Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

read excerpt* *Different edition

Porch Lights

by Dorothea Benton Frank (Goodreads Author)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 3,080 ratings · 596 reviews

Paperback, Large Print, 464 pages

Published July 3rd 2012 by HarperLuxe (first published January 12th 2012)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Mar 17, 2013 Patricia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank

When life throws a curve ball and you don’t know what to do the best thing to do is to go home. That is what this story is about, going home to family to heal heartbreak and to be strengthened by the love of family so you can go on again.

Jackie was an Army nurse serving in Afghanistan when her firefighter husband was killed. When she goes back to Brooklyn to bury her Jimmy and help her ten-year old son, Charlie, comes to terms with his father’s death she is o...more Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank

When life throws a curve ball and you don’t know what to do the best thing to do is to go home. That is what this story is about, going home to family to heal heartbreak and to be strengthened by the love of family so you can go on again.

Jackie was an Army nurse serving in Afghanistan when her firefighter husband was killed. When she goes back to Brooklyn to bury her Jimmy and help her ten-year old son, Charlie, comes to terms with his father’s death she is overwhelmed. Devastated by their loss Jackie decides to take Charlie and go home to Sullivans Island for the summer.

Though Jackie and her mother, Annie, haven’t always gotten along, Annie is happy to have them come. Annie is opinionated and outspoken and not easy to live with but she has a big heart and loves her family and wants to help them. After Jackie and Jimmy married and moved to New York Annie’s husband and Jackie’s father, Buster, left. That was over ten years ago and though Buster lives nearby the beach house has been too big and too empty for too long.

Jackie is a strong independent woman and worries that going home even just for the summer maybe a bad idea. Much to Annie’s credit she accepts that Jackie and Charlie will leave at the end of summer but believes it would be best that they stay and make their home on the island.

As the summer goes on Charlie begins to again be the bright, funny, and smart kid he was before his father’s death. As Jackie grieves she knows she must start making plans for herself and her son’s future. She wants to go back to Brooklyn so they can begin to build a new life. But Charlie wants to stay on the island and does something surprising, and uncharacteristic, to assure he will stay.

The summer is filled with island beauty, stories of pirates and Edgar Allan Poe, good food, friends, family, and learning about what is important in life. Annie and Jackie tell the story, each seeing things in her own way. Though they see and experience things differently they both learn about family and the ties that bind.

I have read other novels by Dorothea Benton Frank and have never been disappointed. I enjoyed this book, too. It is realistic in its portrayals of the characters and events. There is honesty and humor that is refreshing. If you are looking fo a happy ending this is it.

Categories: Black Cat, books, fiction, Monday, Uncategorized | Tags: Book(less)

like · see review

Dec 04, 2012 Denise Cuenin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a typically enjoyable read from Dotty Benton-Frank. The locale is Sullivan's Island, a favorite place of ours (and where the author is from)....so, what is not to love? The main character has lost her NYFD husband to a fire related accident. She comes to Sullivan's Island to spend the summer school holiday because she is concerned about the prolonged depression of her ten-year-old son. The beautiful setting and presence of family work their magic and both Jackie and her son begin to reco...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 18, 2012 Wayne White rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book Review
By
C. Neuroticus Absolutus
I just finished reading Porch Lights by Dorthea Benton Frank, another story about life on the barrier islands of South Carolina. They say write about what you know best. Ms. Frank was born and raised on Sullivans Island and weaves a treasure trove of knowledge and experience into one story after another about the South Carolina Lowcountry. I’ve read eight of the dozen books she has written, each with charming, lovable characters who draw the reader into real-...more Book Review
By
C. Neuroticus Absolutus
I just finished reading Porch Lights by Dorthea Benton Frank, another story about life on the barrier islands of South Carolina. They say write about what you know best. Ms. Frank was born and raised on Sullivans Island and weaves a treasure trove of knowledge and experience into one story after another about the South Carolina Lowcountry. I’ve read eight of the dozen books she has written, each with charming, lovable characters who draw the reader into real-life predicaments where Ms. Frank lets the characters lead the reader to happy endings. She writes feel-good books that go well with sun block, sand, seashells, colorful beach umbrellas and pitchers of Margaritas. She has mastered the art of storytelling with an occasional twist of humor. Moreover, whereas the average chick-lit authors write to fit the formulas of the Harlequin ilk, Ms. Frank skillfully constructs entertaining narratives outside the constricting formula mold.
Porch Lights features Jackie McMullen, an Army nurse with multiple tours of Afghanistan who is widowed when her firefighter husband dies in the line of duty. She comes home to a ten-year-old son Charlie who is devastated by his father’s passing―as is she. The boy’s depression leads her and her son from New York back to Sullivans Island and her long-separated mother and father. Jackie refuses to believe that she will ever love again and plans to return to Brooklyn before the next school year begins. But Charlie develops a relationship with his grandfather and the kind bachelor doctor next door and refuses to leave the island. An approaching hurricane provides the impetus for Jackie to leave Sullivans Island quickly, but Mother Nature moves in to put the kibosh on all human plans.
Oh, did I mention that Steve Plofker, the handsome doctor next door, eyes curvy nurse Jackie from the moment she arrives home. Before you can say Bob’s your uncle, he develops longer-range plans for Jackie than she is willing to consider. As they say, love will find a way. Or will it?
Each chapter in Porch Lights is preceded by a quote from Edgar Allen Poe, whose work The Gold Bug captures young Charlie’s imagination and leads him to discover the marvelous history of Sullivans Island, which Ms. Frank skillfully intertwines in her story. What’s more, each chapter alternates the point of view between Jackie and her mother Annie. An unusual approach considering that most agents, editors and critics say never switch points of view. However, in Porch Lights, Ms. Frank accomplishes this with a story that changes POV effortlessly and seamlessly, a credit to her mastery of her craft.
I like action/adventure Uzi-toting bad guys and all-American, Glock-in-hand heroes who look like they stepped out of a WWII Army recruiting poster. Still, with all that tiring action, I occasionally need a laid-back story that tugs at my heartstrings and lets me unwind. That’s when I turn to Ms. Frank’s creations, books guaranteed to warm your heart and let you relax.
I admit that Ms. Frank’s books are getting more predictable with the printing of each new novel. I believe her best work lies in her earlier books. Nevertheless, I like her stories. I know pretty much what I’m going to get when I take one of Ms. Frank’s novels to the cash register. No disappointments.
Bedtime or beachtime, poolside or plane ride, Porch Lights is a good read.
(less)

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 28, 2012 Regina Spiker rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: summer, lowcountry, sullivans-island, firemen, hurricanes, widows

Ms. Frank never fails to amuse and entertain me. Her characters always touch my funny bone and in this novel Annie Britt, matriarch and owner of her home, The Salty Dog down on Sullivans Island, makes me giggle out loud with her thoughts and words. Things like: “I had two hormones left. Benedict and Arnold” and “I still believed I could handle Dr. Love. That’s why the Lord invented dimmer switches. There comes a time when we’re all better off in the dark.” Annie’s daughter Jackie and her sweet t...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 20, 2012 Lorretta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I received this through the GoodReads Giveaway.

This is the first book that I have read from this author. I found her writing style to be very smooth and easy to understand.

The story is told from the viewpoints of Jackie and Annie. Jackie is a military nurse who has lost her firefighter husband; Annie is Jackie's mother. The two are supposed to be complete opposites, but as the story unfolds, we see how alike they are.

Jackie's 10 year old son, Charlie, is having a very hard time coping with the l...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 16, 2012 Anita Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dorothea Benton Frank is the perfect Southern hostess. She invites the reader onto her front porch on beautiful Sullivans Island, SC, pours the sweet tea and tells a funny and heartwrenching story of family.

Jackie McMullan has just flown back from her third tour of duty in Afghanistan on bereavement leave because her husband, Jimmy, a New York City fireman, was killed while saving people in a burning building in Brooklyn. She and her 10-year-old son Charlie escape to her parents' home on Sulliv...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 06, 2012 Kathleen (Kat) Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-literature, contemporary-fiction

Porch Lights are a sign of welcome or a symbol that you are waiting for someone to come home and that's exactly what you, the reader, will find when you read the latest novel by Dorothea Benton Frank, Porch Lights!

