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Lowcountry Tales #10
The Hurricane Sisters
Hurricane season begins early and rumbles all summer long, well into September. Often people's lives reflect the weather and The Hurricane Sisters is just such a story.
Once again Dorothea Benton Frank takes us deep into the heart of her magical South Carolina Lowcountry on a tumultuous journey filled with longings, disappointments, and, finally, a road toward happiness that is hard earned. There we meet three generations of women buried in secrets. The determined matriarch, Maisie Pringle, at eighty, is a force to be reckoned with because she will have the final word on everything, especially when she's dead wrong. Her daughter, Liz, is caught up in the classic maelstrom of being middle-age and in an emotionally demanding career that will eventually open all their eyes to a terrible truth. And Liz's beautiful twenty-something daughter, Ashley, whose dreamy ambitions of her unlikely future keeps them all at odds.
Luckily for Ashley, her wonderful older brother, Ivy, is her fierce champion but he can only do so much from San Francisco where he resides with his partner. And Mary Beth, her dearest friend, tries to have her back but even she can't talk headstrong Ashley out of a relationship with an ambitious politician who seems slightly too old for her.
Actually, Ashley and Mary Beth have yet to launch themselves into solvency. Their prospects seem bleak. So while they wait for the world to discover them and deliver them from a ramen-based existence, they placate themselves with a hare-brained scheme to make money but one that threatens to land them in huge trouble with the authorities.
So where is Clayton, Liz's husband? He seems more distracted than usual. Ashley desperately needs her father's love and attention but what kind of a parent can he be to Ashley with one foot in Manhattan and the other one planted in indiscretion? And Liz, who's an expert in the field of troubled domestic life, refuses to acknowledge Ashley's precarious situation. Who's in charge of this family? The wake-up call is about to arrive.
The Lowcountry has endured its share of war and bloodshed like the rest of the South, but this storm season we watch Maisie, Liz, Ashley, and Mary Beth deal with challenges that demand they face the truth about themselves. After a terrible confrontation they are forced to rise to forgiveness, but can they establish a new order for the future of them all?
Frank, with her hallmark scintillating wit and crisp insight, captures how a complex family of disparate characters and their close friends can overcome anything through the power of love and reconciliation. This is the often hilarious, sometimes sobering, but always entertaining story of how these unforgettable women became The Hurricane Sisters.
Once again Dorothea Benton Frank takes us deep into the heart of her magical South Carolina Lowcountry on a tumultuous journey filled with longings, disappointments, and, finally, a road toward happiness that is hard earned. There we meet three generations of women buried in secrets. The determined matriarch, Maisie Pringle, at eighty, is a force to be reckoned with because she will have the final word on everything, especially when she's dead wrong. Her daughter, Liz, is caught up in the classic maelstrom of being middle-age and in an emotionally demanding career that will eventually open all their eyes to a terrible truth. And Liz's beautiful twenty-something daughter, Ashley, whose dreamy ambitions of her unlikely future keeps them all at odds.
Luckily for Ashley, her wonderful older brother, Ivy, is her fierce champion but he can only do so much from San Francisco where he resides with his partner. And Mary Beth, her dearest friend, tries to have her back but even she can't talk headstrong Ashley out of a relationship with an ambitious politician who seems slightly too old for her.
Actually, Ashley and Mary Beth have yet to launch themselves into solvency. Their prospects seem bleak. So while they wait for the world to discover them and deliver them from a ramen-based existence, they placate themselves with a hare-brained scheme to make money but one that threatens to land them in huge trouble with the authorities.
So where is Clayton, Liz's husband? He seems more distracted than usual. Ashley desperately needs her father's love and attention but what kind of a parent can he be to Ashley with one foot in Manhattan and the other one planted in indiscretion? And Liz, who's an expert in the field of troubled domestic life, refuses to acknowledge Ashley's precarious situation. Who's in charge of this family? The wake-up call is about to arrive.
The Lowcountry has endured its share of war and bloodshed like the rest of the South, but this storm season we watch Maisie, Liz, Ashley, and Mary Beth deal with challenges that demand they face the truth about themselves. After a terrible confrontation they are forced to rise to forgiveness, but can they establish a new order for the future of them all?
Frank, with her hallmark scintillating wit and crisp insight, captures how a complex family of disparate characters and their close friends can overcome anything through the power of love and reconciliation. This is the often hilarious, sometimes sobering, but always entertaining story of how these unforgettable women became The Hurricane Sisters.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 3, 2014
1558 people are currently reading
12499 people want to read
About the author
Dorothea Benton Frank
64 books5,201 followersDorothea Benton Frank was a New York Times best-selling American novelist of Southern fiction. She worked in the apparel industry from 1972 until 1985 and then organized fundraisers as a volunteer, before becoming a novelist.
