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On Folly Beach
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On Folly Beach
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On Folly Beach
Audiobook14 hours

On Folly Beach

Written by Karen White

Narrated by Lyssa Browne

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Folly Beach, South Carolina, has survived despite hurricanes and war. But it’s the personal battles of Folly Beach’s residents that have left the most scars, and they are why a young widow has been beckoned there to heal her own. To most people, Folly Beach is simply the last barrier island before reaching the great Atlantic. To some, it’s a sanctuary for lost souls, which is why Emmy Hamilton’s mother encourages her to buy a local bookstore, Folly’s Finds, hoping it will distract Emmy from the loss of her husband. Emmy is at first resistant. So much has already changed. But after finding love letters and an image of a beautiful bottle tree in a box of used books from Folly’s Finds, she decides to take the plunge. But the seller insists on one condition: Emmy must allow Lulu, the late owner’s difficult sister, to continue selling her bottle trees from the store’s backyard. For the most part, Emmy ignores Lulu, and sifts through the love letter. But the more she discovers about the letters, the more she understands Lulu. As details of a possible murder and a mysterious disappearance during World War II are revealed, the two women discover that circumstances beyond their control, sixty years apart, have brought them together. On Folly Beach. And it is here that their war-ravaged hearts can find hope for a second chance.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJan 1, 2010
ISBN9781593165253
Unavailable
On Folly Beach
Author

Karen White

Karen White is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-five novels, including Dreams of Falling and The Night the Lights Went Out. She has two grown children and currently lives near Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband and two spoiled Havanese dogs.

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Reviews for On Folly Beach

Rating: 4.008657915151515 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    On Folly Beach by Karen White; (4*)I really enjoyed this piece of women's fiction about family secrets and WWII espionage taking place off the Carolina coast in the low country. I loved the characters White drew so richly and all of the 'booky' stuffs within the storyline. I quite like her writing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was an enjoyable read! I loved the characters and how they all ties together.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Emmy loss the love of her life, Ben, in the Afghan war. She assuages her grief by working in her mother's Indiana bookstore. When her mother learns of a bookstore for sell in her childhood home, Folly Beach, S.C., she convinces her daughter to purchase it and move to the coast as a means to move on with life.

    When she arrives, she discovers that the sale is conditional on Emmy continuing to employ the owner's Aunt Lulu who creates and sells bottle trees from the store's backyard. Finding Lulu prickly, she keeps her distance until she discovers a stored box of books, many including love notes between a unknown man and woman. Since Lulu refuses to divulge the story behind these notes, Emmy begins to investigate the history behind these love letter, which date to a 1942 WWII, a time when German U Boats were spotted off the east coast and Lulu was only nine.

    This beach read is told in two timelines: contemporary and WWII Folly Beach. I found the latter story more interested than the former and would have preferred the whole novel to be set during this time period. Although an enjoyable read, the novel was difficult to get into and keep me engaged.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I really liked the plot line of On Folly Beach, but I had a difficult time relating to the main character.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Folly Beach by Karen WhiteEmmie had lost Ben and seeks a calm place to live. Lulu makes bottles for the bottle tree, just outside of the bookstore. The bottles catch the bad spirits so they don't go into the houses.Story also follows Maggie and Lulu along with Kat whose lost her husband in the war. They are selling the bookstore also. Love hearing of the sand dollar legend, have heard it before but still beautiful.Emmie rents the cottage in SC as Maggie is retiring from the bookstore and her nephew is fixing up the place.She hopes to also find out about the notes written in older books that were sent to her mothers store. She plans to buy the bookstore....Confusing at times as there are two storeis, one in 1942 and another in 2009 and it involves some people from both. Like the mystery and history parts of this book.I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "Excellent! If you love a great mystery, 1940's, history, the south, South Carolina, books, and romance - a must! Folly Beach, SC has survived desite hurricanes and war, but its the personal battles of Folly Beach's residents that have left the most scars, and they are why a young widow has been beckoned there to heal her own. Generations past and future find hope for second chances! A perfect summer read! Karen White is an extremely talented writer and no end to her imagination! I loved the 3rd person writing, from two generations - 60 yrs apart and one 10 yr old girl's secrets she has carried for a lifetime. "
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    very enjoyable book, looking forward to reading the others by this author
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good suspense throughout. The characters were well developed. Surprise ending.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book has everything I consider necessary for a perfect novel an engaging plot, romantic setting, characters who own bookstores, mystery, and a light historical aspect. I enjoyed every aspect of the story, the theme with the bottle tree, the parallels in the characters, and the bits of redeeming qualities that surprise you in certain characters as well as misidentified fallibility in others.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When Emmy Hamilton's mother encourages her to buy the local book store, Folly's Finds, she hopes it will distract her daughter from the loss of her husband. But the seller has one condition: Emmy must allow Lulu, the late owner's difficult elderly sister, to continue working there. For the most part Emmy ignores Lulu, but a bundle of love letters she finds in a box help her better understand Lulu. As details of a possible murder and a mysterious disappearance during WWII are revealed, the two women discover that fate has brought them together.It started slow for me, but once I got into it, I found it really interesting. I love the way the story is told from 2 different timeframes (present and past) and the historical features about WWII.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Lovely story of love, loss, and new beginnings. Well written and well narrated. A true delight.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Emmy Hamilton is at a loss after her husband’s death in Afghanistan. Her mother convinces her to move to Folly Beach, a South Carolina barrier island, to take over a bookstore. Reluctant at first, Emmy only makes up her mind to go when she finds a sort of love letter written in the margin of an old book that came from that store, Folly’s Finds. The first person she encounters is an irascible old woman, Lulu, who seems downright hostile. When she finds out that a condition of her purchasing the store is keeping Lulu on as a tenant for her business designing and selling bottle trees, Emmy nearly gives up. But the margin notes in the books are a mystery she cannot abandon, and somehow Lulu holds the key to the full story.

