Review: Anemic plot and Frustrating Dialogue
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 07 14, 2014
After waiting years for Benny and Frankie's story I got a book with a barely-there plot and Kristen Ashley-style repetitive inner dialogue.  It was alternately frustrating (pacing, dialogue, useless angst) and rewarding (Vi and Cal's rehearsal dinner and wedding, Benny, and other little KA poignant moments).RepetitionExample 1: "He wanted to let that moment last. He wanted more for her to be done with the cake so she could give him another nightie. But she wasn't done with the cake, she wanted to give him that, had gone out of her way to plan it, so he needed to let her give him that."Example 2:  "He moved down the hall and saved his shoe from Gus by tossing it on the dining room table which, again, was covered in s***, but more of it since he piled everything that had to be out of Gus's way there, and everything that needed to be out of Gus's way was everything."Example 3:  "Benny just said that. He just told me that. He just gave me that."Frankie and Benny 'heal the breach' and begin a relationship with some disruptions from Frankie's dysfunction family and her office intrigue, which isn't enough to make the great romance they deserved.  The little nuggets of good are overwhelmed by the non-conversation, repetition, anemic plot, and the snail-speed pacing.