She is best known as the author of twenty novels placed in and around the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
She is best known as the author of twenty novels placed in and around the Lowcountry of South Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,948 reviews
August 9, 2016
I have enjoyed Frank's early releases in the Lowcountry titles, but for me the more recent ones lack Frank's ability to depict the South Carolina coast or develop her characters. For my tastes this read like a soap opera. I am hoping to see a title from Frank similar to her earlier ones. Perhaps next year?
July 20, 2014
Not at all up to the author's usual books. I understand her desire to inform and try to motivate readers on domestic abuse, but this effort is college student quality at best. There must have been a ghost writer and deadline involved to result in such a disappointing read.
September 3, 2016
I was expecting something very different, the jacket summary is misleading. The focus on the book is not limited to the three female generations of this family, rather it focuses on the family as a whole, each member introduced along with their individual and in some instances collective predicaments.
There was no connection with the characters, in fact I felt a complete disconnect. I enjoyed Ivy, he's grounded, caring, has his act together. He resides in San Francisco, I'm sure his distance from his family contributes to his normalacy. Maisie is adorable, her zest for life is inspiring. She's flawed but charming. I wish she was focused on more, she could have easily carried the story. There were aspects of Ashley I found appealing but the way she handled serious issues left me disappointed. Clayton is pathetic and Liz needs to reevaluate her self worth.
I respected the fact this family pulled together in tough times despite their disgruntled feelings toward each other.
The narrative reads like a soap opera, too contrived and dramatic for my likes. Frank takes on physical and sexual abuse, however, her end results miss the mark, a HUGE pet peeve of mine. She brings awareness to abuse but her characters drop the ball big time, disappointing for perusers surviving abuse.
Your standard dysfunctional family tale, disappointing in resolving hot button topics, overly dramatic.
There was no connection with the characters, in fact I felt a complete disconnect. I enjoyed Ivy, he's grounded, caring, has his act together. He resides in San Francisco, I'm sure his distance from his family contributes to his normalacy. Maisie is adorable, her zest for life is inspiring. She's flawed but charming. I wish she was focused on more, she could have easily carried the story. There were aspects of Ashley I found appealing but the way she handled serious issues left me disappointed. Clayton is pathetic and Liz needs to reevaluate her self worth.
I respected the fact this family pulled together in tough times despite their disgruntled feelings toward each other.
The narrative reads like a soap opera, too contrived and dramatic for my likes. Frank takes on physical and sexual abuse, however, her end results miss the mark, a HUGE pet peeve of mine. She brings awareness to abuse but her characters drop the ball big time, disappointing for perusers surviving abuse.
Your standard dysfunctional family tale, disappointing in resolving hot button topics, overly dramatic.
January 31, 2015
This is a family drama centred around three generations of women and their relationships with each other.
Maisie – 80 year old grandmother, living with a man 15 years younger than her. She loves her family but has something of a strange relationship with daughter Liz.
Liz – mother of Ashley and Ivy. Her relationships with her mother and daughter are complicated and her marriage to Clayton seems to be rather cooler than it used to be. Her mission in life is to do something to help victims of domestic violence and abuse.
Ashley is young, sassy, quirky and in love with the idea of being in love with Senator Porter Galloway.
The story is told alternately from each viewpoint but each sounds too similar to the other – quirky, sassy and sarcastic – with nothing to really mark out each narrative as being different from the others. Reading it is a bit like sitting down to a good gossip with your oldest friends and for parts of the book it really works. However, it does jar with the very serious issues raised of domestic violence and date rape, soft coating them a touch and diluting their effect. We are told by Ashley several times that the family is full of eccentrics, rather like “You don’t have to be crazy to work here but it helps”. To be honest, I didn’t really “get” their eccentricities at all, they all seemed fairly sane and normal to me. Of the three women, Maisie is by far the most interesting and enjoyable to read about and possibly the closest you will get to eccentric, but even she has a good reason for wandering along the highway with a llama. It is a shame that she is not featured as much as the other characters as I would have liked to have read more about her.
It didn’t quite work for me. Thanks to the publishers for the review copy.
Maisie – 80 year old grandmother, living with a man 15 years younger than her. She loves her family but has something of a strange relationship with daughter Liz.
Liz – mother of Ashley and Ivy. Her relationships with her mother and daughter are complicated and her marriage to Clayton seems to be rather cooler than it used to be. Her mission in life is to do something to help victims of domestic violence and abuse.
Ashley is young, sassy, quirky and in love with the idea of being in love with Senator Porter Galloway.
The story is told alternately from each viewpoint but each sounds too similar to the other – quirky, sassy and sarcastic – with nothing to really mark out each narrative as being different from the others. Reading it is a bit like sitting down to a good gossip with your oldest friends and for parts of the book it really works. However, it does jar with the very serious issues raised of domestic violence and date rape, soft coating them a touch and diluting their effect. We are told by Ashley several times that the family is full of eccentrics, rather like “You don’t have to be crazy to work here but it helps”. To be honest, I didn’t really “get” their eccentricities at all, they all seemed fairly sane and normal to me. Of the three women, Maisie is by far the most interesting and enjoyable to read about and possibly the closest you will get to eccentric, but even she has a good reason for wandering along the highway with a llama. It is a shame that she is not featured as much as the other characters as I would have liked to have read more about her.