    Going back and forth in time from 2009 to 1943, when Lulu was a nine-year-old girl obsessed with Nancy Drew, the novel slowly reveals the great secret. Or at least that is what White set out to do. I guessed the big secret fairly early on and was impatient for the characters to catch up.

    The book is full of pat answers to major problems. You are stuck grieving the loss of your husband? Remember that he loved you and you’ll be fine. You don’t want to know the truth about the past? Nonsense, it will do you good to face it.

    There’s actually a nugget of an interesting story here. White based the 1943 story on a real episode of a German spy ring that did infiltrate America and actual German U-boats that sank American merchant ships. But I grew impatient even with those chapters set in the past, because I didn’t believe in the characters, and didn’t really care about them. I wanted to slap Maggie upside the head more than once. And I would have thrown Cat out of the house, deathbed promise to my mother notwithstanding.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Loved it! This book has it all--a little history, a little mystery, and a bit of romance. Plus it has Folly Beach for it's backdrop!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A good book. Satisfying. Interesting characters. I particularly liked reading of a South Carolina town during WWII. Family secrets from two generations with a bit of a mysterious disappearance thrown in for good measure.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I shouldn't have waited so long to review this book after reading it, for it has sunk into the background in light of some of the books I have read since then. Set at my beloved Folly Beach, both in present day and back during WWII, there are enough (correct) local details to delight, and relatively few errors to annoy. I did like the depiction of Folly Beach during the wartime, as it's not a period I have studied much. The story was plausible enough -- wounded soul meets wounded soul and healing begins, plus a back story mystery, as well.Interestingly enough, the author stopped in at the now defunct Ravenous Reader on Folly Rd, and told my friend Pat, who owned the place, that the RR was exactly like the bookstore she'd envisioned on Folly Beach. Wish it could have kept Pat solvent.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a book about a family and their lies that were buried in the past but it was also about love, loss and forgiveness. The story was that of a mystery that unraveled over two different spans of time, the one where the story began and the one where it was all dug up, relived and finally settled. **For me, I thought it was a little on the dull side but that's because I love a good suspense but I'm not going to fault Karen White for that, I knew what I was choosing when I chose to read this book. I would recommend this book.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Dull. Didn't finish. But that was probably because I'd skimmed the whole thing early on and already knew everyone's secrets.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    We plan to retire to South Carolina so this book was of special interest to me. I found my self longing to leave for Folly Beach immediately! The story line is completely explained in the other reviews. What I felt was the warm winds, the soft sand and the love for a time and place removed from the hustle-bustle and insignificant worries of life. My parents were married in the forties so the rationing of items, the music mentioned and the importance of dancing and old-fashioned social interaction reminded me of my mother's stories. The sadness of losing loved ones to war is handled well. I hope there's a sequel... Great read!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    widow moves back to parents hometown to run book shop-her story intertwines with previous time WWII- how woman dealt with her sister and a conniving cousin- notes were left in the books from the book store
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Sometimes its hard to pin down exactly why you don't enjoy a book. White's book has received very solild reviews and I looked forward to reading it. The book itself, however, simply never engaged me mentally or emotionally to the extent that I could really enjoy it. White had researched the aspects of the book that centered around activities during World War II. For me, however, Folly Beach and the people who lived there, simply never came to life. The story, while not especially original, had the potential to be interesting--young widow returns to her mother's home town, meets a young man, becomes involved in the life of her new friends and begins researching family mysteries, eventually opening the door to closer friendships and a ripening love affair. The descriptions of this very beautiful area were flat, however and the emotions of the heroine were never deeply conveyed. Disappointing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Even though I am now a Southerner (well, a Yankee transplant if we're being 100 percent accurate), I am not terribly familiar with southern beaches or islands. Life just conspires to keep me in my inland bubble. But that doesn't mean I don't think about the appeal of these places now well within driving distance of my