The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Well-Written and Witty

This book is extremely well-written and witty. I do recommend it; however it does have a slightly clichéd ending. Overall, it's a very cute story of finding yourself and defining yourself during high school - albeit a rich, extremely exclusive high school.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

this book was fan

My friend and I both read this book. I hated how it ended. But loved the fact that this girl Frankie went from bunny rabbit to a girl wanting to be in a all boy secret organization. The way she makes her self apart. The relation with people she knows that change in the story. It was a book that I wont forget.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

different from what I was expecting

I just finished reading this book. After the first 30 pages, I thought about putting it down, but decided to go on reading it anyway. From the back of the book and inside cover, I had been expecting a book that was reminiscent of Meg Cabot--humorous in a silly kind of way. But instead it was pretty serious, and took an angle I wasn't expecting. I'm glad, though, that I continued on with the book, because it was both entertaining and thought-provoking. The story was pretty realistic and the characters were believable. It is no where near becoming one of my favorite books, but it was not a bad read either.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

A page-turning, thought-provoking read

Frankie returns to Alabaster Preparatory Academy, a boarding school, for her sophomore year. She's a little curvier than before, and the boys are noticing--although the only boy she cares about is Matthew Livingston, her crush since freshman year. In fact, much of the story
is set in motion when Frankie, who is riding a bike, sees Matthew in the first few days of school and becomes so distracted that she loses control of the bike and skins her knee. Matthew comes running over to make sure she's okay, and the two begin to flirt. Two important threads are established: 1) Matthew cannot remember meeting Frankie in the previous year, and 2) Matthew obviously enjoys coming to Frankie's aid.

Matthew's inability to remember Frankie gives her a small feeling of insignificance, and inadvertent as well as fake forgetfulness figure prominently in the novel. When Frankie begins to suspect that Matthew is involved in a secret society called the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, she follows him. As their relationship develops, she expects him to tell her more about the Order. Matthew doesn't. Frankie is frustrated--Matthew won't trust her, and she can't join the Order because she is a girl.

In addition to dating Matthew, Frankie is swept up into his world, his friends--and she likes it there, something that I believe many girls can identify with. Most of us have either been Frankie or Frankie's friend, watching her become so wrapped up in her boyfriend's life that she begins to forget she has her own. Matthew is sweet and nice--everything a girl could ask for, but he never makes an effort to get to know Frankie's world. And as much as Frankie loves being with Matthew and his friends--other members of the Order and their girlfriends--she dislikes her place in that world. Matthew and his friends discount her as being a sweet sophomore girl. Frankie longs for equal status, recognition, and power. So she decides to do something about it.

I loved this book. LOVED. IT.

The cast of characters is strong and well-rounded, no matter how big or small their roles. The pacing was spot-on; every time I sat down to read for "just a little while", I lost track of time and just kept reading. I had to know what happened next! I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, and Frankie's wordplay is half the fun of the book. She plays with grammar and comes up with "neglected positives". For example, possible is the neglected positive of impossible. When applied to other words such as "disturbed" and "indulge", the concept becomes more amusing. (I'll save the full explanation for Frankie). There's also a secret society, a mystery, a relationship, and many pranks!

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is also a book that stayed with me--it's been two days since I finished it, and I'm still trying to make sense of Frankie. Thank you, E. Lockhart, for an engrossing, entertaining, and thought provoking book. I highly, highly (with a gold star!) recommend this book.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Don't bother

Lame book about a girl who just can't mind her own business. If this book is about feminism then it falls short. The main character seemed whiny and bratty to me. She should have spent more time working on her school work and less time trying to fit in. It was truly a boring story.

2 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

A Strangely-Written, Witty Novel on Assertiveness

I am currently reading this book in one of my English classes, and when I first began to read it, I wasn't so impressed by the novel. I found the language to be confusing, and the situations to be random and overanalyzed. Though, I give the main character, Frankie credit for trying to gain power for herself and respect from others, especially boys, I felt that she was losing her true self at times to impress and manipulate others. I would ask my peers of whom actually read the book, and I got a lot of mixed feelings from them. Personally, however, I couldn't really find myself developing an interest in it. Maybe it's because I'm only half way through the book, and I may not be giving it a chance for all I know. I'll just have to see what happens.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Brilliant

E. Lockhart is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and if you have read her books it is not hard to understand why. In The Disreputable History, main character Frankie takes over the secret society of the Bassets at her school without any of the all-male members knowing it was her. The main point of this book for me was about learning to only truly rely on yourself and to believe in oneself and to just strive to be your best. This is a great book and everyone should read it. Truly brilliant.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

ALl TIME GREAT BOOK!!!!

