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Swimming Lessons
by
Mary Alice Monroe (Goodreads Author)
It's been five years since the original turtle lady, old Miss Lovie Rutledge, passed away, but her legacy lives on with some special women, especially Toy and her daughter, young Little Lovie. Toy Sooner kept her graveside vow to her beloved mentor. She left behind an abusive, dysfunctional lifestyle to become a strong single mother and aquarist at the South Carolina Aquar...more
Hardcover, 429 pages
Published
April 1st 2007
by Mira Books
(first published March 27th 2007)
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This story is a follow-up to The Beach House; another Monroe book I enjoyed. This story is well written in that the journey of the turtle named Big Girl mirrors the journey of Toy Sooner the main character.
The story is fairly predictable, but interesting. I found myself wanting to know much more about Loggerhead Turtles and the differences between various kinds of sea turtles in the world; all of which are endangered. But back to the story. What I did not enjoy were the editing errors and the p...more
The story is fairly predictable, but interesting. I found myself wanting to know much more about Loggerhead Turtles and the differences between various kinds of sea turtles in the world; all of which are endangered. But back to the story. What I did not enjoy were the editing errors and the p...more
Swimming Lessons, by Mary Alice Monroe seemed to be the perfect audio book to ease into summer with. I generally love most books set on the shores of lovely South Carolina, and when I read that this one included a story about the cycle of life of the Loggerhead turtles of the Isle of Palms, it had a special meaning to me.
Several years ago while on vacation, we were fortunate enough to be able to see these magnificent creatures lay their eggs along the shore. It was fascinating even though the ar...more
Several years ago while on vacation, we were fortunate enough to be able to see these magnificent creatures lay their eggs along the shore. It was fascinating even though the ar...more
2 likes · like · see review
I enjoy reading Mary Alice Monroe's books because, although some what predictable, things work out the way they should in the end. Again, Swimming Lessons did not disappoint in that regard. But, I have one beef that I just couldn't wrap my head around...and if you haven't read the book, you may want to skip this review. Toy is a young single mother that we meet in the Beach House (which prompted me to immediately read Swimming Lessons). The father of her child, Darryl, leaves her the day she giv...more
This read is fun and fast. As a sequel to The Beach House we got to take another look into the world of the Turtle Ladies. The focus of the book was on Toy Sooner and a bit on Cara Rutledge. Although I found parts predictable, I still enjoyed reading them. I couldn't quite tell if we were going to get more story on Emmi or not and it felt a little like we started to and it fizzled out. I loved Toy's character and shared in the joy of her accomplishments.
My biggest complaint is the poor editing,...more
My biggest complaint is the poor editing,...more
It was a great read. As a continuation of The Beach House, it brought closure to beloved characters from the first book. I love how Mary Alice Munroe teaches you something about nature while she spins a tale of strong female characters who meet life's challenges with strength and courage.
Sequel to the beach house, continuing from one character's point of view. Immediately read this after the Beach House. Wonderful book, you really want to root for the main character's success, love interest and career as biologist. What a success story for a young female character who had an abusive boyfriend in book I and was estranged from her irresponsible parents. Loved this book and looking to read many more of Monroe's books. This is about the power of female friendships and the turns life...more
This is a continuation of Mary Alice Monroe's story 'The Beach House'. I read 'Beach House Memories' and then 'Swimming Lessons' only because I wanted to read the prequel to 'The Beach House' before continuing on with the story. That said, if you haven't read the other two books, reading 'Swimming Lessons' could be read as a stand-alone book.
This book is the story of Toy Sooner. It is five years after she had her baby, Little Lovie. Toy has now finished college and works at the South Carolina Aq...more
This book is the story of Toy Sooner. It is five years after she had her baby, Little Lovie. Toy has now finished college and works at the South Carolina Aq...more
Three and a half stars. I enjoyed this as I have the Mary Alice Monroe books I have read, and I liked discovering more of Toy Sooner's story I first met her in The Beach House.I enjoyed seeing her develop, though at times I found her decisions like with Darryl inexplicable.It is obvious a lot of research had gone into the turtles and their habits. However though I enjoyed this story, at times I found the amount of turtle detail overwhelmed the characters and story a bit. While I enjoyed it and r...more
In this sequel to The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe, it has been five years since the passing of Miss Lovie Rutledge. Toy Sooner and her daughter, Little Lovie are living in Primrose Cottage on the beach where Miss Lovie fiercely cared for and tended to her Loggerhead Turtles. Every year, the turtle ladies, watched for the migration of the mama turtles coming ashore to nest and lay their
golf-ball sized eggs. Since Miss Lovie's death, Toy has gone on to college, graduated, and secured a life...more
golf-ball sized eggs. Since Miss Lovie's death, Toy has gone on to college, graduated, and secured a life...more
This was the sequel to The Beach House. I read this for book club and it did not seem to matter that I had not read The Beach House. I was easily able to figure out who the characters were and enough of their histories to figure the story out. It was a sweet story written about my favorite place in the world...the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Makes you want to become one of the famed Turtle Ladies who help the Loggerhead turtles with their nests. Although a little predictable at times it was a...more
I really liked this book because it takes me back to the beach, the South, and my beloved turtles. A light read but emotionally engaging. Somewhat predictable but that's ok with me. A fun read overall.
