Book Review: The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank

Hurricane Season officially started this past weekend.

I know, you're just FILLED with delight over that tidbit, aren't ya?

How about a delightful 'hurricane' book that goes on sale today?

Synopsis:

Once again Dorothea Benton Frank takes us deep into the heart of her magical South Carolina Lowcountry on a tumultuous journey filled with longings, disappointments, and, finally, a road toward happiness that is hard earned. There we meet three generations of women buried in secrets. The determined matriarch, Maisie Pringle, at eighty, is a force to be reckoned with because she will have the final word on everything, especially when she's dead wrong. Her daughter, Liz, is caught up in the classic maelstrom of being middle-age and in an emotionally demanding career that will eventually open all their eyes to a terrible truth. And Liz's beautiful twenty-something daughter, Ashley, whose dreamy ambitions of her unlikely future keeps them all at odds.

Luckily for Ashley, her wonderful older brother, Ivy, is her fierce champion but he can only do so much from San Francisco where he resides with his partner. And Mary Beth, her dearest friend, tries to have her back but even she can't talk headstrong Ashley out of a relationship with an ambitious politician who seems slightly too old for her.

Actually, Ashley and Mary Beth have yet to launch themselves into solvency. Their prospects seem bleak. So while they wait for the world to discover them and deliver them from a ramen-based existence, they placate themselves with a hare-brained scheme to make money but one that threatens to land them in huge trouble with the authorities.

So where is Clayton, Liz's husband? He seems more distracted than usual. Ashley desperately needs her father's love and attention but what kind of a parent can he be to Ashley with one foot in Manhattan and the other one planted in indiscretion? And Liz, who's an expert in the field of troubled domestic life, refuses to acknowledge Ashley's precarious situation. Who's in charge of this family? The wake-up call is about to arrive.

The Lowcountry has endured its share of war and bloodshed like the rest of the South, but this storm season we watch Maisie, Liz, Ashley, and Mary Beth deal with challenges that demand they face the truth about themselves. After a terrible confrontation they are forced to rise to forgiveness, but can they establish a new order for the future of them all?

Review: 

I literally could NOT put this book down and finished it at 2 am! The author's writing style is so enjoyable- it's like chatting with your best friend! She grabs you and dumps you into the middle of the family's chaos and then goes character by character, showing you why they are acting like they are and how their relationships are defined. You will laugh out loud quite a lot, so don't try to read it quietly! It is a story of acceptance, change, hope and the bonds of family. You will find yourself clamoring for another book with this enjoyable family, when you turn the last page! AND wanting to head off to South Carolina, as her descriptions are so memorable! There is a reason this is one of the talked about books for Summer- read it and you'll agree it's one of your favorite's too! Just take more than this book on vacation, as you'll be racing through this one with delight! 

About the Author:

From Dorothea: I am the author of fifteen novels placed in and around the Lowcountry of South Carolina and thanking God for my chance to speak. When I'm not writing, I'm reading or gardening or cooking. Love to travel, shoot the breeze with people and most of all, be with my husband, children and dog - not always necessarily in that order. Love to have company so come visit at www.dotfrank.com or on Facebook. And by the way, serious huge gushing thanks for everything - your kind words, posts and emails. Writing saves me, but without your support it wouldn't mean as much. (So I'm a little sentimental - big deal.) xxoo Dot

Be sure to check out her recipe page for some scrumptious Lowcountry fare!

Giveaway

Enter for your chance to win a trip for two to Charleston, SC to attend Fanfest this November with Dorothea Benton Frank, on the William Morrow website! You even get to attend a cooking class with her! But hurry, giveaway ends 6/9!