From Publishers Weekly
HA follow-up to Frank's debut novel, Sullivan's Island, this colorful contemporary romance effortlessly evokes the lush beauty of the South Carolina Lowcountry while exploring the complexities of family relationships. When Caroline Wimbley Levine learns that her mother, Miss Lavinia, has supposedly gone mad, she leaves the big city bustle of Manhattan and returns to Tall Pines Plantation. Caroline originally left Tall Pines to escape her feisty, eccentric mother and her drunken brother, Trip, but when Miss Lavinia dies, Caroline is forced to come to terms with her family's troubled history as well her failing relationship with her husband. As Caroline reminisces about her past rebelliousness and her childhood, she realizes that her father's sudden and tragic death many years before served as a catalyst for the family's disintegration. Caroline and Trip also learn that their seemingly selfish and self-assured mother was not so uncaring after all. While most of the story is told from Caroline's point of view, journal entries written by Miss Lavinia open several of the chapters, providing the narrative with additional texture and warmth. Although the novel is short on plot, readers will enjoy immersing themselves in the lives of these deftly drawn, heartfelt characters. Agent, Amy Berkower. (July 3)Forecast: Sullivan's Island was a New York Times bestseller, and, if Frank's newest receives the critical praise it deserves, it will climb the charts as well. Booksellers will also boost sales if they recommend this book to fans of Pat Conroy and Anne Rivers Siddons.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Pat Conroy called Dorothea Benton Frank's debut, Sullivan's Island, "hilarious and wise," while Anne Rivers Siddons declared that it "roars with life." Here, Frank evokes a lush plantation in the heart of modern-day South Carolina-where family ties and hidden truths run as deep and dark as the mighty Edisto River.

Author Biography: Dorothea Benton Frank was born and raised on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. The New York Times bestselling author of Sullivan's Island, Plantation, and Isle of Palms, she is a nationally recognized volunteer fundraiser for the arts and education, and an advocate of literacy programs and women's issues. She resides in the New York area with her husband and two children.

SYNOPSIS

Now, in this poignant mother-daughter story, Frank evokes a lush plantation in the heart of modern-day South Carolina-where family ties and hidden truths run as deep and dark as the mighty Edisto River...

FROM THE CRITICS

Pat Conroy

Dorothea Frank and I share the exact same literary territory--Sullivan's Island is hilarious and wise....

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Dorothea Frank and I share the same literary territory. — Pat Conroy