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Beach House #2
Swimming Lessons
It's been five years since the original turtle lady, old Miss Lovie Rutledge, passed away, but her legacy lives on with some special women, especially Toy and her daughter, young Little Lovie.
Toy Sooner kept her graveside vow to her beloved mentor. She left behind an abusive, dysfunctional lifestyle to become a strong single mother and aquarist at the South Carolina Aquarium. But success has taken its toll, leaving Toy fearful of change and risks.
Caretta Rutledge, Florence Prescott and Emmaline Baker have all experienced loss. This summer, with each other's friendship and support, they will try to make their dreams a reality.
The turtle season begins the day Toy rescues a sick sea turtle on the beach. When Toy brings the loggerhead to the aquarium, she begins a turtle hospital with the help of her boss, Ethan. As the summer progresses and the sea turtles take their measured steps toward healing and freedom Toy, Cara, Flo and Emmi must find their own strength to face their fears and move courageously toward their futures.
Mary Alice Monroe delivers another deeply satisfying novel written with an eye to nature and keen insights into the connections between women.
Toy Sooner kept her graveside vow to her beloved mentor. She left behind an abusive, dysfunctional lifestyle to become a strong single mother and aquarist at the South Carolina Aquarium. But success has taken its toll, leaving Toy fearful of change and risks.
Caretta Rutledge, Florence Prescott and Emmaline Baker have all experienced loss. This summer, with each other's friendship and support, they will try to make their dreams a reality.
The turtle season begins the day Toy rescues a sick sea turtle on the beach. When Toy brings the loggerhead to the aquarium, she begins a turtle hospital with the help of her boss, Ethan. As the summer progresses and the sea turtles take their measured steps toward healing and freedom Toy, Cara, Flo and Emmi must find their own strength to face their fears and move courageously toward their futures.
Mary Alice Monroe delivers another deeply satisfying novel written with an eye to nature and keen insights into the connections between women.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published March 27, 2007
1879 people are currently reading
7834 people want to read
About the author
Mary Alice Monroe
71 books5,643 followersMary Alice Monroe is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 30 books, including her new novel, Where the Rivers Merge, the first book in a duology and her historical debut. The second book is titled The Rivers End. Release date has not been set yet.
Monroe has also published children’s books, which complement the environmental themes she is known for in her adult novels. Monroe’s middle grade series, written with Angela May, The Islanders, debuted #2 on the New York Times Best Sellers List in 2021. The second book in the series, Search for Treasure, debuted #3 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. And the third book in the series, Shipwrecked, is available everywhere books are sold.
Nearly eight million copies of her books have been published worldwide.
Mary Alice has earned numerous accolades and awards including induction into the South Carolina Academy of Authors’ Hall of Fame; South Carolina Center for the Book Award for Writing; the South Carolina Award for Literary Excellence; the SW Florida Author of Distinction Award; the RT Lifetime Achievement Award; the International Book Award for Green Fiction; the Henry Bergh Award for Children’s Fiction; and her novel A Lowcountry Christmas won the prestigious Southern Prize for Fiction.
Mary Alice is also the co-founder of the popular weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction.
The Beach House is a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, starring Andie McDowell. Several of her novels are optioned for film.
Mary Alice has championed the fragility of the earth’s wild habitat. The coastal southern landscape in particular is a strong and important focus of many of her novels. For her writing, Monroe immerses herself in academic research, works with wildlife experts, and does hands-on volunteering with animals. She then uses the knowledge and experiences to craft captivating stories that identify important parallels between nature and human nature. Sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, monarch butterflies, shorebirds are among the species she has worked with and woven into her novels.
Mary Alice is also an active conservationist and serves on several boards including the South Carolina Aquarium board emeritus, the Pat Conroy Literary Center Honorary Board, and the Leatherback Trust, which she received the Leatherback Trust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022. She is especially proud to be a state-certified volunteer with the Island Turtle Team for more than twenty years.
Mary Alice splits her time between her home on the South Carolina coast and her home in the North Carolina mountains. When she’s not writing a novel, she is with her family or busy working with wildlife somewhere in the world.