It didn’t quite work for me. Thanks to the publishers for the review copy.
July 28, 2020
*Update: Here to make an edit. This was a 2014 read.
Sadly, Dot passed away last year. It's difficult to imagine a reading life without her. Dot introduced me to the Lowcountry, beautiful mango sunsets, Sullivan's Island, and one of my all-time favorite locales, Pawley's Island. I'll miss her stories. Blessedly, I still have a few of Dot's books to tackle. It's very bittersweet. Thank you, Dottie! So many years of enjoyment derived from your imagination. God bless your sweet southern charm.
-End edit-
A SLIGHT BREEZE
First things first: I LOVE Dot Frank!! I've read all of her books and own all but two (most in hardcover). DBF's books are always entertaining, humorous, and filled with lovely descriptions of the South Carolina Lowcountry, descriptions that make me want to pack my bags and head for the southeastern shore. Frank really loves that glorious piece of heaven on Earth. But –and you had to feel this was coming– I didn't get a warm fuzzy feeling when I finished this. I'm one of DBF's biggest fans. It pains me to write a review in a negative light. I consider Frank's novels to be my go-to fun reads. Need a great beach read? Dot's your author. Want to read southern fiction that's light and breezy? Again, pick up a DBF book. I was really looking forward to The Hurricane Sisters. Now I'm feeling disappointed. Where is the humor DBF is known for?! Frank even fell short in description. Surprisingly, I didn't feel like escaping to Sullivan's Island in a convertible. I didn't like hanging out with the mixed up Water's clan either. DBF's characters are normally so fun-loving that I can't help falling for their southern warmth and hospitality. Dot creates characters I want to befriend. Not so much this time. As I read, I found myself anxious for the plot to move along. For me, it was just ok and I HATE that it was just ok because I love Dot to pieces. She's my girl!! So, instead of describing what I've read with any more negativity than I have to, let me just say it like this, don't feel bad for skipping Book 9 in the Lowcountry Tales. And, if this is your first DBF novel, please! Don't judge the author's style in this book alone. It's not her best. Oh! Did I actually just say that? I swanny. I didn't want to say it. This was just a fly in the ointment. I've no doubt DBF will return to greatness.
Sadly, Dot passed away last year. It's difficult to imagine a reading life without her. Dot introduced me to the Lowcountry, beautiful mango sunsets, Sullivan's Island, and one of my all-time favorite locales, Pawley's Island. I'll miss her stories. Blessedly, I still have a few of Dot's books to tackle. It's very bittersweet. Thank you, Dottie! So many years of enjoyment derived from your imagination. God bless your sweet southern charm.
-End edit-
A SLIGHT BREEZE
First things first: I LOVE Dot Frank!! I've read all of her books and own all but two (most in hardcover). DBF's books are always entertaining, humorous, and filled with lovely descriptions of the South Carolina Lowcountry, descriptions that make me want to pack my bags and head for the southeastern shore. Frank really loves that glorious piece of heaven on Earth. But –and you had to feel this was coming– I didn't get a warm fuzzy feeling when I finished this. I'm one of DBF's biggest fans. It pains me to write a review in a negative light. I consider Frank's novels to be my go-to fun reads. Need a great beach read? Dot's your author. Want to read southern fiction that's light and breezy? Again, pick up a DBF book. I was really looking forward to The Hurricane Sisters. Now I'm feeling disappointed. Where is the humor DBF is known for?! Frank even fell short in description. Surprisingly, I didn't feel like escaping to Sullivan's Island in a convertible. I didn't like hanging out with the mixed up Water's clan either. DBF's characters are normally so fun-loving that I can't help falling for their southern warmth and hospitality. Dot creates characters I want to befriend. Not so much this time. As I read, I found myself anxious for the plot to move along. For me, it was just ok and I HATE that it was just ok because I love Dot to pieces. She's my girl!! So, instead of describing what I've read with any more negativity than I have to, let me just say it like this, don't feel bad for skipping Book 9 in the Lowcountry Tales. And, if this is your first DBF novel, please! Don't judge the author's style in this book alone. It's not her best. Oh! Did I actually just say that? I swanny. I didn't want to say it. This was just a fly in the ointment. I've no doubt DBF will return to greatness.
June 5, 2014
Review also posted on imainlinefiction.blogpsot.com
Reading a book by Dorothea Benton Frank is like sitting on your comfy couch, wearing your jammies and sipping a glass of good wine. It just feels good! in the Hurricane Sisters, we meet three generations of women all of whom are going through a crisis of one kind or another and who feels that they are the only one who is keeping it together. Liz is dealing with her semi-crazy mother, a daughter who won't listen to her and seems to be slipping away and a marriage that is not quite right for reason's she isn't totally sure of. Matriarch Maisie is living in sin with a younger man (sixties compared to her eighty), worried about her daughter and granddaughter all the while feeling put upon by their restrictions. Lastly, Ashley is living in her parent's beach house with her best friend and considering possibly illegal parties to make some money. At the same time she has met the man who might be the one except for some niggling doubts about his true character.
