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Folly Beach, South Carolina, with its glistening beaches, laid-back Southern charm, and enticing Gullah tradition, is the land of Cate Cooper’s childhood, the place where all the ghosts of her past roam freely. Now, thanks to a newly deceased husband whose financial and emotional perfidy has left her homeless and broke, she’s returning to this lovely strip of coast.
Once, another woman found comfort here: an artist, writer, and sometime colleague of the revered George Gershwin. With her beloved husband, DuBose, Dorothy Heyward enjoyed the greatest moments of her life at Folly. Though the Heywards are long gone, their passion and spirit linger in every ocean breeze.
To her surprise, Cate is about to discover that you can go home again, for Folly holds the possibility of unexpected fulfillment—not just the memories of the girl she was, but the promise of the woman she’s always wanted to become. . . .
Dorothea Benton Frank's latest inviting beach read introduces us to Cate, a mid-life widow whose squandering husband bequeathed her with mountains of debt. Broke and desolate, she returns to the idyllic South Carolina seaside community that gave her many of her happiest childhood memories. Don't forget the sunscreen.
After her mother's death, writing down her memories of home was a private, therapeutic act for Frank. But as her stack of computer printouts grew, she began to try to shape them into a novel. Eventually a friend introduced her to the novelist Fern Michaels, who helped her polish her manuscript and find an agent for it.
Published in 2000, Frank's first "Lowcountry tale," Sullivan's Island made it to the New York Times bestseller list. Its quirky characters and tangled family relationships drew comparisons to the works of fellow southerners Anne Rivers Siddons and Pat Conroy (both of whom have provided blurbs for Frank's books). But while Conroy's novels are heavily angst-ridden, Frank sweetens her dysfunctional family tea with humor and a gabby, just-between-us-girls tone. To her way of thinking, there's a gap between serious literary fiction and standard beach-blanket fare that needs to be filled.
"I don't always want to read serious fiction," Frank explained to The Sun News of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. "But when I read fiction that's not serious, I don't want to read brain candy. Entertain me, for God's sake." Since her debut, she has faithfully followed her own advice, entertaining thousands of readers with books Pat Conroy calls "hilarious and wise" and characters Booklist describes as "sassy and smart,."
These days, Frank has a house of her own on Sullivan's Island, where she spends part of each year. "The first thing I do when I get there is take a walk on the beach," she admits. Evidently, this transplanted Lowcountry gal is staying in touch with her soul.
Dorothea Benton Frank does it again! Her latest book tells the story of Cate Cooper, a widow whose husband left her broke, humiliated, and with a soiled piano ( you'll understand once you read it). She heads down South to Folly Beach to stay with her crotchety Aunt Daisy and Daisy's partner Ella. These two ladies were wonderfully portrayed in this book. Cate goes to live in a cottage once owned by a couple who worked with George Gershwin on one of his musicals. Each chapter starts with a vignette about Dorothy Heywood and her husband Dubose, all of which tell a sub story in itself. Cate finds the inspiration to start a new life, career, and romance on Folly Beach. I especially enjoyed her interaction with her son Russ and his obnoxious wife, Alice. As usually happens when I finish one of Ms. Benton Frank's books, I want to head for the beaches of South Carolina and soak up the south and all of its ways !
17 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.theReader278
Posted June 30, 2011
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I loved reading this book! It has a story that keeps you entertained for hours. Very ideal for the hot summer days!
16 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Her newest book, Folly Beach: A Lowcountry Tale is added to my favorites. I tend to pull back from authors who write with a "cookie cutter" mentality, in an effort to pump out novels for a publishing schedule. This book is NOT one of those. Dot takes a different route with this story. It starts in New Jersey and then moves to Folly's Beach where Cate Cooper discovers the history behind a quaint little cottage. It's not time travel but the story is told with some retrospective, in the form of play. The scenes from the play start each chapter.
I have to say, I loved this. It's so different it made me think and really absorb the story and the characters, rather than a typical beach read that I can finish in 1-2 days. There were some pieces that were written a little "light", I thought. Some areas that could have been more detailed but really didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.
And, as a nurse, I'm usually disappointed when there are medical references. That's an area that's usually lacking when it's not the main focus of the story, maybe lack of research. Not so in this case. Just another reason why Dot continues to win me over.
It wasn't until after I finished Folly Beach that I actually read some reviews by other readers. I was surprised that many were disappointed by the change in how the story is told. I couldn't disagree more, it brings a freshness and helps to connect past with the present.
If you haven't read Dorothea Benton Frank, you should. If you have, you'll love this!
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 7, 2011
If you've read any of her other books, basically you've read this one already. I usually find her books entertaining (especially for a Summer read) even though the theme is always the same, but this time I just am bored. The dual story line is annoying, and the characters in the modern-day plot line are shallow simpletons. Also, Dorothea's prose has always been very low-level, but this time it breaks records for that. Be prepared to lose a few brain cells over this book.