Monroe has also published children’s books, which complement the environmental themes she is known for in her adult novels. Monroe’s middle grade series, written with Angela May, The Islanders, debuted #2 on the New York Times Best Sellers List in 2021. The second book in the series, Search for Treasure, debuted #3 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. And the third book in the series, Shipwrecked, is available everywhere books are sold.
Nearly eight million copies of her books have been published worldwide.
Mary Alice has earned numerous accolades and awards including induction into the South Carolina Academy of Authors’ Hall of Fame; South Carolina Center for the Book Award for Writing; the South Carolina Award for Literary Excellence; the SW Florida Author of Distinction Award; the RT Lifetime Achievement Award; the International Book Award for Green Fiction; the Henry Bergh Award for Children’s Fiction; and her novel A Lowcountry Christmas won the prestigious Southern Prize for Fiction.
Mary Alice is also the co-founder of the popular weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction.
The Beach House is a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, starring Andie McDowell. Several of her novels are optioned for film.
Mary Alice has championed the fragility of the earth’s wild habitat. The coastal southern landscape in particular is a strong and important focus of many of her novels. For her writing, Monroe immerses herself in academic research, works with wildlife experts, and does hands-on volunteering with animals. She then uses the knowledge and experiences to craft captivating stories that identify important parallels between nature and human nature. Sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, monarch butterflies, shorebirds are among the species she has worked with and woven into her novels.
Mary Alice is also an active conservationist and serves on several boards including the South Carolina Aquarium board emeritus, the Pat Conroy Literary Center Honorary Board, and the Leatherback Trust, which she received the Leatherback Trust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022. She is especially proud to be a state-certified volunteer with the Island Turtle Team for more than twenty years.
Mary Alice splits her time between her home on the South Carolina coast and her home in the North Carolina mountains. When she’s not writing a novel, she is with her family or busy working with wildlife somewhere in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 707 reviews
February 3, 2018
This is not a book I would have picked to read. But that’s how book club selections roll. It’s a bit too chick lit for me. Toy is a single mom of a five year old daughter, living on The Isle of Palms. She’s part of a loggerhead turtle rescue team and also works for the Charleston Aquarium. In typical chick lit fashion, you’re quickly introduced to several good looking single men.
I enjoyed learning about loggerhead turtles. In fact, I would have been happier if the book had delved more into the reason the turtles were suffering. The book does a good job focusing on the trials of a single woman, both young and old, without family to fall back on and the struggles with finances that can impose. I liked that the book focused on how friends can fill the role of family and how the friends were there for each other. But I really didn’t feel that any of the characters were well developed. They all seemed to be created solely to fill a role. Older, single woman - check. Recently divorced woman - check. Married forties woman unable to stay pregnant - check. You get the idea…
Reading this book is like driving on a straight road. You can see what’s coming up ahead a mile in advance. This is a decent read, just not overly exciting.
July 1, 2017
Swimming Lessons by Mary Alice Monroe is a 2007 Mira publication.
As we begin this second book in the “Beach House” series, we find five years have gone by, that Cara and Brett have married and are trying to start a family, which has been a very slow and painful process.
Toy is living in the beach house with her young daughter ‘Little Lovie’, and has a great job working at the South Carolina Aquarium.
Emmi has now divorced, but is taking it very, very hard, acting very impulsively as though she is trying to recapture her youth, and Cara is very concerned.
Flo is still very much a part of their lives, too.
But, they are all very surprised by a special visitor- a sick sea turtle- who arrives just as the turtle season begins.
The ‘Big Girl’ turtle will need a lot of special care, which gives Toy a chance to shine in her career, but she also makes a new friend, who could become a lot more.
‘Swim with a friend, never alone. Confidence is good- but too much can lead to danger.’
However, trouble comes at the most unexpected times, and threatens to turn everything on its ear, as dangerous connections reappear, threatening strong relationships and killing new ones in its wake.
