by Susan Roberts
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I recently spent a week in the South Carolina low country, and while I was there, I re-read some of the books that I’ve enjoyed that take place in that beautiful area.
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Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank
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| May 2019; William Morrow; 978-0062861214 audio, ebook, print (432 pages); southern fiction |
I have been a fan of Dorothea Benton Frank since I read her first book twenty years ago. When you start her books, you know that you'll be back in the Lowcountry of South Carolina with a bunch of quirky characters and a great plot that will make you want to pack your bags and head to the beach.
Queen Bee has a dual meaning -- it's what sisters Holly and Leslie call their mother - a grouchy woman who has pretty much given up on life since her husband left her years ago. Even though Holly and Leslie are in their 30s, they are both struggling with their lives. Leslie lives with her husband in Ohio, but when he tells her that he wants to perform as a drag queen, she is so upset that she returns home. Holly has stayed at home to take care of her mother. She has a crush on the man across the street and loves his children. She is also a beekeeper who talks to her bees (the other reference of the title), and her bees seem to listen to her. Her life is on hold - she is waiting for a job to teach at the elementary school, she spends a lot of time with her neighbor's two sons, and she takes care of her mother even though her mother doesn't appreciate what all she does. When Leslie comes home, the dynamics in the household change considerably and begin to move the three women out of the ruts that have become their lives.
There are two other important parts of the book that I need to mention - one is the setting. The Lowcountry area of SC is described so beautifully, and life on Sullivan's Island sounds wonderful. The other is the mention of the food that is cooked - fried chicken, green beans, and lots of cakes, and most important of all the gallons of sweet tea are consumed throughout the book.
Buy Queen Bee at Amazon
My Magnolia Summer by Victoria Benton Frank
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| June 2023; William Morrow; 978-0063286153 audio, ebook, print (352 pages); southern fiction |
Victoria Benton Frank, daughter of the beloved late writer Dorothea Benton Frank, spirits us away to summer in the South Carolina Lowcountry with a tale of family bonds that is spicy and heartfelt.
When popular Southern author Dorothea Benton Frank died in 2019, her readers knew that we would miss her southern Lowcountry stories with quirky characters and feel-good endings. I wasn't sure that her daughter would be able to step into her mother's shoes. I was wrong to have any doubts. My Magnolia Summer is a perfect Lowcountry book to read on your trip to the beach, and if you can't get to the beach, the book will make you feel like you've just vacationed there
My Magnolia Summer is a delightful book about family and the love between three generations of strong women. There are some tears, a good helping of romance, and some laugh-out-loud moments. Be sure to toss it in your beach bag when you head to the beach!
“If you were to cut me open, you’d find the water of the Atlantic instead of blood, driftwood instead of bones, and seashells instead of everything else.” (Maggie at the beginning of My Magnolia Summer)
Buy My Magnolia Summer at Amazon
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
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| October 1986; Mariner Books; 978-0395353004 audio, ebook, (576 pages); southern fiction |
This was the first book that I read by the late Pat Conroy, and he immediately moved to my list of favorites. This is one of the few books that I re-read every few years, and I enjoy it each time. Pat Conroy was a master of words – he could write sentences that were a paragraph long, but it was his way of making the reader part of the story and feeling the setting of the book. His characters are well written and believable, and his settings in the Low Country of South Carolina make the reader feel like they are there with the characters.
A modern American classic and a family saga that spans decades, this is the story of the volatile Tom Wingo, his brilliant but troubled twin sister, Savannah, and the complex and damaging family legacy they share. Moving between the sparkling glamour of New York City and the vanishing beauty of the South Carolina low country, The Prince of Tides is Pat Conroy’s masterwork.
Buy The Prince of Tides at Amazon
These three authors all have other books that take place in the low country of South Carolina. If you enjoy reading them, here are a few other authors that you will enjoy. If you click on their names, you can read the reviews of their books we have featured.
Additional Information – Why is the coastal area of South Carolina called the Lowcountry?
The South Carolina Lowcountry is a distinct geographic and cultural region along the state's southern coast, characterized by low-lying terrain, marshes, tidal rivers, and a unique sub-tropical lifestyle.
Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west. She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.
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