5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 2, 2011
I purchsed this book before it was released as I truly have loved all her books. This book does not come close to her other books. I cannot recommend it to my friends. I will anxiously await anther book and hope it is more like her previous books. July 2, 2011
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 22, 2011
I got to about the middle of this book and finally gave up, something that I rarely do. Sorry, I'm really a fan of Dorothea's books, but not this one.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 9, 2011
This is the first book that I've read by this author and I'm sorry, but I just don't get it. It starts off quickly with her husband's suicide and then turns into a total sleeper. I'm all for the build up of a story but at least throw us a bone to keep us turning the pages! My advice is save your money and skip this one.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 14, 2012
jac2848- did not like nook sample (47 pgs). Starts off w play, then about how selfish & ungrateful her husband was and his suicide.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 20, 2012
Folly Beach is highly recommended. The best yet of the Lowcountry books by Dorothea Benton Frank.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.When I read the synopsis of Folly Beach, I through it sounded like a feel-good, lighthearted book. I felt like it dragged on a bit and it was difficult to get into. I'm not sure if it's the tone or the story that lacks imagination, but I was disappointed by Dorothea's latest book.
Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 7, 2011
Thete just wasn't enough spice to keep me interested in this book. I read about halfway through and put it away.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 28, 2011
I am a huge fan of Dorothea Benton Frank. She has made this Northerner long to be a Southerner! I was skeptical at first with the going back and forth between the Heywards in the 1930's and modern Cate but I just fell in love with the Heywards as I went along. Love Cate and John as well as her pluck. Her family was great. Give this book a chance and you won't regret it. It is a great escape. I know where I want to head when my Vermont winters get too brutal. I can smell the ocean, the wonderful meals and the warm sun.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Cate Cooper had the life most would envy. She had a beautiful mansion, great staff to wait upon her every need, family and friends who adored her and a husband who worked hard to get everything in life he believe he deserved. Yet Addison would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, no matter who he had to climb over to get it.
So besides the grief Cate feels when she finds Addison has committed suicide leaving behind the remnants of a sorry note, she is not ready for just how upside down her world is about to become. When women at the funeral announce they have not only been sleeping with her husband, some wonder who will provide for the children they had with Addison. She also learns that everything in her life will be taken from her leaving her with only her children and friends she can rely on.
Losing her home and everything in it, she agrees to move to Folly Beach to help her Aunt Daisy take care of some rental properties. She begins to restore her life as she stays in a home called Porgy which her aunt has named after the Heywards, who apparently stayed in the home during their lifetime while writing Porgy and Bess. It's through her time here that Cate begins to learn more about herself and the life she has left behind.
In the book, Folly Beach by Dorothy Benton Frank, the reader is delighted to a play woven into a fiction story. Part of the book involved a play involving Dorothy and DuBose living in their home in Folly Beach from their time as playwrites and actors from the 1920's and 30's. This play will eventually be something that Cate will write after spending time in the home and researching the characters of the Heywards while trying to get her own life right again. So what the reader is getting is a foreshadowing of Cate's future life as she uncovers more about the life of the Heywards.
I received this book compliments of TLC Book Tours for my honest review and LOVED it once I got the hang of how the story was woven together. I truly felt for the character of Cate who was dealt an unfortunate hand in losing her husband and in learning what a dual life he lived. This book is a great summer read and rates a 5 out of 5 stars. I love the duality that you get in a sense of having two books in one.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 19, 2013
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Love Dorathea's work, the characters come to life but this one was not my favorite. I did not care to jump back and forth on the play write chapters. Truthfully I skipped those parts and got all the information I needed from the present day story line.
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Posted April 18, 2013
I have read most of her books and this has been my least favorite. I found myself skipping the play part and only reading the story part.
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Posted April 11, 2013
I have read just almost all of Ms. Franks books and this was my least favorite. I love the setting for the books, the Low Country, because we had a home on Hilton Head Island for years and have been to Sullivan's Island, etc. However, the story line was much weaker than her other books.
The other thing that bothered me was that after all these years she has decided to make political comments regarding politicians, which had no connection at all to the story. I don't really care what your political affiliations are. This seems to be a new phenomenon among authors and I don't appreciate it. We're bombarded all day with politics and I read as an escape. I think I'm done with this author's books.
Anonymous
Posted February 14, 2013
Happy valentines day:) hope u had a wonderful day.
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Posted February 11, 2013
Yea
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Posted January 21, 2013
Im trained as a medcat and a warrior and a leader, so wherever you want to place me, and if you dont mind, i have powers
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 17, 2013
At k e t
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Overview
Folly Beach, South Carolina, with its glistening beaches, laid-back Southern charm, and enticing Gullah tradition, is the land of Cate Cooper’s childhood, the place where all the ghosts of her past roam freely. Now, thanks to a newly deceased husband whose financial and emotional perfidy has left her homeless and broke, she’s returning to this lovely strip of coast.
Once, another woman found comfort here: an artist, writer, and sometime colleague of the revered George Gershwin. ...