I guess the hardest thing for someone to deal with in life is to lose someone that they love. Dealing with the loss and finding a way to move forward when it feels like you lack the motivation to do so would be a challenging thing to do. Yet that is exactly what Jackie and Charlie McMu...more Porch Lights are a sign of welcome or a symbol that you are waiting for someone to come home and that's exactly what you, the reader, will find when you read the latest novel by Dorothea Benton Frank, Porch Lights!

I guess the hardest thing for someone to deal with in life is to lose someone that they love. Dealing with the loss and finding a way to move forward when it feels like you lack the motivation to do so would be a challenging thing to do. Yet that is exactly what Jackie and Charlie McMullen are trying to do. Finding a way to move forward without Jimmy McMullen, who was killed as a New York fireman when the building he was in collapsed, living Jackie without a husband and young, ten-year-old, Charlie without a dad.

Now Jackie is trying to find a way to pull Charlie out of a lingering depression that is consuming his life. Withdrawing as an Army nurse, Jackie takes a trip back to her childhood home on Sullivan's Island in Charleston to stay the summer with her mom, Annie Britt in hopes of finding a solution. What she learns there is a process of letting go of the pain but retaining the love and memories she has of her life with Jimmy and begin building a new one. Along the way she learns how much she needs to change as well as the beach begins to sooth away the worn and sharp edges of her past. She learns to let Charlie begin to experience his own challenges as a boy growing up, from skateboarding with the friends he meets, sleep overs, baseball games and learning a different way of life from the one he left behind before the summer.

Along the way, Charlie and Jackie have plenty of help from not only Jackie's mom Annie, but her father, Buster who comes and stays with them to help Charlie make the transition much easier doing stuff a father and son might. A neighbor next door to Annie's, is a local doctor, Steven Plofker, who offers Charlie a job walking his dogs and taking care of them for the summer while teaching him the value of a job and responsibility. He is also very interested in Jackie seeing as they both share losing a spouse in common.

The delight the reader finds in Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank is a life that is much more simple. Spending the days walking along the beach in search of the ocean's treasures, sharing homemade ice cream from an old fashioned crank machine, and just memories of grilled bar-b-que meals eaten in the company of close family and friends on porch, calls the reader home in a serene way. Healing begins for all of them and changes how they view life as they work together to move forward in the next chapters of their life. Dorothea paints such a splendid canvas for the reader, you can smell the salty air and feel the cool ocean breezes in her latest novel.

I received Porch Lights compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins publishers for my honest review. If you are truly looking for a memorable summer read, than search no further and pick this one up. It is such a treasure to find a difficult subject like the loss of someone dear is something to be shared with family and friends and in the end changes them all and brings healing no one really expected. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and the cast of supporting characters Dorothea created make this an exceptionally fun read, especially Jackie's mom, Annie who fears aging the most!(less)

1 like · like · see review

May 14, 2012 Dianne marked it as to-read · review of another edition

June 12, 2012 release
When Jimmy McMullen, a fireman with the NYFD, is killed in the line of duty, his wife, Jackie, and ten-year-old son, Charlie, are devastated. Charlie idolized his dad, and now the outgoing, curious boy has become quiet and reserved. Trusting in the healing power of family, Jackie decides to return to her childhood home on Sullivans Island.

Crossing the bridge from the mainland, Jackie and Charlie enter a world full of wonder and magic—lush green and chocolate grasslands and...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 24, 2012 Paula rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to admit I found this book dragging on and on and very boring. All of a sudden more than halfway through the book I got totally involved.
It shows how much love and pain go together, some people are lucky enough to have support of family. Mix in a 10 year old son affected by all this when Jackie and Charlie lose their beloved husband, father.
Jackie has served 3 tours in Afghanistan only to come home and lose her husband, who is a fireman, in a tragic fire. They travel back home to her pare...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 11, 2012 Julie Barrett rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Porch Lights by by Dorothea Benton Frank
Jackie has lost her firefighter husband Jimmy and she and Charlie travel back south to visit with her mom for the summer months.
Charlie adjusts and even gets a job and makes a map with treasure at the end and weeks later he doesn't want to leave. Jackie has nightmares of the war she was in and knows that she has to get back to NY soon.
There are romances that keep things light. Love the things I learned in this book about the sealife. Love how the book got...more

