Someday, Someday, Maybe - Lauren Graham

Someday, Someday, Maybe

I have a confession to make.

I never would have picked up this book had it not been written by the incomparable Lauren Graham.  Recently, you may know her from the show Parenthood, but more than likely you, like I, see her forever as Lorelei Gilmore.

Yeah.  That Lorelei.  The one with wild jungle brain and the most perfect daughter ever known to television.  She wrote a book.  Ok, technically the actress who played Lorelei wrote the book, but that seems a small detail to note.  Obviously, I was going to read it.  It really didn't even matter what it was about.

As it turned out, Someday, Someday, Maybe is the story of Franny Banks, a young girl in the nineties struggling to make it as an actress in New York City.  Perhaps a touch of autobiography for Graham?  She certainly stuck to the old adage of "write what you know."

The book was fun and a bit campy.  Franny serves at a comedy club to make money, a commodity she never seems to have enough of.  Meanwhile, she auditions for commercials and various small gigs.  Eventually, she gets an agent and gains a very small amount of traction.  She dates another actor and ends up in a love triangle I saw coming in the first chapter.  In the end, of course, she finds some level of success both personally and professionally.

No need to label any of that paragraph as spoilers.  Any astute reader can see the ending a mile away.  Despite running out the clock on the deadline she set for herself, Franny is destined for triumph.  That's just the kind of book Graham wrote.

The level of predictability floats around that of the national debt.  Still, Graham is funny and charming and this shows through in her writing.  Franny is relatable, especially if you were ever the kid who loved theater.  Disclaimer: I was that kid. 

The book lives up to the standard it sets for itself.  It is not the next great American novel, but it is a fun read and I wish I had gotten a hold of it this summer for a weekend at the beach.

If Graham writes another book, I would read it as well.  She really is a decent writer.  Interestingly enough, Graham actually received a B.A. in English Literature at Columbia before her acting career took off.  The intelligence and talent is obviously there.  I would love to see her write something with a bit more depth.

Pages: 344

Date Completed: September 8, 2013

Have you ever read anything because of the author alone?  Did it turn out better or worse than you expected?