http://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/private/michael-frank/

I love a good, meaty memoir and The Mighty Franks did not disappoint. Michael Frank draws readers into 1970's Laurel Canyon. With an almost cinematic feel, the vignettes show raw emotions. This is a moving, fascinating book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I wanted to like this book, but ultimately it wasn't very interesting. I did like the writing, however.

I mistakenly thought this book was about Michael Frank but really it was about his aunt, Harriet Frank Revetch. She was involved in the movie industry, though I had not heard of her prior to this book. However, the book isn’t about hob-knobbing with the rich and famous. The book chronicles Hankie’s difficult relationships with her family members and friends. She was extremely magnanimous and loving when it served her purposes and then would place heavy burdens on the people around her using her previous benevolence as leverage. It was very hard to read how the people around her let her harm them over and over again without protecting themselves or each other. Many times I wondered why Mr. Franks was willing to share this dark side of his childhood with us. I know writing out what happened was probably extremely cathartic for him but he was very brave to let the world know that life wasn’t always so beautiful for Hollywood’s beautiful families.

Mighty Franks is a story about the Frank family who lived in California. It is an intertwined family – brother and sister married sister and brother. Plus their mothers share an apartment together, Huffy (mother of Hank and Martoon) Frank and Sylvia (mother of Merona and Irving) Ravetch. Merona. Irving had a very close relationship when they were young and then Irving got married….

The older couple, Henrietta “Hank” and Irving Frank, is well-known playwrights and have no children. The younger couple, Martoon and Merona, has three children. The book is written from the oldest son’s perspective, Michael.

The two families initially live within three blocks of each other in Laurel Canyon. Aunt Hank favored Michael, the oldest of the three children. “My aunt was the sun and I was her planet, held in devotional orbit by forces that felt larger than I was…” This favoritism causes problems within the family. Hank spends much time with Michael; she actually demands the time. This is not all well received from Michael. It causes physical issues for him. When Hank called, Michael was expected to run right over. When he made any excuse as to why he was unable to come for an hour or at all that day, “the goodbye would be swift and the phone would hit the cradle with a bang.”

At one point Michael is instructed to refuse to go with Hank or Irving unless his younger brothers are invited. This results in a “punishment” because Michael is unable to comply. The “Bergman Temper” was constantly simmering between the two houses. When Hank and Irving weren’t working on a script, their house underwent frequent changes. Based on the book, Hank was a very demanding, judgmental, inflexible, and critical person. The book raises numerous points illustrating these traits. “She beguiled and she eviscerated; she gave generously and she took arrogantly; she celebrated and she excoriated; she was an angel, a devil; she was a mystery and a burden, everlasting.”

Michael also experienced bullying at school and made a great attempt to hide it.
By the end of the book, the reader has learned much about the Frank family and finds little reason to care for Hank. The book seems to be mostly about how rotten of a person Hank is and the challenges of living in the Frank Family.

The book just didn't grab me. I need a book to immediately pull me in. This didn't at all.

The Mighty Franks is a must-read for those of you who love a dysfunctional family saga. Full stop. The author tells the story of his own off-kilter family: a brother and sister who married a sister and brother, one couple has three boys, the other had no children; they live within 3 miles of each other and the grandmothers are also living nearby. The aunt who is childless imprints on young Michael, madness ensues. It's a crazy ride.