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Lowcountry Tales #7
Lowcountry Summer
When Caroline Wimbley Levine returned to Tall Pines Plantation, she never expected to make peace with long-buried truths about herself and her family. The Queen of Tall Pines, her late mother, was a force of nature, but now she is gone, leaving Caroline and the rest of the family uncertain of who will take her place.
In the lush South Carolina countryside, old hurts, betrayals, and dark secrets will surface, and a new generation will rise along the banks of the mighty Edisto River.
In the lush South Carolina countryside, old hurts, betrayals, and dark secrets will surface, and a new generation will rise along the banks of the mighty Edisto River.
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First published July 1, 2002
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About the author
Dorothea Benton Frank
64 books5,202 followersDorothea Benton Frank was a New York Times best-selling American novelist of Southern fiction. She worked in the apparel industry from 1972 until 1985 and then organized fundraisers as a volunteer, before becoming a novelist.
She is best known as the author of twenty novels placed in and around the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
She is best known as the author of twenty novels placed in and around the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 620 reviews
September 18, 2010
After three long weeks spent with Dorothea Benton Franks' newest release Lowcountry Summer: A Plantation Novel, I finally finished it last night. I've been a Frank fan since her first novel Sullivan's Island was published. She is a true southern author, with almost all of her books set along South Carolina's coastline. I have read all of her books, and enjoyed each one -- until this one. I'm not sure exactly why I didn't particularly like Lowcountry Summer. While I loved main character Caroline Wimbley in Franks' second novel Plantation, she somehow fell flat in this sequel. Broken following her divorce and her mother's death, Caroline was a sympathetic character in Plantation. In Lowcountry Summer she comes across as a snotty, unfeeling and archaic stereotype of a southern lady. Lowcountry Summer takes place ten years after the events in Plantation. That time frame has removed Caroline from the devastation she felt at losing her mother and failing in her marriage. Rather than growing older and wiser, she seems almost more immature in this novel.
Another problem I had with the novel was its lack of a cohesive plot. Ostensibly, the premise is Caroline's brother Trip's ongoing family issues. His estranged wife Frances Mae is still causing trouble for the Wimbley family, made worse by her ongoing alcoholism. After she is shipped off to an Intervention-style recovery center in California, Trip and his live-in girlfriend Rusty attempt to care for Trip's four daughters. They need help with the rebellious teenagers and spoiled youngest daughter, of course, from Aunt Caroline -- with varying results. I felt as though the action of the novel was far removed from the main character; although Caroline involves herself heavily in Trip's family life, it seemed staged and unrealistic. The plot just didn't flow for me.
Another issue I had with the novel was its annoying plot twist with a death (no spoiler! just a warning...) that seemed entirely unnecessary to me. It was as though Frank simply couldn't think of a way to make the last half of the novel interesting, so she threw in a death to mix things up. Frank does many things beautifully -- descriptive setting, southern dialogue, and (usually) interesting character portraits. But none of those could save her eleventh novel. I love the idea of returning to characters written about years ago; Franks' Return to Sullivan's Island was an excellent example of how sequels can work perfectly. I drooled over it! (Literally -- the recipes and food described sounded unbelievably good.) I'm still a die-hard Frank fan, and I'll continue reading her novels as soon as they come out. I just wouldn't recommend this as a good example of what she's capable of writing.
Another problem I had with the novel was its lack of a cohesive plot. Ostensibly, the premise is Caroline's brother Trip's ongoing family issues. His estranged wife Frances Mae is still causing trouble for the Wimbley family, made worse by her ongoing alcoholism. After she is shipped off to an Intervention-style recovery center in California, Trip and his live-in girlfriend Rusty attempt to care for Trip's four daughters. They need help with the rebellious teenagers and spoiled youngest daughter, of course, from Aunt Caroline -- with varying results. I felt as though the action of the novel was far removed from the main character; although Caroline involves herself heavily in Trip's family life, it seemed staged and unrealistic. The plot just didn't flow for me.
Another issue I had with the novel was its annoying plot twist with a death (no spoiler! just a warning...) that seemed entirely unnecessary to me. It was as though Frank simply couldn't think of a way to make the last half of the novel interesting, so she threw in a death to mix things up. Frank does many things beautifully -- descriptive setting, southern dialogue, and (usually) interesting character portraits. But none of those could save her eleventh novel. I love the idea of returning to characters written about years ago; Franks' Return to Sullivan's Island was an excellent example of how sequels can work perfectly. I drooled over it! (Literally -- the recipes and food described sounded unbelievably good.) I'm still a die-hard Frank fan, and I'll continue reading her novels as soon as they come out. I just wouldn't recommend this as a good example of what she's capable of writing.
