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1st out of 52 books
—
48 voters
The Beach House
by
Mary Alice Monroe (Goodreads Author)
Caretta Rutledge thought she’d left her Southern roots and troubled family far behind. But an unusual request from her mother coming just as her own life is spinning out of control has Cara heading back to the scenic Lowcountry of her childhood summers. Before long, the rhythms of the island open her heart in wonderful ways as she repairs the family beach house, becomes a
...morePaperback, 496 pages
Published
May 1st 2006
by Mira
(first published 2002)
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May 18, 2012
Angela
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
bookcrossed-or-otherwise-set-free,
2006
Caretta Rutledge thought she'd left her Southern roots and troubled family far behind. But an unusual request from her mother -- coming just as her own life is spinning out of control -- has Cara heading back to the scenic Lowcountry of her childhood summers. Before long, the rhythms of the island open her heart in wonderful ways as she repairs the family beach house, becomes a bona fide "turtle lady" and renews old acquaintances long thought lost. But it is in reconnecting with her mother that...more
Life lessons, for true. :) Mary Alice Monroe has now written a sequel to this book, which is called swimming lessons. This book has had a huge impact on any number of people I know.
From the Publisher
Known for her moving characters and emotional honesty, Mary Alice Monroe brings readers a beautifully rendered story that explores the fragile yet enduring bond between mothers and daughters.
Carette Rutledge thought she'd left her Southern roots and troubled family far behind. But an unusual request...more
From the Publisher
Known for her moving characters and emotional honesty, Mary Alice Monroe brings readers a beautifully rendered story that explores the fragile yet enduring bond between mothers and daughters.
Carette Rutledge thought she'd left her Southern roots and troubled family far behind. But an unusual request...more
I have to say, this book surprised me! Looking at it, I would have assumed it was a generic romance novel like many of the other books on the shelves at my club. But I wouldn't even call it a romance novel. There is some romance in it, but it's very clean, and that's definitely not the central focus of this book.
One thing I didn't like and it almost put me off at the beginning of the book is something I consider a lazy authoring technique -- having the characters say things to each other like "y...more
One thing I didn't like and it almost put me off at the beginning of the book is something I consider a lazy authoring technique -- having the characters say things to each other like "y...more
The Beach House is a story that evoked a multitude of emotions in me. I laughed and cried, my heart broke, and yet filled with warmth and happiness. Monroe sent me on a roller coaster ride of moods and feelings, leaving me fullfilled at the end. It was truly an experience I wouldn't trade for anything.
I am a mother with two grown daughters. After finishing the book, I told them that even though I don't ask much from them, I am asking them to please read The Beach House. Those who have read it w...more
I am a mother with two grown daughters. After finishing the book, I told them that even though I don't ask much from them, I am asking them to please read The Beach House. Those who have read it w...more
I am a big Mary Alice Monroe fan ... and this was another of her fine books.
It is a rich, sweet story with warmth and a lovely link to the cycles of nature and sea turtles.
Cara return home to the island and her mother's house after 22 years of living independently, having a successful career - back to her family's 1930s beach cottage. She's just been fired as exec director in a Chicago ad agency over losing an account.
Arriving at the island, she learns her boyfriend hasn't been upfront with her...more
It is a rich, sweet story with warmth and a lovely link to the cycles of nature and sea turtles.
Cara return home to the island and her mother's house after 22 years of living independently, having a successful career - back to her family's 1930s beach cottage. She's just been fired as exec director in a Chicago ad agency over losing an account.
Arriving at the island, she learns her boyfriend hasn't been upfront with her...more
I'd like to give this 3.5 stars. No, 3.75 stars. I liked it, but I think I kept expecting it to be something it wasn't and I never did really connect to the main characters, and in fact spent the first 95 percent of the book disliking Olivia. I listened to The Beach House as an audio book, and while the narration was good (it said it was narrated by the author), for some reason, I think I would have liked it better if I had read it myself. Book in hand. My reading chair. Soda and chocolate.