house. So when I saw the premise of Karen White's On Folly Beach, I was definitely intrigued. That there were parallel story lines, one current and one set during World War II, made it that much more attractive. Opening in Indiana in 2009 with Emmy unable to sleep, certain down to the marrow of her bones that her beloved husband Ben has been killed in Afghanistan, the book then moves back in time to 1942 and Folly Beach. Both threads of the novel deal with loss and acceptance and eventually come together nicely. Emmy's mother, who hails from Folly Beach, SC pushes Emmy to buy the small bookstore on the island as a way of encouraging her to accept Ben's life and to move on. What convinces Emmy to do what her mother wants is the mystery she discovers in a box of books sent from the bookstore. There are books with notes written in them, some from a woman and some from a man but Emmy knows that she doesn't have the entirety of the correspondence and she is intrigued by the clandestine nature of the jottings, getting a frisson up her spine whenever she finds another one. And so her life as the proprieter of Folly's Finds commences with the stipulation that Lulu, the aunt-in-law of the current owner, be allowed to continue her bottle tree business out of the backyard of the bookstore. Alternating chapters with Emmy's eventual reawakening to life is the story of Cat, Maggie, Lulu, and Peter during World War II. Cat, newly widowed, is eager to meeting new men, dancing with all the soldiers on Folly Beach who are waiting to be sent overseas. Her cousin Maggie is the quiet voice of reason who feels compelled to help Cat maintain a more decorous air if possible even while she is also responsible for younger sister, the eagle-eyed and observant Lulu. So when Peter comes into Folly's Finds, the small general store and bookstore that Maggie runs, and seems to have eyes only for Maggie, it seems as if happiness will finally come for Maggie. As Emmy, in the present day, uncovers more and more about the people writing the notes in the old books, the WWII storyline comes closer and closer to its conclusion. The amazing thing about this book is that both storylines are equally weighted and well done. The characters in each part of the book are distinct and interesting. And as the narrative tension builds in one section, it is mirrored in the other, giving a cohesive feel to the book as a whole. Also included very organically is some interesting and seemingly little known WWII information that becomes an integral piece in the ultimate denouement of the historic portion of the story. White has created an engrossing read, one that not only offers up interesting new historical fact but is also right at home on the beach. Family, love, a 50 year old mystery coded in books, and the theme of renewal, what more can a reader ask for?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Emmy Hamilton is barely thirty but has known soul saddening loss, her husband Ben has been killed while serving in Afghanistan. Her mother Paige thinks Emmy has wallowed long enough and arranges for her to go to Folly Beach South Carolina where she’s to buy a book store and to get on with her life. But Emmy isn’t ready to get on with her life, according to her, her life ended with Ben’s death. But life had a way of surprising even the toughest of customers and Emmy soon finds a reason to get up every morning, it seems she’s found a mystery from WW11 concerning the family that previously owned the book store and she’s bound and determined to get to the bottom of it.Karen White’s Lowlander novels have such heart and soul to them, they speak to the very deepest part of you and this one is no exception. It’s a story told in unfortunately thousands of households all across the country, a loved one dying while serving in the Middle East and the sacrifice of that solider often includes leaving someone he loves behind to try to pick up the broken pieces of their lives and try to go on, and Karen does this with grace, and heartbreaking honesty. She does it with her prose like dialogue where her vivid descriptions will take you on the beach and further into the Ocean where her visualizations will come to life for her readers. Her character Emmy makes your heart hurt and yet you want to push her on, cheer her up and embrace her as she takes baby steps back into life. Her co-staring characters are equally engrossing and we learn all we need to know about them from our very capable author. She seamlessly takes us from the early 1940s to the present as she spins her tale. She’ll keep your interest throughout the entire read and you’ll find yourself endlessly turning pages to find out what happens next. This is a poignant look at what secrets can cost their keepers and how it’s never too late to repent them.Join those of us who have already learned all the secrets and solved all the mysteries, come back to the coast, smell the pluff mud, feel the sand between your toes, feel the pull of the tides all On Folly Beach. It’s The Must Read of this summer.