Return to Sullivan's Island
by Dorothea Benton Frank
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Book Reviews of Return to Sullivan's Island
Book Review: There's More Than a Little Suspense as the Tale Unfolds
Summary: 5 Stars
Although Beth Hayes agreed to put her own post-graduation plans on hold for a year, she was not a happy camper. All her relatives had had their opportunities to follow their dreams, and she thought hers were being ignored. She knew she was being selfish, but that's the way she felt. However, before long she began seeing some possibilities she had not anticipated. Cecily Singleton, Max Mitchell, Barbara Farlie and Woody Morrison are but a few of the characters who offered friendship, challenges and support, each in an exceptional way.
Beth gains confidence through landing not only a hostess job at a popular restaurant, but also a writing-for-pay job at the local newspaper. Editor Barbara Farlie hands her the freelancer's dream job: writing a features column each week. Meeting land developer Max Mitchell leads her to rethink her commitment to non-commitment, and her friend Cecily Singleton is always nearby to offer food, drink and various other forms of solace as needed. Yet there is an inkling of danger or deception lurking about.
Could there really be ghosts of family members who cannot rest in peace? Does their unrest cause them to come and mess up the "haunted" bedroom? What secrets are there that Beth does not know...and will it benefit anyone if she tries to discover them? Why doesn't Max want his picture taken, and why is Cecily trying to steer her away from him? There's more than a little suspense as the tale unfolds and the characters grow into their prospective roles.
In addition to the familiar family characters --- you know the ones: the snooty aunt, the sweet sister, the family know-it-all, the hell-raising cousins --- Dorothea Benton Frank brings them all to life with the banter that goes on among them. From the cutting criticisms of the elders to the comfortable teasing between cousins, the author has mastered the art of writing conversation.
Some enjoy reading about places that they have lived in or that are familiar to them. Others are simply fascinated by certain settings and enjoy being beamed there by an author's magic pen. I love the idea of living on an island, though the closest I've ever come was a 10-day trip to Hawaii. Frank's series set on Sullivans Island off the coast of South Carolina continues to draw readers that take pleasure in her colorful characters and vivid descriptions of island life. As each adventure unfolds, the salty Atlantic air fills your nostrils, and you can feel the sand getting between your toes. Love it.
--- Reviewed by Maggie Harding
Book Review: Contrived, predictable, very disappointing
Summary: 2 Stars
Like many of the other reviewers, I am a huge Dorothea Benton Frank fan and was so looking forward to this sequel to "Sullivans Island". My, how disappointed I was. Previously, "Shem Creek" was my least favorite DBF novel, but now, "Return to Sullivans Island" holds that not-so-esteemed honor!
First, the use of 3rd person voice was off-putting and clearly an attempt at expediency. I'm sure Dot had a deadline to meet. It's too bad that so much pressure it put on authors by their agents and publishers because what you end up with is formula writing at its worst! Given time and opportunity for a vision of her characters and story, I'm sure this book could have lived up to its predecessor. We know that DBF has the talent.
From the very beginning, you know what is going to happen in this book. Predictable doesn't even begin to describe the shallow characters and plot line that define this novel. Could it be any more self evident who the good guys and who the bad guys are? I agree wtih another reviewer that the only character truly worth getting to know is Cecily and she is a secondary character that just turns up at convenient times to resolve some plot issue. Also, the dialogue in this story is woefully lacking in DBF's usual charm and wittiness. And don't even get me started on the ridiculous inclusion of all the ghostly visits...please...cleaning up the kitchen after a big party?!?!?!
The story may have been better if the protagonist, Beth, was someone you could relate to and someone who showed growth and development as the story unwinds. This is not the case. She is incredibly immature for a recent college graduate. She comes off more as a self-absorbed, hormonal teenager! And, she continues to make stupid character judgments and even more ridiculously stupid decisions as the story unfolds.
While it was pleasant enough to read and nice to revisit some of the original characters from "Sullivans Island", this sequel left me wholly unsatisfied and deeply disappointed that Ms. Frank is becoming something of a formula writer just working to meet deadlines.
My hope is that she is given sufficient time, motivation and creative license to bring life to the sequel to "Plantation" that she is currently writing. "Plantation" remains my favorite of all her books, and the potential for a really great sequel exists here. Please, Dot, give us a sequel worthy of your great talent for storytelling, character development and rich painting of the lowcountry that we all know and love!!
Book Review: Was this rushed for a deadline?
