Minding Frankie is a typical Maeve Binchy story where families, whether by birth or developed through close friendships, are always the central point of her stories. Those in America might be confused by the title as I found when I first moved here that "to mind" has a different meaning than in Britain which means to watch over or look after someone. In the U.S. to mind someone means to obey or take notice of what they are telling you to do.
Each character has their own quirks which Emily, newly arrived from America to visit her uncle, quickly finds out. But Emily is integral in getting everyone organized and when a new baby arrives in the mix, she quickly works out a schedule for people to mind Frankie and look after her.
Some of the characters I recognized from other novels but I did have trouble remembering who was related to whom or their connections as there are over 40 characters to follow throughout the book. As always, Maeve Binchy's stories are a delightful read and a little glimpse into life within a small Irish community.
