Product Description

Known for her moving characters and emotional honesty, Mary Alice Monroe brings readers a beautifully rendered story that explores the fragile yet enduring bond between mothers and daughters.

Caretta Rutledge thought she'd left her Southern roots and troubled family far behind. But an unusual request from her mother -- coming just as her own life is spinning out of control -- has Cara heading back to the scenic Lowcountry of her childhood summers. Before long, the rhythms of the island open her heart in wonderful ways as she repairs the family beach house, becomes a bona fide "turtle lady" and renews old acquaintances long thought lost. But it is in reconnecting with her mother that she will learn life's most precious lessons -- true love involves sacrifice, family is forever and the mistakes of the past can be forgiven.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1319497 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 416 pages

From Publishers Weekly
After losing her high-powered advertising job in Chicago, Caretta Rutledge grudgingly returns to her low-country roots at her mother's behest. Cara has long resented her mother, who focused her maternal efforts more on looking after the annual loggerhead turtle spawn than on protecting herself and her children from their abusive father. But when Cara learns that her mother is ill, she must lay her bitterness aside and try to make amends. Cara starts by restoring her mother's small beach house and joining the same turtle brigade she resented while growing up. In the process, she reconnects with an old friend and finds love in the arms of a local boat owner and naturalist. This poignant read won't disappoint fans of so-called "Southern Fiction"; the South, which represents both poison and tonic, is eloquently portrayed here, and its healing properties inevitably come to the fore. Just enough information about the loggerhead turtles and their spawning cycle opens each chapter, swiftly engaging the reader from the outset, and all of the integral characters are richly developed. With its evocative, often beautiful prose and keen insights into family relationships, Monroe's latest (following The Four Seasons) is an exceptional and heartwarming work of fiction that is bound to please fans of women's fiction and romances alike.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A Perfect Summertime Read
I wanted to bestow 3 and a half stars on this book because some of the dialogue was stilted and unreal, and then I thought, "Are you kidding? You loved this book!" Anyway, there are no half stars available.

OK, so maybe some of the plot was a bit far-fetched. And maybe the three-page soliloquy by the dying mother, Lovie, was in words that no real person would use. And maybe the corporate circumstances of our heroine, Caretta (Cara) Rutledge, were a bit unreal. I realized at the end, which found me crying my eyes out, that I simply did not care. This was a perfect summertime read for me, and I suspect will be so for many others.

The plot is nothing new: An independent Chicago woman, Cara, comes home to the Carolina Low Country (The Isle of Palms, beautifully and evocatively described) at the behest of her long-estranged mother, Olivia (Lovie). It is only after a week of licking her wounds (for she was fired from her high-powered job right before leaving on her visit) that Cara comes awake and realizes that her mother is very ill. And it takes all summer for the two to reconcile and reach an understanding granted to very few.

As a backdrop to the story is a wonderful, absolutely wonderful, side plot about the real-life Isle of Palms/Sullivan Island Turtle Team, and its heroic efforts to save the loggerhead turtles. The author is a proud member of the team, which figures prominently in the story; and in fact, her "author picture" is a portrait of the real-life "Turtle Ladies" and herself. I was so fascinated by the turtle team, and so profoundly affected by the wonderful descriptions of the island, I would probably be on the next plane if I could.

There are some other satisfying subplots as well: One is about a young unwed mother from a trailer park, who is taken in by Lovie not only as a companion, but to protect the young woman from her abusive boyfriend; the other is the growing love affair between hard-bitten Cara and quintessential Low Country man, the hunky Brett Beauchamps.

I have to admit that I was enchanted by this book. And all I want to do is relocate to Palm Island and help save the turtles. I wish that real life were as easy to reconcile as that in this lovely book!

Read it and enjoy.

Great book to begin family ties
This book was highly advertised the last time I was in Charleston, SC. Being in need of something new to read, I bought it from the area Barnes and Noble dealer. I have to say that this is one of the best books I have ever read. The story line is such a strong one that it made me want to try to do a lot more with my own mother because you just never know when something could happen to any of us. In addition, the book draws wonderful parallels to the life of the loggerhead turtles, one of my favorite animals. These gracious animals need good people to help them become a revived species, and Ms. Monroe does a beautiful job of describing the activities of the Turtle Team and makes you, the reader, want to help out! The turtles, along with Lovie, are gracious beings that spread goodness throughout the entire book. Again, it makes the reader want to be a decent and kind human being. This book is a must read. I am keeping it and sharing it with my mother hoping she will enjoy it as much as I did.

THE BEACH HOUSE
ABSOULTELY FABULOUS READ - I DIDN'T WANT IT TO END!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK - MUST READ