As in all of DBF's books. there is a rich back story that plays out in present time because of the effects the past has on every things that happens. There is a strong theme of domestic violence that slithers under the entire story and comes out in a real shocker in the end for all three women.
I loved this book and all of the twists and turns and glimpses of the everyday lives of a family of interesting folk. And there is llama drama! Great summer read that I couldn't put down until I got to the end.
Reading a book by Dorothea Benton Frank is like sitting on your comfy couch, wearing your jammies and sipping a glass of good wine. It just feels good! in the Hurricane Sisters, we meet three generations of women all of whom are going through a crisis of one kind or another and who feels that they are the only one who is keeping it together. Liz is dealing with her semi-crazy mother, a daughter who won't listen to her and seems to be slipping away and a marriage that is not quite right for reason's she isn't totally sure of. Matriarch Maisie is living in sin with a younger man (sixties compared to her eighty), worried about her daughter and granddaughter all the while feeling put upon by their restrictions. Lastly, Ashley is living in her parent's beach house with her best friend and considering possibly illegal parties to make some money. At the same time she has met the man who might be the one except for some niggling doubts about his true character.
As in all of DBF's books. there is a rich back story that plays out in present time because of the effects the past has on every things that happens. There is a strong theme of domestic violence that slithers under the entire story and comes out in a real shocker in the end for all three women.
I loved this book and all of the twists and turns and glimpses of the everyday lives of a family of interesting folk. And there is llama drama! Great summer read that I couldn't put down until I got to the end.
August 3, 2020
I'm really surprised that this is the first Dorothea Benton Frank book that I've read considering my penchant for beach settings and beach reads. Needless to say, I'll be adding more DBF to my TBR ASAP. Not only is The Hurricane Sisters set on a beach but also in the South which is another setting that I am drawn to in books.
The generational conflict in The Hurricane Sisters takes center stage for much of the novel. Eighty-year-old grandmother Maisie appears to dominate the life of her daughter Liz and cater to her 23-year-old granddaughter Ashley, much to Liz's dismay. Liz has high expectations for Ashley, and Ashley's love of art and desire to be an artist are much below her parents' expectations. Similarly, Ashley's older brother Ivy has also not met his parents' expectations, but he escaped South Carolina and his parents' judgment, moving to San Francisco with his partner where they own a successful retail business.
Domestic violence is another important element in The Hurricane Sisters that emerges as the story and characters develop; however, I don't want to reveal too many story details but Dorothea Benton Frank includes a touching author note at the end.
The generational conflict in The Hurricane Sisters takes center stage for much of the novel. Eighty-year-old grandmother Maisie appears to dominate the life of her daughter Liz and cater to her 23-year-old granddaughter Ashley, much to Liz's dismay. Liz has high expectations for Ashley, and Ashley's love of art and desire to be an artist are much below her parents' expectations. Similarly, Ashley's older brother Ivy has also not met his parents' expectations, but he escaped South Carolina and his parents' judgment, moving to San Francisco with his partner where they own a successful retail business.
Domestic violence is another important element in The Hurricane Sisters that emerges as the story and characters develop; however, I don't want to reveal too many story details but Dorothea Benton Frank includes a touching author note at the end.
September 5, 2014
250 pages of trite plotlines: sassy grandma, neglected wife, seduced/cheating husband (who woos wife back with flowers and a trip to BALI), gay son with ASIAN partner, naive artist daughter, artist-daughter-best-friend dating some sort of perverted middle eastern dude, rapist abusive senator boyfriend...hmmmm, sweet boy from next door who saves naive artist from being beaten to death by rapist senator boyfriend. Well, at least the font was large so I finished it quickly!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2014
Oh, dear. After rating The Last Original Wife as only 1 star, I had hoped for much more when I saw that Frank had another island book out. While she seems to be trying to get back on track as the author who wrote such beautiful and tender stories that could make me laugh and cry with characters so real I felt as though they were right in my living room, this book was just "ok". Maybe she is trying too hard and just needs to let the stories flow.
The only character who had any real personality or was Maisie, 80 year old mother to Liz and grandmother to Ashley and Ivy. While she was supposed to be the kooky one (she was in a pretty hot relationship with her 65 year old driver, Skipper), she actually was the only one who seemed to have any sense and sensibility.
I won't bore you with all the threads of the plot, but let me say this. If you think the title is indicative of what the story about, you will be fooled. Yes, the title takes on meaning at the very end, but it is not a story of a relationship between two sisters, just in case you were wondering.