Once more it takes a group of strong women to gather around each other with support, love and friendship to weather the storm.
Mary Alice Monroe is such a terrific writer. Her characters are so realistic, I sometimes find myself wanting to reach through the pages and comfort them or give them a good talking to. I also love how she manages to incorporate aquatic life into her stories, teaching readers about specific animals, while making them as much a character in the story as the humans.
In this installment, some our favorite people lose their hard earned stability and find themselves making poor choices and paying hard consequences. There are misunderstandings and honest mistakes, along the way, in this amazing journey, especially for Toy.
‘Dive in! Enjoy the feel of the water washing over you. Let go. You are swimming now!
This is another very solid story featuring the characters we came to know and love in ‘The Beach House’.
I am very much looking forward to reading ‘Beach House Memories’ and the latest book, ‘Beach House for Rent’.
Just for fun: I found this in the book section of the NYT this morning. Excellent interview with MAM- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/bo...
As we begin this second book in the “Beach House” series, we find five years have gone by, that Cara and Brett have married and are trying to start a family, which has been a very slow and painful process.
Toy is living in the beach house with her young daughter ‘Little Lovie’, and has a great job working at the South Carolina Aquarium.
Emmi has now divorced, but is taking it very, very hard, acting very impulsively as though she is trying to recapture her youth, and Cara is very concerned.
Flo is still very much a part of their lives, too.
But, they are all very surprised by a special visitor- a sick sea turtle- who arrives just as the turtle season begins.
The ‘Big Girl’ turtle will need a lot of special care, which gives Toy a chance to shine in her career, but she also makes a new friend, who could become a lot more.
‘Swim with a friend, never alone. Confidence is good- but too much can lead to danger.’
However, trouble comes at the most unexpected times, and threatens to turn everything on its ear, as dangerous connections reappear, threatening strong relationships and killing new ones in its wake.
Once more it takes a group of strong women to gather around each other with support, love and friendship to weather the storm.
Mary Alice Monroe is such a terrific writer. Her characters are so realistic, I sometimes find myself wanting to reach through the pages and comfort them or give them a good talking to. I also love how she manages to incorporate aquatic life into her stories, teaching readers about specific animals, while making them as much a character in the story as the humans.
In this installment, some our favorite people lose their hard earned stability and find themselves making poor choices and paying hard consequences. There are misunderstandings and honest mistakes, along the way, in this amazing journey, especially for Toy.
‘Dive in! Enjoy the feel of the water washing over you. Let go. You are swimming now!
This is another very solid story featuring the characters we came to know and love in ‘The Beach House’.
I am very much looking forward to reading ‘Beach House Memories’ and the latest book, ‘Beach House for Rent’.
Just for fun: I found this in the book section of the NYT this morning. Excellent interview with MAM- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/bo...
June 16, 2018
A perfect read to ease into summertime! About family and friendship in good times and bad, and learning about the concerns regarding the Loggerhead turtles and their plight. Beautiful all around story! 4 ☆
September 30, 2012
Did you ever read a book that you got so involved with the characters you didn't want the book to end? You felt like you could be there with them. This is the sequel to Beach House which at the time I read Beach House didn't realize there was a sequel. This book brings closure to the characters in Beach House. It's about family, family, friendship, good times, and sad times. And as a bonus you learn about nature and the low country. I think what really draws you to her books is the peacefullness of the ocean, the beach and most of all the Loggerhead turtles. It's the circle of life with a little romance thrown into the mix!
July 4, 2012
I love this book, it continued on with the stories of Toy, Little Lovie, Cara and Flo, the famous turtle savers, they all come full circle and show what true love and true friendship really is...
February 11, 2024
An entertaining beachy read -- with turtles!
SWIMMING LESSONS picks up five years after BEACH HOUSE, finding Toy Sooner living in her late mentor Miss Lovie's beach house, where she's raising her daughter, "Little Lovie." Toy has taken the elder Lovie's wisdom and advice to heart--she's gone to college and is working at the local aquarium. Miss Lovie's daughter, Cara, is busy trying to get a business of the ground with her husband, Brett; Toy's neighbor, Flo, is helping her with Little Lovie: teaching her about the turtles that nest on the beach each season; and Cara's best friend, Emmi, is reeling from her recent divorce.