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Emmy Hamilton is having a hard time adjusting to her new status as a widow. Her husband, a soldier, has been killed in Afghanistan, and though time is moving forward, Emmy just can't seem to emotionally recover. When her mother suggests that she relocate to her old hometown of Folly Beach, Emmy is not really receptive to the idea. But when she finds out there is a bookstore for sale on the island, Emmy begins to reconsider. Soon she is the owner of Folly's Finds and she sets out to make some improvements to the small and colorful shop. She also begins to get to know the previous owner's family, including Heath, a man who has his own scars and resentments. As Emmy begins to organize her new store, she comes across a group of old books that seem to have secret messages inside them. Further investigation reveals the lives and secrets of an old branch of Heath's family. The only surviving member of the little group is Heath's old curmudgeonly aunt Lulu, who guards the secrets of the past with intense fervor. As Emmy and Lulu's stories intertwine, we learn of life in 1940's Folly Beach during the war and of the painful love triangle that consumed the lives of Heath's family: a story that is fraught with tension, secrecy and age-old deceptions. As Emmy fits the pieces of the story into place, her life begins to change as well and she comes to discover what those who have gone before her also have learned, that grief and heartache are but a season of life, and that sometimes it's alright to move on.I have been reading a lot of great reviews on this book lately, and frankly, it made me a bit nervous to get started with it. You see, I can't help it sometimes. The hype gets to me and I ultimately feel let down. Sometimes hype just ruins things for me. That was why I had almost given up on this book before I had really begun. I guess that I just assumed that this would be another over-hyped read and didn't really give it much of a chance. Either that or the first section of the book started a bit slowly for me and took some time to build up. Whatever my preconceived notions were, I am glad to say that after some initial misgivings, I ended up enjoying this book a whole lot.This book is organized as a dual narrative, with the sections about Emmy's life in the present alternating with the sections of Lulu's life in the past. Because the book is written in third person, both stories retain their immediacy and don't really compete for vitality or dominance. It was interesting to me that my favorite sections of the book alternated between the past and the present and that both sections sustained a great amount of tension and drama. There was a lot of sadness in this book but I didn't feel that it was particularly overdone or maudlin and instead felt that the book explored grief in its many permutations and disguises. It was nice to see both of the stories come full circle and mesh together at the end and I felt that all the aspects of the plot were really well balanced.I also liked the characterizations in the book. I felt that the author really developed her characters well and that their actions spoke loudly towards the truth that had been written for them. It became very pleasing to read along, knowing what type of reaction certain scenes were going to get by the various characters, and instead of being predictable, I felt that the characters' attributes were really gelling in a believable way. I also liked that the characters were multi-dimensional. The negative characters especially were imbued with some really positive qualities and it was hard not to sympathize with them in some ways and understand why they did the things they did. The only character aspect that I had trouble with was Emmy's nosiness. At times she felt a little too nosy, if you know what I mean. As she tries to piece together the truths of Lulu's past, she often makes people uncomfortable and digs further than is generally acceptable. I felt that this was a bit rude at times,and though I still liked and appreciated Emmy's story, I think she could have calmed down a whole lot and still got the same things accomplished.The historical detail in this novel was wonderful and I felt it was very well written and researched. Part of the story deals with the German U-Boat invasion and the discovery of a ring of German spies who had infiltrated different parts of the United States. White does a wonderful thing in the historical aspects of her book by making the past come alive and telling her story with strength and fervor. It was a tough call for me but I would have to say that I favored the historical sections just slightly and thought that it was in these scenes that the book excelled. As a reader, I got a really interesting account of what life was like in the 40's during the war and just how rationing, shortages and wartime affected the people of Folly Beach. These sections weren't just the backdrop for the story, they were more like the bones which held the body of that half of the narrative together.I also must say that I totally adored the fact that much of the book dealt with a book shop. Though it wasn't a main focus of the story, a lot of incidentals and anecdotes had to do with the shop and I was always happy to see them. Old books and the secret notes written in them also have their place in the narrative and it was lovely to see some favorite classic titles mentioned within the scope of the story. I loved that most of the people in this story were bookworms in one way or another and thought that this invented Folly Beach was somewhere where I felt I could fit right in. The