3 out of 4 stars
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Can I Be Frank Review
It's just, I've come so far. I was so close to actually being of some use at last and now everything's gone belly up in the final stretch."
The words of Father Frank, a clumsy but interesting and slightly humorous man, who set out to make something out of the local Saint Francis Parish, he'd been assigned to. Frank himself, the main character of this book is not a comedian but the situations that he encountered on his mission was certainly entertaining and amusing.
His story begins from his arrival at an American airport. Having stayed in the UK all his life, he has certain challenges that pose problems for him but the magnitude of his problem run far deeper than his preference for tea over coffee. Other than the fact that he has absolutely no idea of how to properly govern a Parish, his help, Father Bill ( a man with a secularly inclined sense of humor and pleasure) introduces him to certain unpriestly habits which he soon develops a liking for. One of which was the like of beer which the Parish Administrator, Martha, instantly dislikes.
From the first meeting, Martha and Frank don't get along well and after a strange incident with fire ants, it is almost certain that Frank will never work his way into Martha's good books again. He at least tries to conduct his first mass and fails severally during the preparation for the mass. It seems like the first mass is destined to be a ridicule but he pulls through and even meets a huge 'donator' towards the cause of the church, the business tycoon Gene Charmois. He gains the attention of the beautiful and flirtatious Carly Charmois, Gene's wife.
At first Gene Charmois seems generous and over friendly but after Bill convinces Frank to purchase an "African tree frog" coloured car, things go downhill from there. With Gene Charmois, the richest financial supporter of the church, against him, Frank finds himself in a test of faith, friendship and temptations as he is left with a group of unlikely individuals like an atheist judge, who holds a grudge against Gene, a young doctor and even Martha. With the fall of his Parish on his mind, the last thing he thinks he would do was get involved with the Mexican labourers that show up at the Parish for food but after his encounter with aliens, father Frank and his friends, with no help from the diocese, have to work together to save the Parish and the Mexicans who all seem to be under Gene Charmois' control.
I like that although the book deals with religious activities and the life of a Catholic priest it isn't preachy. It is very funny and entertaining and can be enjoyed by all readers whether religious or not. The character's fears felt real to me and I could relate with some of Father Frank's feelings. I also like that there were scripture quotes relating to each chapter at the beginning.
Although the book is to be praised for its ability to show the secular life of a religious individual, I don't like that Martha almost always seems to think that Father Frank is sexually perverse. Not just Father Frank though. Other characters also thought of him that way. It seems that he fell victim to the perverse priest stereotype.
My favourite thing about this book is how Father Frank makes friends with the unlikeliest people who actually turn out to have very surprising and amazing personalities. The least thing I liked about this book was how Carly Charmois seems to be a prize wife and nothing more. I feel she could have been more than Gene Charmois flirtatious wife.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 because it was a very good book and an amazing read but although it had its suspensful moments, it wasn't very thrilling or educative. It is a nice book to read at a leisure time though and I do hope for more like this from the author.
While I was reading this book, I did notice a few grammatical errors. Examples below:
On page 121; While Father Frank was trying to get away from Carly, the narrator made a mistake referring to Frank "as himself" even though it is a first person narrative. The exact words were: "I restrained himself from any acts of violence against myself or the car.
Page 132; While Father Frank tried to explain to Gene Charmois, the narration went as thus: "I felt a rush of adrenaline as my body as…"
Page 271; When Ginny asked Father Frank if he could cook. This sentence is missing a preposition. The sentence: "Um, no afraid not on either counts but I work wonders hot dog sausages and baked beans."
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Can I Be Frank?
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