First, I have to say, the names in this book are ridiculous for humans and turtles alike. I cringed every time that poor child was called "Little Lovie" and prayed it ends after she turns five. The first turtle Toy rescues is named, "Big Girl" due to her size. This certainly reflects some outdated attitudes in the book about children needing fathers, how women should look, and more. Thankfully, Cara is more progressive than her mother was, and let's just cross our fingers each generation of Southern women is evolving.
I find this series slightly addictive, like a soap opera. The stories are somewhat silly, but I love the beach setting. The book is so atmospheric, with its descriptions of the sea, the beautiful turtles, and the lovely cottages dotting near the ocean shore. I certainly wouldn't mind vacationing there! I love reading about the turtles that Toy, Flo, and Cara rescue and watching how Toy grows into an aquarist able to run a sea turtle hospital. Toy, Flo, and Cara all have vulnerable moments during the story (despite being quite strong women overall), and it's easy to get attached. I'm sure I'll pick book #3 off my shelves at some point.
SWIMMING LESSONS picks up five years after BEACH HOUSE, finding Toy Sooner living in her late mentor Miss Lovie's beach house, where she's raising her daughter, "Little Lovie." Toy has taken the elder Lovie's wisdom and advice to heart--she's gone to college and is working at the local aquarium. Miss Lovie's daughter, Cara, is busy trying to get a business of the ground with her husband, Brett; Toy's neighbor, Flo, is helping her with Little Lovie: teaching her about the turtles that nest on the beach each season; and Cara's best friend, Emmi, is reeling from her recent divorce.
First, I have to say, the names in this book are ridiculous for humans and turtles alike. I cringed every time that poor child was called "Little Lovie" and prayed it ends after she turns five. The first turtle Toy rescues is named, "Big Girl" due to her size. This certainly reflects some outdated attitudes in the book about children needing fathers, how women should look, and more. Thankfully, Cara is more progressive than her mother was, and let's just cross our fingers each generation of Southern women is evolving.
I find this series slightly addictive, like a soap opera. The stories are somewhat silly, but I love the beach setting. The book is so atmospheric, with its descriptions of the sea, the beautiful turtles, and the lovely cottages dotting near the ocean shore. I certainly wouldn't mind vacationing there! I love reading about the turtles that Toy, Flo, and Cara rescue and watching how Toy grows into an aquarist able to run a sea turtle hospital. Toy, Flo, and Cara all have vulnerable moments during the story (despite being quite strong women overall), and it's easy to get attached. I'm sure I'll pick book #3 off my shelves at some point.
June 25, 2009
Swimming Lessons, by Mary Alice Monroe seemed to be the perfect audio book to ease into summer with. I generally love most books set on the shores of lovely South Carolina, and when I read that this one included a story about the cycle of life of the Loggerhead turtles of the Isle of Palms, it had a special meaning to me.
Several years ago while on vacation, we were fortunate enough to be able to see these magnificent creatures lay their eggs along the shore. It was fascinating even though the area was later roped off as to not frighten the turtles away.
In this story, we meet the Turtle Lady, Toy Spooner. She is a single mother who fled with her young daughter, Lovie, from an abusive relationship. She finds work at an aquarium, and it is here that before long we begin to see sparks between Toy and her boss Ethan.
Some of the sea turtles in this story are sick and some weigh over 200 lbs. Toy is convinced to apply for a grant at the aquarium so that a turtle hospital can be set up to help these sick creatures heal.
But this story has a bit more to it than just Toy, Lovie and sparks flying with Ethan. Lovie’s father comes back into the picture complicating matters, all while several of Toy’s friends are dealing with their own personal issues.
Swimming Lessons is a light sort of read, in the style of Dorthea Benton Frank, or Anne Rivers Siddons. The ending was satisfying in that as the turtles begin to heal and prepare to go back out to sea, Toy, too, a once wounded woman also begins to heal.