Let me also say this. The trite conversation and uses of text slang such as MYOB and characters saying things like, L.O.V.E.I.T. between the characters who were supposed to be adults became annoying. Really? People just don't talk that way, at least not the real people I know. These phrases came across as trying to make the story or characters appear to be very much in tune with today's way of speaking, but it didn't work for me. The overuse of exclamation points also got on my nerves. The way the characters spoke made them seem shallow and one dimensional. These were not the characters Frank has created in the past.
The flippant conversations and mundane and selfish remarks just made me cringe. (Maisie's beloved Skipper had a heart attack and her daughter Liz was immediately on the phone telling her coworkers she would be late and then grumbling to herself that now she would have to drive Maisie around. When Ashley hears of his heart attack, she says, "gosh, that's terrible" and goes on to ask if her grandmother is " like freaking out?") Again, Really?
What could have been a tender and moving story about physical/verbal abuses in relationships, the warning signs, the ways for people to escape, and the importance of providing help for people in these situations was not forthcoming. (Liz actually worked for a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women and children escape abusive situations.)
The ending of the story was, I suppose, fulfilling; but I was disappointed with this book by one of my favorite authors. There was no magic for me and I miss that in Benton Frank's last two books.
The only character who had any real personality or was Maisie, 80 year old mother to Liz and grandmother to Ashley and Ivy. While she was supposed to be the kooky one (she was in a pretty hot relationship with her 65 year old driver, Skipper), she actually was the only one who seemed to have any sense and sensibility.
I won't bore you with all the threads of the plot, but let me say this. If you think the title is indicative of what the story about, you will be fooled. Yes, the title takes on meaning at the very end, but it is not a story of a relationship between two sisters, just in case you were wondering.
Let me also say this. The trite conversation and uses of text slang such as MYOB and characters saying things like, L.O.V.E.I.T. between the characters who were supposed to be adults became annoying. Really? People just don't talk that way, at least not the real people I know. These phrases came across as trying to make the story or characters appear to be very much in tune with today's way of speaking, but it didn't work for me. The overuse of exclamation points also got on my nerves. The way the characters spoke made them seem shallow and one dimensional. These were not the characters Frank has created in the past.
The flippant conversations and mundane and selfish remarks just made me cringe. (Maisie's beloved Skipper had a heart attack and her daughter Liz was immediately on the phone telling her coworkers she would be late and then grumbling to herself that now she would have to drive Maisie around. When Ashley hears of his heart attack, she says, "gosh, that's terrible" and goes on to ask if her grandmother is " like freaking out?") Again, Really?
What could have been a tender and moving story about physical/verbal abuses in relationships, the warning signs, the ways for people to escape, and the importance of providing help for people in these situations was not forthcoming. (Liz actually worked for a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women and children escape abusive situations.)
The ending of the story was, I suppose, fulfilling; but I was disappointed with this book by one of my favorite authors. There was no magic for me and I miss that in Benton Frank's last two books.
January 4, 2016
I did not find these characters believable at all. Ashley was just plain dumb in my eyes. She sees the Senator and just immediately thinks she's going to marry him? Her mother, Liz was not much better. Most of these people did not act or talk like someone with the wisdom of their age.
February 13, 2016
Strašno nezanimljiva i dosadna knjiga. Počela sam ju čitati na hrvatskom i odustala jer je, uz to što je priča dosadna i nezanimljiva, prijevod bio katastrofalan. Na engleskom me bar nije zamarala još i ta sitnica, ali nije puno pomoglo: likovi su plitki, površni i baš nimalo zanimljivi, a ni priča nije puno bolja od likova.
Roman 'Posljednja prva supruga' ove spisateljice mi je bio dobar, očekivala sam da će i ovaj biti tu negdje, ali, nažalost, ovaj je tako očajan da ga se nikako ne mogu natjerati da ga dovršim. Ako nemate neku želju ubiti se dosadom, bježite što dalje od ove knjige. :/
Roman 'Posljednja prva supruga' ove spisateljice mi je bio dobar, očekivala sam da će i ovaj biti tu negdje, ali, nažalost, ovaj je tako očajan da ga se nikako ne mogu natjerati da ga dovršim. Ako nemate neku želju ubiti se dosadom, bježite što dalje od ove knjige. :/
September 19, 2018
“From here on in, we’re going to live life to the fullest! Life is for the living. Here’s to us, we’re the Hurricane Sisters!”
“Yes,” I said. The Hurricane Sisters. I liked that. I liked it a lot.”
As a North Carolinian, born and raised, I love a southern book that warms the soul. Dorothea Benton Frank has a way of serving her stories up like a cold glass of sweet tea. There were parts of The Hurricane Sisters I laughed as I read, and overall felt it was a cute book. I chose it as the Popsugar Book challenge prompt “Book with Weather Element in the Title”.
“Yes,” I said. The Hurricane Sisters. I liked that. I liked it a lot.”
