Thursday, June 11, 2015

All the Single Ladies

Your summer reading list cannot be complete unless you have a book by Dorothea Benton Frank on it. It doesn't even matter which one, but lucky for you, she must have an intense writing schedule because she always seems to have a new one out in time for summer. (Which is incredibly smart because that means her book tours must be an absolute blast!)

All the Single Ladies - Dorothea Benton Frank
All the Single Ladies
The perennial New York Times bestselling author returns with an emotionally resonant novel that illuminates the power of friendship in women’s lives, and is filled with her trademark wit, poignant and timely themes, sassy, flesh-and-blood characters, and the steamy Southern atmosphere and beauty of her beloved Carolina Lowcountry.

Few writers capture the complexities, pain, and joy of relationships—between friends, family members, husbands and wives, or lovers—as beloved New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank. In this charming, evocative, soul-touching novel, she once again takes us deep into the heart of the magical Lowcountry where three amazing middle-aged women are bonded by another amazing woman’s death.

Through their shared loss they forge a deep friendship, asking critical questions. Who was their friend and what did her life mean? Are they living the lives they imagined for themselves? Will they ever be able to afford to retire? How will they maximize their happiness? Security? Health? And ultimately, their own legacies?

A plan is conceived and unfurls with each turn of the tide during one sweltering summer on the Isle of Palms. Without ever fully realizing how close they were to the edge, they finally triumph amid laughter and maybe even newfound love.


I absolutely am a Dorothea super fan. I have read almost all of her books (I'm working on completing them all!), I have purchased many copies of her books as gifts, and I look forward to summer every year because she always comes out with a great read to put you into the summer mindset. Another reason I love her books? They aren't heavy. They aren't depressing, they make you want to move to the Lowcountry area, you love all of the characters and it's such a great story. Always. She is always consistently great and I love it. 

In All the Single Ladies, we have three women who are middle age, and trying to start over. We have Carrie, who is on the hunt for yet another husband after the last prospect dropped dead at the altar, leaving her broke. We have Suzanne, who isn't sure her latest foray into dating is going to end well. Then Lisa, who struggles with her daughter's marijuana tour business, is financially unsteady and unlucky in love, meets Carrie and Suzanne after their friend Kathy dies. The three of them end up living together and getting sage advice from Miss Trudie, Suzanne's elderly grandmother. (And let's be honest here- I kind of want a Miss Trudie of my very own.) All three women navigate the waters or dating, all while trying to prove that Kathy's landlord is an absolute thief and stealing from Kathy's estate which ends in a kind of hilarious conclusion. Just picturing it in my head made me chuckle. 

This was such a fast and fun read, I highly recommend adding this to your summer reading! It's light, it's fun, and it'll be a great afternoon well spent soaking up the sun while reading this gem. 

You can purchase this through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. In the meantime, visit Dorothea Benton Frank's website, Facebook and Twitter


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

These three ladies are all ones I'd love to get to know!

Thanks for being a part of the tour.

Crystal said...

I read this for the book tour too and, unfortunately, it wasn't my favorite. I just didn't connect with this book at all. But, I will be reading more books by her in the future (this was my first of hers!) because she really does sound like the perfect author for me. She's always recommended when I look up books by my favorite authors and her books are set in the Lowcountry, which is one of my favorite settings. :)