Cleopatra and Frankenstein tells the story of Cleo and Frank, two people living in New York City, whose lives intersect at the perfect time. Cleo is a UK National, living in New York on a student visa. She would like nothing more than to stay in New York, after a somewhat traumatic childhood. She meets Frank at a party, and they leave together, having a magical night in New York on New Years Eve. Frank is about 20 years older than Cleo, but despite that, they hit it off. Since Cleo’s visa is ending in a few months, and she will have to go back to England, she is determined to have fun while she can. She and Frank continue to “hang out” eventually becoming exclusive. Right before Cleo’s visa is up, Frank proposes, and she accepts. They get married in a small wedding (the hot dog vendor was their witness at City Hall!) with a big party with friends afterwards.
This book chronicles Frank and Cleo’s marriage, as well as stories of others within their lives, including Frank’s sister, Cleo’s best friend and mutual friends of the couple. This book really shows how lives intersect in unusual ways, and how we all have an impact on each other.
This book was fabulous, and well written. You rooted for Cleo and Frank, but then you also wanted the other characters, however flawed, to succeed too, and overcome their own heartaches and issues. You see some of the characters heading down the wrong paths, and you just want to yell at them that they are making poor choices. Every character had their flaws, and that is what made…
