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Up Island and Low Country
The remarkable New York Times bestselling fiction of Anne Rivers Siddons has captured the hearts and imaginations of readers the world over, transporting them to lush and beautifully evoked settings while entwining them in the lives of truly unforgettable characters. Now two of the author's most beloved and critically acclaimed masterworks have been combined in one volume. In Up Island , Molly Bell Redwine -- who has always believed that "family is everything" -- is abruptly set adrift by the abandonment of a faithless husband, the death of her domineering mother, and the scattering of her Atlanta clan. Taking refuge with a friend on Martha's Vineyard, Molly's search for strength and a new identity must sustain her through the harsh island winter until she finds renewal in the healing spring. Low Country is the story of Caroline Venable, wealthy, pampered, and dutiful Southern wife, who must make hard decisions and reimagine the life she's never questioned when the beloved wild island that is her heritage and her refuge is suddenly threatened.
960 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
3 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
About the author
Anne Rivers Siddons
51 books1,262 followersBorn Sybil Anne Rivers in Atlanta, Georgia, she was raised in Fairburn, Georgia, and attended Auburn University, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority.
While at Auburn she wrote a column for the student newspaper, The Auburn Plainsman, that favored integration. The university administration attempted to suppress the column, and ultimately fired her, and the column garnered national attention. She later became a senior editor for Atlanta magazine.
At the age of thirty she married Heyward Siddons, and she and her husband lived in Charleston, South Carolina, and spent summers in Maine. Siddons died of lung cancer on September 11, 2019
While at Auburn she wrote a column for the student newspaper, The Auburn Plainsman, that favored integration. The university administration attempted to suppress the column, and ultimately fired her, and the column garnered national attention. She later became a senior editor for Atlanta magazine.
At the age of thirty she married Heyward Siddons, and she and her husband lived in Charleston, South Carolina, and spent summers in Maine. Siddons died of lung cancer on September 11, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 27, 2013
Up Island is the story of a woman whose life gets turned upside down when her husband has an affair with a fellow Coke exec. She goes on vacation with a friend to Martha's Vineyard, so far away from her native Atlanta. While there, her soon to be ex husband takes the house with his girlfriend and Molly has to find a cheap place to stay. She comes across a sign for a camp... free with some housekeeping and caring for the swans who stay there through winter.
The owner of the camp is old Bella Ponder, who lives with her cousin Luzia in a big farmhouse. Molly, our protagonist, takes care of Bella and Luz as well as Bella's estranged son, Dennis. And her whole life changes as the woman from Atlanta forges a new life in the tough Massachusetts winter with her new 'family'.
The first half of this book was great... I was interested in finding out all about the affair and Molly's trip to Martha's Vineyard with her friend, Livvy. But the second half got depressing and repetitive with the same pattern day after day... Molly's depressed father (following the death of Molly's not-so-loving mother), depressed Dennis Ponder (with cancer, an estranged family, and only one leg), and sick and old Luz and Bella. Molly seemed to spend all her time sleeping or taking care of the old and depressed which doesn't make for the most interesting story. Still, it was much better than a lot of the books I read lately.. And somewhere in the middle of completely fluff and a serious novel, which was refreshing.
The owner of the camp is old Bella Ponder, who lives with her cousin Luzia in a big farmhouse. Molly, our protagonist, takes care of Bella and Luz as well as Bella's estranged son, Dennis. And her whole life changes as the woman from Atlanta forges a new life in the tough Massachusetts winter with her new 'family'.
The first half of this book was great... I was interested in finding out all about the affair and Molly's trip to Martha's Vineyard with her friend, Livvy. But the second half got depressing and repetitive with the same pattern day after day... Molly's depressed father (following the death of Molly's not-so-loving mother), depressed Dennis Ponder (with cancer, an estranged family, and only one leg), and sick and old Luz and Bella. Molly seemed to spend all her time sleeping or taking care of the old and depressed which doesn't make for the most interesting story. Still, it was much better than a lot of the books I read lately.. And somewhere in the middle of completely fluff and a serious novel, which was refreshing.
