Heaven Is a Beautiful Place: A Memoir of the South Carolina Coast

by Genevieve C. Peterkin, Lee G. Brockington (Foreword), William P. Baldwin (Afterword)

Born in 1928 in the small coastal town of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, Genevieve “Sister” Peterkin grew up with World War II bombing practice in her front yard, deep-sea fishing expeditions, and youthful rambles through the lowcountry. She shared her bedroom with a famous ghost and an impatient older sister. But most of all she listened. She absorbed the tales of her talented mother and her beloved friend, listened to the stories of the region’s older residents, some of them former slaves, who were her friends, neighbors, and teachers.

In this new edition she once again shares with readers her insider’s knowledge of the lowcountry plantations, gardens, and beaches that today draw so many visitors. Beneath the humor, hauntings, and treasures of local history, she tells another, deeper story—one that deals with the struggle for racial equality in the South, with the sometimes painful adventures of marriage and parenthood, and with inner struggles for faith and acceptance. This edition includes a new foreword by coastal writer and researcher Lee G. Brockington and a new afterword by coauthor and lowcountry novelist William P. Baldwin.

Genres: Southern, Memoir, Nonfiction

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2000

Reviews

[LadyCalico · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a five star book for me, but I cannot guess if it would be as enjoyable to someone becoming acquainted with coastal South Carolina with fresh eyes who isn't already familiar with the its people and places. I moved to Pawleys Island 20 years ago when Carolina's Waccamaw Neck was not as crowded and commercialized, just getting there, and many more genuine Southern characters, story-tellers, and charmers were still alive and available for talking if your ears were available for listening, so I found this book going straight for my heart in a very personal way. I have since lost many friends who described childhood adventures on the rivers, beaches, and marshes similar to those in this book, and I miss them all so much that this book made me both sadly and happily nostalgic. I knew the book to be a collection of stories about life in Murrells Inlet in a bygone time and Mrs. Peterkin's own memories, but I never imagined it would be so real, warm, honest, personal, and so beautifully capture the quieter, more graceful, more gentile lifestyle that is vanishing forever. I'm so glad that she kindly bequeathed the Murrells Inlet of her heart to us before she went to an even more beautiful place.

[Brenda Byrd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book mostly because the South Carolina Low Country is my heritage and in bones, soul and heart and because well she did a good job, wrote from the heart and from facts, knowledge and soul.

I read this years ago

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who has been to Murrell's Inlet, there's a lot to like about this book. The author captures completely the uniqueness and beauty of the area and the people.I would have preferred a little less personal memoir and a little more Low Country memoir, hence the 4 stars instead of 5, but this is an easy read and a charming one.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This should be of special interest to those interested in the history of the Low Country. The descriptions of the setting and events in old-timey Murrell's Inlet are a delight.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This memoir is one of the best books that I have ever read. A treasure.

[Hubert Kleinpeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reviews of this book are largely about life in the coastal area of South Carolina; and even one review complains that they "would have preferred a little less personal memoir." But, the motivation by the author to write this was deeply personal: i.e. the accidental death of her 20 year old son "Jimmy Peterkin. I knew "Jimmy," he was my best friend when I was sixteen. Though most who are attracted to read this book are interested in social life of those times, the real story is about the death of an only child. When someone dies we have words like widower, widow or orphan, but I don't know if we have a specific word for this particular type of death scenario since we expect the old to predecease the young in death. So, perhaps that is why we say "only the good die young." Since life "beats us up," beats the idealism out of us that we carry as youths, and replaces it with fear, anger and cynicism, that is probably true. If you know of anybody (a parent) that has suffered the death of a child, their grief may be somewhat assuaged by the real story behind this book of how the author reconciled it.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having remembered Pawley's Island and nearby places such as Murrell's Inlet and Brookgreen Gardens from the late 50s, I can really appreciate this memoir of that area in the 30s and 40s. It hadn't changed much up to that time I can recall in childhood, but it's certainly unrecognizable today. Ms. Peterkin's stories record a time and a way of life that is worth remembering, including ghost stories and tales of storms, as well as a way of living off the land and the saltwater. It's also a story of interesting people (her and her husband's family were full of them) and sadness and realism even more than nostalgia. She occasionally gets a bit moralizing but, taken with a grain of salt as you would an elderly relative's stories, this volume is 95% gold!

[Brenda P · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and thought provoking story of coastal life in the Low Country of SC before tourism changed it forever! Also, if you like WWII history, this is an excellent perspective of living through that time in history.

[Sharon Robidoux · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed all of the Murrells Inlet history. The writing for me was tedious at times. Great read for us transplants..

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very nice memoir. She makes the early-20th-century Carolina coast come alive. She shares her life, good and bad, and the book is very readable and enjoyable.

[Avary Doubleday · Rating 3 out of 5]

Could be 3.5. Interesting read. The writer, William Baldwin, writes this in conversation with Genevieve Peterkin. Good look look at Murrell's Inlet.

[Maryann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful memoir. Wonderful stories of Murrells Inlet history!

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like reading about the Lowcountry. I could relate to a lot of places mentioned in this book. Learned some new information.

[Brenda Miscovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful Memoir!

If you are at all familiar with Murrels Inlet, you will love this book. Such history and heartache and hope. Simple and hard lives were lived back then.

[Anna Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing story

I will read and reread this book and pass along. I knew some of the people she writes about and she does a wonderful job of telling the stories. An awesome history lesson of the low country.

[Laura Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at book fair because it was about the low country, a favorite place of mine. The history of the area was so interesting, especially the earlier stories from the author 's childhood. Many of her memories tell a vivid story of life in the rural south-both good and bad.m some of the places imwould really like to visit again.

[Glo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read. Being familiar with the area made it that much more real for me. If you want to know more about what it was like to live in Murrellls Inlet and learn about its uniqueness, you will enjoy this read.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book. A memoir of a lady and her family growing up in the town of Murrells Inlet On the South Carolina Coast. Having visited their I really did enjoy this book. Very well written.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite parts were about Brookgreen Gardens, Alice Flagg, the Grey Man, Murrells Inlet, Sandy Island and the Hurricanes. It was a cute read about places I knew growing up.

[Jenny Savage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Memoir is a life spent around Murrells inlet. I've vacationed her most of my life and so many references were familiar and made this a comforting book to read.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books. Ever.