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    Folly Beach: A Lowcountry Tale
    Folly Beach: A Lowcountry Tale
    Folly Beach: A Lowcountry Tale
    Audiobook13 hours

    Folly Beach: A Lowcountry Tale

    Written by Dorothea Benton Frank

    Narrated by Robin Miles

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    “Dottie Frank’s books are sexy and hilarious. She has staked out the lowcountry of South Carolina as her personal literary property.”
    —Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides and South of Broad

    The incomparable Dorothea Benton Frank is back with her latest Lowcountry Novel, Folly Beach. As she has with Lowcountry Summer, Return to Sullivans Island, Land of Mango Sunsets, and so many other delightful literal excursions to this magical Southern locale, the perennial New York Times bestselling author enchants readers with a heart-warming tale of loss, acceptance, family, and love—as a woman returns to the past to find her  future. Folly Beach is a constant delight from “a masterful storyteller” (Booklist) who has already secured her place alongside Anne Rivers Siddons, Sue Monk Kidd, Rebecca Wells, Barbara Delinsky and other contemporary queens of bestselling women’s fiction.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJun 14, 2011
    ISBN9780062072528
    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 Folly Beach

    3.5/5

    139 ratings22 reviews

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    • 5/5
      As Usual Dot took me right back to my Beloved Low Country, The South sure misses one of its Queen's.
    • 5/5
      Loved the characters and I learned something about "Porgy and Bess" and Dorothy and DuBose and the Gershwins!

      Lots of funny lines throughout. A nice story. :)
    • 3/5
      Frank's low country stories are always a good read. The setting is amazing and having been to them myself, that makes the story even better. I enjoyed how the story was set up like a play with the scenes and acts. I don't know much about the Charleston Renaissance but I will most definitely be reading up on it as it seems a very fascinating era.
    • 3/5
      3 stars is generous for Folly Beach, a nice read at best really. A Dollar Store blooper......don't throw rotten food at me ok? I don't 'do' certain styles of books for a reason,predictable story-lines and sappily ( my word ) unrealistic. That's what this was, and i normally LOVE this author! Cate Cooper is left a broke, homeless widow and yet gets to live on the ocean in SC? What incredible luck. A cottage once enjoyed by the author of Porgy and Bess,who were also friends with Gershwin.Nice..if you need a break from deeper or more relatable material.
    • 3/5
      Another winner from Frank. This story is delightful -- even if the coincidences were a bit too contrived.
    • 3/5
      A novel of loss, acceptance, family and love. Another Lowcountry charmer where a woman returns to Folly beach to find her future after losing everything (even her husband’s suicide), where she finds love, romance, and family. Folly Beach holds more than just memories as she finds once upon a time another woman found unexpected bliss and comfort and she writes a play to recapture this time. Full of southern charm, cocktails, and humor. As usual the audio was entertaining; however, did not enjoy the novel as much as Frank’s other books.
    • 1/5
      I can't personally imagine telling a story in first-person narrative. Dorothea Benton Frank does it well: I just wish it was from ONE person's POV. I was confused for the first couple of chapters--not sure who's voice I was hearing (listening on a Playaway-which is a fantastic way to "read" a book!) I didn't finished. I didn't connect with the characters or the story in the first four chapters, so moved on to something else.
    • 2/5
      Meh. It was a somewhat interesting story, but:

      * The constant trade between the "play" chapters vs. the novel chapters was distracting, and I wasn't nearly as interested in the Dorothy Heyward story as the protagonist's. So...yeah.
      * Nothing drives me more nuts than unrealistic dialogue. Two of the characters would be having a completely normal phone conversation, and then suddenly it'd be like, "Oh! We need explication here!" and then we'd get some random paragraph that was bizarre and overdramatic and not in the least like a real conversation. Some of the mother/child conversations in particular were either stilted or way over the top. I just found myself thinking, "Nope."

