Discussion Post: Someday, Someday, Maybe

[torigates]

Hello and welcome to our discussion of Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham. This post is coming to you on a Sunday because I work weird hours on Saturdays and since I'm supposed to be running it, I wanted to be around to actually run it

Comments

[myr_soleil]

I LOVED THE BOOK, and I pictured Franny as Lauren Graham because duh, and Dan as Peter Krause because EVEN MORE DUH! (I choose to believe the Dan name is a Sports Night reference.) I really liked Penny and how she saves Franny at the premiere - I'm so glad she wasn't just a cliché. I loved Jane too, and I liked the messages from her Dad, and Daaaaaaan, why didn't make out more? Is he going to move to LA and star as her brother in a semi-hit TV show? And I loved picturing Lauren in all her auditions. I could just see the laugh in the sitcom. Lauren Graham is so great, guys.

I think a TV show could be great! There's a lot of stuff they could do.

[torigates]

I would have never imagined Dan as Peter Krause, but THAT IS DELIGHTFUL! I am biased towards my Lauren Graham/Matthew Perry shipping, but I like that too! I agree about Penny! I'm not surprised that Graham gave her depth rather than making her a cliche, but I LOVED IT. The messages from her dad were especially great, and I AGREE ABOUT MAKEOUTS. Always more makeouts.

[myr_soleil]

Do you watch Parenthood? Maybe that'd change your mind. THEY ARE AWESOME TOGETHER though really discreet, dammit.

I MEAN WE DIDN'T EVEN SEE THEM ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR FEELINGS SHAPE!!

[beth_shulman]

I really liked Penny and how she saves Franny at the premiere

YES.

I could just see the laugh in the sitcom.

ALSO YES.

I'm confused about the TV show? Like, will it really be anything new or different? And if it's not... will that matter, if it's good?

[beth_shulman]

Okay, so, I read this book right before reading The Reece Malcolm List which, much like Someday, Someday, Maybe, has real high points, but is also flawed, and the two are now completely blended together in my head. For one, Someday, Someday, Maybe suffers in comparison (which isn't fair, and yet) and for another, Reece is 32 and Devan is 16, and so Gilmore Girls comparisons are inevitable, right?

Anyway: I did like a lot of things about Someday, Someday, Maybe. I liked Franny's voice and her self-doubt a lot. I liked her sense of humor - she made me laugh out loud a bunch of times. I LOVED her dad. I loved this paragraph:

We worry about Frank the way New Yorkers worry about strangers whose apartments they can see into. Which is to say, we made up a name for him and have theories about his life, and we'd call 911 if we saw something frightening happen while spying on him, but if I ran into him on the subway, I'd look the other way.Also her line about not seeking the approval of people who work at Barney's. DID THIS PERSON LIVE IN NY

[spyglass_]

THE PARAGRAPH ABOUT FRANK? I HIGHLIGHTED THAT PARAGRAPH ON MY KINDLE.

I remember the subway tokens from visiting my grandparents when I was younger! The subway tokens have been gone for a long time, but my dad still randomly has some in his desk in our basement.

I definitely agree with your frustration in Franny's deliberate obliviousness. It didn't bug me the way it bugged me in a (sort of?) similar situation in the first Tasha Alexander book, but it was definitely frustrating to read.

I did kind of understand how she was oblivious with Barney and the other agency, at least. Although she should've called Barney back after the other agency dropped her a lot faster. But I understood how that happened. It was just the personal stuff.

[beth_shulman]

OF COURSE YOU DID :D

Yeah. I mean, she was so smart! The self-doubt felt really, really realistic! The cluelessness? Not so much.

Yeah, that didn't bother me as much. It can be hard to pick up the pieces. (How is this going to be a TV show? Is there enough material??)

[myr_soleil]

I felt that the James thing was too obvious and a bit dumb, too, but the agency thing I can buy. I mean, they got her a job right away! They looked professional and shit! She was like caught in the whirlwind and then she had a one-year contract and I can definitely see how she felt. And then the self-doubt catches up with her and that's why she waits so long to call Barney. IDK, I bought it.

[spyglass_]

I really liked it! I did picture Franny as Lauren Graham to a point. I think it's hard not to, honestly. I didn't really picture Dan as anyone, but I was very into Franny and Dan, so I like to imagine that everything worked out well for them. I loved some of the side characters, especially Franny's dad and Jane and Penny

[torigates]

I agree about getting to see more of the secondary characters in television format. I'd love to see more of Penny and Jane and Dan, so that would be awesome.

THAT'S SO COOL! It's always awesome when things are accurate to life. (MOSTLY)

[myr_soleil]

It's so great when books are set in your neighborhood! There are pretty much no books set in my neighborhood. Except the ones my husband wrote, hahaha.

[katayla]

I found one set in my city and it was so bizarre! Especially since I just picked it up because it looked interesting and had no idea it was set here!

[katayla]

I didn't exactly picture Franny as Lauren Graham, but it did get distracting at times wondering how much of this was taken from her life.

I liked it, but not without reservations. Like, it really bothered me that Franny took so long to even thinking about calling Barney. That was my first thought when her other agent dropped her!

And I really wish we got a better idea of how talented Franny was. Like, when everyone started saying, "No, you're so great!", it was hard for me to entirely buy into. (Especially since there are a lot of talented people out there that don't make it. I think I was viewing it in that lens, rather than Franny being better than everyone.)

And it ended in kind of a weird place. I think we should've at least been told she got the tv show. As is, I'm not sure her career is really THAT much better off than it was for most of the book.

[torigates]

I agree with you about Franny's talent. I think it was hard to "show" that she was especially because the book was from her POV. I think we were supposed to infer from the scenes we did see her acting (like the showcase where she fell) that she was talented, but it didn't really super come across to me either. (something that might be better in television format)

I agree some of the plot seemed to hinge on her stagnation, but for me that was kind of relatable because I know how easy it is to get into a rut and how it can be to try and take the steps to change that.

[katayla]

Yeah, it's hard to pull off in first person POV, but I think it's possible. Even if people had just started talking about her talent earlier?

It definitely is! I didn't need her to take action right away, but I needed the idea to occur to her. I really liked that it did seem to take her a little bit to work up the courage to call him, but I thought it took way too long for us to hear, in text, "I should call him"

[torigates]

Ah, yes. I get your distinction. Yeah, that makes sense. It would have been better had she been a little more self aware for the entire novel, I think.