Someday, Someday, Maybe, by Lauren Graham is a book that has been in my peripheral vision for a while. It has great reviews and a beloved author. However, Lauren Graham is not beloved because she is an author, but because of her role as the sarcastic and charming Lorelai Gilmore, on Gilmore Girls.
And therein lies the problem. Lauren Graham was not the writer of the show that made her famous, yet she tries to channel her alter ego of the early 2000’s into Frannie Banks, a hybrid of the author and the actress. True fans might be more forgiving than me, but my struggle to like this novel was akin to Frannie’s struggle as an actress in New York City.
Frannie has set a three year deadline for herself. If, at the end of three years, she has not found success, she will admit defeat and move on to something else. Meanwhile, she’s making pennies as a waitress, sharing an apartment with roommates Jane and Dan, and playing phone tag with her concerned father.
Being leashed to this character through her ups and downs in these scenarios does not make for much of a plot. Instead, we’re introduced to a plethora (don’t you love that word?) of potential plots that never quite gain traction. How I would’ve loved to read a story about Frannie’s relationship with the guy she ends up with, or delve further into the father/daughter relationship. I would’ve been satisfied if the story had started where this one ended.
Instead, Lauren Graham chose a segment of Frannie’s life that isn’t really that interesting with a character who is pretty one-dimensional. The doodles in Frannie’s Filo-fax were a cute touch, but not enough to keep the story afloat.
After finishing Someday, Someday, Maybe, I zipped through a book by Katherine Center (my next review.) Her sassy female characters are created so effortlessly, it made me think that this was probably what Lauren Graham was trying to accomplish…but didn’t.
A swing and a miss on this one.
7.5/10 Stars
P.S. I did start watching Gilmore Girls for the first time ever and am liking it very much. The moral of this story? Stick with what you know. Not everyone was meant to be a writer. (And that is OK!)
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