Customer Reviews

Sullivan's Island (Lowcountry Tales)

5 star:		(125)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This is the first time I'm reviewing a book on Amazon, and I am apalled at the back and forth bickering between the bad reviews and the mostly rave reviews. I thought this book was simply...amazing. I loved Dorothea Benton Frank's writing style, her characters and her story. I read this book in two days, and that's only because I had started it right before going to bed. I was so completely transported into a whole other world, away from the traffic noises and putrid smells of urban life, and smack right into the salty air of sea water and sweet pie smells in the rambling house on Sullivan's Island. I felt like I was a part of the family, in this great story. It's obvious that all the authors who gave an endorsement to this book felt the same way. Instead of ranting and raving against them for giving their seal of approval, I am praising Pat Conroy, Bret Lott, Anne Rivers Siddons and Fern Michaels. They saw something special in this first-time author and they are completelly right. I would buy Ms. Frank's next book in a heartbeat! I only hope it comes out soon, because I'm starting to feel restless in my urban environment again, and am in need of some good ole' southern comfort, 'eah! Much thanks to the author for giving her readers this wonderful debut novel! Keep them coming!

I finished SULLIVAN'S ISLAND 3 days ago, and the characters have stayed with me constantly. I'm almost sad to have left them behind. I'll go to my reading chair with anticipation, only to realize with disappointment that the book's over.

This story, with its wonderful cast of real characters, is a gripping tale of growing up and finding oneself amongst the craziness of life. I laughed and cried and several times thought, "gosh, I _know_ that person."

I do wish we could have learned more about the father's death, and the conclusion of Susan's investigation--I thought it was wrapped up a bit quickly.

Otherwise, I can still smell that salt water and the feel of the gritty sand under my feet. If Ms. Benton Frank doesn't give me a new book to read soon, I'm going to end up as one of those dreaded summer tourists on Sullivan's Island in the very near future.

I live and grew up a stone's throw from Sullivan's Island, and I was delighted to find a book that is chock full of the local color and flavor of Charleston's barrier islands. The author does a wonderful job of evoking the laid-back atmosphere of the Island that exists so close to the often stifling formality of Charleston proper. The characters were instantly recognizeable to me as "true locals",and I particularly enjoyed all of the segments set in the present day. I was a little impatient, however, with the parallel plot, a murder mystery set against the backdrop of the civil rights movement. All in all, it was an entertaining read-ideal for a beach vacation. I loved the voice and humor of the narrator-the author's real gift is evident in her ability to create such a believable and likeable heroine.

Under-the-weather. I sent my husband to the library to get me a book. How he picked this one has to be a miracle! I am about to attend the 3rd reunion on Pawley's Island with 6 childhood friends, the "Morningside Girls" from Knoxville, TN. who are now each 77 years of age! Our roots are in East Tennessee but we love our Lowcountry sojourns. I did an unprecedented thing for me: Came right to your Website and ordered 7 copies, one for each of us. I read -- no, devoured, this marvelous book laughing and crying and wanting my friends to also experience the joy of reading an author almost half our age who could capture so perfectly the mystery of family relationships that our generation appreciates, evoke the haunting magic of SC Lowcountry, introduce us to the Gullah musical cadence of words that speak love, and at the same time do it with such rip-roaring, hilarious vitality that I am inspired, renewed, and made in one fell swoop a forever admirer of Dorothea Benton Frank. It's the best novel I have read in years! Honesty, humor, history are combined to leave a memorable imprint and make me want to do the same thing for Appalachia!

A wonderful book that comes together like honey on biscuits with a southern flavor that gives you a glimpse at life on the outer banks of the Carolina's. My first book by this author, it is reminiscent of a Pat Conroy novel.

Life sends Susan a few curves, her husband has strayed and the bills are piling up faster than she cares to admit. Her teenage daughter is your average teen, a good kid but a bit wayward at times, the easy repartee between Susan and her daughter was a joy to read. I thoroughly enjoyed how this author writes dialogue.

