go instead she will work and save to become a nurse as her mother did. She knows her mother doesn't have the money to send her and doesn't want to...more
It is rare to find a book that offers something completely different and totally unique yet The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston does just that. A novel presented as a true scrapbook, the cover promises “full -color vintage memorabilia on every page” and does it ever deliver. Frankie armed with her high school graduation present, a scrapbook, and her father’s old typewriter, sets out to record her adventures from 1920 through 1928. Despite her lack of wealth Frankie finds herself a...more
This book is a little unusual amidst the world of adult novels--the only reasonable comp I can think of would be the Griffin & Sabine books by Nick Bantock.
It's a gentle book, an old-fashioned book, both in the best senses of the words. Frankie leaves home in Cornish, NH, in the 1920s and makes her way first to Vassar, then to NYC and Paris, before she returns home to Cornish. The text is minimal; instead we get copious amounts of vintage memorabilia and ephemera to illustrate Frankie's jou...more
It's a gentle book, an old-fashioned book, both in the best senses of the words. Frankie leaves home in Cornish, NH, in the 1920s and makes her way first to Vassar, then to NYC and Paris, before she returns home to Cornish. The text is minimal; instead we get copious amounts of vintage memorabilia and ephemera to illustrate Frankie's jou...more
This "novel in pictures" combines text with vintage photographs, advertisements, articles, and illustrations. It's a fun format, likely to appeal to those nostalgic for their own college days as well as current students at womens' colleges. Romance, fashion, and hints of more newsworthy history fill the pages of this colorful "grown-up" journal.
The year is 1920, the place New Hampshire, and Frankie Pratt is voted "Smartest Girl" of her senior class and offered a scholarship to Vassar. As a poor...more
The year is 1920, the place New Hampshire, and Frankie Pratt is voted "Smartest Girl" of her senior class and offered a scholarship to Vassar. As a poor...more
I heard about this book on the Paperclipping Roundtable. It sounded absolutely fascinating: a story told via vintage scrapbook?! I just had to take a look! (Luckily for me, my library had a copy!)
And I'm glad I checked it out. The pages were filled with journaling (done via typewriter, on paper strips), magazine cutouts, ephemera, and a few photos. It felt very authentic, painting a rich picture of the life of a 1920s flapper. Just feasting my eyes on these pages made me want to go create. I fel...more
And I'm glad I checked it out. The pages were filled with journaling (done via typewriter, on paper strips), magazine cutouts, ephemera, and a few photos. It felt very authentic, painting a rich picture of the life of a 1920s flapper. Just feasting my eyes on these pages made me want to go create. I fel...more
With The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt, Caroline Preston has transcribed the imaginative journeys I take every time I set foot in an antique shop. I love exploring these little treasure troves of our past, creating my own stories about the lives of the former owners of gorgeous Flapper
clothes, long thin cigarette holders, Depression glassware and kitschy wall decorations. I imagine the fun they had when they turned in the Worlds Fair or silent movie tickets whose stubs now remain, preserved under g...more
clothes, long thin cigarette holders, Depression glassware and kitschy wall decorations. I imagine the fun they had when they turned in the Worlds Fair or silent movie tickets whose stubs now remain, preserved under g...more
What a different, unique, creative reading experience! The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt is exactly what it promises to be - a novel in the form of a scrapbook. Ever heard that one before? I hadn't.
The story is somewhat typical. Frankie Pratt is a smart girl growing up in a small town in New Hampshire in 1920 and dreaming of becoming a writer. She graduates from high school and receives a scholarship to Vassar but turns it down in order to stay home and contribute to the family income. But when she...more
The story is somewhat typical. Frankie Pratt is a smart girl growing up in a small town in New Hampshire in 1920 and dreaming of becoming a writer. She graduates from high school and receives a scholarship to Vassar but turns it down in order to stay home and contribute to the family income. But when she...more
This book is a book to be treasured! The story is wonderful and the way the story is told is fresh and new, at least to this reader. Caroline Preston tells us the story of Frankie Pratt through Frankie's scrapbook. At first I was afraid I would miss out on the story not being told in the traditional way one writes a story, through words. I was afraid I would get lost or miss out on something in the scrapbook. I need not worry. I caught on right away and before I knew it, I had read the whole boo...more
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The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston is just that, a scrapbook of a young woman in the 1920s who is striving to make something more of her life than simply becoming a wife and mother. Following WWI, many things have changed as women seek greater liberty from their “normal” lives — seeking suffrage, going to college, having careers. Of course, there are boys and men because women always seek companionship, but educated women are looking for equals in a relationship, not a child to c...more
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What a fun read!
I read about this book online and was delighted when I discovered that my library had a copy. The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt is a novel told in vintage scrapbook form, a very simple concept and fairly simple story of 20's era Frankie Pratt finishing high school, going on to college and beyond as she dreams of being a writer, but it's still entertaining.
I'll confess that like another reviewer my first thought was, "why didn't I think of this?" In someways it reminded me of the vo...more
I read about this book online and was delighted when I discovered that my library had a copy. The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt is a novel told in vintage scrapbook form, a very simple concept and fairly simple story of 20's era Frankie Pratt finishing high school, going on to college and beyond as she dreams of being a writer, but it's still entertaining.
I'll confess that like another reviewer my first thought was, "why didn't I think of this?" In someways it reminded me of the vo...more
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As a girl growing up in Lake Forest, Illinois, Caroline Preston used to pore through her grandmother’s and mother’s scrapbooks and started collecting antique scrapbooks when she was in high school. She attended Dartmouth College and received a master’s in American Civilization from Brown University. Inspired by her interest in manuscripts and ephemera, she worked as an archivist at the Peabody/Ess...more
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