I did not realize that this story was in fact a sequel to an earlier book, The Beach House, which I never read. I don’t feel it was necessary to have read that book to appreciate this story. If you are looking for a light summer read to add to your list, give this one a try.
Several years ago while on vacation, we were fortunate enough to be able to see these magnificent creatures lay their eggs along the shore. It was fascinating even though the area was later roped off as to not frighten the turtles away.
In this story, we meet the Turtle Lady, Toy Spooner. She is a single mother who fled with her young daughter, Lovie, from an abusive relationship. She finds work at an aquarium, and it is here that before long we begin to see sparks between Toy and her boss Ethan.
Some of the sea turtles in this story are sick and some weigh over 200 lbs. Toy is convinced to apply for a grant at the aquarium so that a turtle hospital can be set up to help these sick creatures heal.
But this story has a bit more to it than just Toy, Lovie and sparks flying with Ethan. Lovie’s father comes back into the picture complicating matters, all while several of Toy’s friends are dealing with their own personal issues.
Swimming Lessons is a light sort of read, in the style of Dorthea Benton Frank, or Anne Rivers Siddons. The ending was satisfying in that as the turtles begin to heal and prepare to go back out to sea, Toy, too, a once wounded woman also begins to heal.
I did not realize that this story was in fact a sequel to an earlier book, The Beach House, which I never read. I don’t feel it was necessary to have read that book to appreciate this story. If you are looking for a light summer read to add to your list, give this one a try.
June 4, 2019
A sweet summertime romantic novel in the "Beach House" series by Mary Alice Monroe.
November 7, 2011
Sequel to the beach house, continuing from one character's point of view. Immediately read this after the Beach House. Wonderful book, you really want to root for the main character's success, love interest and career as biologist. What a success story for a young female character who had an abusive boyfriend in book I and was estranged from her irresponsible parents. Loved this book and looking to read many more of Monroe's books. This is about the power of female friendships and the turns life can take. Buy The Beach House and this one together because it will leave you wanting for more, I would like to see a third book with these lovable characters.
January 8, 2017
Loaned to me by a friend who is on a mission to read all of Mary Alice Monroe's books. This is a sequel to _The Beach House_, starts with Toy Sooner and her child, now five years old, and of course with the rescue of a loggerhead turtle.
* * * * *
I really didn't want to read another book about these Turtle Ladies and their families, but once I got started, the story pulled me in and I became very involved with them. Mary Alice Monroe is a good storyteller, and I ended up enjoying this so much.
* * * * *
I really didn't want to read another book about these Turtle Ladies and their families, but once I got started, the story pulled me in and I became very involved with them. Mary Alice Monroe is a good storyteller, and I ended up enjoying this so much.
June 15, 2022
The 2nd in The Beach House series. Toy rescues a sick sea turtle. She brings the loggerhead to an aquarium and starts a turtle hospital. She is a single mother and an aquarist. She spends long nights working with her boss, Ethan.
Excellent. Plan to read the entire series. I loved The low country series and am sure The Beach House series will not disappoint!
Excellent. Plan to read the entire series. I loved The low country series and am sure The Beach House series will not disappoint!
July 14, 2019
Nice book and very likable characters. This get in mood to be at the beach. Very informative about turtles. Love it. Want read more in the series.
April 14, 2024
I love a good romance, based at the beach in South Carolina. Total sucker for that combo and usually rate the book a three out of five stars. But this book was different because it had a lot of factual information about marine life in the area - particularly loggerhead turtles - and so that earned it a four star review for me! Great beach read!! On to the last in the trilogy....
Second reading: 4/24
I love a good romance, based at the beach in South Carolina. This book was different because it had a lot of factual information about marine life in the area - particularly loggerhead turtles - and so that earned it a four star review for me! On to the next in the series “Beach House Memories”…
Second reading: 4/24
I love a good romance, based at the beach in South Carolina. This book was different because it had a lot of factual information about marine life in the area - particularly loggerhead turtles - and so that earned it a four star review for me! On to the next in the series “Beach House Memories”…
September 22, 2015
Skimmed the first half but it finished strong!