The B...more
The B...more
I was urged to read this on my annual South Carolina beach vacation with old friends. It's a perfect beach book that would also be enjoyable for someone who only wishes she were at the beach. In addition, the reader will painlessly learn quite a bit about loggerhead turtles, the symbol that holds the book together.
Caretta Rutledge thinks she has her life in order. Since leaving her Charleston home at 18, she has earned two degrees, become an account executive in an ad agency, and bought a lakefr...more
Caretta Rutledge thinks she has her life in order. Since leaving her Charleston home at 18, she has earned two degrees, become an account executive in an ad agency, and bought a lakefr...more
Another SC/Georgia story I've read in research for an island novel I'm writing. Monroe’s story combines a plea for the conservation of the endangered loggerhead turtle with a love story set against the background of a staunch Charleston family. The story mainly takes place on the Isle of Palms/Sullivan’s Island, SC, where the turtle woman, Lovie, mother of estranged Caretta, nurses memories of a summer’s great love affair.
Caretta left home for Chicago as a late teen, furious with her autocratic...more
Caretta left home for Chicago as a late teen, furious with her autocratic...more
This is an enjoyable book set in the city of Charleston and the neighboring South Carolina low-country beach town of Isle of Palms. I was drawn to the book for its setting because I recently visited the region and was very intrigued by it. In the end the book had much more depth and plot than I was expecting. It touches on the themes of family relationships--particularly between mother and daughter--and the natural cycles of birth and death. I especially liked the role that nature played in the...more
I hoped to enjoy this book, especially since I previously lived in Charleston, SC -- and, I did. The author put the "happily ever after" spin on all the storylines; that's what I prefer. There was just enough of everything: mystery from the past,simmering romance (with a hero who would have swept me off my feet), personal redemption, coming of age and 'seize the day'. Plus, the main character is thankfully 40. (I'm not keen on reading about teenage love!)
The book was not a 4 or 5 for me because...more
The book was not a 4 or 5 for me because...more
1 like · like · see review
While this novel isn't anything earth shattering, it's a perfect beach read that I know I'll be recommending to friends this summer whom are looking for great books to read on the beach.
I wasn't expecting much from this novel but I ended up being pretty surprised by how much I liked it. The plot twists and turns aren't anything surprising but the story itself is somewhat like the south it takes place in, slow and meandering but sweet. I rarely tear up during novels but this one had me tear up n...more
I wasn't expecting much from this novel but I ended up being pretty surprised by how much I liked it. The plot twists and turns aren't anything surprising but the story itself is somewhat like the south it takes place in, slow and meandering but sweet. I rarely tear up during novels but this one had me tear up n...more
A book group pick and not one I would have picked up on my own steam. However, it was a quite enjoyable read. I would liken it to a wordy Elin Hilderbrand, the same type of beach setting, mixed characters, one gritty storyline but a lot of fun going on within the book.
It is no classic but a book that would be a good holiday/beach read. It was a bit too wordy in places and I felt that a good 100 to 150 could have been edited out of the book without changing the story in the slightest. Some parts...more
It is no classic but a book that would be a good holiday/beach read. It was a bit too wordy in places and I felt that a good 100 to 150 could have been edited out of the book without changing the story in the slightest. Some parts...more
What an unexpected gem of a read! I originally picked it because I've been focusing on novels with a sense of place more like where I live to try & help me with my own writing struggles with sense of place. Yes, I live in NJ and not in a traditional shore town, but, we are right on the coast & directly across the bay from a barrier peninsula. (I'm still not over Hurricane Irene & the area of our Northwestern NJ home (inland) was hit worse than we were here on the coast! Anyhoo...) My...more
I bought this book to read while on vacation in North Carolina. Thinking it was a mere romance book, I was surprised that it really touched more on the circle of life and how we embrace it.
