Doorman Wanted

This was a delight. I felt that was in the middle of a 1930's movie comedy. The hero, Henry Franken, has inherited millions but he's not comfortable with his new wealth, nor with his father who left it to him. As he enters his newly inherited, ultra-luxury condo in Manhattan, he sees a sign DOORMAN WANTED and takes the job. Thereby hangs this tale of assumed identity, growing maturity and a lovely bit of romance.

This will make a lovely movie. It enchanted me the same way that lots of old comedies have always gained my interest. If kindness and honesty make you happy as a reader, you will enjoy this very offbeat novel.

The author has rested a wonderful character in the newly minted, Franklin Hanratty, model doorman and very attractive Good Samaritan

This is a perfect relaxing read. A bit of fantasy, enough romance and full of kindness. I recommend this offbeat novel to my readers.

Thank you Netgalley for making me SMILE for hours!

This debut novel by Glenn R. Miller was a fantastic, funny read. Henry is suddenly wealthy after his father's death, but impulsively chooses to get a job as doorman of the ritzy Upper East Side condo building while living secretly in the penthouse. It's almost a Being There (Jerzy Kosciusko, 1971) in reverse. The lazy manager condescends to him, but other staff, tenants and passers-by get to know and appreciate him. As time goes on, he enjoys the way people like him for himself and falls in love with Wendy, who also lives in the building and buys into his doorman identity. There are touching scenes as Henry gets to know some homeless artists – which leads to him finding a way to help them and a reason to shed his disguise. Wonderful dialogue. Henry has a formal, vocab-forward way of expressing himself, with traces of cheerio pip pip. He mentions PG Wodehouse but that's not exactly the way it is. Long sentences that run on full of clever words. Other characters wise-crack with abandon.
This writer is one to watch!

This book was something out of the ordinary for me to choose to read but thanks to #Netgalley and the publisher I gave it a try and am so glad I did. The story pulled me in right away and kept me reading. I am always rooting for solid relationships when I read and this didn’t disappoint!

The central premise was awesome, but it leaned a little too heavily into the "billionaires are good" trope.

The friendship that develops between Henry/Franklin and two unhoused artists, as well as the rapport that he develops with the tenants of the building, is delightful. It features creative problem solving, appreciation of art and the individuality of people, a touch of romance, and a New York that felt true to New York itself. For those looking for a quirky, intelligent, compassionate character learning to grapple with his own adulthood: Henry is the man for you.

The last third of the book is where I kind of felt lost in the "yay rich people" message. In Henry's "big reveal" as the owner of the building, it felt like the people Henry was lying to were very quick to accept him and how good/generous he was. It was just a little much for me. C'est la vie. Good book otherwise!

I am delighted to have been able to read this fascinating, original book! The words that came to mind while reading it were: clever, intelligent, vibrant, witty, good story-telling, inspiring, thoughtful, and important. It's important because it's not just a book about a doorman and all the quirky inhabitants of his building... it's about a man who is finding his own way in the world, who is compassionate about others, and is a creative problem solver.

I admired the author's skill in leading us into the main story line, which is "the doorman's" relationship with two very special homeless artists and how their stories interweave. There's also a little romance which I appreciated. Just the right amount!

I will be looking for more gems of fiction from this author.... keep writing, please!

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and publisher, for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Henry Franken, a thirty something man, returns to New York City from whereabouts unknown after his father dies, where he learns, to his surprise, that he has inherited his father’s entire estate, an estate worth not quite one billion dollars. Included in this is a condominium building on the Upper East Side, with a penthouse also part of the inheritance. As is revealed slowly as the story unfolds, he’s been uncomfortable with the source of his father’s wealth - old dad was a developer who didn’t always have in mind the best interests of the tenants in buildings he purchased and transformed into wealth-generating entities.

Reeling from the shock that he will never have to work again a day in his life, Henry wanders over to L’Hermitage, ready to move into his penthouse. When he gets there, he spots a “Doorman Wanted” sign posted at the entrance, and, on a whim, quickly scrambles his name into Franklin Hanratty and applies for the position. Being polite, intelligent, and well-spoken, he his hired on the spot. And then the hilarious modern day not quite take on Shakespeare’s “ A Comedy of Errors “ ensues, including the machinations he must take to conceal his true identity at the beginning and end of the workday. Luckily, the penthouse has a private entrance and private elevator in the rear so he can keep up his charade.

As it happens, “Franklin” is an outstanding doorman. He is friendly to all the residents and to some houseless artists he befriends with free coffee. And then things get very challenging. Suffice to say this is an hilarious romp that turns serious as Franklin begins to feel trapped in his glorious penthouse, possibly begins a romance with one of the residents, and is chastised many times by the building manager for fraternizing with undesirable elements. I won’t spoil the ending, but I must say the action and intrigue, as well as Henry’s relationship with not only the artists but his fellow residents, a diverse bunch indeed, builds to a critical point and he is forced to reveal his true identity.

To say I loved this book is an understatement. I adored it. Each and every character is rich and each becomes richer as the story unfolds. Although not from New York myself, I have been there enough times to understand the location, and I could see every site and visualize every person and scene and practically engage in every interaction that make up this book. I hesitate to say this because it’s my general experience that books don’t always translate well to the screen, but this book would make a great movie.

I look forward to reading more from this writer.

I received this book from the publisher and NetGalley.

Great book to read and im really in love with the stories. “The book is a humorous look at the odd and complex relationships Americans have with wealth and money,” Miller says. “It explores privilege, inheritance, class perceptions, New York’s Upper East Side, dating, New York Times’ crossword puzzles, the world of art, and how best to live a “good life.”

Fans of Nick Hornby and Gail Honeyman will love this debut voice in literary fiction.

Wow, what a fun read!

Doorman Wanted takes us along the journey of Henry Franken, whom we meet shortly after the passing of his very affluent father, who has left him everything. When he goes to sign the paperwork to accept his newly acquired Upper East Side building and penthouse apartment, he sees a sign in the window: Doorman Wanted. None too interested in his family's wealth, he chooses to accept this as a sign to instead apply for the job, and keeps his true identity hidden from the residents and employees.

What transpires is a witty, humorous and well-written story that leads us through life as Franklin Hanratty, a doorman imposter. We are introduced to several quirky, fun and interesting residents along with some wild co-workers.

Throughout his role as doorman, Henry/Franklin meets and befriends a few homeless artists which in turn places him on a quest to provide them with better opportunities in the world of art, and thus life.

Although I feel like this book doesn't have a very clear plotline, the way it's written just somehow works. I really liked engaging with each individual character, and getting to follow along with their daily adventures. Everyone had very different personalities and I enjoyed getting to know them all.

What I didn't love, was the ending of Wendy's storyline. It was completely fine until she finds out who Franklin truly is, and in my opinion, completely overreacts. (Ok pot, let's call the kettle black, shall we?) But then just basically acts like nothing happened? It was strange, and I just didn't get it, I guess.

I also wish there was a bit more of a reaction written amongst the residents when they learned the truth about Franklin/Henry. It seems like it was just kind of glazed over a bit, and slightly disappointing.

Overall though, this was an excellent story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. Especially for a debut novel! I would absolutely love to read a sequel, so that we can continue getting to know all the characters and continue on this journey with them. Perhaps a storyline from Charlotte's perspective?

*Thank you to NetGalley, Glenn R. Miller and Koehler Books for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.*