This summer I have been stuck on the fiction of Dorothea Benton Frank. Her books take place in the “Low Country”, the islands off the coast of South Carolina. My interest in her work was piqued when her novel Folly Beach popped up in my recommended reads. A few years ago I spent some time in Folly Beach on a movie set on Bowens Island. Hmmm. I thought it’d be fun to read a story taking place in a part of the country I’m familiar with, much in the way I enjoy stories that take place here on the Cape and the Islands. So I bought it and enjoyed it very much. I loved Benton’s style and quick wit so I continued to read her other books, all of which take place on the low country islands.
I’m probably on my fifth or sixth book by her. This morning I just finished Bulls Island and then downloaded The Land of Mango Sunsets. I haven’t reviewed every book of hers I read, but I did today. Even though I’m only a third of the way through this one, I have to say it already spoke to me enough to warrant a post. This is the first book I ever read where the heroine actually states in the prologue that she made huge mistakes, has been changed by them and then says:
Whoa. Ok. I’m on board. And I’ll be damned if she isn’t right. She tells my story within her own circumstance. In my late forties I was that person. I needed a major overhaul and through the love and patience of my dear husband and children, I was able to make that transition where the curtain was suddenly pulled back and I morphed into a different person. A better person.
This story made me remember days back when we first moved into this Capehouse, our children were grown and gone, and my husband and I were getting our lives back. Today I got to relive that time a little – not only through the book, but in our afternoon he and I just spent together. We made some beautiful “Mango Sunset” drinks and sat on the rocks by the ocean talking and connecting like days gone by. At the end of it all, I’m glad I opened myself up to change. I’m glad I attended to the spiritual part of me. I’m glad I didn’t fight an attitude adjustment. Now, twelve years later, my life is definitely better and richer for taking the same journey “Mellie” takes in the book.
And so, as another Labor Day weekend goes by, if you find yourself hanging in a hammock or beach chair and need a good read, check out The Land of Mango Sunsets by Dorothea Benton Frank, a perfect “day off” read, and…I have written.
Photo:
In the beach shack…my husband said I have yet another new job! Lol! (Check out the Mango Sunsets)
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