A riveting read by the Queen of the South. Her rich characters and settings pulse with the uniqueness of real people meeting real challenges.
This is my first read by the author, and I found the book extremely well written, evoking a lot of emotions in me, both tearful and joyful. It surely gave me insight into life in the low-country of Charleston and its islands, and the characters enveloped me wholly and completely. Loved and related to each and every one.
Anne Rivers Siddons, still one of the best contemporay "southern writers" out there.
I love these book by Anne Rivers Siddon. Always about the south. Quick
beach read.
Anny Butler has always been a caretaker, a nurturer, first for her own brothers and sisters, and then as the director of an agency devoted to the welfare of children. What she has never had is a family of her own to care for. That all changes when she meets and marries Lewis Aiken, an exuberant surgeon fifteen years Anny's senior.
When they marry, Anny finds her family - not a traditional one, but a group of childhood friends from Charleston who are inseparable; who are one another's surrogate family. They call themselves The Scrubs, and they all, in some way, are connected by the cord of family. Instantly upon meeting them at the old beach house on Sullivan's Island, which they co-own, Anny knows that she has ultimately found home and family. They vow that, when the time comes, they will find a place by the sea where they can live together.
Bad things begin to happen - a hurricane, a fire, deaths - but still the remaining Scrubs cling together. They are watched over and bolstered by Camilla Curry, the heart and core of the group, always the healer. For the first time in her life, Anny allows Camilla to enfold her and to care for her with a kind of love and support that Anny has never experienced.
I loved this book; it was one of those books that you can get lost in the storytelling of it. I'm really beginning to enjoy Anne Rivers Siddons as an author and look forward avidly to the next book of hers that I read. I have added three more books by Anne Rivers Siddons on to my Wish List and give Islands by Anne Rivers Siddons an A+!
If you're a Pat Conroy fan, you'll love this book!
Very enjoyable, humorous book.
Started out good but half way thru it started to drag. The auathor got way too wordy. I finally had to give up on the book.
Beautifully written, in true Anne Rivers Siddons style, this book is more of a mystery-type than any of her others.
We listened to this on a very long car trip, and enjoyed it immensely (my husband and me). Although it is abridged, it didn't feel like it missed anything. Covers the lives of a group of friends for about 20 years.
Anne Butler is a caretaker, a nurturer, first for her own brothers and sisters, and then as a director of an agency devoted to the welfare of children. What she has never had is a real family. That changed when she met Lewis Aiken, and exuberant surgeon fifteen years older than Anny. When they marry, she finds her family. Not a traditional one, but a group of Charleston childhood friends who are inseperable, who are one another's surrogate family. They are called the Scrubs.
Instantly upon meeting them at the old beach house on Sullivans Island, which they co-own, Anny knows that she has found home and family.
Bad things begin to happen, but still the remaining Scrubs cling together, watched over and bolstered by Camilla Curry, the heart and core of their group. It is the first time Anny has felt this kind of love and support. But Anny must learn that everything is not as it seems, that some loves carry a secret and terrible price.
