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    Return to Sullivans Island
    Return to Sullivans Island
    Return to Sullivans Island
    Audiobook12 hours

    Return to Sullivans Island

    Written by Dorothea Benton Frank

    Narrated by Robin Miles

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    “Her books are funny, sexy, and usually damp with seawater.”

    —Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides

     

    In Return to Sullivans Island, Dorothea Benton Frank revisits the enchanted landscape of South Carolina’s Lowcountry made famous in her beloved New York Times bestseller Sullivans Island. Frank focuses on the next generation of Hamiltons and Hayes, earning high praise from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which writes, “Frank brings to vivid life the rich landscape and its unpretentious folks….A reader need only close her eyes for a moment to feel that thick-sticky heat, smell the wild salt marshes.” If you enjoy getting lost in the works of Anne Rivers Siddons, Rebecca Wells, and Pat Conroy—novels brimming with atmosphere and strong Southern charm—you are going to love Dotty Frank’s Return to Sullivans Island.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJun 30, 2009
    ISBN9780061902444
    Return to Sullivans Island
    Author

    Dorothea Benton Frank

    New York Times bestseller Dorothea Benton Frank was born and raised on Sullivans Island, South Carolina. Until her passing in 2019, Dorothea and her husband split their time between New Jersey and South Carolina. A contemporary voice of the South, Dorothea Benton Frank was beloved by fans and friends alike since her debut novel Sullivans Island. Readers from coast to coast fell for the quick wit and the signature humor that permeated her many bestselling novels.

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    Reviews for Return to Sullivans Island