Susan is lucky to have the steadfast support of her sister who still lives on the island homestead, as she wades through the mire of her life. The storm her life has become is going to get a whole lot worse before there is a calm, but the sail is an eventful and enjoyable one with characters you will remember and enjoy.

The writing style is fluid and comfortable. The chapters switching back and forth from the present day to the 1960's when, as children they enjoyed the care of a black woman who has touched their lives forever. A mystery unravels, along with the answers to many questions, kept silent by the family over the years. A very good book. Kelsana 10/13/01

Pat Conroy, one of my favorite authors calls "Sullivan's Island" "hilarious and wise, an up to date report on what it is like to be female in the South Carolina low country today." He may be right. Dorothea Benton Frank has written this book which
may be a story of her life or someone's life she knows very well.

Susan Hayes life falls apart when she finds her husband in her bed with a young blond. She recovers sufficiently enough to kick him out of the home. She and her daughter Beth move on to their own recovery with the help of Susan's sister Maggie. They are bound up within the life of the family. As the book proceeds we discover that Susan has another story to tell, that of her childhood, Of life on Sullivan Island near Charlestown. It is a life of abuse and neglect in some ways, but also a life of redeeming qualities. This life in some ways is similar enough to Pat Conroy; the same type of very angry father, meek wife and 6 children who receive the brunt of the abuse. However, the redeeming quality is Livvie, their black housekeeper.

Livvie saves their lives. She will not allow for any abuse of the children as long as she is in the house. She of the gleaming floors and tables, clean washed white sheets and tables full of mouth watering food. As long as Livvie is around there will be some parenting and love. But Livvie is not around all the time and the abuse and beating goes on. A kind hearted sheriff steps in and threatens the father and it works for a bit.

The father is a man with demons as you might well expect. Except in this story we are to believe that he is also a man who tries to help the black community. A little too far fetched is this part of the story. A little too much of the chance of romantic encounters that must make the love of a life time. A little too much of everything must be fixed and psychoanalyzed and set right. There is a mystery to be solved, but it is not much of a surprise. This book has a wonderful setting with characters to be believed, but then something is out of context. Everyone must be happy, and everything must be fixed. Dorothea Benton Frank has a way with characters and a way of writing that excites us. She has a tale to tell but tells it too completely. I agree with Pat Conroy, this book has one of the funniest sex scenes I have read. prisrob

Despite certain caustic Yankee comments, this is a WONDERFUL book about Southern women! I was raised in Virginia, not the South Carolina low country, but I can sure enough affirm that Dottie Frank has breathed pure life into the customs, language, mores, and insane rituals of the South. Truth to tell, I feel like I must have been raised in some parallel extension of the family depicted in the novel. I KNOW Susan's mother and father and grandmother! Susan and her sister Maggie are great characters, full of spit and vinegar and thick, stubborn backbones -- true steel magnolias. Which is a wonder, considering the simpering, ineffectual ninnies their mother and grandmother were. They overcame that, and their sadistic brute of a father, and taught themselves what NOT to be in their lives. This is a novel of strength and endurance, love and betrayal, and hope and optimism born of chaos and despair -- liberally laced with side-splitting humor and stunning imagery. I absolutely loved this book and hope to see more from this author.

Fans of Anne Rivers Siddons and Pat Conroy will love this story. It takes the best of both authors and sets this tale in Sullivan's Island. You will laugh and cry along with Susan, and I swear I can smell the salt air and feel the sand beneath my feet...

I read many books each year since I have a daily 3-hour commute. This book was a delight and I found it a nice change from many others that I have read. I very much liked the style of the author, the humor, the characters had depth and purpose to them, the story is interesting, and the reader certainly can related to the reactions of the characters when they responded to their situations and lot in life. It's a great first book and I hope that we see more of the same from this author!

This was one of the best new novels I have read! It had it all...history, romance, tragedy humor...a tongue in cheek read...humanity..one of those "how did I get here and why did I get here" books..it jsut got my attention and it was not one of my normal murder and mayhem book...nor a Lawyer thing...just good old human conditions! Am waiting for her to write another book!