The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston
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The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston is just that, a scrapbook of a young woman in the 1920s who is striving to make something more of her life than simply becoming a wife and mother. Following WWI, many things have changed as women seek greater liberty from their "normal" lives -- seeking suffrage, going to college, having careers. Of course, there are boys and men because women always seek companionship, but educated women are looking for equals in a relationship, not a child to care for and guide.
Frankie Pratt has a deep sense of loyalty and responsibility to her mother, but at Vassar she becomes more independent and self-reliant after a few stumbles. While this book is told through images and very little text, readers can see how Pratt grows from a naive young woman with big dreams into an educated woman with even bigger dreams. It's just plain fun to journey with Pratt from New Hampshire to Vassar College and from college to New York City and Paris.
Preston incorporates typewriter-written text among a variety of newspaper and magazine cut outs, paper dolls, photographs, and other elements to tell Pratt's story. The scrapbook creates a fairy tale like quality to the story, which is just how it should be given Pratt's adventures. One aspect of the book that's missing is textured pages and more tactile scrapbooking materials or some semblance of that feeling readers would get with an actual scrapbook. However, that's a minor complaint given that the author easily captures readers' hearts with little text and very visual pages. The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston represents a snapshot of one young woman's life at a time when things are quickly changing for women and the world. It's a little powerhouse of intimate moments that coax emotional attachment and pure joy.
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About the Author:
Author of the New York Times Notable Book Jackie by Josie, Caroline Preston pulls from her extraordinary collection of vintage ephemera to create the first-ever scrapbook novel, transporting us back to the vibrant, burgeoning bohemian culture of the 1920s and introducing us to an unforgettable heroine, the spirited, ambitious, and lovely Frankie Pratt.
Check out this video about the making of the scrapbook.
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This is my 73rd book for the 2011 New Authors Reading Challenge.