    4/5

    45 ratings13 reviews

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    • 1/5
      Shallow. Forced. Sophomoric. I'm not sure this would interest anyone not familiar with Sullivan's Island and even then, there is not much here. It is a speed read. I've read several of Frank's other books and was dissapointed in this.
    • 4/5
      I liked this book. I live in NC so I like books that take place near here. it was a romance novel with mystery intertwined in it as well.
    • 1/5
      I usually love Dorothea Benton's books, but this one seem disjointed. Switching to third person point of view through out the book just gave it a preachy tone. I didn't care for the character of Beth and considered her unbelievable as a person. She was too opinionated about everyone she met. Glad it was a library book.
    • 5/5
      The only reason I don't give 5 stars is because it didn't go on for another 200 pages... I love her writing anything about the LowCountry and this book had a great twist to it. Write on Dorothea! I think I'm a book behind but will save it for the summer on the beach.
    • 4/5
      Return to Sullivans Island by Dorothea Benton FrankReturn to Sullivans Island returns us to the Hayes family who we first meet in the book “Sullivans Island“. While Return to Sullivans Island is a “stand alone” book, I do recommend very highly that you try to read this book first, it’s not imperative but it does set you up for the second story and you will be able to better understand why Beth and the rest of the adults are the way they are But now, Beth is all grown up and her Mother is finally getting her chance to explore, write and teach in France as was her life long dream… Beth is now 23 and a college graduate who has been coerced into house sitting the families pride and joy, the homestead of their youth, Island Gamble. When we meet this new adult Beth, we find that she is extremely unhappy about doing her duty for the next year and she sure lets everyone know how unhappy she is. This new grown up Beth is snarky, rude, a bit ego-centric and selfish and someone I would most likely want to slap the snark off of if I met her in person. In other words, most likely a typical and rather immature young adult with a myriad of issues! While we do see is that the plot is character driven and we do see Beth growing, it’s a painful experience for both Beth and the reader of this book. I had hoped that Beth’s issues would be resolved in Ms Benton’s typical slow southern style but there were just too many issues to deal with in one book. I struggled to see where Ms Benton was going with the plot and for the life of me I still don’t see this as resolved, I never truly felt that Beth grew and learned from her mistakes. Yes she did learn a lot about her family and learned to love Island Gamble and to trust that family and friends are good things to have and the not so surprising late-book developments hold this story together. Ms Benton has a history if holding readers at the edge of their seats just wondering until last minute just how the heck is everything going to come together This was a most unusual book for Ms Benton since she typically writes books for the more mature adult and she writes about mature adults. Usually splitting her books into “then and now” chapters. This almost dipped into the realm of Chick-Lit for me, and I was very surprised by it.All in all I’d say that this was a very good summer read, well worth taking up space in your permanent library. So grab yourself a sweet tea, pull a rocking chair up to the railing, grab a tomato sandwich and watch the sunset on Sullivans Island, and visit with a new generation.
    • 4/5
      I don't normally like to read the sequel to a novel unless I have read the first book, because sometimes feel that I've missed too much of the back story to truly enjoy the second book. When I saw that TLC Book Tours was hosting a Dorothea Benton Frank Hit the Beach tour, I enthusiastically joined in, even though I have yet to read one of her books.Last year my husband and I visited Charleston, South Carolina, Frank's home and the setting for her Sullivan Island books. We loved our time there and I vowed to read some good fiction set there in time for our return visit.Return to Sullivans Island returns to the story begun in Sullivans Island. Beth Hayes is now a college graduate and reluctantly returning to the family home on Sullivans Island to be the caretaker while her mother Susan lives her dream of spending a year in Paris teaching.We meet (or catch-up) with the members of the Hayes and Hamilton family and coming from a large extended family myself, I so enjoyed this. Susan has several siblings- sister Maggie, the true matriarch (and stylist/decorator) of the family, brothers Henry (the financial guardian) and Timmy, and youngest twin sisters Sophie and Allison, who became famous fitness gurus. They all bring their families back to Sullivans Island for a bon voyage party for Susan.After the party, Beth realizes she had to find a job. She signs on to hostess at a popular restaurant, and as someone who ran two restaurants with my husband years ago, I related to the sections of the story set there. The organized chaos, the adrenaline rush of feeding all those people, it brought a smile of recognition to my face. (Not to mention I got some great names of restaurants and dishes I want to try on our next visit.)Beth also got a job at the local newspaper as a features writer. In her pursuit of her first story, she meets the handsome and charismatic Max Mitchell, a real estate developer who wants to built a large retail property on the island. She falls hard for Max, and can't believe that he is interested in her.Although I was shocked at how fast Beth fell for Max, I remembered that Beth is just 23 years old, and reflected on how things were at that stage of life. Frank accurately captures those feelings of falling head-over-heels, and losing all perspective.The family home is not only on the beach, it is also haunted. The ghost of Livvie, the woman who cared for the young Hamilton children, frequently comments and warns the family of things she feels they should know. And Livvie doesn't seem to like Max too well. What does she know that Beth doesn't?There were some great lines in the novel, including a description of the studious Beth as "the first one chosen as a lab partner and the last one invited on the conga line." I also liked a line from Beth at the end of the book who said that "Your family shapes you when you're really young and then holds you together when trouble comes along." If you are lucky, you feel the same way.Beth makes a bad decision on whom she trusts, but redeems herself when a family member is in trouble and she comes to her aid. Luckily she has good friends in Cecily (Livvie's granddaughter) and Woody, whom she turns to for help and advice.I loved the setting of Return to Sullivans Island, and at times felt like I could hear the pounding surf and feel the warmth of the sand under my feet as I was reading. You don't have to have read Sullivans Island to feel like you know what's going on, but I am definitely going to read it because I adore this family so much.
