Dorothea Benton FrankReviews

I was looking for books set around Hilton Head and landed on this. I couldn’t make it through. I tried. It sounds awful, but I could not make myself care about these characters. The plot was also pretty predictable.

journaled bookbox; light Christmas story that takes place over 3 days in the Charleston, South Carolina home of the family matriarch, Theodora, and her family of "malcontents" as she refers to her children, grand and great grandchildren. On the 23rd, her housekeeper/cook is called away to the birth of her first grandchild & arranges for a friend to fill in. Theodora dreams of her childhood Christmases & the role their Gullah housekeeper, Pearl, had in it. In the morning, in long deceased Pearl sweeps in the door, in a swirl of fog. She and Theodora work together to get the family on their feet again, using some help from the spirits above and a pinch of Gullah magic. It's truly a Christmas like Theodora remembers!

A story of miracles in one dysfunctional family. A typical Christmas theme. Goodreads: Theodora is the matriarch of a family that, in her opinion, has grown into a bunch of truculent knuckleheads. They've all come together to South Carolina to celebrate Christmas. But this Christmas looks nothing like the extravagant, homey Christmases Theodora grew up with. What happened to the days when the holiday spirit meant tables groaning with home cooked goodies, over?the?top decorations, and long chats in front of the fire with Pearl, her grandmother's housekeeper/manager/caterer/psychiatrist/best friend? Luckily someone hears Theodora's plea for help and Merle (possibly Pearl?) arrives, pockets filled with Gullah magic and common sense to straighten everyone out. (less)

Not as good as past books. Events were too unbelieveable. Goodreads: In this thoughtful, timely, humorous, and bighearted tale, perennial New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank examines what happens when a young sophisticated Chicagoan falls for the owner of a farm on Johns Island, a lush Lowcountry paradise off the coast of South Carolina-trading the bustle of a cosmopolitan city for the vagaries of a small southern town.

Goodreads: New York Times-bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank returns to the American South in this latest novel about friendship and love that is full of heart, humor, and rich description.A woman wounded by her past comes to Sullivan's Island, South Carolina to find new meaning in life and to find herself. As she takes up a new hobby of beekeeping, she begins to come into her own and rebuild her life. When a new friend comes in and she finally allows for something more than just "friendship", everyone will realize that life could use a little taste of sweetness.In what is sure to be another classic, Dorothea Benton Frank weaves a fun tale of self-discovery, love, and friendship with her signature charming wit, indelible poignancy, and hallmark themes.

Goodreads Filled with her trademark wit, poignant themes, and rich characters, the perennial New York Times bestselling author returns with a sensational novel that follows the travels of one couple though a tumultuous summer.Dorothea Benton Frank?s magical stories take us deep into the heart of her beloved Carolina Lowcountry. In her novels, this lush landscape comes alive in all its vibrancy and color. She ignites all of our senses with her vivid descriptions of landscape and atmosphere. In her novels you hear the ocean washing the shore on different islands so profoundly that you can nearly hear the sea gulls squawking, too.This is a story of people whose lives are changing�a southern gentleman returning home to lead a more peaceful life and his talented New York wife who is not quite sure she is ready to make the transition. They are moving north to south, fast pace versus slow pace, downsizing. And while they are doing this, they are getting glimpses into other people?s lives over the course of a summer, holidays that will amuse, shock and transform them.This irresistible story is home to captivating characters as funny, complicated, and real as our best friends¥husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, friends and family who wrestle with the complexities, pain, and joys familiar to us all.Finally, we?ll come to recognize the face of love, the kind that deepens and endures but only because one woman makes a tremendous leap of faith. That leap changes them all.

Story centered spousal abuse.The Hurricane Sistersby Dorothea Benton Frank (Goodreads Author) 3.49 � Rating Details   12,243 Ratings   1,475 ReviewsHurricane season begins early and rumbles all summer long, well into September. Often people's lives reflect the weather and The Hurricane Sisters is just such a story.Once again Dorothea Benton Frank takes us deep into the heart of her magical South Carolina Lowcountry on a tumultuous journey filled with longings, disappointments, and, finally, a road toward happiness that is hard earned. There we meet three generations of women buried in secrets. The determined matriarch, Maisie Pringle, at eighty, is a force to be reckoned with because she will have the final word on everything, especially when she's dead wrong. Her daughter, Liz, is caught up in the classic maelstrom of being middle-age and in an emotionally demanding career that will eventually open all their eyes to a terrible truth. And Liz's beautiful twenty-something daughter, Ashley, whose dreamy ambitions of her unlikely future keeps them all at odds.Luckily for Ashley, her wonderful older brother, Ivy, is her fierce champion but he can only do so much from San Francisco where he resides with his partner. And Mary Beth, her dearest friend, tries to have her back but even she can't talk headstrong Ashley out of a relationship with an ambitious politician who seems slightly too old for her.Actually, Ashley and Mary Beth have yet to launch themselves into solvency. Their prospects seem bleak. So while they wait for the world to discover them and deliver them from a ramen-based existence, they placate themselves with a hare-brained scheme to make money but one that threatens to land them in huge trouble with the authorities.So where is Clayton, Liz's husband? He seems more distracted than usual. Ashley desperately needs her father's love and attention but what kind of a parent can he be to Ashley with one foot in Manhattan and the other one planted in indiscretion? And Liz, who's an expert in the field of troubled domestic life, refuses to acknowledge Ashley's precarious situation. Who's in charge of this family? The wake-up call is about to arrive.The Lowcountry has endured its share of war and bloodshed like the rest of the South, but this storm season we watch Maisie, Liz, Ashley, and Mary Beth deal with challenges that demand they face the truth about themselves. After a terrible confrontation they are forced to rise to forgiveness, but can they establish a new order for the future of them all?Frank, with her hallmark scintillating wit and crisp insight, captures how a complex family of disparate characters and their close friends can overcome anything through the power of love and reconciliation. This is the often hilarious, sometimes sobering, but always entertaining story of how these unforgettable women became The Hurricane Sisters.

