Find comfort in the familiar with novels set in Lowcountry
A good book can take you to far-off places. But sometimes staying closer to home -- near the familiar -- is just as exciting. Check out these books set in the Lowcountry.
Try something written by Dorothea Benton Frank. One of her books, "Full of Grace," is about the Russos who move from New Jersey to Hilton Head Island, a "retirement heaven." In this book, the author expands on her knack for using local color. The main character, Grace, is a travel agent, which makes way for Frank to expand her descriptive talents, taking us to places like Sardinia and Mexico City. Frank's newest book, "The Hurricane Sisters," puts us deep into the heart of the Lowcountry. Here, we meet three generations of women with many secrets. An emotional hurricane blows through their lives, testing and transforming the bonds between them. "Plantation: A Lowcountry Tale" is a follow-up to Frank's debut novel, "Sullivan's Island: A Lowcountry Tale." The contemporary romance novel evokes the lush beauty of the South Carolina Lowcountry while exploring the intricacies of family relationships.
In "Last Light Over Carolina" by Mary Alice Monroe, you will be swept away to the seductive Southern landscape of a small shrimping village off the coast of South Carolina. A shrimping boat goes missing and the entire town rallies to find it. This book explores a vanishing part of the Southern coastline: the honored shrimping culture. Monroe's latest novel "The Summer Wind," the second in the Lowcountry Summer triology, is set on Sullivan's Island and focuses on three half sisters. Their personalities are more revealed in this novel. There is a focus on the treatment of dolphins, which is an effective element of the overall plot. This book follows "The Summer Girls."
Some of the most worthwhile things in life are free. Remember, library cards are free for Beaufort County residents and property owners. Visitor cards are also available for a small fee. Check out our website at www.beaufortcountylibrary.org for all our summer activities.
Mary Jo Berkes is the branch manager of Hilton Head Island library.
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This story was originally published July 12, 2014 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Find comfort in the familiar with novels set in Lowcountry."