September 17, 2018
Love this book!!
January 30, 2018
While this is a little "soppy" and perhaps more predictable than my usual reads - I loved this book!!!! I read he book, "Beach House" about 5 years ago, which I loved, and this sequel was also wonderful. I love the environmental messages and the sea turtle rescues are very interesting. I have been on Isle of Palms and also visited and continue to support the Turtle Hospital in The Keys. So -the subject resonates with me, and the author does such a good job of creating great characters, and I really appreciate her attempt to educate readers on the environmental issues of the Low Country!
October 23, 2020
I hadn’t intended to read this book, let alone the series. The first book was in the condo we purchased on the SC shore, and then a Floridian friend gifted me the last two, so I was “in for a penny, in for a pound,” after breezing through Beach House.
As an fellow SC beach person, I really loved the naturalist approach to Monroe’s books and felt I became as invested in the turtle knowledge as I did the characters.
As an fellow SC beach person, I really loved the naturalist approach to Monroe’s books and felt I became as invested in the turtle knowledge as I did the characters.
Read
January 5, 2013This was one of her best books....Probably because of the turtles. Miss Monroe has proven to do extensive research on all her books and although the outcome is somewhat predicable the knowledge learned about the underlining story is always worth the time spent. I had the opportunity to meet Miss Monroe and found her as enchanting as all of her books.
January 8, 2010
I enjoyed this and The Beach House so much, I bought Turtle Summer for my seven-year-old granddaughter for Christmas. Her family vacations on Topsail Island, NC and alway go to the turtle rescue center while they are there.
October 6, 2011
This is the sequel of Beach House, so it was interesting to find out what has happened to the characters. Toy has certainly grown, and her "Turtle Life" was interesting. Loved the Isle of Palms setting! Hope there is another sequel so we can keep up with the Turtle Ladies and Toy's life.
May 15, 2012
I wasn't sure I would like this sequel to The Beach House, but once I got into it I really enjoyed learning Toy's story. It was very enjoyable to read how she went from a pregnant teenager to a responsible adult who is beginning a very good life for herself and her daughter.
August 2, 2017
Love this series! I feel like I know the characters very well after finishing this second book in the series. Looking forward to more summer fun with the sea turtles!
August 21, 2018
I loved it as much as the first - cant wait to continue this series.
July 31, 2022
This second installment in Monroe’s “Beach House Series” was exactly the “light” summer read I needed. While I was initially disappointed that I couldn’t make this an official beach book this summer, the further I got into the story, the less it felt like a gimmicky summer-beach read and more like a character-driven story about family (real and chosen), self-reflection, and acceptance that just happened to take place on the coast of South Carolina. As usual Monroe paints a beautiful picture of the natural world around her, and her integration of conservation issues, in this case centering on loggerhead sea turtles, never feels forced, instead she creates characters who so whole-heartedly embrace and care about this issue that it feels like a natural piece of the world she has created. I was initially hesitant to see that Toy was the main character, as I wasn’t particularly attached to her in the first book, but by the end I found myself more emotionally invested in her journey, and indeed those around her (both returning faces and new introductions) than I expected. Overall, this was a solid “escape” book, with just the right amount of emotional weight to keep me interested, and one of my favorite Monroe novels to date that makes me excited to return to the Isle of Palms again. As a final note, while this book definitely gains something from having read The Beach House, it has enough distance from the events of that book to stand on its own as a single satisfying story.
August 27, 2019
What I have enjoyed about the novels of Mary Alice Monroe is her emphasis on nature. In this one, she continues the story of the turtle ladies, a team of women, often assisted by men, who strive to save the lives of the loggerhead turtles just off the coast of South Carolina. Also in this story the main character, Toy Sooner, has a chance to assist with teams observing and helping the leatherback sea turtles as they come ashore to lay eggs in Costa Rica. I enjoyed the descriptions of both kinds of turtles, and comparisons and contrasts between them.
