In FOLLY BEACH we meet Cate Cooper who is burying her husband Addison. He committed suicide and left her homeless and broke. Cate decides to return to her childhood stomping grounds of Folly Beach South Carolina. After everything her husband has put her through, her Aunt Daisy talks her into coming down to Folly Beach and begin sorting out her life while helping her aunt out. Cate decides to leave Alpine, New Jersey to begin her new life.

We also get glimpses into the lives of DuBose and Dorothy Heyward. They were artists and writers who found comfort in Folly Beach back in the 1930's. Every chapter goes back and forth between Cate and the Heywards. They owned the house that Cate now lives in. The similarities between the two women are uncanny as you learn in this wonderful and compassionate book. You will feel like you are right there on the beach with Cate, Aunt Daisy, and the Heywards as well.

On one of the first few days Cate is down in South Carolina she has a minor fender bender with a man who will change her life. She just doesn't know it yet. He is John Risley, a professor at the College of Charleston. He teaches Literary Renaissance and helps Cate learn the history of the Heywards and her house. It just happens to be his favorite subject. When Cate lets herself get over the fact that she is a new widow and John is married to a woman who is never going to get out of the institution she is in, the story really takes off.

ON FOLLY BEACH was a lovely story filled with loss, family, love, and romance. I found myself all wrapped up in the characters lives and couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. Dorothea sure didn't disappoint either. She has a way with words that make you keep turning the pages. She grabs you right from the very first page and never lets go until the end of the book! The way she blended the past with the present was perfect and filled with surprises. I can not wait to read more by this author. ON FOLLY BEACH is rich with history and makes you want to hop in the car and drive to Folly Beach to see it all for yourself.