Book Review: Folly Beach - 8th in the Lowcountry Tales series by D. B. Frank

This book was provided to me for free through onceuponaromance.net in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this blog entry are solely my own and have not been influenced by Once Upon a Romance or any other third party.

This was an interesting book for me. At times it made me mad because of what the protagonist found out about her husband, it times it made me think about my grandmothers and the life they lived and the times they grew up in. No matter how much the role of women may have changed in society, in relationships the problems of my grandmothers still seem valid today.So while you can mandate equal treatment in society and at work, no law can prescribe how a man and a woman live their marriage. Overall, I found this book to be very enjoyable, a perfect beach / vacation read and it taught me an important lesson about Porty and Bess!

the book is available through amazon.com!

Cate Cooper did not have an easy life. Becoming an orphan at an early age, even the love of Aunt Daisy could never fully make up for the loss of her parents. But her life really unravels at the funeral of her husband, who committed suicide by jumping off the piano. The piano is important to Cate because it is the one piece of furniture that serves as a memento to her mother and happier childhood times. Her married life turns out to have been a sham; a cheating husband who left her penniless and without a roof over her head.
But sometimes tough beginnings force you to re-evaluate your life and Cate Cooper does just that. By chance, her beloved piano remains in her possession and Aunt Daisy still lives on Folly Beach, where Cate and her sister grew up. So why not move back to South Carolina? But things even there seem to go all wrong; a fender bender in the supermarket parking lot before she even gets to her Aunt’s house. Cate does not seem to be able to catch a break or does she? The other driver acknowledges that it was his fault and the fact that he is very good looking does not hurt.
All accidents are better discussed over a meal and so out of the accident a friendship forms that seems to turn Cate’s life around. She moves into a house that used to be occupied by Dorothy and DuBose Heyward, the latter being the author of the book "Porgy" that served as the inspiration for the opera "Porgy and Bess" by Gershwin. The author now elegantly weaves the life story of Dorothy Heyward into the story of Cate Cooper’s life, showing the similarities between the experiences of both women.
I had heard of Porgy and Bess before reading the book, but was not at all familiar with the role of DuBose Heyward. The historic angle introduced by the author through the voice and reflections of Dorothy Heyward provide the reader with interesting insights into the creative process behind the famous Gershwin opera. The similarities between the lives of Dorothy and Cate also show that while women have come a long way since the 1930s, women in relationships still struggle with the same problems such as accepting traditional gender roles and how strong of a voice a wife should have in a relationship.