Isle of Palms (2004) (Paperback)

by Dorothea Benton Frank (Author) "THIS is what I remember..." (more)
Key Phrases: own salon, Miss Mavis, Miss Angel, Isle of Palms (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Honey, you think you've got a dysfunctional family. Anna Lutz Abbot wants you to sit yourself down with a glass of sweet tea and hear all about why her family takes the pound cake. Momma dies in bed (amyl nitrate) with the wrong man when Anna is 10. Daddy is a tightwad who does a better job of looking after other people's kids (he's a pediatrician) than his own. Paternal grandmother Violet is a German martinet who blames Anna when Everett Fairchild drugs, beats, rapes and impregnates her after the prom. Jim Abbot, who gallantly insists on marrying her, is gay, which is fine with Anna except that he's gorgeous as well as perfect and she craves more from him. Toss in Jim's harridan mother and Anna's daughter, Emily, who makes her first appearance in full goth regalia. Frank's brilliant stroke is to give her narrator a voice like nobody else. Oh, Anna's Dixie as all get out, madly in love with the South Carolina Lowcountry, especially the islands off Charleston, but she's no steel magnolia. A perpetually pissed-off curmudgeon is more like it; she actively prays for her grandmother's death and takes a hammer to Everett's Mercedes when he shows up to meet Emily. "You're my birth father, aren't you?" Emily says, in one of the few scenes to lack high drama. (Frank writes at a fever pitch, even when describing the decor of Anna's new hair salon.) The third Lowcountry novel (Sullivan's Island; Plantation) is sure to delight Frank's fans and win new admirers, although the story occasionally staggers under the weight of its mammoth cast.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
Waggishly mixing high jinks with high drama, Frank brings to hilarious life the quintessential South Carolina low-country community of Isle of Palms, Anna Lutz Abbot's once and future home. Growing up there, Anna survived her mother's scandalous death, life with a domineering grandmother, a prom-night date rape that resulted in pregnancy, and a doomed marriage to her gay best friend. Despite its associated heartbreak, the seaside town represents the only place Anna feels she truly belongs, and her return launches a roller-coaster voyage of self-discovery. Aided and abetted by a quirky cast of supporting, and supportive, characters, among them the Misses Mavis and Angel, aka the Snoop Sisters, and Lucy, her surgically enhanced, blender-totin', party-gal neighbor, Anna discovers the wisdom in starting over before her past can pull her under and learns that the true nature of family goes far beyond any shared DNA. Sassy and smart, warm and true, Frank's characters are as real as a soft breeze on a summer's day. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (June 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042519549X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425195499
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #162,464 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Low Country Pleasure, June 24, 2003

By	"bookexchangemarietta" (Book Exchange, Marietta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Isle Of Palms (Hardcover)

Hello-she's baaaaaaaack- that low country lovin, livin, writin, Dorothea Benton Frank.

As with her previous 2 releases, ISLE OF PALMS, is also set in the author's beloved birthplace region and is a tribute to everything from it's salty marshes to it's eccentric inhabitants.

IOP is the author's best book yet.Frank provides equal parts drama, southern heritage and razor sharp one liners(reminiscent of Jersey girl, Evanovich).

The character of Anna Lutz Abbot is richly layered and supported by an ensemble cast that is flawed,but,loving and loyal.Anna's narrative is truly southern as well as sassy!

After reading all 3 of Frank's books, I have added a much needed, soul feeding, low country visit to my 'things to do before I die list.'

The 2 days spent reading this book was a long over due treat and well worth the wait since PLANTATION. My only regret is I didn't have my feet and backside firmly planted in the sandy beaches of South Carolina while reading it!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good beach book..., August 11, 2004

By	Cynthia K. Robertson (beverly, new jersey USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Isle Of Palms (Hardcover)

If you are looking for a fun and entertaining beach book (especially about the low country beaches of South Carolina), Dorothea Benton Frank's Isle of Palms is just the book. Having previously written Sullivan's Island and Plantation, Frank's third book is her best effort yet.

Summer is coming and 37-year-old Anna Lutz Abbot decides that it is time to take control of her life. Three traumatic events occurred during Anna's childhood, and she has pretty much lived her life as a victim. A divorcee' raising an 18 year old daughter, Anna decides to buy a house, make a career change and find a romantic interest. A terrible wrong in her life must also be righted. Things don't always develop as Anna expects, but sometimes the surprises are the most rewarding.

What makes Frank's books so much fun are the sassy writing, witty dialogue, and colorful characters. Frank's descriptions are hysterical. At one point, she tells us the difference between Southern gentlemen, bubbas and red necks-something that only a person raised in the South could do without offense. Her characters are especially memorable from gay ex-husband Jim, to Lucy the intellectually challenged and surgically altered bombshell neighbor to beautiful daughter Emily, who comes home from college in Gothic attire.

On the minus side, this story is a bit unbelievable in parts. Anna doesn't quite deal with issues involving both parents and her childhood. Also, the book is written entirely in the first person. Most of the chapters are seen through Anna's eyes, but several are told by the nosy neighbor, Miss Mavis. At the start of a new chapter, it was sometimes confusing to figure out who was speaking.

But negatives aside, Isle of Palms is an entertaining read. It was especially timely as I actually read it on a South Carolina beach, and am familiar with many of the sights Frank mentions. Her latest book, Shem Creek, has just been published. I think I'll save it for my new low country vacation.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book!, October 16, 2005

By	Donna K. "bookcrosser" (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Isle Of Palms (Hardcover)

The first few pages of this story was very slow reading, but once I got used to the casual and conversational narrative, and the local dialect, I became deeply engrossed in Anna's colorful life story. The setting was awesome, and the secondary characters were delightful! I'd definitely rank this as one of the best books I've read this year!