And when he spoke the word "love," it seemed to spring free and fly into the air like a beautiful balloon you wanted to run after. Ultimately though, this is a story of love and self-discovery, faith and commitment."Frankie believed in Heaven quite literally, as if it was another lovely world out past the stars. The writing is lyrical and beautiful, powerfully conveying all the turmoil of the loneliness, fear of punishment, and neglect the boys experience as well as the strength of their friendships. Tom's voice as his sixteen-year-old self, suggests a thoughtful, even intellectual, boy grappling with the enormous changes in his life once he has entered the seminary. Etta is the oppositional character who changes the courses of the lives of both Frankie and Tom and who may well have been the last person to see Frankie before he disappeared.įather Tom's recollections are, while drawn through the veil of an ageing memory, reflective and nostalgic and highlight the tragic events of the past while also allowing the reader to understand Tom's loyalty and devotion to the memory of Frankie. He is also infatuated with Frankie but in a jealous and voyeuristic way. He is the appointed Head Prefect of the seminary, a willing disciple of the cruelty and punishment dealt out by the Rector. The antagonist, a kind of Iago figure, is Brian Cooley, known as Etta, an epithet derived from the corrupted reverse spelling of Hate.
Free-spirited Frankie is imbued with love, which he shares unaffectedly within his 'lovely, lovely' world.
The title- My Lovely Frankie-aptly encapsulates Tom's deep love for Frankie as well as Frankie's warmth, power and joie de vivre. Here he met the charismatic Frankie Maguire, who would influence his life, forever. The story is crafted in first person as Tom Rowland, a retired priest, recalls his time as a 16-year-old novice at St Finbar's Seminary in the 1950s. This is a literary work and one where the emotions stirred by it are likely to reverberate with the reader long after the last page has been turned.
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