As a North Carolinian, born and raised, I love a southern book that warms the soul. Dorothea Benton Frank has a way of serving her stories up like a cold glass of sweet tea. There were parts of The Hurricane Sisters I laughed as I read, and overall felt it was a cute book. I chose it as the Popsugar Book challenge prompt “Book with Weather Element in the Title”.
August 13, 2016
I am so disappointed that I didn't like this book. It started off great. I loved the prologue and the first couple chapters. They promised some family drama and snarky comments. I love this line, "Too many times we all get introduced to people who seem perfectly nice and later on find out they're cracked." There was family drama but I don't think it was fleshed out well enough. I didn't like Ashley's storyline with the senator. It seemed like she was too much in la-la land with "love"(seriously it was quite the joke), that it became very annoying. I didn't like all the statistics on domestic violence, it lost some of the flow to the story. And Clayton? That was another joke! I liked Maisie, the grandmother. I would have liked to have more of her story. She seemed like a good character to have her own book. Unfortunately, even though this book started off strong, I was starting to lose interest half-way through. At which point I just wanted to get the book read so I could move on.
Not a horrible book but not something I would recommend either. No--this was really bad actually. Don't think I would be in a hurry to read another DBF book.
Not a horrible book but not something I would recommend either. No--this was really bad actually. Don't think I would be in a hurry to read another DBF book.
May 27, 2020
3.5 stars
February 23, 2015
From the description ""The Low-country has endured its share of war and bloodshed like the rest of the South, but this storm season we watch Maisie, Liz, Ashley and Mary Beth deal with challenges that demand they face the truth about themselves. After a terrible confrontation, they are forced to rise to forgiveness, but can they establish a new order for the future of them all?
Frank with her hallmark scintillating wit and crisp insight captures how a complex family of disparate characters and their close friends overcome anything through the power of love and reconciliation. This is the often hilarious, sometimes sobering, but always entertaining story of how these unforgettable women become The Hurricane Sisters."
Okay- can I please, pretty please with a cherry on top, read the book that was described and not this horrible thing that is between the covers? Not a single one of these characters developed past a sketch and to call them "disparate" is a stretch. Does the person who wrote the jacket sleeve understand that disparate means different, unlike others? They are stock characters; Frank may as well have had a check list:
naive but self assured family darling- check
best friend who naive darling rescued- check
grandma we will make kooky- check
gay and fabulous character (brother) - check
mid life crisis father- check
mother who feels under-appreciated and/or was famous- check
closet abuser who is a public figure- check
High tech Asian for diversity- check
And that's the extent of their development. Now let's give them money, because well, we're trying to work that Southern Low-country charm and we can't do it without money, oh and every single stereotype we can think of should be in there too, but we don't need to explain or develop the story for the characters and their situations, we'll just make them all flat unlikable stock characters. Even better- we'll write the book in mostly dialogue, alternate points of view in each chapter AND have the speaker break the wall diary style. Did we miss any ways to ruin a book? Plot? Honey, we don't need a plot, we'll throw a natural disaster in at the end and Memaw Maisie can giggle a cute nickname.
WHAT "terrible confrontation"? Liz going to New York and not saying anything? That? Liz telling her mother how the sister died? Ashley standing up for herself? Not a single one of those was written as a "terrible confrontation"- they were PBS daytime kid show sanitary, or Playhouse Disney, not only were they tame, they were LAME. These situations had potential to become "terrible confrontations", but nope, didn't happen.
There wasn't any "facing the truth about themselves" either. Again- so much lost potential for character and plot development. Everything was SO glossed over and taken care of and "easy peasy lemon squeezy" that it was disgusting.
Completely missed the scintillating wit- again, the jacket writer needs a dictionary. Nothing sparkling, brilliant or clever at all in the book (BTW- those are synonyms for "scintillating wit"). I missed the "Crisp insights" also- all I saw was a handful of women who don't look past appearances. Didn't laugh once while reading- I grimaced a lot, rolled my eyes and groaned through most of it, nearly chucked the book every other page, found parts revolting in its lack of awareness (I guess that's the sobering part?) and was not entertained at all. While I'm ranting- I don't think there was a single complex sentence in the entire book. Everything was written on a fourth or fifth grade reading level. It completely mucked up the flow. This does not entice me to read any of her other books. I'm glad this was a library book.
Frank with her hallmark scintillating wit and crisp insight captures how a complex family of disparate characters and their close friends overcome anything through the power of love and reconciliation. This is the often hilarious, sometimes sobering, but always entertaining story of how these unforgettable women become The Hurricane Sisters."
