Low Country

by Anne Rivers Siddons, Cristine McMurdo-Wallis (Narrator)

Caroline Venable has everything her Southern heritage money, prestige, a powerful husband—and a predictable routine of country-club luncheons, cocktail parties, and dinners hosting her husband's wealthy friends, clients, and associates in his successful land-developing conglomerate.

To escape her stifling routine, Caro drinks a little too much. But her true solace is the Lowcountry island her beloved Granddaddy left her—an oasis of breathtaking beauty that is home to a band of wild ponies. When Caro learns that her husband must develop the island or lose the business, she is devastated. The Lowcountry is her heritage—and what will happen to the ponies whose spirit and freedom have captivated her since childhood?

Saving the island could cost Caroline more than she ever imagined. To succeed, she must confront the part of herself numbed by alcohol and careful avoidance—and shatter long-held ideals about her role in society, her marriage, and ultimately, herself.

Author

Anne River Siddons was born in 1936 in Fairburn, Georgia, a small railroad town just south of Atlanta, where her family has lived for six generations. The only child of a prestigious Atlanta lawyer and his wife, Siddons was raised to be a perfect Southern belle. Growing up, she did what was expected of getting straight A's, becoming head cheerleader, the homecoming queen, and then Centennial Queen of Fairburn. At Auburn University she studied illustration, joined the Tri-Delt sorority, and "did the things I thought I should. I dated the right guys. I did the right activities," and wound up voted "Loveliest of the Plains."

During her student yearsat Auburn, the Civil Rights Movement first gained national attention, with the bus boycott in Montgomery and the integration of the University of Alabama. Siddons was a columnist for the Auburn Plainsman at the time, and she wrote, "an innocuous, almost sophomoric column" welcoming integration. The school's administration requested she pull it, and when she refused, they ran it with a disclaimer stating that the university did not share her views. Because she was writing from the deep South, her column gained instant national attention and caused quite "a fracas." When she wrote a second, similarly-minded piece, she was fired. It was her first taste of the power of the written word.

After graduation, she worked in the advertising department of a large bank, doing layout and design. But she soon discovered her real talents lay in writing, as she was frequently required to write copy for the advertisements. "At Auburn, and before that when I wrote local columns for the Fairburn paper, writing came so naturally that I didn't value it. I never even thought that it might be a livelihood, or a source of great satisfaction. Southern girls, remember, were taught to look for security."

She soon left the bank to join the staff of the recently founded Atlanta magazine. Started by renowned mentor, Jim Townsend, the Atlanta came to life in the 1960's, just as the city Atlanta was experiencing a rebirth. As one of the magazine's first senior editors, Siddons remembers the job as being, "one of the most electrifying things I have ever done in terms of sheer joy." Her work at the magazine brought her in direct contact with the Civil Rights Movement, often sitting with Dr. King's people at the then-black restaurant Carrousel, listening to the best jazz the city had to offer. At age 30, she married Heyward Siddons, eleven years her senior, and the father of four sons from a previous marriage.

Her writing career took its next leap when Larry Ashmead, then an editor at Doubleday, noticed an article of hers and wrote to her asking if she would consider doing a book. She assumed the letter was a prank, and that some of her friends had stolen Doubleday stationary. When she didn't respond, Ashmead tracked her down, and Siddons ended up with a two book a collection of essays which became John Chancellor Makes Me Cry, and a novel of her college days, which became Heartbreak Hotel, and was later turned into a film, Heart of Dixie, starring Ally Sheedy.

As Ashmead moved on, from Doubleday to Simon & Shuster, then to Harper & Row, Siddons followed, writing a horror story, The House Next Door, which Stephen King described as a prime example of "the new American Gothic," and then Fox's Earth and Homeplace, about the loss of a beloved home.

It was in 1988, with the publication of her fifth book, the best-selling Peachtree Road, that Siddons graduated to real commercial success. Described by her friend and peer, Pat Conroy, as "the Southern novel for our generation." With almost a million copies in print, Peachtree Road ushered Siddons onto the literary fast track. Since then the novels have been coming steadily, about one each year, with her readership and writer's fees increasing commensurately....