like · see review

Oct 26, 2012 Joanne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a beach read. I really enjoyed it and I know I'll read more of Frank's work. Like most of the genre, it was fairly predictable. However, it was well done, I found the characters interesting, and there were few (if any) typos and spell/grammar checker errors--you know, those things that get corrected by a computer and no one actually takes the time to realize they're now incorrect. (For example--and I know I've read this in more than one recent book--"she (he/they) poured over the map..."...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 04, 2012 Erin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the oldest traditions of finding your way home involves leaving a light in the window - a candle, a hurricane lamp, an electric lamp, and porch lights. In Frank's novel, Porch Lights, she uses this tradition to symbolize Jackie's return from the darkness, to her home.

Jackie and her son Charlie have suffered the devastating loss of Jimmy, Jackie's husband and Charlie's father. They are living in the home they made as a family in New York, trying to put their lives back together. Jackie an...more One of the oldest traditions of finding your way home involves leaving a light in the window - a candle, a hurricane lamp, an electric lamp, and porch lights. In Frank's novel, Porch Lights, she uses this tradition to symbolize Jackie's return from the darkness, to her home.

Jackie and her son Charlie have suffered the devastating loss of Jimmy, Jackie's husband and Charlie's father. They are living in the home they made as a family in New York, trying to put their lives back together. Jackie and Charlie are understandably having a rough time, and Jackie realizes they need to get away from it all for a bit, to return to her family home of Sullivan's Island, to help her child heal.

She doesn't have the best relationship with her mother, thinking her too flighty and dramatic, but has a pretty solid relationship with her father. At least at first. Jackie begins to appreciate her mother and see her in a new light, during their weeks together. And she also starts to heal herself. Her son is flourishing on the island, and does not want to return home. And I don't blame him, it sounded like paradise on the island. Sitting on the porch, drinking coffee in the morning, cocktails at night, with an ocean breeze blowing over you, all relaxed and lazy. Morning walks on the beach, all the Poe trivia - I wanted to move in with Annie too!!

I had no idea that Edgar Allen Poe ever lived on Sullivan's Island. I found the bits of information about Poe and his life on the island very interesting, and definitely inspired me to read The Gold-Bug. I haven't started it yet, but I will soon. I have always been a fan of Poe's poetry, and some of his stories, like the Tell-Tale Heart. I have always wanted to go to the Outer Banks, but now I really want to go, now that I know of Poe's Tavern. (yes, I am a nerd)

Is this book one of the most well written I have ever read? No, and sometimes the dialogue drives me nuts. But the characters are fun, the setting amazing, and it is entertaining and beachy and perfect for a light read. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Mar 31, 2013 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Nov 08, 2012 Ruth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jackie is a grieving widow. She returned home from her third tour of duty as a nurse in Afghanistan because her husband, Jimmy a firefighter in NYC had died while fighting a fire. She was the only parent left for her ten year old son, Charlie and both of them were depressed. Although she was often at odds with her mother, Jackie decides to return "home" to stay with her mom on Sullivan's Island for the summer. Her parents are estranged but she is hoping that having his grandparents in his life w...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 12, 2012 Bobbi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: southern-writers

A heartwarming story about a young widow, Jackie, and her ten year old son, Charlie, who return to her childhood home on Sullivans Island after her firefighter husband is killed in the line of duty in New York. Jackie's mother, Annie, welcomes them and wants to make their visit perfect . . . but of course that is an impossible task. Their relationship has been stormy, and continues to be rocky, even while Charlie is falling in live with the island and wants to stay permanently.

Dorothea Benton Fr...more

like · see review

Jul 12, 2012 Melinda Rainey Thompson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read every book released by Dorothea Benton Frank. I think she is the most talented writer of low country tales we have in our country, except perhaps Pat Conroy. My favorite title is still Sullivan's Island. I also really enjoyed Isle of Palms. Porch Lights is lighter, a perfect porch read for a summer afternoon. I think I'd enjoy anything Frank writes, maybe even her grocery list. It would certainly include good seafood, wine, and fine cheeses. . . .