Summary: 2 Stars
DBF, I absolutely loved your first 5. I hated to finish them because I lost contact with my "friends" I'd made while reading the books. I grew up on Isle of Palms from 1978-1994 so I know the area and feel taken back with every book DBF published.
This one, I could not finish fast enough although I at least stuck it out and did finish it. I cannot believe this is a DBF book. I feel as if someone was asked to write a book based on her other characters and did a very poor job. Did she have a deadline or some contract for a book that she forgot about until the last minute?
The rest of this might contain some spoilers, so if you haven't read it, you might not want to read further.
First, I was not enthralled with the main character. She was shallow, very immature.... honestly I cared more for Lola and worried about the poor pup being put in the crate all the time. (BTW, my dogs love their crates, but seriously - this dog was in the crate ALL the time.) Obviously Beth was some Paris Hilton "dog as an accessory" type person and I didn't care for that.
Second, yes, you could tell from the beginning who was the bad guy and who was the good guy. What I found really odd was the introduction of potentially interesting characters (Alison and her "vitamins") only to have them whisked away and never mentioned until the last "scenes." And, uhm, was there supposed to be something with "Geoffrey with a G" that could've been a really good plot line if maybe time hadn't run out on DBF?
Overall the book seemed really sloppy, too focused on mentioning landmarks of the islands more than character development (and she really never described Bert's as it was - a dive but a wonderful dive of bikers, lawyers, construction workers, and old island barflies).
I hope she really takes some time with her next book. It's better to NOT put something out, than to put out a half-"done" (you know what I mean) effort.
Book Review: A Great Sequel With a New Writing Style from DBF
Summary: 5 Stars
I just finished reading Dorothea Benton Frank's (DBF) "Return to Sullivan's Island" and I have to admit it was one of those books I just couldn't put down. (I stayed up until 1:00 a.m. to finish reading it.) Unlike Frank's first book, "Sullivan's Island" which I slowly savored over several reading sessions, the sequel moves very quickly and covers a short time span. Devoted DBF fans will have to adapt to a new writing style. Frank used a third person approach that moves quickly and swept me into the story in the first chapter. There is much less dialog than in previous DBF books, and no visits to the past, which makes for a much faster read but sacrifices some of the Geechy and Gullah charm in past books.
I was glad that I'd recently read "Sullivan's Island" because the background of the characters and their lives was fresh in my mind and gave this sequel a familiar and comfortable fit. I would strongly advise springing for a paperback copy of "Sullivan's Island" and reading it first if you want to fully immerse yourself in the low country magic of "Return to Sullivan's Island."
"Sullivan's Island" combined with "Return to Sullivan's Island" invites you to secretly peek into the childhood and maturity of two generations of strong low country women and experience the magic of the island and the "living history" of a house.
Although "Sullivan's Island" remains my favorite, I still give "Return to..." a hearty thumbs up and a score of five stars because I was swept away in another DBF story and lost track of time. Remember, I strongly recommend reading "Sullivan's Island" first for the best reading experience.
Book Review: Lawsamercy, chile! This book stinks!
Summary: 1 Stars
As is true of many of the reviewers here, I loved "Sullivan's Island," but it has all been downhill from there, and this one is truly, indescribably bad. Beth is an immature ninny who should have been reported to the SPCA for animal cruelty. Her little Yorkie, which she supposedly loves like a child, spends most of her life in a crate while Beth has sex or sits around drinking wine, and at one point is left in a hot car while Beth chats up a bookstore owner. Oh, and it only took until page 28 for the required African American servant to appear. Just once, couldn't Ms. Frank have her main character be friends with a black character who was, I don't know, a lawyer in town? Or a restaurant owner? Anything but the daughter of the former nanny, and who comes around to water the plants and deliver groceries to the ole family homestead because the 23-year-old trust fund baby who lives there (yes, Beth, honey chile, we all are talkin' about you, baby girl, honey lamb) is incapable of caring for herself. The plot takes a completely unbelievable and bizarre twist at the end, but guess what!!! Everything turns out peachy for our little Bethie!!!! And she discovers the True Meaning of Christmas! And Ms. Frank STILL has never met an exclamation point she didn't love!!!!!! Oh well, I guess she is laughing all the way to the bank.
Leave this drivel on the shelf where it belongs and read Luanne Rice's "The Deep Blue Sea for Beginners" for a truly intelligent, beautiful rendered story about a troubled family, set on one of the world's most beautiful islands.