Genres: Fiction, Southern, Chick Lit, Romance, Contemporary, Womens Fiction, Drama

Audio CD

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Born Sybil Anne Rivers in Atlanta, Georgia, she was raised in Fairburn, Georgia, and attended Auburn University, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority.

While at Auburn she wrote a column for the student newspaper, The Auburn Plainsman, that favored integration. The university administration attempted to suppress the column, and ultimately fired her, and the column garnered national attention. She later became a senior editor for Atlanta magazine.

At the age of thirty she married Heyward Siddons, and she and her husband lived in Charleston, South Carolina, and spent summers in Maine. Siddons died of lung cancer on September 11, 2019

Reviews

[Kathy Ellner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all of Anne River Siddons books. She has a way of drawing you right into the page you are reading. I see myself sitting on the porch looking out at the marshes, hearing all the sounds of the Lowcountry!

[Caroline · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dear lord, this book is a hot mess. I hadn't read it since I was a teenager. Most importantly, it is racism thinly veiled as cultural appreciation/multiculturalism. Secondly, it is so overwrought that I laughed and gagged alternately. "We ate of blue crabs, their juices dribbling down our chins, and drank of sweet, earthy wine from some far-away land, and the silvery marsh of the lowcountry sang its ancient, primeval song while the alligators, dark as mud, swam languidly in the swampy, warm waters, somehow in kinship with us, and the mosquitos got drunk on our thick, red, pounding blood." I'm paraphrasing, but this isn't far off from one of her sentences. Barf.

[Ahtims · Rating 2 out of 5]

A so-so read. I found it a bit dragging in places. Most characters were predictable. There was nothing much memorable. Usually I love 'southern living'- but these characters were quite boring, selfish and self-absorbed.

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all Anee River Siddons book this is an comfortable but rewarding read.

[Fran Calloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sights, the sounds, the smells of the marshland, the wild ponies, and the Gullah community of Dayclear will permeate your skin and soul as you read this moving tale of Caro's fight to save her beloved island that has been in her family for all her life. She must also deal with the unresolved grief over the death of her daughter as well as the betrayal of her husband as he is planning to sell it to a development group. Told with heart and a group of characters you will not soon forget.

[Rebecca Secrest · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Human

Siddons' characters are so full of emotion, and they draw from her readers feelings that probably seldom see light. She expresses those emotions in words that, for most people, are difficult to find. Reading her books is cathartic and educational.

[Kshydog · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reading this while on Kiawah Island which is off the coast of SC made the descriptions so right on about this island resort area and nearby Charleston. The main character, Caro, describes living in these surroundings in such a way that I felt like she could have been someone here. Unfortunately the way she dealt with the death of her daughter and her husband's attitude toward her love of her island became more unrealistic as the story progressed.

[Bryn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to get into this book, I really did. I read over 100 pages and just couldn't take any more. Not only is there no discernible plot, but the world of a very strange, privileged community of wealthy couples holds no appeal to me.
Bleh. No thanks.

[Barbara Baroni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrifically emotional. Be prepared for tears. Captures the true low country life you can feel every emotion and picture each person and placeuntry

See above notes. These are the back roads of south Carolina. Take them when you visit. So worth it. Stop and visit

[Beverly Ham · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not the first but this was the last book I will read by this author

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rarely start a book and don’t finish it, but after a year I had only made it three chapters into this one. There are too many good books to read to continue trying to muddle through this one.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

She writes with poetic descriptions and fills your mind with visuals. It pulled me along and was emotionally gripping with surprises along the way.

[Twobchelm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book but had a hard time keeping up with Caro living in two worlds. Couldn’t quite visualize it!

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book set in the Low Country near Charleston. I lived in that area a number of years ago, so I really always enjoy the descriptions of the people and places. This book was very good, I thought. It was a tear jerker in places, and I didn't quite expect the ending, but a good read on a rainy week or just if you love Charleston.