Cara left her troubled southern home for greener pastures and independences and returned years later at the request of her mother, at a time when her life was less than perfect. It's a story of finding closure,forgiveness, of sharing between mother and daughter, renewing of friendships, giving to others, beco...more
Cara left her troubled southern home for greener pastures and independences and returned years later at the request of her mother, at a time when her life was less than perfect. It's a story of finding closure,forgiveness, of sharing between mother and daughter, renewing of friendships, giving to others, beco...more
This is the first book in the heartwarming and atmospheric "Isle of Palms" series. Mary Alice Monroe is a prolific author of romance and environmental fiction. Beautiful prose and richly developed characters will please readers who love a tender story. The author's keen insights into classic tension between mothers and daughters, siblings, and men and women will resonate with most readers. Monroe also works in details of the natural world, featuring loggerhead turtles and their spawning cycle. T...more
This is a great beach read. I've read many books set in Charleston/Lowcountry/Barrier islands and they always make me want to visit. This one is no exception.
The bad blood between Cara and Lovie seemed a little forced and Cara seemed a little childish carrying a grudge for so long. I didn't really like Cara in the beginning, but I think that was the author's plan. I really liked Lovie and found it difficult to reconcile the difference between her "beach house" self and her "big house" self.
The...more
The bad blood between Cara and Lovie seemed a little forced and Cara seemed a little childish carrying a grudge for so long. I didn't really like Cara in the beginning, but I think that was the author's plan. I really liked Lovie and found it difficult to reconcile the difference between her "beach house" self and her "big house" self.
The...more
Mary Alice Monroe does a great job of involving you in the stories that she writes, and The Beach House is no different. I was so tied up in the characters and the story line that I just had to finish this book last night even though it was late. I couldn't wait to see how everything would tie together, or better yet, how in the world it could. I love the way Monroe weaves into her books some educational value about the one of the main subjects of the book. In this case she chose the Loggerhead...more
This would be a wonderful summer read - however I read it in the dead of winter! Maybe I needed to feel a hot summer breeze and pretend I was at the ocean after all the cold and snow we have had here in Western MD. Did you know that a loggerhead is called Caretta caretta in Latin? I've always been interested in those big old sea turtles and how they travel what seems like millions of miles to lay their eggs. This wonderful book of fiction about a lovely older woman nicknamed Lovie, who loves log...more
May 05, 2011
Jill
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone who likes books about relationships
I enjoyed this book. It was mainly about the relationship between a mother and daughter after the daughter returns from Chicago to an island near Charleston after being away for 20 years. The daughter is a successful business woman (altho she recently lost her job) and mom is dying of cancer.
The book involves other people, including the greedy brother/son in the family, a pregnant girl from a violent relationship that mom has "adopted", and old friend of the daughter, a new love of the daughter...more
The book involves other people, including the greedy brother/son in the family, a pregnant girl from a violent relationship that mom has "adopted", and old friend of the daughter, a new love of the daughter...more
I absolutely loved this book because of two factors - first it was set at the beach and secondly, probably, more importantly to me - it was about a mother and daughter. Lovie & Caretta's relationship was very real because it was far from perfect but built on love. Their lives showed weakness and strength and character flaws all intertwined with a less than perfect family. Lots of self introspection vs. what's shown to the world. I also liked that it taught me so very much about the loggerhea...more
First book by Mary Alice Craven that I have read and I loved it! Looking forward to reading more!
1 like · like · see review
Loved this book. Every book I have read by Mary Alice Monroe I have enjoyed, she is a wonderful writer, weaving a good story and interesting characters.
This story is so close to home, that is probably why I enjoyed it so much. I grew up on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean too and being from a Southern family I certainly could relate to her characters. A very endearing story surrounding mother and daughter.
An educational story involving the plight of the Loggerhead Turtles. I am a naturalist at h...more
This story is so close to home, that is probably why I enjoyed it so much. I grew up on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean too and being from a Southern family I certainly could relate to her characters. A very endearing story surrounding mother and daughter.