Okay- can I please, pretty please with a cherry on top, read the book that was described and not this horrible thing that is between the covers? Not a single one of these characters developed past a sketch and to call them "disparate" is a stretch. Does the person who wrote the jacket sleeve understand that disparate means different, unlike others? They are stock characters; Frank may as well have had a check list:
naive but self assured family darling- check
best friend who naive darling rescued- check
grandma we will make kooky- check
gay and fabulous character (brother) - check
mid life crisis father- check
mother who feels under-appreciated and/or was famous- check
closet abuser who is a public figure- check
High tech Asian for diversity- check
And that's the extent of their development. Now let's give them money, because well, we're trying to work that Southern Low-country charm and we can't do it without money, oh and every single stereotype we can think of should be in there too, but we don't need to explain or develop the story for the characters and their situations, we'll just make them all flat unlikable stock characters. Even better- we'll write the book in mostly dialogue, alternate points of view in each chapter AND have the speaker break the wall diary style. Did we miss any ways to ruin a book? Plot? Honey, we don't need a plot, we'll throw a natural disaster in at the end and Memaw Maisie can giggle a cute nickname.
WHAT "terrible confrontation"? Liz going to New York and not saying anything? That? Liz telling her mother how the sister died? Ashley standing up for herself? Not a single one of those was written as a "terrible confrontation"- they were PBS daytime kid show sanitary, or Playhouse Disney, not only were they tame, they were LAME. These situations had potential to become "terrible confrontations", but nope, didn't happen.
There wasn't any "facing the truth about themselves" either. Again- so much lost potential for character and plot development. Everything was SO glossed over and taken care of and "easy peasy lemon squeezy" that it was disgusting.
Completely missed the scintillating wit- again, the jacket writer needs a dictionary. Nothing sparkling, brilliant or clever at all in the book (BTW- those are synonyms for "scintillating wit"). I missed the "Crisp insights" also- all I saw was a handful of women who don't look past appearances. Didn't laugh once while reading- I grimaced a lot, rolled my eyes and groaned through most of it, nearly chucked the book every other page, found parts revolting in its lack of awareness (I guess that's the sobering part?) and was not entertained at all. While I'm ranting- I don't think there was a single complex sentence in the entire book. Everything was written on a fourth or fifth grade reading level. It completely mucked up the flow. This does not entice me to read any of her other books. I'm glad this was a library book.
August 1, 2014
I had to stop reading this book because of the profuse overuse of exclamation points. I mean on practically every page somebody is exclaiming and yelling something to the point where I felt exhausted and annoyed. Why was every single character so hysterical? Here's some examples: "Oh Maise! Thanks!" "Hey! How are you?" "No! Tell me!" "Great!" "Thanks!" "Me too! Night Y'all!" "Please!" "Well, Hello, Liz!" "Absolutely!" "Hi Liz!" "You too!" "Come on in!" "Sure!" "Thanks, Dad!" "Mrs. Waters! What a nice surprise!" "Mr. Whalley!" "Okay! Love you! Gotta go now!" "Later!" "I've got this! I've got this!" I'm not kidding; the whole book is like this with at least 3 to 4 exclamation points per page. In one paragraph I found SIX exclamation points and the character was only eating an appetizer. I mean really, how exciting can cheese and prosciutto be? That said, I began reading this book with great amusement and thought I'd be in for a really enjoyable ride. But the middle section sunk and became redundant and all the characters' voices began to sound the same: clever, sassy, self-absorbed, and smart-ass witty. I will say that some of this was really fun reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My apologies to the author for this petty criticism (so sorry), but when so much ordinary dialogue is constantly exclaimed page after page after page, the credibility of the characters fail and the story dries out to a bone, at least for me. I will try another of Frank's books because I can see this is a talented writer with a funny bone to share and a terrific perspective into human nature, but where the heck was the editor with that red pen?
My apologies to the author for this petty criticism (so sorry), but when so much ordinary dialogue is constantly exclaimed page after page after page, the credibility of the characters fail and the story dries out to a bone, at least for me. I will try another of Frank's books because I can see this is a talented writer with a funny bone to share and a terrific perspective into human nature, but where the heck was the editor with that red pen?
July 1, 2015
I must have read a journal review somewhere that completely misled me--this was like reading a middle-grade novel complete with life lessons. The southern accents were annoying enough but I kept thinking, OK, this story is about to get dark (and interesting). Nope. Just corny humor and lots of didactic, stilted, unrealistic dialogue (older woman: "Did you know 36,000 women in South Carolina are abused every year?" Younger woman: "Really?? 36,000? I had no idea!" Older woman: "Yes, 36,000 women are abused by their husbands or boyfriends every year in South Carolina."). And the ending! Holy cow, everything turned out so hunky-dory and perfect! (Oops, here come all the spoilers....) I mean EVERYTHING. Complete recovery from a stroke, amateur artist sells out ALL her paintings after suddenly being discovered, artist makes so much money she can finally go to Paris (her dream), the all-but-broken marriage is now better than ever because the self-absorbed man changed his ways in late middle age, the nasty senator goes to jail, and basically the family's long-time problems are all fixed with tears and hugs (and money). Just ridiculous.
December 4, 2014
From the very first chapter of a book, I can tell if I'm going to be pulled into a riveting story that I won't want to stop reading until the last sentence is done, or if I'll be skipping over large chunks of the story to get to that last sentence. Unfortunately for this book, it was the latter.
