Publisher's Weekly Review
Bestseller Frank's fifth Lowcountry Tale is a lively story about friendship and family, Southern-style. On the small South Carolina barrier island that gives the book its title, semiretired attorney Abigail Thurmond spends most of her days playing golf and gossiping with her best friend, the portly, lovably aristocratic Huey Valentine. But their comfortable lives of leisure are turned upside-down with the arrival of one diminutive Rebecca Sims. Becca's obvious artistic talent and poise make it easy for Huey to show her art and hire her to manage his art gallery, but when his 86-year-old mother unearths Becca's tragic past, Huey can't help sticking his aquiline nose in her business. Once an attentive wife and loving mother of two in Charleston, Becca became the victim of her abusive husband, who turned her children against her and then filed for divorce. Abigail and Huey must help their new friend, of course, and as they draw closer to one another through Becca's tribulations, Abigail is finally able to examine the ghosts that have haunted her for years, and Huey gets to reveal a (pretty unsurprising) secret of his own. Frank's absorbing narrative manages to feel both authentically Southern and universally empathetic. Agent, Amy Berkower. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
Frank's fifth book in her Lowcountry series (following Shem Creek, 2004) focuses on the tight-knit community of Pawleys Island, an arrogantly shabby oasis off the coast of South Carolina. Shifting first-person narratives invite you into this charming southern isle that, behind its decorum, is the kind of place that you don't go unless you want your life shaken and stirred. Rebecca Simms naively seeks retreat there, but she soon realizes just how tangled and involved island life can be. Her new employer, his feisty mother, and their ex-lawyer friend all drag out Rebecca's painful past. Through these newfound friends' curiosity and genuine concern, Rebecca soon finds that she cannot hide from her recently shattered marriage. This compulsively readable novel tackles the weighty topics of marital infidelity and self-transformation, but its warm conversational tone will give it appeal to fans of both Fannie Flagg and Larry McMurtry's Terms of Endearment. A true southern comfort. --Misha Stone Copyright 2005 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Pawleys Island is the story of Rebecca Simms, the perfect wife and mother, who flees to Pawleys to heal after her marriage implodes and she loses custody of her children. There, she is befriended by gallery owner Huey Flagg Valentine; his mother, Miss Olivia; and retired attorney Abigail Thurmond who waste no time carving out places for themselves in Rebecca's life--and in her business. This novel is about friendship, family, redemption, and second chances. Frank's literary voice painstakingly captures the Low-country settings, characters, lifestyle, and humor; unfortunately, her speaking voice does not. The author's north of the Mason-Dixon inflection, stilted reading, and lack of vocal differentiation among shifting characters undermine her humorous dialog and first-person accounts of the native South Carolinans who inhabit her book. Libraries with over-50 patrons who enjoy stories about mature characters, who like regional fiction, or who are Frank fans should opt for the print version. Regular and large-type copies are a more cost-effective use for cash-strapped institutions.--Gwendolyn E. Osborne, Evanston, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
