On the shelf: ‘The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt’ by Caroline Preston

By Tallulah Stievers

 

In 1920, Frankie Pratt graduates from high school and receives a scrapbook as a gift. Intent on becoming a writer, she attends Vassar College, and finds work in New York and Paris. Told through Frankie’s eyes, the life of a young woman trying to find her place in the world comes to life. The remarkable thing about this book, however, is the way the story is told.

 

The entire book is formatted as Frankie’s scrapbook. It is filled with ephemera such as post cards, letters, magazine ads and more. The story of her life is told through her scrapbook entries and the style of the 1920s is vivid. The reader wants to be able to touch the items in the scrapbook, to ask Frankie questions, and to see the story from the viewpoint of other characters. But this is Frankie’s story and we see her world only from her perspective through what she shares in her scrapbook.

 

This is a fun book and a quick read, but you will linger, looking at the beautiful and detailed layout of each page.

Comments

comments