This is such a sweet book of aloneness, family dynamics, friendships and strong neighborhood love and guidance. I recommend this read highly for anyone who loves interesting characters and a good story to the very end!

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Maeve Binchy writes about people in such a warm and inviting way that I at least am transported into their world, caught up in their lives and feel as if I have been minding Frankie this last year too!

While the book stands alone, it draws on the characters of her previous novels and leave enough threads out there for a dozen more books to branch off this tree she planted and nurtures so well.

This is one not to be missed. If you don't love it I'll be shocked. If you want to visit a real community of people who care about one another and work to create a world outside their own concerns, you will enjoy this.

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Interesting turn of events for a young pregnant woman who names an alcoholic, uneducated, poor-job prospects individual who accepts her announcement without question. How his neighborhood steps up,helping and covering for him until he learns his way makes for an interesting read. I was left with many unanswered questions, but that is why we have book club discussions.

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Another fabulous Maeve Binchy book! She brought up characters from previous books - tied everything together - it was magic! Loved it!

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Never a disappointment reading Maeve Binchy and Minding Frankie is no exception! Terrific.

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Typical, pleasant Maeve Binchy book. She is not my favorite author, but she is dependable for a light, enjoyable read. I do sometimes feel like I need a scorecard to keep track of all her many characters...

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I loved this story! Any Binchy fan will totally enjoy it!

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Not my favorite of Maeve's books, the story is a little too pat. Maybe they all are but in this one it seems to show.

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Okay, I admit, I've been a Maeve Binchy fan since Tara Road. Most of our favorite writers will occasionally put out a book that just isn't as good as others, but this book is not one of those books. It's easily as good as my other favorite Binchy titles.

Noel Lynch is going nowhere in a dead end job, he's still living with his parents, and he's a little too fond of alcohol, when he hears from a girl he can't even remember. She's in the local cancer ward, massively pregnant, and claiming he is the father of her baby. What does Noel do? He runs away from the situation and goes into full on denial about the possibility that he just may be the daddy, and that he just may have to take custody of the baby when the girl goes for a c-section that she knows will kill her.

What Binchy does with this story is phenomenal. She brings in some characters from many of her recent books and then proceeds to tell the story from multiple viewpoints without ever losing her way or losing the interest of the reader. She brings the characters so brilliantly to life, that you grow to care for all of them, even the nasty social worker who, haunted by her own past, yearns to take Frankie away from Noel. She serves as the flawed, sympathetic villain of the story. There are no misteps or sagging areas of this story. A truly excellent tale.

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When Noel learns that a former flame is terminally ill and pregnant with a child that she claims is his, he agrees to take care of the baby girl once she is born. A recovering alcoholic who is barely keeping his inner demons at bay, Noel is perhaps not the most promising of fathers but despite everything, he could well turn out to be Baby Frankie's best hope.

Luckily, Noel has a very close network of friends and family who are ready to help him raise Frankie. There is love-starved Lisa, who becomes his round-the-clock partner in little Frankie's care, his American cousin and pep-talker, Emily, as well as a host of eager babysitters from all around the close-knit Irish community of Jarlath Crescent, Dublin who are ready to step up and offer their services to Noel.

The unusual arrangement works out well for everyone concerned until a nosy social worker, Moira arrives. She is convinced that the best thing for Frankie is to be raised in a foster home and she has the power to make that happen. However, she has her own secrets to hide. Now the entire community of Jarlath Crescent must come together and prove to Moira that they each have something to offer in the raising of little Frankie.

I really, really enjoyed this book and found it to be extremely heartwarming and a true feel good story. I gave this book an A+! and happily put it away on my bookshelf. I will probably reread it in a couple of years time. I was very surprised to learn from her website that Maeve Binchy passed away on July 30, 2012 after a short illness. As I've probably said before, Maeve Binchy was one of my favorite authors and in my opinion, she will be sorely missed by readers all over the world. God bless you, Maeve. may your soul rest in peace.

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