      I used to really enjoy Frank's novels--they've always been escapist beach-reads, but I think she's trying too hard to pump out a book a year and not focusing nearly enough on the quality of the writing anymore. Solid 2 stars.
    • 4/5
      Dorothea Benton Frank is kind of hit and miss with me. I'll like one book, get frustrated with the next couple, promise myself never to pick up another one, weaken, and she then hits one out of the park. To be fair, most of my frustrations come when there are inaccuracies about my beloved lowcountry. I know novels are fiction, but there are some things with which I just can't tolerate liberties being taken. So, when a friend gave me a copy of Folly Beach I almost didn't read it, because the last DBF book I'd read had been one I'd enjoyed. By all rights, then, this one should have made me shriek and throw it across the room (in a very lady-like manner, mind you.)This story is told in entwining two parts. That drives some folks crazy, but I like parallel stories. And I particularly liked the thread that was presented as the script of a one-woman play about Dorothy Heyward, wife of Debose Heyward (and author, playwrite in her own right). The other segment was pure Frank: a widow coming home to the lowcountry to heal and grow. That the second tale involved not one, but three cameos by people I know, gave me a bit of a chuckle. I was less tolerant about some errors in location, distance, etc, but hey, I got Gershwin, and Porgy and Bess. (I do have to say that I'd always been told the house Gershwin stayed in was washed away in a hurricane sometime before I first hit Folly in the 1970's, not with Hugo in 1989. And the legend I know is that the bells of St Michael's inspired the first notes of "Summertime". But still, there's a lot of history and legend told in this book that I've heard, too.) I'm always a little surprised at the Yiddish that occasionally slips into these books, too. I can see people furiously googling "ungapatched" (which is not how I would have spelled it, but recognize it as the same as "ungepatchke" which I learned meant too much of anything, in an un-pleasing over-the-top way.) I'm still wondering about"fachalata" and if it's a play on farkakt aka fakakta. (Look it up.)I think that the information I learned about Dorothy and Dubois Heyward is what carried the book for me, and what bumped it to a 4 star in my enjoyment. That, and the mention of my dear friend Harriet MacDougal Rigney in the acknowledgements.
    • 4/5
      Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton FranksShe returns to the past and it has brought her to the low country of SC.Kate Cooper never thought she'd be back but her husband has died, she is broke and homeless.Told with stage directions but written like a book as we get to hear the rationalization of whyshe made the decisions she did to move back to Folly Beach.She is a playwright and also got in a fender bender with a professor that she strikes up a relationship with.Her son's wife is also expecting and they are there to give her comfort along with her sister of Aunt Daisy who has landed in the hospital.Her sister is a gourmet chef and is considering moving back to Folly Beach also.
    • 1/5
      ugh, way too predictable, even for a beach read
    • 5/5
      Just as good as every other book DBF has ever written. Funny that she delved into the writings of poets and playwrights as I just finished a couple books about Ernest Hemingway also. Enjoy!
    • 4/5
      This is the story where the past meets the present. The past involves Dorothy and Dubose Heyward, George Gershwin, and the writing of Porgy & Bess. The present involves newly widowed Cate Cooper whose husband left her almost broke. She moves back to Folly Beach to visit the aunt who reared her and finds true love. There are some parallels in the two stories which are presented in alternating chapters. I enjoyed the present story's presentation more than the manner in which the past was showcased. Although I understand why the author chose that format for the past, it simply didn't work for me.
    • 4/5
      Kate, followed by John, presented a delightful story to listen to, almost in two parts ---a play within a story. It's probably good that I had a project to do while a listened to the story because it was a little slow in parts but I liked Kate immediately and finding out what happened next was very appealing as a story line.
    • 2/5
      One of my least favorite of her books - did not enjoy the back and forth between the playscript and the storyline.Was haard for me to even finish.
    • 4/5
      Like a scene from the tabloids and popular movies Cate Cooper’s life has come crashing down around her. Having recently discovered her husband’s death and subsequent betrayal, Cate is now destitute living out of boxes and making her way home to her Aunt in Folly Beach. What she didn’t expect was John Risley, the power of family connections and a little house on the beach called “The Porgy”. After a lifetime of living in the shadows Cate finally discovers there’s more to life than relying on someone else for happiness and makes her own way. Folly Beach is exactly the type of charming Southern novel readers will enjoy on a lazy afternoon of reading. From the first few pages of Cate Cooper’s story I was hooked. It was much like watching a collision from the sidelines, for some reason you simply can’t turn away no matter how horrible the situation. All while reading her situation you keep thinking there is no way it could get much worse for this seemingly lovely main character, but one thing after another keeps popping up. Cate’s journey to Folly Beach and her Aunt Daisy & Ella was precisely what she needed and what I enjoyed most about the story, perhaps because I’m a huge fan of Southern fiction. It’s relaxing ways, charming characters, enjoyable dialogue and breezy setting make for some of my favorite indulgent reads and Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank was no exception. Throughout the story an alternate story line is portrayed which at first seemed incredibly confusing to me. Having some background in musical theater I was familiar with the Gershwin play Porgy & Bess, but wasn’t clear on the details and certainly had no idea how they connected to a scorned widow. As the story progresses the story of Dorothy, DuBose and Gershwin became much easier to understand, but initially I had no idea what to make of the two very different story lines. What I did appreciate over the course of the portrayal of Dorothy’s life was her love for DuBose and how it countered the negative aspects that came from Cate Cooper’s relationship with her now deceased & evil husband Addison. In the end, the account of Dorothy and her interactions with her husband DuBose and composer Gershwin become an integral & enjoyable part of the plot even if initially it was somewhat confusing. One of the aspects of the story I valued the most was Cate’s relationships with her family, especially the one she shared with her sister Patti. Myself coming from a family of three girls I know the power that comes from a sister you love and rely on. It was wonderful to be able to see how Cate and Patti relied on each other for so many things and yet lived their own separate lives. Of course I also loved the banter back and forth between the two sisters as well as that between Aunt Daisy and Ella. Each and every member of this remarkable extended family, including John Risley, made up people that I’d love to be surrounded by in my own life and propelled the story forward. For readers who love Southern fiction Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank is a perfect choice. Beginning with the salacious story of a betrayal of the worst kind and then moving to the slow relaxed life in Folly Beach including a look back in time to the lives revolving around the classic musical Porgy & Bess, readers will find something for everyone. For me it wasn’t only the plot that grabbed me, but the characters and the theme of family that warmed my heart. As you settle into Folly Beach you quickly fall in step with this fabulous leading lady who lands on her feet after each and every blow that would knock even the strongest down. Cate Cooper’s story from betrayed widow to successful play-write with a healthy love life is one readers will absolutely enjoy and will soon be looking for more by author Dorothea Benton Frank. Originally reviewed and copyrighted at my site Chick Lit Reviews and News.
    • 4/5
      One of Dorothea Benton Frank's better books. Not quite as silly as some of her other books. Another in a string of books I've read lately about women returning home to the beach after some sort of life trauma. Makes me want to go live at the beach.
    • 5/5
      I love the way she builds this story of two eras: the Charleston Literary Renaissance in the 20s and 30s, and the story of the modern-day woman who lost everything and then found it in a whole new form.
    • 4/5
      This is an enjoyable romance, all the more satisfying because of the dreadful circumstances that introduce the main characters. The back stories of Porgy & Bess and Dorothy & Debose Hayward make for an interesting plot line
    • 4/5
      I have been hit and miss with Dorothea Benton Frank lately- this one however hit all the right notes! Ever since reading Vixen, it seems so many books I have picked up or want to read are set in the 1920s, or have backstory from the 20s. Which is fine by me - I have always loved the excitement and drama of the roaring 20s. Folly Beach has a storyline in the present day, but every other chapter is part of a play about the Heywards, who worked with Gershwin to turn Heyward's Porgy and Bess into a musical. I have to admit, at first these chapters bothered me - I would just get into what was going on in the main story line and would be interrupted within the book, like a commercial. But as I read on, the more I enjoyed the Heyward's story line just as much. I liked all the characters in this book, especially Cate's love interest John, who reminded me a tiny bit of Mr. Rochester from Jane Eyre. And wow Cate has a terrible start in this book - I was riveted, what else could have gone wrong for her? Apparently everything! The tragedy of it all forced her to become her own person though, and find actual happiness in the end.
    • 5/5
      One of the things I enjoy most about being on book tours is discovering authors I might not have been exposed to otherwise. I've seen Dorothea Benton Frank's name before, but never considered that these books might be something I'm interested in. A series of steps led up to me asking to be on this tour - most of those steps involving an introduction of some sort to southern literature, and the final culmination being that I am, hands down, a fan of it. Beth Hoffman, Rebecca Rasmussen, Sarah Addison Allen, Kathryn Magendie - all names of authors who have thrilled me, taught me to love this easy-going, sweet, magical style and now I'll be adding Dorothea Benton Frank to the list.Folly Beach is book number #8 in the Lowcountry Tales series. I haven't read books 1-7 (and have already started to request them from Paperback Swap) but it didn't make a lick of difference, because this book had me hook, line and sinker with the opening act of the play involving the Heywards, Gershwin, and The Porgy House. Frank did a beautiful job of weaving the story around each act of the play, and kept me completely mesmerized and in love with both sets of characters - that of Dorothy Heyward and Cate Cooper.Now, in the interest of full honesty, there were a few parts that were so obvious, and worked out so conveniently well that I did roll my eyes a little bit - but just a little bit, because I was too happy at the progression of the story and loved the characters so much that I wanted the best for them, even if it was predictable.This is the perfect beach-time, summer read. The only thing that was missing while I read Folly Beach was the sound of the ocean, the warmth of the sun on my legs and a drink at my side, complete with little umbrella.