My favorite line from Porch Lights:

"That...more

1 like · like · see review

May 28, 2013 Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: literature-fiction

Story Description:

HarperCollins|April 15, 2013|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-0-06-221176-7

When fireman Jimmy McMullen is killed in the line of duty, his wife, Jackie, and ten-year-old son, Charlie, are devastated. Trusting the healing power of family, Jackie decides to return to her childhood home on Sullivans Island – a place of lush green grasslands, the heady pungency of Lowcountry Pluff mud, and palmetto fronds swaying in gentle ocean winds.

Thrilled to have her family back, matriarch Annie Brit...more Story Description:

HarperCollins|April 15, 2013|Trade Paperback|ISBN: 978-0-06-221176-7

When fireman Jimmy McMullen is killed in the line of duty, his wife, Jackie, and ten-year-old son, Charlie, are devastated. Trusting the healing power of family, Jackie decides to return to her childhood home on Sullivans Island – a place of lush green grasslands, the heady pungency of Lowcountry Pluff mud, and palmetto fronds swaying in gentle ocean winds.

Thrilled to have her family back, matriarch Annie Britt promises to make their visit perfect. Over the years, Jackie and Annie, like all mothers and daughters, have had differences of opinion. But her estranged and wise husband, Buster, and her best friend, Deb, are sure to keep Annie in line. She’s also got the flirtatious widowed physician next door to keep her distracted. Captivated by the island’s natural charms, mother, daughter, and grandson will share a memorable, illuminating summer.

My Review:

Jackie McMullen was an army nurse stationed in Afghanistan for a seven-month tour when her husband, Jimmy was killed. He was fireman for the city of New York and fell through the floor when it collapsed in a filthy, rat-infested tenement on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Jackie swore that Jimmy couldn’t be too far away because she could “feel him, watching over me, over us.” They were very much in love and Jackie was devastated.

Their 10-year-old son, Charlie, was depressed and had idolized his Dad. Jimmy took Charlie everywhere on his days off, they spent a lot of quality time together and losing his father was like losing a part of himself. Charlie’s despair was a huge concern for Jackie, no matter what she said or did, didn’t seem to bring him around. Charlie was truly traumatized.

It was Jimmy’s Aunt Maureen who made Jackie realize that something had to be done. Aunt Maureen was unmarried and in her sixties, and she was Charlie’s secondary caregiver when Jackie went overseas.

Jackie’s Mom and Dad were living apart and had been for eleven years. Jackie’s Mom, Annie, came and stayed for a couple of weeks to help out and then returned home. Once she was gone, Buster, Jackie’s Dad came. He worked his “grandfatherly magic on Charlie,” and for a little while it seemed he was perking up. Buster took him to Museum of Natural History one day and on another to the Yogi Berra Museum, where Yogi Berra himself happened to be that afternoon. “He signed a ball for Charlie that he carried around with him wherever he went.”

After Buster returned home, Charlie’s depression returned. Jackie felt so sad and helpless, there was so little she could do for him. So, right after the Fourth of July, Jackie decided to head south to Sullivans Island where her parents and other family and friends lived. Jackie was putting her trust in the healing power of family. However, it won’t be an easy visit for Jackie as she and her mother have had differences of opinion for years. She is hoping that her Dad and her Mom’s best friend, Deb will help keep Annie in line and she’s got the flirtatious widowed physician next door to keep her distracted as well.

Porch Lights celebrates the joys and boundaries of families and storytelling. I’ll definitely be recommending this one.

(less)

like · see review

Feb 07, 2013 Meo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book Review Time
Porch Lights: A Novel
By: Dorothea Benton Frank
4 Stars

One of the oldest traditions of finding your way home involves leaving a light in the window - a candle, a hurricane lamp, and porch lights. Franks uses this custom as the symbolization of Jackie's return from darkness into light. Porch Lights is the first book I have read by this author, and not the last.