May 22, 2010
Got this Early Reviewers copy of Lowcountry Summer by Dorothea Benton Frank from the April 2010 batch over at LibraryThing. What amazes me of late is that Frank continues to write about the place where I live, yet we seem to move in entirely different universes. Maybe one of us in in an alternate reality lowcountry. (No, I know that's not true. She and I went to the same high school and have friends in common.)
Anyhow, this was a light, diversionary read, and because it was an uncorrected proof, I did my best to ignore typos and typesetting problems. But there were a few things that made me pull out my editing pencil and scrawl comments in the margin. Hopefully they'll be caught in the final proof, but if not, I will prepare to turn in all my crochet hooks for crochet needles, and tell all my friend who are the fourth to bear a particular name that they can now be called Trip. (Trip and Trey are common nicknames for so-and-so the third, but in this case, Frank's third is clearly a fourth, which confused me no end,)
Anyhow, like so many other southern authors, family dysfunction seems to rule the roost, whether it's a plantation or a shack. Frank paints her characters well and captured some of my beloved lowcountry. But I've got to admit, I've never had a summer like the one depicted here. Maybe because I don't live on a plantation. But the book fits a certain genre and will be a great beach read for thousands of readers.
For readers who do not live in Charleston, please note:
We do not all live on plantations. Actually, I don't know anyone who lives on one (or one that doesn't have some other function than just being an elegant home), though several friends do have them in their family. But taxes are so high that the properties are used for other things, not Living On a Plantation.
Also, not all of us have strong elderly women, of African Heritage , who have unfailingly cared for our families, when our own poor excuse for genetic parents were unable to do so. In fact, my own parents, particularly my mother, did a pretty damn good job on their own.
And, for what it's worth, I only know one Lavinia, and she would kill to be called something else.
Anyhow, this was a light, diversionary read, and because it was an uncorrected proof, I did my best to ignore typos and typesetting problems. But there were a few things that made me pull out my editing pencil and scrawl comments in the margin. Hopefully they'll be caught in the final proof, but if not, I will prepare to turn in all my crochet hooks for crochet needles, and tell all my friend who are the fourth to bear a particular name that they can now be called Trip. (Trip and Trey are common nicknames for so-and-so the third, but in this case, Frank's third is clearly a fourth, which confused me no end,)
Anyhow, like so many other southern authors, family dysfunction seems to rule the roost, whether it's a plantation or a shack. Frank paints her characters well and captured some of my beloved lowcountry. But I've got to admit, I've never had a summer like the one depicted here. Maybe because I don't live on a plantation. But the book fits a certain genre and will be a great beach read for thousands of readers.
For readers who do not live in Charleston, please note:
We do not all live on plantations. Actually, I don't know anyone who lives on one (or one that doesn't have some other function than just being an elegant home), though several friends do have them in their family. But taxes are so high that the properties are used for other things, not Living On a Plantation.
Also, not all of us have strong elderly women, of African Heritage , who have unfailingly cared for our families, when our own poor excuse for genetic parents were unable to do so. In fact, my own parents, particularly my mother, did a pretty damn good job on their own.
And, for what it's worth, I only know one Lavinia, and she would kill to be called something else.
November 28, 2011
I should have known it would be bad when I saw the praise on the cover from Kathryn Stocket. Lordy, lordy, another writer who tells and tells and tells and never shows! I kept flipping pages to get further into the story but it just kept getting worse. Maybe as a Yankee transplanted to the South I have a bias, but Caroline is such an unlikeable character! Who cares about her false values based on family history and place in society? Nearly as nasty as the trashy sister-in-law. Awful. How can this be worthy of NYT bestsellerdom?
July 27, 2014
I love (loved?) Dorothea Benton Franks's books but I could not finish this one. I've had the same problem with her last two books. It moved at an incredibly slow pace and I couldn't generate any interest for any of the characters. By the time I got to page 100, I started reading only the first sentence of each paragraph. I soon got tired of that and finally gave up. I didn't even care enough to peek at the end to see what happened. I think that I've either outgrown DBF or she's lost her stride. Either way, this is the last book of hers that I'll pick up.
June 14, 2017
Not my genre. I found the main character controlling and hypocritical and was unable to identify with her.
October 29, 2021
I got sixty plus pages in and just couldn't do any more.
Returned the book to my SIL, maybe she will have better luck with it than I did.
Returned the book to my SIL, maybe she will have better luck with it than I did.
May 8, 2022
4.5 stars
July 27, 2020
Caroline, a middle aged woman offers her views on how to raise her brother's 4 kids - 2 if which are thoroughly spoiled. She not only offers advice but also criticizes each and every move her brother comes up with.