book also included a bit about a lighthouse, which was another bonus for me, as I love them too.I thought that this was a finely crafted story that really seems to live up to the hype. The author excels in both her characterizations and her plot, which made this a really full bodied read for me. Though it took some time for this book to ramp up for me, I did end up getting pretty deeply enveloped in the story and think that other readers would probably feel the same. The book would appeal to those who like historical fiction, light romance or books with a great interlocking set of stories. I am so glad to have discovered this book and to have given it the chance it deserved. A rich and compelling read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I totally enjoyed traveling back and forth from now to 1938 on. It was flawless. Not one time did I get confused. It rekindled my interest in bottle trees... Lulu is one of the stronger characters and I can picture her. I feel like I have gone to Folly Beach. Thank you for the vacation.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    After Emmy’s husband was killed in Afghanistan, she struggles with her sadness and finds herself at loose ends. At her mother’s urging, she buys a bookstore in Folly Beach, South Carolina, leaving her native Indiana behind. When she gets to Folly Beach, she finds that, as part of the purchase agreement, she must continue to allow cranky Lulu (the former owner’s sister) to sell her bottle trees out of the store.As Emmy goes through boxes of old books she finds in the house she rents and in the store, she discovers some cryptic messages in the margins of many of the books. Her curiosity is aroused, so she searches through every book and logs the messages she finds into her computer. Between the notes and some information she gets from Lulu, Emmy begins to piece together a mystery from the 1940′s. Lulu has diligently kept the mystery a secret for over 60 years, so she initially resists its coming to light, only to discover that the revelation gives her a sense of peace and relief.On Folly Beach was my first experience with Karen White‘s work and I was captivated right from the start. The book is written as two parallel stories – one set in 1942 and the other set in the present time. The 1940′s story slowly reveals the mystery that Emmy is trying to solve in the present day.I enjoyed so many elements of this story – the great characters, the setting (South Carolina’s lowcountry!), the mystery and the history. I think most readers will enjoy the bookstore setting and the literary references throughout the book.The characters in this story are well developed and believable. None of them are perfect, and I couldn’t help but like them in spite of their flaws. I found myself rooting for Emmy – I wanted her to find some peace so she could move forward with her life. I even found myself caring about crusty Lulu, because I knew she had a softer side somewhere.I don’t want to give them away, since they’re a part of the mystery, but I found the historical aspects of the story to be fascinating and after reading the author’s note in the back, I found myself doing a little research after I read On Folly Beach. I love books that pique my curiosity like that! There’s also a nice interview with Karen White and some discussion questions at the back of this book. This wonderful book would make a good bookclub read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Emmy Hamilton is a recent widow; her husband, a soldier, was killed in Afghanistan. As to be expected, she's having a difficult time getting over his death. Her mother, Paige, insists that he would have wanted her to do more with her life other than stay in their small town in Indiana and work at Paige's bookstore. She encourages Emmy go to Folly Beach, a sanctuary for many, and buy the small town's bookstore, Folly's Finds.Emmy is reluctant at first; she's perfectly fine with staying where she is. However, when her mother buys a box of books from Folly's Finds, Emmy discovers that several of the books have messages written in them. She's always had a special "sense" about certain things, and when she touches a few of the books they send tingles up her spine.She arrives in Folly Beach and meets Abigail, the current owner, and Abigail's aunt Lulu. Lulu is quite the interesting character; she's not exactly pleased to see Emmy there. Emmy purchases the bookstore, with the condition that Lulu will be allowed to remain as an employee of Folly's Finds and continue to sell her very interesting bottle trees.As she renovates the bookstore, Emmy continues to find old books with messages written in them. They appear to be love notes written by a young man and woman during World War II. She eventually finds out more about the history of Folly Beach and of the couple who communicated via the old books from an initially reluctant Lulu. She learns that it wasn't merely a young love that was kept secret between the pages, she also discovers a possible murder & mysterious disappearance.Karen White's writing never ceases to amaze me. I've read all of her previous work and have enjoyed each of them tremendously. In On Folly Beach, White intricately weaves together two stories of love and loss. The chapters shift between the 1940s and present day and this is done in a very fluid manner. Each chapter reveals a new piece to the puzzle. I instantly became invested in the storyline and the characters. White added a bit of history and folklore to the story, really enhancing the already powerful story. Lulu's bottle trees intrigued me. African slaves brought the tradition of the bottle tree to the United States in the 18th century. The bottles on the trees ward off evil spirits; spirits who get caught in the bottles are unable to escape.In the story, a young Lulu also uses the bottle trees to communicate with loved ones who have gone away. In case you haven't realized it yet, I highly recommend these books. The Southern setting, the mystery, the characters all come together to form a phenomenal read!