I have read other books by this aurthor, but not one as well writen as this book! I hope she will continue this series and write abother book with this charachter! This book is for age 13 and over.( Her otherbooks are more for 15-16 and over because of their issues). Its alsot like a spy book and you have to stay alert for what will happen next......and take you by surpsrise!..its a book you will want to read over and over again......Like the Galigher Girls Series! READ IT!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Summer Booklist

I just so happened to pick up this book from the library before going away for holiday to the beach this summer. First thing, the cover caught my attention and second this book was very good. I was so caught up in the book, I finished it in a day {very quick read}. I would recommend this book to friends!! This is a must read for summer or anytime for that matter.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

wow

wow that was a great, quick read. i mean i guessed most of the plot but it was a great book. i was taken by surprise on how much i liked it and i def. recommend it to anyone looking for a good book. (even though i didn't like the ending *spoiler* i thought alpha and frankie should have gotten together!!!)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Absolutely hilarious!

This book is an amazing read. The main character is flawed, but lovable, and the dialogue is really funny. Everyone should read this book!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

You will be so gruntled by this book.

I use the word "gruntled" as Frankie would and if you read the book, then you will get a laugh out of my headline as well. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is quite possibly the best book of 2008. End of review. Period. Interesting characters, laugh-out-loud dialogue, perfect plot and pacing. You will eat this book for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Oh and don't forget snack time, too.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

4 out of 5 stars

Alabaster Prep is a widely-known boarding school with rich kids roaming the halls. Alabaster students don¿t give a second thought to the mysterious all-male society, the Basset Hounds. Some of them don¿t even know who they are. Then a mildy geeky, curvaceous young woman, Frankie Landau-Banks, wants to take the Basset Hounds farther than just quiet beer parties and lame pumpkin pranks. But she can¿t become a member because, obviously, she is a girl and her boyfriend would certainly not let her join (though he, himself, is a member). In a world of goofballs and wannabes, Frankie must show the Bassets how it¿s done.

The story itself was original and fun. The writing was phenomenal and put other books to shame. I tried really hard, though, to like Frankie, the main character, but I didn¿t not achieve my goal. The only character I did like was looked down upon by everyone else in the book. Once I got to the middle, I was a little drawn away from it. There was a lot of feminism.

The quirky pranks were hilarious so I got a kick out of reading it. I also learned a lot of new words that I will try to remember in the future and use in my everyday vocabulary. Though I had a lot of back-and-forth admiration for this book, it is definitely worth checking out at your local library.

(Another left-down, but there are some sexual references within the pages of this book.)

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Angieville: THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS

I read THE BOYFRIEND LIST awhile back and enjoyed it but somehow didn't make it on to its sequel, THE BOY BOOK, or any of E. Lockhart's other titles. Then THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS came out and there was just so much buzz. And then it was named a finalist for the National Book Award. So I figured I'd better pick it up. Fortunately, Santa brought it to my home this year so I was able to jump right in.

Frankie is a sophomore at Alabaster Prep, super exclusive boarding school for the children of the elite. Ever since she was a kid, Frankie had heard her father and his cronies go on about a mysterious secret society known as the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. Once she starts at Alabaster it becomes clear that the Order is alive and thriving and open only to males. When she suddenly gains a few curves in the right places and a snazzy new boyfriend to go with them, Frankie becomes aware in a way she hadn't been up to this point in her life. And when the darling boyfriend starts evading her all the time, haring off to locales unspecified with other guys she just knows are in the Order, she decides to follow him. What she discovers from following Matthew (and the subsequent actions she puts into motion) change Frankie (and the Order) permanently. For the better? That's up to the reader. I say yes, but the whole thing is still painful to watch.