[Elizabeth Swift · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy this author a lot. Caro struggles to live with the accidental death of her daughter, but also pays less attention to her son and husband. She seeks solace in the island home of her dead Grandfather who bequeathed her the house. The struggle to find herself and save her island bring her into conflict with her husband. Really a nice book.

[Jackie Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome Novel

This book deserves 10 stars! This my first book by this author, but it won't be my last. she's so descriptive that the further I got into the novel, the more difficulty I had putting it down. Her ability to make the characters real and draw you into the novel were amazing. This is among the absolute best novels I've ever read, and I highly recommend it!

[Carol E. Tupper · Rating 5 out of 5]

COULDNT PUT IT DOWN!

Im an old lady (88 and counting.) This book touched many corners of my life reminding me once again how true it is that all the cecisions we make governs the life we are given to live. The poignant gifts of loving, forgiveness,and sometimes just "making do"
create the life we are meant to live.

[Debbie Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a book that gets me invested in the all the characters and their lives. This book describes the country and characters without being flowery. A story of love and loss and life struggles. I was sorry to end it at 2:00 in the morning.

[Carol Mcdonnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nicely evoked low country atmosphere. However, more self absorbed whining and crying than any other book I can remember.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

sentimental dribble

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Rivers Siddons Low Country is a contemporary drama set on the fictitious Peacock Islands that hide somewhere among the very real Gullah islands off the South Carolina coast. Caro Venable must decide whether to conserve or develop inherited marshlands. What will it mean for her marriage if she denies her husband's ambition to turn the land into a residential community? What will it mean for her well-being if Caro doesn't maintain the island's historical integrity?

Although not overly contemplative or strikingly memorable, Low Country is an entertaining and enjoyable example of a question pervasive in southern literature of its time: What happens when land rich families must decide whether to stand tall or wilt before the sun rays of a shiny dollar.

Siddon's Low Country briefly eludes to the longstanding cultural significance of the Gullahs, calling to mind Julie Dash's 1991 stunning movie of pure poetry, Daughters of the Dust: The Making of an African American Woman's Film.

Anne Rivers Siddons and Pat Conroy were contemporaries on the Atlanta Literary scene during the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. As Conroy's 1986 The Prince of Tides represents classic Southern Goth with all her expected violence, mental illness, and family secrets, Siddons 1998 Low Country pales as the freckled-faced, moody younger sister. But it's not against the rules to like both sisters, as long as both are enjoyable company during a long day of reading.

[Russell Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Rivers Siddons is a master storyteller. But most importantly, she is a skilled, graceful writer. Her descriptions are almost poetic. She writes of what she knows best: the South Carolina. In this novel, Low Country, she sets her story on a fictional Carolina island, Peacock’s Island, and the equally fictional marshy land adjacent. This marsh contains a Gullah settlement, populated with mostly old Gullah folks who have lived their lives there, never having title to their land, but continuing their daily lives at the behest of the heroine Caroline Venable’s grandfather. Upon his death, Caroline vows their part of the island, where she has her grandfather’s house and where the Gullah settlement is, will always be unchanged, untrampled by encroaching development. The crux of the novel is Caroline’s struggle to keep her promise. Low Country is rich in character, rich in folklore, rich in mysticism, and rich in the dichotomy between enshrining old ways while embracing the new. Siddons is a master craftsperson in the genre of Southern Literature. Low Country is one of her best novels, in my opinion. Her plot moves swiftly, but at times she pauses for a few pages of description. Those few pages are scenes painted so beautifully that the reader revels in them. And that plot? I never saw the ending coming.

[Bev Sturgis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just the book that I needed at just this time. Caro is a privileged South Carolinian, living in a big house in a upscale development built by her husband. Five years earlier, their 10 year old daughter had died in a boating accident and Caro has never really come to terms with it. She has drunk her grief away in the old cabin on the property that belonged to her beloved grandfather. An old black settlement is also on the property, the people living there are descendants of slaves and the land by all rights belongs to them. Clay's (Caro's husband) development business in in deep trouble and his solution is to develop the land that grandpa's cabin and the settlement is on. In dealing with all of this, Caro comes to grips with her daughter's death and the need/ability to care for a five year old child with ties to the settlement who has lost everyone in her life. Of course, for me this is a story of how to accept Katy's death and the little girl in the story resembles Amelia so much. Lots of tears reading this and so many thoughts of how to move forward with my own life.
The author had so much insight into the feelings of a grieving parent, that I was surprised to find that she had not lost a child. Thank you for this book Anne Siddons!

