Thursday, September 4, 2014

Beach House Memories - The Friday 56 and Book Beginnings on Friday

Book Two in THE BEACH HOUSE series
I'm halfway through Beach House Memories, and I'm enjoying it. The story takes place in 1974 on Isle of Palms in the Low Country of South Carolina. I'm completely immersed in the story of Lovie (married with two children) and the expectations placed on upper-class Southern women who grew up in the 1950s. And I'm also learning a lot about sea turtles! 

This book is the sequel to The Beach House (which is now on my to-read list). The book's beginning reads like a prologue.

Book Beginning:
Lovie Rutledge believed memories were like the tides. Sometimes they rushed in with a pounding roar to topple you over. At other times they gently washed over you, lulling you to complacency and then tugging you back to halcyon days that, with the passing of years, seemed ever sweeter.

Friday 56 (from Page 56 in my trade paperback):
Glancing at her watch, she realized it was not even ten o'clock and the children were asleep. Lowcountry summer days wore them plumb out. In one day's time their skin was as red as a lobster's from overcooking in the sun, and their lackluster expressions were replaced with the bright-eyed enthusiasm she always imagined Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn wore.

Genre: Literary Fiction / Women's Fiction / Environment
Length: 385 Pages
Amazon Link: Beach House Memories
More From This Author: Mary Alice Monroe's Website

Synopsis from Amazon:
      Autumn brings haunting beauty to the sun-soaked dunes on Isle of Palms, where Olivia “Lovie” Rutledge lives in her beloved Primrose Cottage. As the seasons change, Lovie remembers one special summer… 
      In 1974, America is changing, but Charleston remains eternally the same. When Lovie married aristocratic, well-connected businessman Stratton Rutledge, she turned over her fortune and fate to his control. But she refused to relinquish one thing: her family’s old seaside cottage. Precious summers with her children on the barrier island are Lovie’s refuge from social expectations and her overbearing husband’s philandering. Here, she is the “Turtle Lady,” tending the loggerhead turtles that lay their eggs in the warm night sand and then slip back into the sea. 
      Then, in the summer of ’74, biologist Russell Bennett visits to research the loggerheads. Their shared interest brings them together, and soon it blooms into a passionate, profound love—forcing Lovie to face an agonizing decision. Stratton’s influence is far-reaching, and if she dares to dream beyond a summer affair, she risks losing her reputation, her wealth, even her children. 
      This emotional tale of a strong woman torn between duty and desire, between tradition and change, is an empowering journey through the seasons of self-discovery. Until this autumn, this time of winds and tides, of holding on and letting go…


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27 comments:

  1. Sounds lovely! I like the lines you chose and how they are written.
    Happy weekend!

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  2. Your description of the book makes it sound so good. Hope you enjoy it. Anne's Friday Post

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  3. I really like the beginning, because it's so right about memories. You never know when they're going to hit you. Although I'm not quite sure this one is for me, I hope you enjoy the rest of it! Thanks for sharing :) I hope you have a great weekend.
    My Friday post
    Juli @ Universe in Words

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  4. Beautiful blurb and excerpt. Brings back memories of when I was a child and when my son was young. It flows like poetry.
    Here is my 56 - http://fuonlyknew.com/2014/09/05/the-friday-56-35-cursed-a-guardian-chronicles-novel-by-trakena-prevost/

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    1. The book is nicely written and full of beautiful description.

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  5. Ha! I actually have read this sandy and really enjoyed it. Our local girl, Mary Alice Monroe, is one talented author. And I loved the setting..because I do live in Charleston now:)

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    1. I'd forgotten that you live in Charleston! This book really gave me a sense of place, and one of these days I hope to visit your part of the world. As I was reading this story (I'm on the final chapters now) I kept thinking about Pat Conroy, another Carolinian and an excellent writer. Then I saw that he's named in the author's acknowledgments.

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  6. Beautifully descriptive! I feel as though I am right there, in that time and place. And it sounds like my kind of story. I apparently missed this one...have to go check it out.

    Thanks for sharing, and here's mine: “TEARS & TEQUILA”

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    1. I think you'd enjoy this one. I do wish I had read the previous book first, but this one stands alone.

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  7. Definitely interesting. The excerpts grabbed me where the premise didn't. I'll definitely have to look for this author.

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  8. Very descriptive writing in this book it seems. I've never read this author before.
    Check out my Friday 56

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  9. Hmmm. I might have to give these books a shot. They seem interesting, and sort of like a Nicholas Sparks book. I used to read his books all the time.

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    1. This book's plot appealed to me, but it was the setting and family dynamics that kept me reading. In a way, it does remind me of books by Nicholas Sparks, but I won't give away any more!

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  10. I love the beginning descriptions. Felt as though I were there.

    I am glad the book is good. Love the cover.

    Thanks for sharing.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Follow Friday Four Fill-In

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  11. Hi Sandra,

    If the two excerpts you feature are indicitive of the rest of the writing, then this definitely sounds like a book I might be interested in. I am a complete sucker for descriptive writing and with an opening like that, there is no way I could resist .... especially given the excellent ratings and reviews the book is getting.

    The older I am getting, the more important memories seem to be...

    Thanks for sharing and have a good weekend

    Yvonne

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    1. The description in this book was enjoyable, as was the plot. And I agree about memories. They're treasures.

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  12. LOVE the descriptive writing!! This sounds like a good one, especially the sea turtles!

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  13. "Sometimes they rushed in with a pounding roar to topple you over. At other times they gently washed over you, lulling you to complacency and then tugging you back to halcyon days that, with the passing of years, seemed ever sweeter."

    I love every bit of this, the author appears to write in an inviting elegant manner; I am always captivating by such story tellers :) Have a wonderful weekend Sandra!

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  14. That's a nice way to look at memories.

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  15. I really like the sound of this one!

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  16. I can taste the sunshine in my mouth from this description.

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  17. That's an interesting perspective on memories and I like the description of the children, evocative.

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  18. I like the description used for memories, I never thought of it that way before.

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  19. Very interesting, I like this book!

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