Helpful Score: 7
What a delightful book! Funny and heartwarming!
Helpful Score: 7
This book had a lot of comedy, suspense and of course romance. The characters in the book come alive on each page.
Helpful Score: 6
This book was my first of Frank's lowcountry books and sent me to all the others that I could find. It's a good book about finding one's self in the chaos of life.
Helpful Score: 4
Ms. Frank has a unique writing style that I have come to love. This was a nice story. It wasnt exceptional. A bit boring I might add, but the language and the phrasing and the conversations were witty and humorous. The story is about Linda and her 2 girls who come down to Shem creek after Linda decides she needs a new start especially for her wild teenager Gracie. Linda applies for a job at this restaurant owned by Brad. She gets the job because Brad takes an instant liking to her, even if she doesnt have experience in a restaurant. The story goes on with life that is intermingled between Brad and his son Alex, Linda and the girls and the restaurant employees that have become like family. Ms. Frank has a way with her descriptions of the atmosphere and the food so its almost like being there. She is not Anne Rivers Siddons but she is pretty good in her own way.
Helpful Score: 4
Good reading. I give it 4 stars. North and South come together and form a happy union.
Helpful Score: 3
Frank's books are always a satisfying Lowcountry treat. This one is a story of sisters, of motherhood, of change, and eventually of love. Linda and her daughters are wonderful, well crafted characters, unique and warm. I enjoyed the book very much.
Helpful Score: 3
A very interesting story of life in the lowcountry of South Carolina.A divorced Mother of 2 daughters , manager of a family restaurent. Life in runing the restaurent, raising 2 teenaged daughters and trying not to fall in love again.Good book.
Helpful Score: 3
Middle aged women with two teenage daughters makes the big move to a new life on her own. Great story, very encouraging.
Helpful Score: 2
An enjoyable read.
Helpful Score: 2
This is a heart-warming tale of life and love and family. Linda is a divorced mom of two teenage daughters. She is unhappy with her life in NJ and decides to move back home to Mount Pleasant, SC. (She grew up there and her sister still lives there.) She discovers happiness she never thought possible, with a little bit of crazy drama thrown in. It's a good book that left me feeling happy!
Helpful Score: 2
A good "girl" book, interesting insights into how we deal with change and with one another.
Helpful Score: 2
I really liked this book. I read it at the beach last fall, it was great.
Helpful Score: 2
I liked this book very much and recommend it, it has likeable characters and you find yourself laughing out loud.
Helpful Score: 2
not too impressed with this one. Plantation was much better
Helpful Score: 2
This book starts out kind of slow but then it picks up speed. I would give the author another chance.
Helpful Score: 2
This book follows the formula of a lot of Frank's other novels and is thus predictable. Still, though, a good casual read.
Helpful Score: 1
Another good Frank read with salty characters and South Carolina charm!
Helpful Score: 1
This is a quick read. An interesting, low intensity, feel-good book with a happy ending.
Helpful Score: 1
I have enjoyed all of this author's books so far. They make me want to visit the Low Country
Helpful Score: 1
This was a easy read with a very predictable pattern to the story line. A good book for distracted readers. You can easily read it and still be focusing on other things around you.
Helpful Score: 1
Dorothea Benton Frank writes about the SC Lowcountry and the relationships that you don't want to quit reading. The Best!
Helpful Score: 1
This is a great series. If you are looking to read a heart-felt, cleanly written (no bad language) book - this author is a good choice.
Helpful Score: 1
Another great one by Dorthea Benton Frank. I love how she weaves characters from her past books into her newer stories. One of my favorite authors!
Helpful Score: 1
Great reading.....
Helpful Score: 1
Great Book. Typical of her previous books based in the south. I really enjoy reading her books, and this one was no different.
Helpful Score: 1
An entertaining "low country" tale.
Great book!
I really enjoy all of this author's books. Most of them are set in the South, (South Carolina, I believe) and I just love reading about the Southern culture, me being from the Northwest! Great character development, loved the storyline.
Just finished reading this book. Had me up till 2AM one night. Really enjoyed it!!
Have recently discovered Dorothea Benton Frank's books, and this is my favorite so far.
Love the characters, and those of you who have gone through the heart-rending empty-nest time of your teenagers growing into adulthood, will appreciate her take on how hard it is to be supportive and yet to let your children fly on their own wings, whether ready or not.
Then throw those teenagers into even greater changes as their mother plans a family move to a different part of the country, finds a new job and a new relationship for herself, and you'll see a mom who's going through a true balancing act in her life.
