Someday, Someday, Maybe: A Novel

I was expecting this to be pretty good--I knew from seeing interviews with her that Lauren Graham is well-educated and spontaneously funny. For the most part, it met my expectations. I liked the characters, and believed that people like them existed in the 90s. I actually really enjoyed the 90s setting, and the reminder that it wasn't that long ago when you had to go find a pay phone and call home to check your messages. There were a couple of places where it seemed like it could have been tightened up a bit, and there's a lot about how the main character doesn't believe she's funny, or beautiful, or a good actress, or whatever, and other people are always assuring her that she is. I think I would have liked her better if she wasn't such a Mary Sue. I also found the bit with the two agents pretty predictable, but it did move the story along in an interesting direction.

In spite of those things, I kept reading it because I was enjoying it so much. Basically, it was funny and engaging, and all around a fun read. I look forward to seeing what else Lauren Graham decides to do. ( )

Teetering at a 3.5 for this one but have pushed it up to a 4 because there were so many things I did really like about this story. I love Lauren Graham's sharp wit and the moments that she let it shine in her character writing. I almost wish there was a bit more actual dialogue rather than Franny's inner thoughts so we could see some fun banter. I don't think I've ever read about a character who is an aspiring actor before so it was a unique and interesting world for me to step into. Franny's journey of self discovery and confidence was an interesting and relatable one. Finally, I LOVED the 90's setting. It provided its own challenges to Franny's story and gave the world a unique and different flavour. There were a number of times I found myself thinking "why doesn't she just google it/use her cell phone" and then realised my mistake. The setting was a big old reminder of how far we've leapt technologically in the last 20 years and for anyone who grew up/lived through the 90's it's a nice dose of nostalgia.

I found myself quite sad when I realised I had come to the end just as things were beginning to pick up for Franny. ( )

Someday, Someday Maybe, by Lauren Graham

This charming novel by the actress Lauren Graham made me happy. Warm, funny, and full of heart, Someday, Someday Maybe sounded like just what I needed this week. Even though I'm a huge fan of Ms. Graham, and of Gilmore Girls, I was still a little stunned that such a gifted comic actress would be a particularly gifted comic novelist. It was absolutely everything I wanted and more than I expected.

I'm going to assume that there's at least a smidge of autobiography in the mix. It can't be a coincidence that Lauren Graham's first professional listings on IMDB showed up right around 1995. She's writing about a time, a place, and a world that she knows. The details ring true. And she does an excellent job of articulating the work of an actor. It's quite interesting being inside Franny's head, hearing her thought process, as she taps into the emotions she needs to convey. It's easy to empathize with the likeable Franny and to root for her to succeed.

One of the greatest pleasures of the novel is the humor. All the actors, and the industry are satirized. There is rich observational humor, also. In discussing a neighbor, Graham writes: "We worry about Frank in the way New Yorkers worry about strangers whose apartments they can see into. Which is to say, we made up a name for him and have theories about his life, and we'd call 911 if we saw something frightening happen while spying on him, but if I ran into him on the subway, I'd look the other way."

There's a light chick-lit feel to the novel, and the romantic subplot was delightful. Graham also has fun with romance tropes: "I mean, the whole `love triangle' THING bothers me. Who even thought of that? I've never been in a love triangle. Especially one where the girl is torn between the obviously right guy played by the more famous actor and the obviously hideously wrong guy played by the slightly less famous actor. And also, why does the heroine always have a sassy best friend? And why is she always a brunette?"

This is not literary fiction. Graham is writing in the voice of her first-person narrator, and she really brings Franny's voice to life. I could hear her, and she didn't actually sound very much like Lorelei Gilmore at all. Franny is a new creation. The novel's prose is very readable, and occasionally it's more than that. Also, Franny's tale moves swiftly. It's a story you'll read in no time, and the odds are good you'll be left wishing for a few chapters more.

Graham's characters are appealing. You want these young people to find their happy ending, whatever that happens to be. The novel comes to a very satisfying conclusion, and I enjoyed my time in Franny's company enough that I wouldn't mind at all visiting with her in the future. Given her creator's success, I'm going to gamble that things turn out alright for her. As for Lauren Graham, I can only hope those long hours on set translate to further forays into fiction. This was an auspicious and entertaining debut. I'm waiting for a sequel.

4 strong stars, as it was just like having your sweetest, very best friend read to you. (Listened to on audiobook format, and read by THE Lauren Graham herself. Through Random house audio, 2013). ( )

more like 3.5 stars but still good.Lauren Graham did a good job with this book. This was a fun light hearted book that channeled Sophie Kinsella Shopaholic, only less frustrating. Franny Banks is an aspiring actress with a deadline to meet her goals. She works hard to get to her dreams and stumbles a bit. it's a book that talks about following your dreams, live life, and be yourself. ( )

Well written and a fun read. However it wasn't a book that I couldn't put down. ( )