Jackie and her son Charlie have suffered the devastating loss of Jimmy, her husband and his father. Jackie decides that sh...more

like · see review

Jul 14, 2012 Ginny rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Really wanted to love it but I did not. I am sure I am in a minority around here, Dorothea Benton Frank is a local hero. But this booked dragged on and on. I found the dialogue between the characters to be ridiculous. I have been here a long time as has my family, for many generations. I have yet to hear a single low-country person or Charleston native every speak in the way these people spoke. It was so silly, they all sounded like they were in some really bad highschool play. I was embarrassed...more

11 likes · like · see review

Apr 05, 2013 Helen Hammond rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I absolutely loved this book! I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Dottie Benton Frank in her Sullivan's Island home a few weeks ago. (This was for a freelance project and is about her newest book, The Last Original Wife, which I cannot wait to read.) DBF, a true SI native, wrote yet another heart-warming tale of coming home in Porch Lights.
She clearly did a ton of research on her native island- mostly to satisfy her 10-year-old character, Charlie's inquisitive mind.
Young Charlie and his...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 10, 2012 Becky rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the first book I have read by this author. I really enjoyed learning about Sullivan Island, the pirates and about Edgar Allan Poe. Facts I never knew about him. The setting sounds so beautiful the way the author described it. A woman named Jackie and her son Charlie return to the island to her mothers house, Annie. Jackie's husband was a firefighter killed in a house fire and both her and Charlie are trying to get their lives back...some how...some way. Annie and her friend, Deb, have a...more

like · see review

Jul 28, 2012 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I read Frank's Sullivans Island books, I feel as though I am on the island too, taking part in best friends' lives. I want to live in her books.
Jackie is called home from active duty in Afghanistan to bury her firefighter husband and to figure out how she and her ten year old son will go on without the man they loved so deeply. Settling on the idea of going home to visit her family on Sullivans Island is the beginning of the healing that takes place for Jackie and her son as well as for her...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 12, 2012 Connie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Another very, very light "beach read" that was so badly written that it was laughable!

Examples:

The sweet Southern mother who was such a "glam" girl seemed to me to simply be an alcoholic!!!!!!
Everyone seemed to "jump on the bandwagon" with her each night to "drink, drink, drink". All was seen as normal behavior!!

Two of the characters worked in Medicine as a doctor and a nurse respectivly yet when there were medical emergencies they seemed "clueless" about how to help the victims.

Many other examp...more

like · see review

Jul 17, 2012 Peggy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Drove the Charleston yesterday. The construction on highway 17 through Mount Pleasant had the traffic moving slowly so we slipped onto old Rifle Range Road and took Coleman Blvd through Mt. Pleasant. I had not been through town in a long time. It was fun to see some of the locations mentioned in the novel such as the Parrot Surf and Skate, Page's Okra Girl and St Maris.

This is a good, light, humorous beach read.

I enjoyed the dialogue in this novel, it was witty, fast moving and filled with south...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 24, 2012 Rene rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: new-release

This was a goodreads give-away. I appreciated the chance to be an early reader of the book. It caught my attention and I read the book in about 4 days. This is the kind of book you might enjoy at the beach.

3+. Loss (death), love, family relationships (separation, single-parenting, mother-daughter), after-effects of Afghanistan on a war nurse, healing, new relationships are all themes in this book. Of those, healing is probably the biggest theme.

I loved the idea of the title and how it represent...more

like · see review

Jun 26, 2012 Sharon Redfern rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Every time I read one of DBF's books I want to move down south and get adopted by a big 'ole family and live like the characters in her book do.
This book tells the story of a much fractured family. Annie and Buster is a married couple, both retired, that have been living apart for 11 years since he got fed up with her controlling ways. From Annie's point of view, it was the day after their daughter’s wedding, he had his junk all over the porch, and they had a bunch of relatives coming over so o...more Every time I read one of DBF's books I want to move down south and get adopted by a big 'ole family and live like the characters in her book do.
This book tells the story of a much fractured family. Annie and Buster is a married couple, both retired, that have been living apart for 11 years since he got fed up with her controlling ways. From Annie's point of view, it was the day after their daughter’s wedding, he had his junk all over the porch, and they had a bunch of relatives coming over so of course she was concerned. Jackie, the aforementioned daughter, is coming back to the low country with her son Charlie, aged 10. Jackie's husband Jimmie, an NYFD member had died on duty several months before and Jackie needs a break from life in Brooklyn. She is also grappling with decisions after being an active duty nurse in Afghanistan and now figuring out where her life will go.
The visit is fraught with tension between Jackie and Annie and Annie and Buster. Throw in good looking Dr. Steve from next door who Annie has been lusting after in her heart and it just keeps getting deeper. Annie is the true southern woman who just keeps on living life every day no matter how hard it has become and who believes that good food is a cure for a lot of problems. She is a font of information for Charlie, telling him all about the low country ways, the battles in the area during the Revolution, and about local celebrity Edgar Allen Poe.

