From the author of the "New York Times" Notable Book, "Jackie by Josie," comes a spirited, visually lush, and stunning novel, inspired by the art o...
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reviews
Feb 06, 2012
Lydia
rated it: 
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 mentio 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 mentio More...
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Feb 02, 2012
Liza
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Jan 31, 2012
Alexandra
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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 w 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 w More...
Jan 28, 2012
Glenda
rated it:
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 V
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Jan 24, 2012
Marti
rated it:
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 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 More...
Jan 11, 2012
Barbara
rated it:
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' li 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' li More...
Dec 29, 2011
Ciara
rated it:
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
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Dec 28, 2011
Raquelle
rated it: 
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,
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Dec 26, 2011
Laura
rated it:
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 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 More...
Dec 09, 2011
Lauren
rated it:
"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, More...
The novel reads at a fast clip, More...
Dec 07, 2011
David
rated it:
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 youn
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Oct 25, 2011
Maria
rated it:
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' 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' More...
Oct 23, 2011
Amy
rated it:
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
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Oct 22, 2011
Emily
rated it:
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 Fran 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 Fran More...
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Oct 07, 2011
Marika
rated it:
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 More...
The year is 1920, the place New Hampshire, and Frankie Pratt is voted "Smartest Girl" of her senior class and More...
Jan 06, 2012
Beth
rated it:
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 t 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 t More...
Dec 15, 2011
Mandolin
rated it:
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 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 More...
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Oct 28, 2011
Jaclyn
rated it:
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 inc 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 inc More...
Dec 03, 2011
Beth
rated it:
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
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Nov 29, 2011
Serena
rated it:
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
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Dec 14, 2011
Staci
rated it:
The Three Reasons Review is a simple way to get your thoughts out there about a book. The reasons are as follows complete with fancy button:
1.) Reasons you chose this book
I lost count as to how many great reviews I read of this title so I knew that I had to read it and soon!
2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book
I loved this book! It was so fun to look at the ephemera from days gone by. I would love to actually hold a scrapbook from this time period in m More...
1.) Reasons you chose this book
I lost count as to how many great reviews I read of this title so I knew that I had to read it and soon!
2.) Reasons you liked or disliked this book
I loved this book! It was so fun to look at the ephemera from days gone by. I would love to actually hold a scrapbook from this time period in m More...
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Dec 22, 2011
Colleen
rated it:
This book is absolutely breathtaking! It is composed of page after page of gorgeous pictures, advertisements and assorted other memorabilia that, along with the typed scraps of paper, tell the story of Frankie Pratt, an ambitious girl from New Hampshire who sets her sights on becoming a writer. We follow Frankie to Vassar College, a scholarship girl amongst over-privileged girls who are looking for a husband, not a career. She travels to New York, Paris and back to New Hampshire, all the time l
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Feb 01, 2012
Marisa
rated it:
Very engrossing, quick read. The story itself is rather unremarkable -- enjoyable, but unremarkable -- but the concept of presenting the story in the form of a scrapbook with vintage memorabilia is fascinating and makes it "unputdownable." (I love that nonsense word!) Does a great job of conveying the mindset of a young woman in the 20s. And seriously, the 60s would have never existed if not for the 20s. And I find the 20s ever so much more glamorous and exciting. Introduced me t
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Dec 06, 2011
Kim
rated it:
This book was fabulous! It gave a new twist to the graphic novel, using an antique scrapbook and ephemera to tell the story of a poor New England girl who wins a scholarship to Vassar in 1920. She rooms with a wealthy NYC girl, who shows her the ways of the world, but their friendship ends when Frankie wins the coveted Addison writing award that they both competed for during their Senior year. The book then follows Frankie as she follows her dream to become a writer in NY and Paris, finally comi
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Feb 11, 2012
Sara
rated it:
Although the fad of fancy scrapbooking with designer paper, expensive metal brads, ribbons, lace, and all the other things that scrapbook stores are stuffed with may have tempered slightly in the recent recession, there are still plenty of people out there who will pore over this novel cleverly disguised as a vintage scrapbook. Subtitled "a novel in pictures," it is full of bits and clippings of authentic vintage scrapbooks, collected by the author, an archivist from the Peabody/Essex
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Nov 06, 2011
Karla
rated it:
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 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 More...
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Dec 30, 2011
Josephine
rated it:
Finally, a graphic novel for adults.
It’s a fairly straightforward story: Frankie Pratt starts a scrapbook in her senior year of high school, 1920. Her father died some years previously and her mother has been working as a nurse to support the family (in addition to a weedy garden and some scraggly chickens). Frankie gets a scholarship to Vassar, but believes the family cannot afford the contribution of $500 a year. A “contribution” from the mother of a Fast “Gentleman” who has compro More...
It’s a fairly straightforward story: Frankie Pratt starts a scrapbook in her senior year of high school, 1920. Her father died some years previously and her mother has been working as a nurse to support the family (in addition to a weedy garden and some scraggly chickens). Frankie gets a scholarship to Vassar, but believes the family cannot afford the contribution of $500 a year. A “contribution” from the mother of a Fast “Gentleman” who has compro More...
Oct 30, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
For Preston, a former archivist at the Peabody/Essex Museum and Harvard University, The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt was clearly a work of love. One can only imagine the countless hours spent scouring vintage archives and eBay for suitable ephemera, then the even more countless hours spent arranging them into an aesthetically pleasing narrative. The reader can only wish she'd spent equal effort on her story, which can in all honesty hardly be termed a "novel" - it might make "novele
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Jan 30, 2012
Tracy
rated it:
Since this book is supposed to be a scrapbook of a young woman in the 1920s, I was afraid it would be gimmicky and not have enough substance, but I enjoyed it very much. I loved seeing all the ephemera of the time: postcards, advertisements, fashion spreads, menus, food wrappers, fabric, etc. The story begins as Frankie graduates from high school, and follows her through her college years at Vassar, her bohemian life in Greenwich Village and Paris, and finally back home again to New Hampshire.
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Feb 01, 2012
Jessica
rated it:
I liked the concept of this book a lot. It's a sort of graphic novel with images of ephemera from the 1920s as illustrations. I think the author chose a fantastic array of items that really do convey a sense of the 1920s. The graphics were obviously a labor of love.
But the story itself -- the story of Frankie and her career and her love life -- is shallow and stilted. Frankie's words (typewritten in little cut-out bubbles throughout the scrapbook) feel like they are just a list of p More...
But the story itself -- the story of Frankie and her career and her love life -- is shallow and stilted. Frankie's words (typewritten in little cut-out bubbles throughout the scrapbook) feel like they are just a list of p More...