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    ON FOLLY BEACH is the third Karen White book I've read in recent months, although it's the first stand alone novel of hers I've read. What draws me to her books is not only the locale of South Carolina's Low Country, but her easy writing style, intriguing stories and interesting characters she introduces to me. All of those things add up to a great read in my opinion.Another great thing about this book is that it cleverly tells more than one story. Its the story of Emmy, a recent widow whose husband has been killed in Afghanistan while serving his country; its the story of Lulu, a woman who has lived on Folly Beach for more than seventy years and who has harbored secrets almost as long; but this is also Lulu's sister, Maggie's story from a tumultuous time in our nation's history, when there was a lot of uncertainty and fear during World War II. This is a story of love, loss. loyalty and betrayal that spans more than sixty years and impacts several people's lives in many different ways. And the best thing of all is that the common denominator in the telling of all of these stories is books. I love stories about books and Ms. White has used the vehicle of books to carefully craft and intertwine these women's stories and brings them beautifully together by the end.The way Karen White lays out this story using chapters to alternate between 2009, where we meet Emmy after the loss of her husband and 1942, in the telling of Maggie and Lulu's story was fantastic. When Emmy reluctantly leaves her Indiana life behind to move to Folly Beach, South Carolina, a place she's never been before, to buy an old bookstore, she had no idea how it would change her life.Emmy's discovery of secret messages written in the margins of old books found at Folly's Finds, the bookstore she bought sight unseen, starts her on a journey that not only fascinates her but also forces her to see things about her own life she is resistant to. As time goes on, Emmy worries that the further she delves into these secrets and begins to figures out who wrote the messages, the more danger of hurting the very people who have been so warm and kind to her since moving to Folly Beach.Not only did I love the way in which the story unfolded and the characters, I was also intrigued by the story of how the war affected those living along the eastern seaboard and the Duquesne spy ring that could have changed the outcome of the war. The historical element in this book had me completely drawn in. It sparked a curiosity in me to know more about events that I have to admit, I knew nothing about from my American History classes. Some of my favorite books are the ones that not only entertain me but get me to thinking and make me want to learn more. And thats what this book did for me.ON FOLLY BEACH is one of the best books I've read this year. . I can't encourage you enough to read this beautifully told story. You won't be disappointed.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    From my blog...Filled with emotion, longing, secrets and hope, On Folly Beach by Karen White is a beautiful look at two women, brought together by circumstances unknown to the other, who learn they may not be as dissimilar as they each originally believed. The story is told alternating between present day Folly Beach 2009 and 1942 Folly Beach the year that changed so many lives. Emmy, at the urging of her mother, drives to Folly Beach to consider purchasing Folly's Finds from Abigail Reynolds and to rent a cottage from Abigail's son Heath. However before even entering the home, Emmy encounters Lulu O'Shea, the creator of the bottle trees, and Heath's great-aunt, an acerbic woman who does not take a liking to Emmy. Lulu, now into her 70's has seen a lot, held onto secrets as well as heartbreak and is uncertain of her new business partnership with Emmy. Emmy begins uncovering secret notes in books and longs to learn about the past and about Lulu's sister Maggie and cousin Cat, yet Lulu is extremely good with secrets. On Folly Beach is a beautiful look into the fragile and complex lives of people and the lengths they will go to hold on to secrets, past hurts, and grudges. White's characters are fantastically created and quite easy to imagine knowing. White weaves together a tale spanning three generations of women and the men they loved and lost due to war. On Folly Beach is a captivating, mysterious and at times heart breaking novel that will keep the reader engaged until the very end. I would recommend On Folly Beach to all readers and encourage discussion groups to choose this book.