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not much care for this book. It slogged so bad in the beginning and then picked up, but didn't seem to be going anywhere. I skimmed the last third. Caroline the main character is unlikeable doormat, mired in grief and a holier-than-thou attitude. Her husband Clay and his best friend Hayes are even more unlikeable, driven, unsympathetic and gods among men (just ask them). Caroline lets life happen to her, feeling that it makes her one with her little island. Once she feels her island is in danger, she gives lip service to saving it but doesn't actually DO anything. If anything she goes along with "the company" doing their bidding, planning their parties, and postponing doing anything to save her paradise. She checks out for days at a time and then wrings her hands when things go awry. This was really a dissatisfying read.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caroline Venable has everything her southern heritage promised money,prestige a rich husband ,country club luncheons and cocktail parties. If she drinks a little too much for her husbands liking he knows the reason why and he takes comfort in the fact that she can escape to the wild and timeless island in the low country that her granddaddy left her. Captivated by its beauty and the band of wild ponies that roam their Caroline can lose herself and simply forget. When she learns that her husband must develop the island or lose his company she's devastated by the threat to her heritage and the ponies. Now Caroline must confront the part of herself she has numbed with alcohol and avoidance reconsider her priorities her marriage and herself. A great story I could not put down.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so well done - I'd give it 5 stars but for one important turn at the end that I really didn't care for. Won't say more on that. Otherwise, the writing is beautiful and the story is engaging with wonderful twists & even a few breathtaking moments. She uses the most lovely lyrical language without being showy about it or overdoing it. I feel as if I've spent a few weeks on the marshy islands off of South Carolina. She makes you see it, smell it, taste it - remarkable.

Her themes of love, loss, loyalty, and ecology/environment are some of my favorites and she treats each one with the depth and seriousness that they deserve. I highly recommend it!

[Marybeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Pat Conroy, Siddons immerses her reader in the lives of her characters. Her grasp of human nature propels her plots. In “Low Country,” Caro Venable’s perfect world is turned upside down and shown to be what it is- a confection that melts. And the reader feels the gut punches, cries the tears (I cried along with Caro at the book’s climax, as well as along the way to that point) and experiences the cleansing of redemption, as imperfect as it might be. And like Conroy, Siddons’ sense of place permeates each page. You see the light in the sky, the trembling of the air, the smell of the marsh mud. Reading Siddons is a lush life experience.

[Brooke Vanderheyden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siddons’ writing style is wonderful! She writes in a way you can envision her surroundings perfectly. I love the low country areas in SC and GA and feel as if I’m there. The story line had moments that drug out a little too much for my taste. Caro, the main character, was basically living two lives and it had you wanting her to go one way but she would go another way. I enjoyed her character and her struggles as well as how she faced the struggles. I was proud of how she stood her ground with her grandfather’s land but it could be a little off base for real life. Overall a really good read & wonderful writing. I will definitely read more of Siddons’ work in the future.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never read an Anne Rivers Siddons novel I didn’t like. Most I love. One of my all-time favorite writers! Needed a “D”—Deceased author—book for my reading challenge and after Googling sadly discovered she passed in 2019. Such a loss. This was a thoughtful story with interesting characters and a satisfying, happily-ever-after ending without “wrapping it all up in a neat bow” or describing in minute detail, assuming the reader can’t figure it out. She is a seasoned writer that writes for seasoned, educated readers.

[Norma Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book about the low country.

I have only been to Charleston 3 times, but am envious of the residents there and also in the envirouns such as Mt. Pleasant and Shem Creek. If I ever get to go back that way, I want to explore some of these wondrous marshes and barrier islands. There never seems to be enough time to see everything described in the books I read. What I have seen of that area makes me homesick to see more!but