When Cate Cooper's life implodes around her, the one place that she knows she can go to regroup and restart her life is Folly Beach - the place of her youth, the place she feels safest, and most loved. The Lowcountry has always been a place of healing, and with her beloved Aunt Daisy, Cate hopes that she can find a place for herself to begin again, but she hadn't counted on falling in love again too.
In Dorothea Benton Frank's latest novel, FOLLY BEACH, the author once again takes her readers to the beautiful coastal region of South Carolina known as the Lowcountry with a story that weaves romance, mystery, and history together to form an unforgettable tale that will resonate long after the final page is turned.
After the gruesome and untimely death of her husband and the discovery of his unscrupulous financial activities, Cate is forced from her home with little more than the clothes on her back, a few possessions and her beloved piano. When her Aunt Daisy hears of her plight, she urges Cate to come home to Folly Beach to help her oversee the real estate property the family owns. Cate is moved into the famous "Porgy House," the former home of Dorothy and DuBose Heyward, the couple who had collaborated with George Gershwin on the musical "Porgy and Bess."
As Cate becomes intrigued with the story of Dorothy and DuBose, she has a chance encounter with local literary professor John Risley, who encourages her to find out all she can about the famous couple. Delving into research, the more Cate discovers about the unassuming Dorothy Heyward, the more she finds a little more about her own strengths. And the more Cate is around the handsome Professor Risley, the more she finds the romance she had thought was dead springing back to life.
Interwoven with Cate's story are the chapters that feature the voice of Dorothy Heyward, telling her story of life with her beloved husband, DuBose, who wrote the original "Porgy" story, and how she supported him in their bohemian lifestyle that was so closely connected with the Carolina Renaissance movement.
As Cate and Dorothy's stories intertwine, the magical restorative effect of Folly Beach can be felt as each woman finds her capability and confidence restored.
Dorothea Benton Frank has a fabulous gift for storytelling, and FOLLY BEACH is a prime example of her exquisite talent. Readers will feel they're right there on the beach with this wonderful novel.
Experience the wild beauty and sultry magic of New York
Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank's Carolina
Lowcountryβwhere the pull of family is as powerful as the
ocean tides and love can strike faster than lightning in
summer. . . . Folly Beach Home is the place that knows us
best. . . . A woman returns to the past to find her future
in this enchanting new tale of loss, acceptance, family, and
love. With its sandy beaches and bohemian charms, surfers
and suits alike consider Folly Beach to be one of South
Carolina's most historic and romantic spots. It is also the
land of Cate Cooper's childhood, the place where all the
ghosts of her past roam freely. Cate never thought she'd
wind up in this tiny cottage named the Porgy House on this
breathtakingly lovely strip of coast. But circumstances have
changed, thanks to her newly dead husband whose
financialβand emotionalβbull and mendacity have left Cate
homeless, broke, and unmoored. Yet Folly Beach holds more
than just memories. Once upon a time another woman found
unexpected bliss and comfort within its welcoming arms. An
artist, writer, and colleague of the revered George
Gershwin, Dorothy Heyward enjoyed the greatest moments of
her life at Folly with her beloved husband, DuBose. And
though the Heywards are long gone, their passion and spirit
lingers in every mango sunset and gentle ocean breeze. And
for Cate, Folly, too, holds the promise of unexpected
fulfillment when she is forced to look at her life and the
zany characters that are her family anew. To her surprise,
she will discover that you can go home again. Folly Beach
doesn't just hold the girl she once was . . . it also holds
the promise of the woman she's always wantedβand is finally
readyβto become. Folly Beach, filled with the irresistible
charm, saucy wit, and lush atmosphere that have won her the
devotion of fans and propelled her books to bestsellerdom,
is vintage Dorothea Benton Frank.
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