Several years ago, I read Sullivan’s Island by Dorothea Benton Frank and was hooked! I knew then and there I wanted to go to the South Carolina Low Country. I was able to do so a couple of years ago by going to Pawley’s Island, which happens to be the title of another of Dorothea’s books. I read the book before our trip and recognized so many places when we were on our trip.
Dorothea Benton Frank’s books are all written in a way that the setting becomes as much of a a character as the people in the storylines. You find yourself longing to go there and immerse yourself into the character of the setting. Folly Beach, her latest novel, is no disappointment. It put the yearning for a small cottage on Folly Beach in my heart and soul.
I will say, the “play within the book” was a bit of a distraction for me. I found myself skipping over the chapters that were about the play, and reading the story of Cate straight through. I did go back and skim the play pages, but it just didn’t hold my interest as Cate’s story did.
* From the Amazon product description:
Experience the wild beauty and sultry magic of New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank’s Carolina Lowcountry—where the pull of family is as powerful as the ocean tides and love can strike faster than lightning in summer…
Folly Beach
Home is the place that knows us best…
A woman returns to the past to find her future in this enchanting new tale of loss, acceptance, family, and love.
With its sandy beaches and bohemian charms, surfers and suits alike consider Folly Beach to be one of South Carolina’s most historic and romantic spots. It is also the land of Cate Cooper’s childhood, the place where all the ghosts of her past roam freely. Cate never thought she’d wind up in this tiny cottage named the Porgy House on this breathtakingly lovely strip of coast. But circumstances have changed, thanks to her newly dead husband whose financial—and emotional—bull and mendacity have left Cate homeless, broke, and unmoored.
Yet Folly Beach holds more than just memories. Once upon a time another woman found unexpected bliss and comfort within its welcoming arms. An artist, writer, and colleague of the revered George Gershwin, Dorothy Heyward enjoyed the greatest moments of her life at Folly with her beloved husband, DuBose. And though the Heywards are long gone, their passion and spirit lingers in every mango sunset and gentle ocean breeze.
And for Cate, Folly, too, holds the promise of unexpected fulfillment when she is forced to look at her life and the zany characters that are her family anew. To her surprise, she will discover that you can go home again. Folly Beach doesn’t just hold the girl she once was… it also holds the promise of the woman she’s always wanted—and is finally ready—to become.
Folly Beach, filled with the irresistible charm, saucy wit, and lush atmosphere that have won her the devotion of fans and propelled her books to bestsellerdom, is vintage Dorothea Benton Frank.
About The Author:
DOROTHEA BENTON FRANK
Dorothea Benton Frank is the New York Times best selling author of LOWCOUNTRY SUMMER (William Morrow 2010), RETURN TO SULLIVANS ISLAND (William Morrow 2009), BULLS ISLAND (William Morrow 2008), THE LAND OF MANGO SUNSETS (William Morrow 2007), THE CHRISTMAS PEARL (William Morrow 2007), FULL OF GRACE (William Morrow 2006), PAWLEYS ISLAND (Berkley 2005), SHEM CREEK (Berkley 2004), ISLE OF PALMS (Berkley 2003), PLANTATION (Jove 2001) and SULLIVAN’S ISLAND (Jove 2000).
Mrs. Frank has appeared on NBC’s Today Show, Parker Ladd’s Book Talk and many local network affiliated television stations. She is a frequent speaker on creative writing and the creative process for students of all ages and in private venues as the National Arts Club, the Junior League of New York, Friends of the Library organizations and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. She has also been a guest speaker at the South Carolina Book Festival, Novello, North Carolina’s festival of books and the Book and Author annual event in Charleston, SC, sponsored by the Post & Courier.
Before she began her writing career, Ms. Frank was involved extensively in the arts and education, and in raising awareness and funding for various non profits in New Jersey and New York. At the present time she serves on the Board of the South Carolina Historical Society.
She has served as a trustee of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, NY, Music Theater Group NY, and on the Board of Trustees of the Drumthwacket Foundation. Past board service includes The New Jersey Chamber Music Society, Whole Theater, Dance NJ, American Stage Company, and Senior Care of Montclair. As a volunteer fund raiser, she has planned events for Bloomfield College, The Montclair Kimberley Academy, Unity Concerts and The National Governor’s Association. She has held appointments to the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and the New Jersey Cultural Trust.
The author, who was born and raised on Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina and has been married forever to Peter Frank, currently divides her time between New Jersey and the Lowcountry of South Carolina