    • 3/5
      I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. I really like Anne Rivers Siddons and Sue Miller, and this story seemed to me reminiscent of those kinds of books, so I figured I'd give it a try. Plus, the parallel structure of the play inside the novel was intriguing.The premise of the story is good - a woman, Cate, who is widowed when her self-important ultra-wealthy scoundrel of a husband chooses death by suicide rather than face the horrendous consequences of his unethical business practices and multiple extra-marital affairs which have lost him and his partners loads of the money he so prized as well as all their friends, buries her husband, and is later that day served with papers from the sheriff informing her that her luxury home is being foreclosed on, all it's contents removed and sold, her cars, etc. are being repossessed, and so, in two days time she goes from living a life of material luxury to basically being left with $25k she hid away in a wall safe. She had no idea about the finances, the debts or the ex-lovers - she is totally blindsided.Faced with having no home and no particular attachments to the area (except her sister who lives in town and is HER BEST FRIEND) since her adult children who don't live with her anyway, she decides to leave frigid Alpine, NJ for the shores of Folly Beach, South Caroloina. Folly Beach is home to her aging aunt Daisy and Dolly's longtime lover Ella. Daisy is a spitfire who manages multiple rental properties at the beach and could use Cate's help, as she's getting on in years. Cate and her sister Patti were raise by Daisy at Folly Beach after their parents died while they were young, and she offers Cate a refuge from her troubles in one of her cottages called The Porgy House.The parallel play is about Dorothea and DuBose Heyward, who lived at Folly Beach in the late 30's in the Porgy House, where they wrote the play Porgy and Bess with George Gershwin. That story line explores the nature of the love-affair between Dorothea and DuBose and the culture of the Charleston Renaissance, which resulted in the writing of Porgy and Bess, even in a state which would not allow negroes to perform on stage until the 70s. (In the end, it turns out that this is the play that Cate is writing at the end of the novel.)On her way to South Carolina, Cate is involved in a fender bender with a local professor named John Risley who is devastatingly handsome, and who conveniently is obsessed with Dorothea and DuBose Heyword, the Porgy House, knows Cate's Aunty Daisy, and teaches of all things, PLAYWRITING. He is an amazing lover, a southern gentlemen, and primary instigator/encourager for Cate, who with her relatively unused theater degree, he feels is in the perfect position to write a play about the Heywards for a local competition. Without ever having seen a word of her writing, he's absolutely certain to she will an astounding playwrite. He's perfect - a hero even - he'll pick up her poor wet naked lesbian 80+ year old aunt from a tub when she is so very ill. I mean, care-taking her aunt's properties can't use up that much of her time, and after being financially ruined, the unstable career choice of writer makes PERFECT sense. (/sarcasm off.)To be honest, this is where I start to loose it with this novel. Way too many plot conveniences/contrivances for my liking. While I understand the tone of this novel is light-hearted, and that the poor rich girl who is down on her luck needs to know there is life beyond her crappy marriage and financial ruin, it just happens way to fast and way to conveniently for my liking. Cate is so willing to move on from the horror of her ruin without really experiencing it, in a way, and the universe clears all messes right up for this newly ruined Cate. I mean, for crying out loud, even the inconvenient criminally deranged mentally ill wife of her new lover, John, develops pancreatic cancer and dies right on cue.As far as these kinds of books go, I think the writing was solid in terms of tone and style, and I liked the light-hearted humor displayed by the characters (although, I could see the potential for some seriously deep black humor that wasn't really as delved as it could have been). It was very readable, and the pacing was good - the sections that were the play were short and sweet, but effective. The characters were engaging and likeable - especially Aunt Daisy! Loved her! and loved how Ella called fiesty Daisy her "Old Cabbage"!I would recommend this book to people who like to read stories where everyone gets their just desserts, the girl gets her man, and everyone lives more than happily ever after. This just isn't my kind of thing anymore, I guess. I would not recommend this book for those who are irked by convoluted feminism (woman hear me roar after devilish husband screws me, but um, only after I am swept off my feet by new gorgeous handsome man...HUH?), or too many literary contrivances.