The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks Coming of Age Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

Between May and September, she gained four inches and twenty pounds, all in the right places. Went from being a scrawny, awkward child with hands too big for her arms, a frizz of unruly brown puff on her head […] to being a curvaceous young woman with an offbeat look that boys found distinctly appealing. (2.3)

Well, we can't say that's a bad way to transform over the summer when you're a teenage girl. But do you think that Frankie's inner self has caught up with her outer self's growth spurt?

Quote #2

What Frankie did that was unusual was to imagine herself in control. The drinks, the clothes, the invitations, the instructions, the food (there had been none), the location, everything. She asked herself: If I were in charge, how could I have done it better? (13.54)

Frankie has some real confidence in herself. Instead of just being grateful that she was invited to a senior party, she thinks of how she could be in charge. Someone's confident.

Quote #3

So I was a monster, she thought. At least I wasn't someone's little sister, someone's girlfriend, some sophomore, some girl—someone whose opinions don't matter. (20.77)

Bunny Rabbit no more, Frankie delivers a verbal lashing to her ex-boyfriend Porter. If we had any doubt that Frankie was a good debater, this would have cleared things up. But what's really telling here is that Frankie would rather be a monster than someone's, well, anything. Fair enough. At least when she's being a monster, it's on her own terms.