This is like a fattie sitting on a couch commenting on the basketball players on TV. (Yeah, he shouldn't have passed the ball there. Ok, where is the popcorn?)
Caroline is a person having very strong opinions about everything, but not so much in her personal life as she waddles gracelessly in her love life. Yes, she can't make up her mind. In her defense, she says, "Come on, I have to be open for all available men."
Eye Roll.
This is like a fattie sitting on a couch commenting on the basketball players on TV. (Yeah, he shouldn't have passed the ball there. Ok, where is the popcorn?)
Caroline is a person having very strong opinions about everything, but not so much in her personal life as she waddles gracelessly in her love life. Yes, she can't make up her mind. In her defense, she says, "Come on, I have to be open for all available men."
Eye Roll.
August 7, 2021
What do I find so entertaining about Dorothea Benton Frank's books? The characters are often naughty and surely do mess up and make such bad, bad choices. But I enjoy the humor, the Southern traditions and flair, the descriptions of houses and food and family gatherings, the small town community, and the sense that there's a lot of life left in folks who've passed their fortieth birthdays. Equal parts Designing Women, Golden Girls, and Maud (I'm showing my age by referencing those old TV shows), these books are for women of a *certain age* who can overlook the objectionable elements and need a laugh.
May 25, 2020
This was a okay story, but the main character Caroline, had to be one of the worst characters. In particular, her comments about her 7 year old niece bothered me, her opinion of this small child and her looks was awful. Not to mention the things she thought of her other nieces....she was terrible.
August 24, 2024
Beautiful story of family, love, sadness, the beauty of the Lowcountry.
August 7, 2019
I would highly recommend that you read Plantation, (Lowcountry Tales #2) before reading this book. Much of my enjoyment came from recalling the characters that had appeared in Plantation. Although it had been a while since I had read Plantation, I had made notes about the characters and referred to those notes quite often while reading Lowcountry Summer. Recalling just how all of the characters interacted in Plantation gave me tremendous enjoyment.
April 1, 2014
My husband picked this book up for me for my birthday at a local store for 75 cents and therefore I felt the duty to read it. Needless to say it IS worth 75 cents as this book has many things wrong with it. The main character is an arrogant meddling woman who is generally unlikable (my main beef is that she comments on the 10 year old(!) niece's overeating habits and ugliness), there is zero plot development, the only slightly redeemable character in the book is the target of the author's need to do something to make the book a couple of chapters longer, and there are prideful Confederate undertones that made me shake my head and sigh. However I just could not bring myself to give this book 1 star, as I myself am a foodie and the author's descriptions of the meals the characters ate were exceptionally thorough, albeit they were every. 5. pages. (or so.) Huzzah for pork shoulder!
August 12, 2022
Don’t waste your time. I always finish a book no matter what. I want to give the author the chance to redeem herself. This never happened. I found myself skimming pages at a time and yet never missing anything interesting. I kept wondering what the actual arch of the plot was supposed to be. Now, I still don’t know, and I wasted precious reading moments on this book. I’m wondering if this book was just a fulfillment of a book contract.
July 16, 2010
Wow, is this the same author who wrote the wonderful "Isle of Palms" and "Plantation" ??? "Lowcountry Summer" was a big disappointment. The characters were not believable, the plot was horrendous...
October 11, 2018
Family dynamics galore! The characters have been introduced in another novel but this takes the brother/sister relationship to another level. There is not a dull moment in this story.
August 25, 2022
Two-haiku review:
Plantation woman
Deals with family problems
Learns, grows, finds romance
Continuation
Caroline's story goes on
With nice HEA
Plantation woman
Deals with family problems
Learns, grows, finds romance
Continuation
Caroline's story goes on
With nice HEA
February 8, 2025
Well if your in the mood for a great read, funny and sobering, this is the book for you. Would make a great summer read too.
In the lush South Carolina countryside, old hurts, betrayals and dark secrets will surface, and a new generation will rise.
In the lush South Carolina countryside, old hurts, betrayals and dark secrets will surface, and a new generation will rise.
June 8, 2025
one of the most pretentious, hypocritical main characters I’ve ever had the misfortune to read about.
February 19, 2019
3.5 stars. A cute and easy read that held my interest more than the original book.
April 16, 2011
Caroline is a southern lady, maintaining a mansion and plantation that has been in the family for over 100 years. She dabbles in a strawberry jam business, worries about her only child at college, and believes that there is nothing wrong with multiple lovers as long as she is discreet. Life gets exciting, though, when she decides to perform an intervention on her alcoholic sister-in-law and teach her four nieces some old-fashioned Southern manners.
Southern plantation romance with a well-developed voice. I liked the history that was thrown in. I don't particularly like the fantasy romance genre, I always feel like I have wasted my time by reading one. Some day I need to learn to just put the book down...