This book is a somewhat restful change from the fast-paced sexually-charged relationships in many of the current love stories out right now.
But there IS a love story, and it is tempered with the whole family dynamics going through major change as the mom tries to find them a new home with a promise of community, friendship and work in a totally new field for herself.
Anybody out there raising older teenagers? Anybody out there rash enough to try to relocate them at that stage in their life? Whee-uuu...
Every step the mom takes is carefully thought out (which may read as "slow" to some readers), but to me, it's comforting to read about functional family and love relationships, among characters who care about each other.
Like a good stew, the book is well-seasoned with the regionalism with which Dorothea Frank is known, so we get a good sense of the South and the area known as Lowcountry. And yes, it makes me want to go there!
Her descriptions of the countryside are a joy and her characters, funny, poignant and real. Go, Dorothea!
Love the characters, and those of you who have gone through the heart-rending empty-nest time of your teenagers growing into adulthood, will appreciate her take on how hard it is to be supportive and yet to let your children fly on their own wings, whether ready or not.
Then throw those teenagers into even greater changes as their mother plans a family move to a different part of the country, finds a new job and a new relationship for herself, and you'll see a mom who's going through a true balancing act in her life.
This book is a somewhat restful change from the fast-paced sexually-charged relationships in many of the current love stories out right now.
But there IS a love story, and it is tempered with the whole family dynamics going through major change as the mom tries to find them a new home with a promise of community, friendship and work in a totally new field for herself.
Anybody out there raising older teenagers? Anybody out there rash enough to try to relocate them at that stage in their life? Whee-uuu...
Every step the mom takes is carefully thought out (which may read as "slow" to some readers), but to me, it's comforting to read about functional family and love relationships, among characters who care about each other.
Like a good stew, the book is well-seasoned with the regionalism with which Dorothea Frank is known, so we get a good sense of the South and the area known as Lowcountry. And yes, it makes me want to go there!
Her descriptions of the countryside are a joy and her characters, funny, poignant and real. Go, Dorothea!
Enjoyed the characters in this easy reading book.
Liked Plantation so much better - just couldn't get into this one at all.
Just a good homespun tale of life in "low country" South Carolina. Friendships, building romance, and colorful characters make this an easy-to-read entertaining book.
Light reading. A delightful tale.
Shem Creek is (once again) a MUST read by Dorothea Benton Frank! After reading several of her books about "The LowCountry", my husband and I just had to go visit Charletson! I was not disappointed! The area is amazing and I felt that I could invision all the people and their lives that I read about in this author's books. It makes you want to live in that area. I have visited many of the places that she writes about and each time, I fall in love with the magical aurora that these places rivet through my heart! I am always excited about each new book that comes out and can't hardly wait to read them!
Reading a Dorothea Benton Frank book is like having a conversation with an old friend. She's funny, irreverent and just plain kicks to read.
Wonderful! A quick read.
I'm a big fan of Dorothea Benton Frank and really liked this book. From Publishers Weekly: "Rich in the charms of small-town South Carolina...The strong pull of friendship, the leisurely pace of a tiny, water-front Southern town, and the steady buildup of romance help buoy Frank's well-drawn, memorable characters in the face of life's challenges."
I love Dorothea Benton Frank books! If you like Anne Siddons you will like these books.
a must read for dot frank fans especially mothers daughters and sisters. sullivans island and plantation however remain my favorites.
A single parent of two teenage daughters returns to her roots, with life-changing results.
Loves this book. Very realistic.
this book was so funny and yet serious and at times made you want to jump in and help the characters. for I love this author and her work for this is the second book i have read the first is plantation which is alot like ya ya sisterhood to me.
Dorothy Benton Frank writes an enticing story about lowcountry living in SC. Very enjoyable.
Dorothea Benton Frank is a fabulous writer. You will not be able to put her books down.
Loved this Low Country South Carolina novel.
This is the first lowcountry book I've read by Dorothea Benton Frank, and I wasn't disappointed. I love books with southern settings and people.
I love the Lowcountry tales. Straight from the heart. A real-life story.
good if you like love stories
Loved this novel of the South Carolina low country
Fun read
A mother's got to do what a mother's got to do and she did.
A very relaxing read..nice story about emotions between sisters and between mothers and daughters..
As with all of the "Lowcountry Tales" series, I loved this book. It's perfect for a light summer read, or anytime you want to get involved with characters and know that everything will turn out alright for them!