Sad to say that I didn't know it was a sequel so now I'm reading the first book- The Beach House. So far Toy's character in this first book does not match what you see in the 2nd book. I like her depth and maturity in the 2nd much better.
Sad to say that I didn't know it was a sequel so now I'm reading the first book- The Beach House. So far Toy's character in this first book does not match what you see in the 2nd book. I like her depth and maturity in the 2nd much better.
This book was EXCELLENT. Toy Sooner, a single mother, finds herself rehabilitating sea turtles. At the same time, she begins to find herself and this lets her branch off into enjoying romance again. Her daughter, Lovie, is a treasure and her friends are so real, that you wish they were your friends too.
Read this book for an enjoyable story and to learn about sea turtles.
Read this book for an enjoyable story and to learn about sea turtles.
Jan 05, 2013
Barbara
added it
This was one of her best books....Probably because of the turtles. Miss Monroe has proven to do extensive research on all her books and although the outcome is somewhat predicable the knowledge learned about the underlining story is always worth the time spent. I had the opportunity to meet Miss Monroe and found her as enchanting as all of her books.
Sequel to The Beach House. Five years later the story continues with Toy Sooner and her daughter renting the beach house from Cara Rutledge.
Cara and Brett, Emmi, and Flo are all back and the turtle ladies are still hard at work rescuing sick turtles. Toy has become a biologist and working at the Aquarium. Friendship, facing your fears, and moving forward.
Cara and Brett, Emmi, and Flo are all back and the turtle ladies are still hard at work rescuing sick turtles. Toy has become a biologist and working at the Aquarium. Friendship, facing your fears, and moving forward.
The turtle trivia was interesting, and the plot got better towards the end, but it sure took a while to get going. I didn't read Beach House first so it annoyed me that it took 320 pages to mention what kind of tourist business Cara and Brett were in. Compared to Girl in the Mirror by Monroe which I just also read, this one was definitely weaker.
It's always a shame when so many deep-seeded issues are left to be resolved in the last couple of chapters. It leaves me basically satisfied...but not deeply content. This was such a touching story that flowed quite naturally until the end. The ending felt forced and stunted. Like some editor made the author shorten it up. Still a beautiful story.
This is the sequel of Beach House, so it was interesting to find out what has happened to the characters. Toy has certainly grown, and her "Turtle Life" was interesting. Loved the Isle of Palms setting! Hope there is another sequel so we can keep up with the Turtle Ladies and Toy's life.
Mary Alice Monroe gets me every time. I went back to the beach house. Fell in love with the turtles again. Toy turned into a lovely young woman! This book was like a family reunion, made me miss my family. Made me cry when I said goodbye to Big Girl. Gave me hope and broke my heart. I just love Mary Alice's stories.
As I said this continues my summer theme of lowcountry tales. I read the previous book beach House a few years ago and the characters continue in this story. My favorite part was the strong bond between the turtle ladies. I think it is so true that women have strong connections with each other and we take care of our own!
Oct 16, 2012
Chelsy Abraham
added it
My grandmother is an avid Mary Alice Monroe reader and happen to buy 2 of these by accident. This was my first and it was a beautiful and tear jerking story that makes you want to drink wine and sit on the porch of a beach house with your best girlfriends.
I wasn't sure I would like this sequel to The Beach House, but once I got into it I really enjoyed learning Toy's story. It was very enjoyable to read how she went from a pregnant teenager to a responsible adult who is beginning a very good life for herself and her daughter.
I enjoyed this and The Beach House so much, I bought Turtle Summer for my seven-year-old granddaughter for Christmas. Her family vacations on Topsail Island, NC and alway go to the turtle rescue center while they are there.
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This book is a really great book. I did like The Beach House just a tiny bit better. This had a little more twists and turns though. I love Mary Alice Monroe's style. She makes you feel like you are there.
Sequel to the book the Beach House. Nice bit of fluff, story line moves along predictably. I would have liked if the book went into more details about the Aquarium and the different kinds of turtles.
I love this book, it continued on with the stories of Toy, Little Lovie, Cara and Flo, the famous turtle savers, they all come full circle and show what true love and true friendship really is...
I also enjoyed this one as it is a continuation of The Beach House. The focus on the turtles is about rehabbing those found injured. It also finishes up some story lines from The Beach House.
This got four stars because of the Charleston setting, the sea turtles (with personalities!) and the aquarium. Those things all bumped it up from three stars. The characters were very likeable.
I enjoyed this summer beach read. I always love books about SC and the loggerhead turtles made the story more interesting. I am looking forward to reading more of the author's books.
I thought it was a very interesting story. I learned so much about sea turtles. But the main story kept me reading to see what was going to happen next.
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New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe found her true calling in environmental fiction when she moved to coastal South Carolina. Already a successful author, she was captivated by the beauty and fragility of her new home. Her experiences living in the midst of a habitat that was quickly changing gave her a strong and important focus for her books.
Mary Alice Monroe writes richly textur...more
More about Mary Alice Monroe...
Mary Alice Monroe writes richly textur...more
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Jun 25, 2009 02:44pm