In listening to an interview with the author she discusses her interest in endangered species. She has written about the sea turtles in this book, but in others has written about birds of prey, monarch butterflies, vanishing habitats, and sweetgrass.
I am not a fan of books that concentrate too much on romance. While there is quite a bit in this book, it was blended fairly well into the larger story. In the interview mentioned above, the author stated that she also likes writing about the relationships that are important to women; in this one, she focuses on motherhood, and what it means to be a good mother. However, this is really a minor part of the story, not explored as extensively as in other books.
3.5, rounded up to 4, for me.
In listening to an interview with the author she discusses her interest in endangered species. She has written about the sea turtles in this book, but in others has written about birds of prey, monarch butterflies, vanishing habitats, and sweetgrass.
I am not a fan of books that concentrate too much on romance. While there is quite a bit in this book, it was blended fairly well into the larger story. In the interview mentioned above, the author stated that she also likes writing about the relationships that are important to women; in this one, she focuses on motherhood, and what it means to be a good mother. However, this is really a minor part of the story, not explored as extensively as in other books.
3.5, rounded up to 4, for me.
July 6, 2018
The best things about Mary Alice Monroe's books are the descriptions of the South Carolina Lowcountry, which happens to be one of my favorite places in the whole world. I have a child obsessed with all sorts of turtles, so I really enjoyed reading about the loggerheads and the development of the turtle hospital at the South Carolina Aquarium.
The second best part of MAM's books are her characters. They are all well written, albeit slightly non complex, but you get caught up in their hopes and dreams nonetheless.
The not good part of this book was the development of the conflict. (I won't divulge any spoilers, but it's pretty stereotypical, you can figure it out.) To be quite honest, the book would have been just fine without the melodrama.
I have enjoyed the first two books of this series, although I'd recommend the Summer Sisters books before I'd recommend these.
The second best part of MAM's books are her characters. They are all well written, albeit slightly non complex, but you get caught up in their hopes and dreams nonetheless.
The not good part of this book was the development of the conflict. (I won't divulge any spoilers, but it's pretty stereotypical, you can figure it out.) To be quite honest, the book would have been just fine without the melodrama.
I have enjoyed the first two books of this series, although I'd recommend the Summer Sisters books before I'd recommend these.
June 11, 2021
Ah the magic of summer reading and beach books! How restorative to the soul!
“We have to know what we can let go of, and what to hold on to.”
“The older I get, the more I understand what my mother meant when she said that the beach house was not so much a place as a state of mind.”
I think those quotes taken together mean that we can allow ourselves to let the waves of life flow over us and around us as long as we know and can always find at our center the peace and contentment of our life well lived.
“We have to know what we can let go of, and what to hold on to.”
“The older I get, the more I understand what my mother meant when she said that the beach house was not so much a place as a state of mind.”
I think those quotes taken together mean that we can allow ourselves to let the waves of life flow over us and around us as long as we know and can always find at our center the peace and contentment of our life well lived.
July 25, 2020
Turtles, turtles and their fierce protectors on the barrier islands. This is also a family/friend saga of said protectors, with a new love story adding dimension.
I liked this better than Beach House, because it was more about saving injured turtles, as well as protecting their nests.
This is a sequel that takes place 5 years after the Beach House.
I liked this better than Beach House, because it was more about saving injured turtles, as well as protecting their nests.
This is a sequel that takes place 5 years after the Beach House.
February 7, 2018
Mary Alice Monroe delivers another five star novel. An eloquently written book about love, loss, and friendship. Monroe beautifully describes the South Carolina Lowcountry in this series. Her well developed characters come to life on the pages. I loved the story and I found it interesting to learn all about the loggerhead turtles. Can't wait to start the next book in this series.
May 6, 2021
Another sweet turtle tale. An escape to the beach with friends. New love, friendship, growing old, family, balancing work and family and of course, turtles. Enjoyable read, perfect for summer reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 707 reviews