Who could possibly afford to keep up a Southern mansion and plantation with no apparent source of income and the only help being an old African American couple that has apparently been loyal to the family for generations? This woman's indiscretions were embarrassing; for example, her boyfriend has a heart attack during sex and the county sheriff, who she is also sleeping with on the side, comes in response to the 911 call.
Rated R for sex and language.
I won this book through Goodreads First Reads, or at least I think I did. I don't believe I entered to win it, and I never got a notification from Goodreads that I had won, but it came in the mail the other day from the publisher.
Southern plantation romance with a well-developed voice. I liked the history that was thrown in. I don't particularly like the fantasy romance genre, I always feel like I have wasted my time by reading one. Some day I need to learn to just put the book down...
Who could possibly afford to keep up a Southern mansion and plantation with no apparent source of income and the only help being an old African American couple that has apparently been loyal to the family for generations? This woman's indiscretions were embarrassing; for example, her boyfriend has a heart attack during sex and the county sheriff, who she is also sleeping with on the side, comes in response to the 911 call.
Rated R for sex and language.
I won this book through Goodreads First Reads, or at least I think I did. I don't believe I entered to win it, and I never got a notification from Goodreads that I had won, but it came in the mail the other day from the publisher.
August 13, 2017
This one was good, I was glad to see how Caroline ended up with her 2nd husband. One thing was weird though. Sometimes while reading about how Caroline thought and talked, especially when she was "channeling" Miss Lavinia, made me think she was in her 60s, but then I realized that she was probably closer to late 40s/early 50s. It was kind of unsettling. I felt bad for her brother in dealing with Frances Mae, was glad when she went to rehab. I was hoping the girls would behave better and it did happen for Belle and Chloe. I was surprised and shocked and sad when Rusty died. It was interesting that he took Frances Mae back when she returned from rehab, especially since it was so soon after the "love of his life" was just killed a few weeks before. Good story.
June 23, 2011
This is Frank's seventh installment in the lowcountry tales series and one of the best. I loved it. She writes with so much wit and humor and her characters are so full of life. This novel returns to Tall Pines Plantation the scene of one of her earlier books in this series. Caroline Wimbley Levine is dealing with many issues, including a brother with an alcoholic wife and his four daughters that are out of control. Caroline's mother, Miss Lavinia, was the stalwart matriarch of the Wimbley clan until her death some ten years prior and Caroline is now having to fill her shoes and clean up some of the family mess.
August 18, 2010
After reading Plantation and loving it, I was very disappointed in this follow-up novel. My complaints: 1) the dialog in some chapters was tedious and boring; 2) the main character morphed into an annoying control freak that liked to sleep around, which is okay, but totally out of character from the previous book; 3) the author never explained what happened to Jack Taylor from the previous book; 4) the author went a little overboard with the voo-doo.
It did evoke some emotion from me in certain places, so I can't say it didn't move me, but overall it was not as enjoyable as Plantation.
It did evoke some emotion from me in certain places, so I can't say it didn't move me, but overall it was not as enjoyable as Plantation.
February 4, 2012
This was a terrible book. I think I read the book this is a sequel for, as the characters/setting seemed vaguely familiar, but honestly, all those southern novels blend together after awhile. None of the characters were likeable at all, and the main character is an insufferable snob. Only my need to finish a book I start and the shocking surprise about 2/3 the way through the book kept me reading.
June 18, 2012
I can always go for a good beach read that takes place in the South. This wasn't it. I thought I'd get some insight to the lowcountry of SC...in betwixt the drama...hahaha, but it was way too much family drama and very, very corny. Last summer I read an entire list of beach books...and it was awesome...a real escape. This author wrote some book I enjoyed on the beach (can't remember the name) but this wasn't it.
August 20, 2012
This is my second time reading a Dorothea Benton Frank tale. The tone and rhythm is definitely consistent. Very entertaining against a lowcountry backdrop and told in a Gullah tone at times. I enjoyed starting this while vacationing on Isle of Palms and just finished it up at home. I will certainly read my way through this series.
July 1, 2010
I was very disappointed with this book. I always look forward to a Dorothea Benton Frank book and recommend her to others, but this one just didn't do it for me. I couldn't connect with the characters or anything about the book.
June 30, 2011
Love all of her books so far, but a tiny bit disappointed in one of the character's wrap up - just don't think Trip would have done that at the end. Or should have. Ah, flaws are part of humanity and good stories though I guess.
January 12, 2015
I love the way Dorothea Benton Frank lets her characters have conversations with the reader. Her books are so heart warming and filled with true southern charm. A great read just to make you feel good, and to read just for the love of reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 620 reviews