I am a bit conflicted over this book. For a variety of reasons. I felt like it really wanted to be SECRET SOCIETY GIRL meets LOOKING FOR ALASKA. Not the best combination, IMO. This wasn't helped by the fact that I kept picturing Alpha (my favorite character) as The Colonel in my head. I usually quite like third person present narration, but in this case it felt slightly contrived, particularly since Frankie never gelled into a tangible character for me. I laughed several times while reading and I liked Frankie but I didn't love her. I liked her for her dogged attempt to wade through the ever shifting waters of a rather assaultive adolescence and an unsympathetically exclusionary pack of boys who told her they liked her but clearly didn't know her at all, nor did they seem to care to. Despite these obstacles, or perhaps because of them, she managed to carve out a place where she could be herself, free from manipulation. I liked her combative and compelling relationship with Alpha. In fact, I wanted more of that and less mooning over lackluster Matthew. But the book ended just when things were getting interesting. I suspect I would really enjoy a sequel.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

LOVED IT

I started this book yesterday and plowed through it. The plot was highly inventive and creative and definitely a fun read.
if you're looking for a quick fun or entertaining read, definitely pick up a copy of this book!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Well Written

This book is not a fluffy love story with a happy ending it's more of a high school crudh gone wrong without angst

Really good

It was an interesting story. No one understood Frankie or how her mind worked. Even then she did the impossible- controlled a group of rich guys who felt entitled and kept it a secret. She is a pure genius-maybe a little crazy- but everyone underestimates her. They think she is smart but a tad bit phsycotic. Over all I loved it.

No

Dont like the main character is really weird x

Twist

Great powerhungry story

from missprint.wordpress.com

Frankie was content to spend her freshman year at the prestigious Alabaster boarding school as a quiet mildly geeky girl on the fringe of the Alabaster social hierarchy. Everything changes the summer before sophomore year when, thanks to a surprising growth spurt, Frankie returns to Alabaster with an enviable figure. Possibly due to that sudden change, or possibly a result of growing older, Frankie also returns to Alabaster as a more assertive, more determined girl. Specifically, Frankie is determined to be noticed--especially by the beautiful and outrageous senior Matthew Livingston.

When Matthew not only notices Frankie but also begins to date her, no one realizes that their relationship will set Frankie on a path of unprecedented mischief, mayhem and intrigue. It seems even less likely, to all concerned, that these events could eventually lead Frankie to her ignominious status of possible criminal mastermind.

All the same, that is exactly what happens. As Frankie finds her time with Matthew cut short again and again due to mysterious obligations and last minute meetings, she is determined to find out what is more important to Matthew than his own girlfriend. The answer proves surprising. Matthew belongs to a long-standing, long secret, all-male society at Alabaster called The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. In an attempt to get Matthew's attention and respect, Frankie secretly infiltrates the organization's inner workings to harness the power of the Dogs to her own ends.

What starts as Frankie trying to prove herself to Matthew and his zany senior friends, turns into something much more as Frankie begins to use the Dogs to perpetrate elaborate pranks to amuse the student body, yes, but also to promote change at Alabaster. At least, that's the plan until Frankie's complex web of lies begins to unravel.

The real beauty of this book is that there is never any doubt that Frankie is a strong character and a feminist. Indeed, most of the tension in this book comes from Frankie's difficulties in negotiating the strong, feminist persona she has internalized and the external meek and adorable persona created for her by others. In addition to providing a heroine entirely capable of thinking for herself and standing on her own two feet, Lockhart also provides readers with a very humorous and exciting story. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks also offers a unique, albeit fictional, look at the inner workings of secret society found at many colleges and even in the works of P. G. Wodehouse (an inspiration for both our heroine and her author).

Some reviews have suggested that the pranks are ill-advised and even irresponsible on Frankie's part. In a way, that is true--but only very superficially and only if readers completely overlook the deeper meanings and motivations behind each prank (don't worry, Frankie is happy to explain all of that!). There have also been remarks that the language here is unrealistic to ordinary teens--also possibly true except for the fact that Alabaster is a haven for precocious and privileged teenagers, likely placing them at a remove from the "ordinary" teens who would be loathe to utilize speech patterns seen here.