Review by Schalk and Monika -- Can I Be Frank? by Rob Wyatt

[Schalk and Monika]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Can I Be Frank?" by Rob Wyatt.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Can I be Frank, written by Rob Wyatt, tells the story of Father Francis, a newly ordained priest trying to find his British feet in an American parish. He is guided and supported by Martha, Father William, Dr Ginny and Judge Karl. Father Francis, who prefers to be called Frank, inadvertently makes an enemy of the biggest businessman in the area, and in the process to make ammends, actually uncovers all the illegal activities of said businessman. Through prayer and humour Frank eventually finds his calling and the bumbling and inexperienced priest becomes a leader.

This book is refreshingly honest and portrays him as a young, inexperienced priest with a heart of gold. The slightly misguided perception of priests that I had (i.e. priest always know what to do and devote their entire time to matters of the church), is luckily overturned, because Father Francis does not always know what he is supposed to do. All characters are life-like and the mistakes that they make are handled matter-of-factly and with a good portion of humour. I like that no one is perfect (not even the priest) and that the small circle of friends stick together, no matter what.

I also like how biblical stories and verses are integrated into the story without making a fuss about them and I actually learned quite a lot about the Bible and the different interpretations. I am not a Catholic but I thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning about masses, rituals - and the politics behind the church.

Sometimes, though, it felt as if Father Francis is portrayed as just too much of a scatterbrain - you would expect him to at least learn how to use a telephone system after the third use! And although the comparisons between American and British English are funny and entertaining the first few times, it does get a bit tedious and repetitive towards the end. In this case, less would be more.

All in all, though, Can I be Frank is a thoroughly enjoyable book and the clever word-play title gives a good indication of what to expect. I would give this book 4 out of 4 stars, because I could not stop reading it and, despite some spelling errors, it was a very easy read. It might not be a topic everybody feels comfortable with, but I recommend this book to anyone who appreciates good character descriptions, humour and true friendship.

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Can I Be Frank?
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