    • 4/5
      Schmaltzy but good. Needed a break from murder and mayhem.
    • 2/5
      Return to Sullivan's Island is the sequel to Frank's 2004 Sullivan's Island. While I was waiting for RTSI from the library, I decided to read Sullivan's Island first, though that isn't necessary to read the sequel. I did not like it. I thought the characters were too colorful, over the top, and the main plot boring. Spoiler- Married women with teenage daughter discovers husband having an affair, he leaves her, she loses weight, gets make-over, new job, perfect relationship with teenage daughter, ex-husband gets prostate cancer, her first love proposes to her the first time they see each other in 20 years. Cue happy ending music.I decided to still read Return to Sullivan's Island and try to keep an open mind. Beth, the teenage daughter from Sullivan's Island, now a college graduate, returns to her family home to house-sit for a year while her mother is teaching in Paris. Beth is less mature as an adult, than she was as a 14 year old in the first novel. She makes bad decision after bad decision and the characters are too black and white. I felt the author was trying too hard to make me care about the characters, but I just could not. The dialogue did not ring true to me. I made it 3/4 of the way through the book and then just could not take it anymore. I am sure though that it has a happy ending, with everything tied up neatly.I know Dot Frank has a loyal following, but I discovered that even they are not happy with this book. It sounds that while this book was not for me, it also is not for her fans.
    • 3/5
      Young Beth Hayes, newly graduated from college, has dreams of graduate school and a career in writing. Her family has other plans for her, to house sit the family home, Island Gamble, on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina while her mother is in France and the rest of the family in California. Obediently, Beth moves in and revisits memories of family past while carving out a place for herself with new jobs as a writer for the local paper and hostess at a restaurant. While working on her first assignment of reporting on new construction and its impact on local residents, Beth meets Max Mitchell, a real estate developer. It was here that I wanted to throw the book across the room as Beth begins developing this great “love” affair with a very shallow man and the financial consequences that follow. With youth on her side, I was still unbelieving that a young woman could be so naïve and found book to be disappointing when written by an author that I normally enjoy.
    • 4/5
      I don't know who wrote the first 50 pages of this book, but it doesn't seem like the usual DBF. I slogged through it, bored, and then BLAM! There were the interesting voices I was waiting for. What the heck happened? Oh well. Glad I hung on.
    • 4/5
      This book is a sequel to the author's earlier book, Sullivan's Island. The central character in this installment is Beth, Susan's daughter, who has graduated from Boston College and is returning to the family home on Sullivan's Island to keep a watchful eye on it while her mother is working in France for a year. She quickly finds employment as a hostess at a restaurant and as a special reporter for the local paper. Her first reporting assignment will change her life in ways in which she never imagined. This is a typical story where the reader wonders how long it will take the girl to realize she has fallen for the wrong man. We see Beth's character develop throughout the story, especially as the climax is approaching and afterwards. In spite of the plot's predictability, it's a great escape to one of my favorite regions to visit. I even discovered a restaurant or two that I want to try out on a trip that is coming up in about a week.
    • 2/5
      I've read and enjoyed Dorothea Benton Frank books in the past. And I was hoping to like 'Return to Sullivan's Island.' And I really didn't. I've been asking myself why. First and foremost, there are no interesting characters. The 'heroine' is bland: poorly developed, not especially sympathetic, all too predictable, and shallow as a tide pool. (If this was attempt to reach a younger audience, I don't think Beth is what they're looking for.) 'Predictable' seems to be the best word for the plot line too. But it was the lackluster dialogue that did me in. Have you ever been stuck listening to a banal conversation between two strangers? That's the feeling that I got. The characters have little to say to each other and what they do say they say very slowly. In fact, the entire novel moved v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. I try to rate books on a 'five to one' scale: 5 is outstanding. 4 is good enough to re-read. 3 means that I finished it and enjoyed it. 2 is thank goodness that's over. 1 is omg, I spent $ on that? I don't mean to sound like a grouch but we're talking hardbound prices here, so look before you buy. Perhaps you'll find more to like than I did. But do take a good long look.
    • 2/5
      A story about a young woman spending a year in the family home on an island off the coast of Virginia (I think). The home has a reputation for being haunted. The girl starts off as an arrogant, selfish and passive aggressive person. This didn't appeal to me. I'm not good at diagnostics, but I found all of the characters in the first 35 pages annoying, and in spot reading further on, they didn't get any better. Perhaps too much detail was included? Anyway, it was tedious for me and made me want to do anything besides read, so I thought it best to put aside. Others may have different takes on it.