The perennial New York Times bestselling author returns with an emotionally resonant novel that illuminates the power of friendship in women?s lives, and is filled with her trademark wit, poignant and timely themes, sassy, flesh-and-blood characters, and the steamy Southern atmosphere and beauty of her beloved Carolina Lowcountry.Few writers capture the complexities, pain, and joy of relationships�between friends, family members, husbands and wives, or lovers¥as beloved New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank. In this charming, evocative, soul-touching novel, she once again takes us deep into the heart of the magical Lowcountry where three amazing middle-aged women are bonded by another amazing woman?s death.Through their shared loss they forge a deep friendship, asking critical questions. Who was their friend and what did her life mean? Are they living the lives they imagined for themselves? Will they ever be able to afford to retire? How will they maximize their happiness? Security? Health? And ultimately, their own legacies?A plan is conceived and unfurls with each turn of the tide during one sweltering summer on the Isle of Palms. Without ever fully realizing how close they were to the edge, they finally triumph amid laughter and maybe even newfound love.

Discouraged with story at first because it was just about a husband and wife in therapy with each complaining about the other. The time sequence jumped around a bit, but when the wife went to Charleston, SC, the story line picked up significantly. I then began to appreciate the wife?s problem in dealing with her trial separation from her husband and finding herself falling in love with her high school sweetheart. Not one of her best, but it ended up being enjoyable.

Predictable story of new widow and her son who come to Sullivan?s Island to stay with her mom. A story of healing and finding in the end the reasons to stay.

Story parallels the lives of Cate in modern day to Dorothy whoe helped write the lyrics to Porgy and Bess.

Great read. Frances Mae goes to rehab making Trip, Rusty and Aunt Caroline in charge of two wild teenagers and a 7yr old missing her mother.

A magical Xmas when a deceased Pearl appears for 2 days to turn a troubled family around.

Daughter returns island to man the house while mom goes to France. She becomes victim of a scam, matures alot and finds her love.

Main character comes back to Charleston and must face family and father of her son. Truths must be told.

A beautiful story of a woman rediscovering herself. Not as good as some of her others, but still a good read.

Excellent story-all her books are worth reading

Light, but fun.

I really enjoyed this one. I am thankful that my husband bought me a copy while I was on a self imposed book ban. I learned so much about farming, peaches, Mount Pleasant and Chicago. I can’t wait to see what Dottie’s next book will be about.

I am so glad I got to see Dottie and have her sign a copy of this book for me! I love everything she writes! The only problem I have is that as soon as a new book is released I rush through it. I loved this one and made a list of restaurants that I want to eat at when I go to Charleston. Lol

So glad I was able to attend the book signing at Litchfield Books today and get a personalized signed copy! I love Dottie!

Bought on June 12th at the book signing at Litchfield Books in Pawleys Island! :D

Book on CD read by Julia Gibson and Joey Collins.

From the book jacket: After twenty years, Elizabeth “Betts” McGee has finally managed to put her past behind her. She hasn’t been home to beautiful South Carolina and untouched Bulls Island since the tragic night that ended her engagement to Charleston’s golden boy, J D Langley. .. Now … Betts, a top investment bank executive, must leave her comfortable life in New York City to return to the home she thought she’d left behind forever. But spearheading the most important project of her career puts her back in contact with everything she’s tried so hard to forget: her estranged sister, her father, J.D., and her past.

My reactions
Boring melodrama, with a weak plot and unbelievable characters. Frank seemed to throw in every idea from unwanted pregnancy to long-lost lovers, to alcohol and drug abuse, to environmental terrorists. Oh, and a mysterious New Jersey Mafia type she seemed to not know what to do with once she had written him into the story.

The audio performers kept me sufficiently entertained to keep listening, but it wasn't good enough to elevate the rating.

I'm so glad I read this book since she is gone now and not sure how many I haven't read that I'll read.

A good family book with two types of families. Shelby is engaged to Fred. Susan is a first class bitch who has everything in the world and Fred is from low country, SC, and his mom is so down to earth along with his Uncle Floyd and his grandmother who all live on the farm growing peaches and having a little store which sells fruit, jams, etc.

Susan gets a rude awakening that's for sure. She gets down off of her royal butt and realizes it too. Everything is chaotic in both worlds by the end of the book but then it all turns around.

It was a nice story, not my genre -- and too much of a happy ending. It is a complete beach read for anyone who is interested in a story that does not take much thought.