Linda D. (stormyinAlabama) -
Synopsis
Meet Linda Breland, single parent of two teenage daughters. The oldest, Lindsey, who always held her younger sister in check, is leaving for college. And Gracie, her Tasmanian devil, is giving her nightmares. Linda's personal life? Well, between the married men, the cold New Jersey winters, her pinched wallet and her ex-husband who marries a beautiful, successful woman ten years younger than she is - let's just say, Linda has seen enough to fill a thousand pages.
As the story opens, she is barreling down Interstate 95, bound for Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the land of her ancestors. Welcomed by the generous heart of her advice-dispensing sister, Mimi, Linda and her daughters slowly begin to find their way and discover a sweeter rhythm of life.
And then there's Brad Jackson, a former investment banker of Atlanta, Georgia who hires her to run his restaurant on Shem Creek. Like everyone else, Brad's got a story of his own - namely an almost ex-wife, Loretta who is the kind of gal who gives women a bad name.
The real protagonist of this story is the Lowcountry itself. The magical waters of Shem Creek, the abundant wildlife and the astounding power of nature give this tiny corner of the planet its infallible reputation as a place for introspection, contemplation and healing.
Meet Linda Breland, single parent of two teenage daughters. The oldest, Lindsey, who always held her younger sister in check, is leaving for college. And Gracie, her Tasmanian devil, is giving her nightmares. Linda's personal life? Well, between the married men, the cold New Jersey winters, her pinched wallet and her ex-husband who marries a beautiful, successful woman ten years younger than she is - let's just say, Linda has seen enough to fill a thousand pages.
As the story opens, she is barreling down Interstate 95, bound for Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the land of her ancestors. Welcomed by the generous heart of her advice-dispensing sister, Mimi, Linda and her daughters slowly begin to find their way and discover a sweeter rhythm of life.
And then there's Brad Jackson, a former investment banker of Atlanta, Georgia who hires her to run his restaurant on Shem Creek. Like everyone else, Brad's got a story of his own - namely an almost ex-wife, Loretta who is the kind of gal who gives women a bad name.
The real protagonist of this story is the Lowcountry itself. The magical waters of Shem Creek, the abundant wildlife and the astounding power of nature give this tiny corner of the planet its infallible reputation as a place for introspection, contemplation and healing.
Love Dorothea's story telling.
I love Dorothea Benton Frank's BOoks
Good book!
Linda Breland, a single mother tired of living hand-to-mouth in New Jersey, decides to move herself and her two teenage daughters to her distant hometown of Mount Pleasant, S.C., where her sister, Mimi, still lives. Linda's straight-shooting style impresses local restaurateur Brad Jackson, who hires her to manage his restaurant; hints of a future romance are about as subtle as a kitchen fire. Frank easily, breezily shifts among her multiple first-person narrators. In Linda and Mimi, she explores two very different lives: Mimi is divorced, childless and neat as a pin; Linda is outspoken, maternal and frank about her teenage pregnancy and youthful marriage, which fell apart when her husband's mid-life crisis sent him into the arms of a younger woman. Similarly, Linda's daughtersdependable Lindsay, who is starting college in the fall, and smart-mouthed Gracie, whose penchant for hanging out with the wrong crowd helped fuel her mother's desire to moveoffer a marvelous sibling contrast. The strong pull of friendship, the leisurely pace of a tiny, waterfront Southern town, and the steady buildup of romance help buoy Frank's well-drawn, memorable characters in the face of life's challenges.
Linda Breland is a single parent of two teenage daughters, one of whom is headed off to college. Between that and the married men, the cold New Jersey winters, her pinched wallet, and her ex-husband who marries a beautiful successful woman ten years younger than she is - let's just say, Linda has seen enough to fill a thousand pages. Now she is bound for Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the magical landscape of her ancestors. Welcomed by the help of her advice-dispensing sister and an intriguing ex-investment banker turned restaurant owner, Linda is slowly beginning to find her way and realize that she too is entitled to a second chance.
Purchased at the Sherman Oaks, Ca. Public Library's Books for a Dime shelf, for the purpose of swapping.
Meet Linda Breland, single parent of town teenage daughters-one of whom is headed off tho college. Between that and the married men, the cold New jersey winters, her pinched wallet, and her ex-husband who marries a beautiful sucessful woman ten years younger that she is-let's jsut say, Linday has seen enough to fill a thousand pages, Now, she's bound for Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the magical landscape of her ancestors. Welcomed by the help of her advice dispensing sister and an intriguing ex-investment banker turned restaurant owner, Linda slowly begins to find her way and realize thta she too is entitled to a second chance...
This book is in Perfect Condition!