An educational story involving the plight of the Loggerhead Turtles. I am a naturalist at h...more
1 like · like · see review
Loved this book about a mother who is dying of cancer and she wants to reconcile with her 40 something daughter. The daughter has been gone since 18 and made it in the world all on her own. The mother Olivia is known as the Turtle Lady on the Isle of Palms where she lives in her beach house, her refuge. She takes care of Loggerhead nests and teaches her daughter how to do it. A great story about love and forgiveness. This author is really good at making you feel like you are there taking care of...more
After reading THE BUTTERFLY'S DAUGHTER, I looked into ore books by Mary Alice Monroe. I like her style of incorporating interesting research and basing a novel around a scenario incorporating the research. The BUTTERFLY'S DAUGHTER was interesting because we observe this migration every year where I live. The subject of the turtle hatch on the barrier islands of our East Coast is completely out of my experience, but just as interesting. The age old question in literature is this: does human exist...more
Cara Rutledge at 40 years old, loses her job in Chicago, a career that has encompassed her whole adult life. At the same time, she receives a request from her mother to come to her childhood beach home in South Carolina. After twenty years away and a strained relationship with her mother, she searches for closure on childhood issues.
Early on in the book we are told her mother is dying of lung cancer. Her mother is also part of the sea turtle club helping with the nesting each year. Each chapter...more
Early on in the book we are told her mother is dying of lung cancer. Her mother is also part of the sea turtle club helping with the nesting each year. Each chapter...more
I really enjoyed this story about Cara's return to her roots on Isle of Palms. Her relationship with her mother was intriguing - it is incomprehensible to me that someone could actually stay away from home for twenty years. The evolution of Cara's relationship with her mother, Lovie, the turtles and her old friendships made for interesting reading. Although some of the plot was fairly predictable, it was a good read. The story flowed well and kept me turning the pages. It would be a great beach...more
I decided to read this book because my mum recommended it to me and she thought that i would enjoy it.
The category that this book fits into is a book recommended by a member of your family.This book as in my opinion was hard to get hooked to it took about 9-10 chapters before it got me kind of wanting to read .
My favourite quote from the book is in the prologue it is...
"Consider the turtle. Perchance you have worried,despaired of the world, meditated the end of life, and all things seem rushing...more
The category that this book fits into is a book recommended by a member of your family.This book as in my opinion was hard to get hooked to it took about 9-10 chapters before it got me kind of wanting to read .
My favourite quote from the book is in the prologue it is...
"Consider the turtle. Perchance you have worried,despaired of the world, meditated the end of life, and all things seem rushing...more
1 like · like · see review
Aug 03, 2012
Elle
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2012-reading-challenge,
favorites
This was my first read by author Mary Alice Monroe. When I started reading the book I wasn't sure I liked it much. It started off kind of slow. By the time I got to Chapter 5, I was hooked! (There are 27 chapters in this book by the way.)
Caretta (Cara) Rutledge has been on her own since she was 18 years old.
She grew up in Charleston, SC and spent her summers at the beach house on the Isle Of Palms with her mother and brother as a child. After 20 years away from her South Carolina roots, Cara re...more
Caretta (Cara) Rutledge has been on her own since she was 18 years old.
She grew up in Charleston, SC and spent her summers at the beach house on the Isle Of Palms with her mother and brother as a child. After 20 years away from her South Carolina roots, Cara re...more
The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe was an easy, enjoyable beach read. It had a substantial story that held my interest until the last page, and the ending was very satisfying. The South Carolina setting was captivating and I was quickly transported into the book…I could smell the salt air, feel the wind, and in general just felt like I was alive inside the novel. The way the author incorporated the journey of the Loggerhead Turtles with the journey of the characters in the novel was incredibly...more
The Beach House by Mary Alice Monroe had been languishing on Mt. TBR for some time, and a bookmark at page 32 marked an earlier attempt to read about Caretta Rutledge and her coming of age story. I say coming of age because despite the main character's age in years one immediately thinks of when a book is described as such, I think we can come of age at any time in our lives when we shed what came before and look ahead with renewed purpose.
This book stirred up many memories not because my mother...more
This book stirred up many memories not because my mother...more
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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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