One of things I love about DBF's books is that there is such a sense of normalcy in the lives of the characters, even when they are doing the craziest things- like scoping out Dr. Steve's unmentionables. The continuity of years of tradition becomes a balm that soothes the troubled soul whether you believe in the traditions or not. While this story does have a few incidents of emotional lows and one scary moment, generally it is a tale of a family finding its way back to each other by living day after day and opening their hearts to the healing they can give each other.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Aug 04, 2012 Jackie Sienkiewicz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dorothea Benton Frank never fails to deliver. She describes the Low Country in such detail, you might think you grew up there as well. And I have never been there. Her telling of the storm at end of the book, had me checking the windows and flashlights! And that was just the background details, her characters were even better.
I always hate telling too much of the story in my reviews in fear of giving away too much of the story to someone who hasn't read it yet. In general, it is a wonderful,...more

like · see review

Nov 01, 2012 Ginny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I started out loving this book. Much more than some of Dorothea Benton Frank's more recent books. I always get sucked in by the titles and the premise of a story taking place in the lowcountry of SC and then I am disappointed by the silliness of some of her characters. But this started off with a good premise (Afghan war vet whose husband is killed and she and her son go back home to Sullivan's Island to spend time with her parents). Although the dialogue and plot were a little predictable, it w...more

like · see review

Apr 05, 2013 Donna Pearlman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I always loved this author's writing as enjoyable and entertaining but this book went beyond that in delighting me so that I stayed up all night to finish it could not put it down! The characters are so endearing and real they feel like friends I want to know and I hope will return in another book. The weaving of American history and current day issues with our troops in Afghanistan and around the world is fascinating and revealing and the island lore and information about Edgar Allen Poe fascin...more

like · see review

Jul 13, 2012 Dianne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Nice, light summer read. Met Dorothea at a booksigning and I must say I enjoy reading her books more, now that I have met her.
Her books are pretty similar though, with lots of shopping for the home, at least one kooky character,a historical reference to the low country of South Carolina, low country food (yum!), and a love story. Its the way she puts you right in South Carolina, you feel like you are on vacation, where she excels.
Quick synopsis, Jackie is a recent widow living in Brooklyn with h...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (12)

More editions...

Videos About This Book

Tour Sullivans Island with Author Dorothea Benton Frank

Add a comment

Genres

Romance

18 users

Womens Fiction > Chick Lit

16 users

American > Southern

10 users

Adult

8 users

Adult Fiction

7 users

Drama

6 users

Book Club

4 users

Contemporary

4 users

Realistic Fiction

3 users

Family

3 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Beach House Memories
by Mary Alice Monroe
Spring Fever
by Mary Kay Andrews
Sea Change
by Karen White
Summer Breeze
by Nancy Thayer
Summerland
by Elin Hilderbrand

About Dorothea Benton Frank

Dorothea Benton Frank is the New York Times best selling author of ten novels.

Dottie has appeared on NBC's Today Show, Parker Ladd's Book Talk and many local network affiliated television stations. She is a frequent speaker on creative writing and the creative process for students of all ages and in private venues as the National Arts Club, the Junior League of New York, Friends of the Library org...more

More about Dorothea Benton Frank...

Books by Dorothea Benton Frank

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Porch Lights

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Porch Lights

“Daddies always listen to their little girls.” — 4 people liked it

“a good woman's heart knows no bounds. And love is the most powerful and wondrous gift in the world. Yes, it is.” — 3 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Porch Lights
avg rating	preview: Porch Lights Goodreads rating: 3.76 (3080 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13622168-porch-lights?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1340757387l/13622168.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13622168-porch-lights?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank[/url]

Porch Lights

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website