March 5, 2011
Up Island:
If you have ever imagined a trip to Martha’s Vineyard in your mind, Anne Rivers Siddons book Up Island captures that shining landscape in minute detail. Up Island is the story of Molly Redwine, a charming Southern woman, wife of a successful businessman and mother to two children. The story begins with a seemingly innocent rash on her posterior that serves as the first sign she’s in for trouble. While on business trips, Molly’s husband has been having an affair with a coworker. When he finally confesses to Molly, she is lost and doesn’t know where to turn. When she tries to find comfort with her less than sympathetic mother, Molly is shocked with her mother’s death.
Read more: http://bookstove.com/book-talk/trekki...
Low Country:
Low Country by Anne Rivers Siddons is a a novel that follows Caroline Venable (Caro to all her friends) through a time in her life where many of the decisions she makes will not only affect her life, but those around her in the low country islands that she’s treasured all her life. Caro is presented straight away as a flawed individual, but in need of redeeming herself not only for her husband’s sake, but for her children. While she exhibits many of the gentle southern traits her ancestors had, she also veers off the track and lives her own life the best she knows how.
Read more: http://bookstove.com/book-talk/explor...
If you have ever imagined a trip to Martha’s Vineyard in your mind, Anne Rivers Siddons book Up Island captures that shining landscape in minute detail. Up Island is the story of Molly Redwine, a charming Southern woman, wife of a successful businessman and mother to two children. The story begins with a seemingly innocent rash on her posterior that serves as the first sign she’s in for trouble. While on business trips, Molly’s husband has been having an affair with a coworker. When he finally confesses to Molly, she is lost and doesn’t know where to turn. When she tries to find comfort with her less than sympathetic mother, Molly is shocked with her mother’s death.
Read more: http://bookstove.com/book-talk/trekki...
Low Country:
Low Country by Anne Rivers Siddons is a a novel that follows Caroline Venable (Caro to all her friends) through a time in her life where many of the decisions she makes will not only affect her life, but those around her in the low country islands that she’s treasured all her life. Caro is presented straight away as a flawed individual, but in need of redeeming herself not only for her husband’s sake, but for her children. While she exhibits many of the gentle southern traits her ancestors had, she also veers off the track and lives her own life the best she knows how.
Read more: http://bookstove.com/book-talk/explor...
October 23, 2013
Two stunning novels combined into one great book. That’s what you get with this pairing of Anne River Siddons’s “Up Island” and “Low Country” While the tales are completely different there are enough parallels that make them a perfect complement to one another.
The first deals with the tensile strain of blood ties as a woman faces a midlife divorce and must redefine her meaning of family. The second is a heartrending tale of another woman struggling to come to terms with the death of her daughter.
One book takes place in the cloistered environs of Martha’s Vineyard, the other the marshlands of South Carolina and Siddons uses the colors, creations and elements of nature to drive the plots of both stories.
Even the two titles seem to go together, but if I had to pick just one to read, “Low Country” is a remarkable achievement in writing.
The first deals with the tensile strain of blood ties as a woman faces a midlife divorce and must redefine her meaning of family. The second is a heartrending tale of another woman struggling to come to terms with the death of her daughter.
One book takes place in the cloistered environs of Martha’s Vineyard, the other the marshlands of South Carolina and Siddons uses the colors, creations and elements of nature to drive the plots of both stories.
Even the two titles seem to go together, but if I had to pick just one to read, “Low Country” is a remarkable achievement in writing.
August 30, 2009
This is a combination of two of her books - last winter during a family emergency, I just threw it into my bag as almost an afterthought. Don't know if it was due to my circumstances, but I got totally engrossed in these books. Thought they were wonderful. Sometimes, even now, I wonder where the characters are now - what finally happened to them? Great reads for that time in my life!
May 6, 2011
Up Island was the better of the two novels. Low Country's main character, Caro, did not generate my sympathies. This is the second novel of Ms. Siddons' that I've read where the heroine's child has died. A little too depressing for me.
June 9, 2008
Just a fun fiction fast read
June 25, 2009
I really enjoyed this story about a middle-aged woman who starts a new life in a new place, struggling with the lost love of an unfaithful husband.
February 9, 2010
January 2005
March 18, 2010
Very descriptive. Really enjoyed Up Island during the cold winter months
July 19, 2010
LIked this......
November 12, 2013
A.R.S. is absolutely one of my all time favorite authors ever! I own every book shes ever written and have read them all at least twice. They are comfort for the soul and just devine!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews