Sullivan’s Island in Fiction… Again
on June 25th, 2009 at 9:30 pmThe book that made Sullivan’s Island famous has a sequel: Return to Sullivan’s Island. The New York Times Best-Selling author and Charleston area native, Dorthea Benton Frank, will be debuting her new book at the College of Charleston Bookstore. The event starts at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30.
Return to Sullivan’s Island can be purchased through Harper Collins for $25 starting June 30. Pre-orders are being accepted.
Below is a preview of her book, from Harper Collins:
Whether you were away from the Lowcountry for a week or for years, it was impossible to remember how gorgeous it was. It never changed and everyone depended on that.
Newly graduated from college and an aspiring writer, Beth Hayes craves independence and has a world to conquer. But her notions of travel, graduate study, and writing the great American novel will have to be postponed. With her mother, Susan, leaving to fulfill her own dreams in Paris and her Aunt Maggie, Uncle Grant, and stepfather, Simon, moving to California, Beth is elected by her elders to house-sit the Island Gamble. Surrounded by the shimmering blue waters of the Atlantic, the white clapboards, silver tin roof, and confessional porch have seen and heard the stories of generations of Hamiltons. But will the ghosts of the Island Gamble be watching over Beth?
Buoyed by sentimental memories of growing up on this tiny sandbar that seems to be untouched by time, Beth vows to give herself over to the Lowcountry force and discover the wisdom it holds. She will rest, rejuvenate, and then reenter the outside world. Just as she vows she will never give into the delusional world of white picket fences, minivans, and eternal love, she meets Max Mitchell. And all her convictions and plans begin to unravel with lightning speed.
There is so much about life and her family’s past that she does not know. Her ignorance and naiveté nearly cost her both her inheritance and her family’s respect. But Beth finds unexpected friends to help her through the disaster she faces: her wise and charming Aunt Sophie; Cecily Singleton, the granddaughter of Livvie Singleton; and Woody Morrison, the solid young investment banker.
This wonderful ensemble of characters could be your own family, but watch what unfolds as they succumb to the island’s spell. If everything happens for a reason, then Beth’s return to Sullivans Island teaches her that betrayal and tragedy are most easily handled when you surround yourself with loyal family and friends in a magical place that loves you so much that it wants to claim you as its own.
Watch a video directly from the author about the book.