There was no storyline development, just a series of dull events from dull and ill thought out characters who I just couldn't grow to like. Domestic abuse is obviously an important issue, and one that Frank clearly feels strongly about, but the way she tried to incorporate it into the story using Ashley and Liz's characters felt preachy and rushed.
Sorry, but on the strength of this book I wouldn't feel compelled to read another by this author.
* Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
There was no storyline development, just a series of dull events from dull and ill thought out characters who I just couldn't grow to like. Domestic abuse is obviously an important issue, and one that Frank clearly feels strongly about, but the way she tried to incorporate it into the story using Ashley and Liz's characters felt preachy and rushed.
Sorry, but on the strength of this book I wouldn't feel compelled to read another by this author.
* Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 5, 2015
Read for a book club. Ashley lives with her best friend in her parents beach cottage. Her parents, Liz and Clayton are having marital difficulties and her grandmother, Maisie, is in a relationship with the man hired to be her driver. Ashley's brother, Ivy is gay, in a committed relationship and some of the family haven't embraced this.
Ashley has designs on marrying an up-and-coming politician named Porter. She sees herself as the next Jackie Kennedy. As they start to date, there are hints that Porter has abusive tendencies. The characters felt cliché and the plot predictable.
Doreothea Benton Frank is hugely popular--her writing style is not a good match for me.
Ashley has designs on marrying an up-and-coming politician named Porter. She sees herself as the next Jackie Kennedy. As they start to date, there are hints that Porter has abusive tendencies. The characters felt cliché and the plot predictable.
Doreothea Benton Frank is hugely popular--her writing style is not a good match for me.
June 29, 2014
Book plot: Cool, grande dame grandmother; insipid, do-gooder mother; wealthy, workaholic father; gay son; artist daughter trying to find herself. Father has affair, crawls back to wife; daughter is raped by senator and only reluctantly reveals it; Grandmother and son cope!
That's it folks! Go watch a soap opera!
How many more days until the Ken Follett new book--real literature--is out? I may not make it!
That's it folks! Go watch a soap opera!
How many more days until the Ken Follett new book--real literature--is out? I may not make it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 24, 2014
original review first appeared on The Novel Life http://wp.me/p2jtmF-KK
The Hurricane Sisters follows three generations of women living in Charleston and adjacent Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. As in any family, this one has its share of dysfunctions, secrets and drama. The novel opens with the celebration of Maisie's 80th birthday - mother to Liz and grandmother to Ivy {childhood nickname from his Clayton Bernard Waters, IV} and his younger sister, Ashley. Ivy escaped the family drama and emotional digs by moving to San Francisco, but when he brings his partner both in business and in life to the birthday celebration, mom and dad cannot help but express their disapproval of his lifestyle.
The same is true for Ashley. She is living in her parent's beach house on Sullivan's Island with roommate and best friend, Mary Beth {for free}. Both girls are only making around $10/hour in their respective jobs although roommate Mary Beth has her teaching degree and Ashley "wasted" her time in college studying art. Clayton and Liz express their disapproval of daughter and Ashley's seemingly wasting her life away {and parental financial support} by working in an art gallery and painting in the shed behind the beach house.
Grandmother Maisie gets her shots in by being overly supportive of her grandkids and their choices and by bringing up her deceased daughter and Liz's sister, Juliet, in every other sentence. This, of course, leads Liz to be extremely jealous and even more combative towards her mother and hateful to her daughter.
Whew! With a family like that who needs enemies, right?
Father Clayton does some kind of investment work in New York City during the week and is home in Charleston on the weekends. Mother Liz works for the local domestic violence shelter and is quite passionate about her work with the shelter. Clayton and Liz hired 60 years young debonair, Skipper, to be Maisie's driver and helpmate but to their mortification, Skipper becomes Maisie's young stud and moves in with her {the announcement is made at Maisie's birthday dinner!}.
Just your average southern family.
I really wanted to like this one. I've only read one of Frank's fifteen novels, Shem Creek, probably a hundred years ago and remember enjoying it, and everything I've ever read is so glowing about Dottie Frank's novels. I just knew I would love this one.
But.
Perhaps it's that I've been reading more literary fiction rather than contemporary women's fiction? I found the dialogue to be grating and stilted. I understand how the slang words used were part of the storyline, but overall the conversations between the characters {in my opinion} just did not seem real or to flow well. What does "YOLO" mean anyways? I have an 18, 20, and 22 year old and they don't talk like that. At all.
The point of view disagreed with me. While typically I enjoy hearing from different characters, The Hurricane Sisters had Maisie, Clayton, Liz, and Ashley all taking on different chapters and talking to the reader as if we were sitting in a bar and they were disclosing their most intimate family secrets to me, a perfect stranger. For example, Clayton's chapter begins with "Sorry to interrupt but you need to know my story too."
The neat wrap-up, during an almost hurricane no less, did not seem to be plausible, and it felt rushed - as if Frank had run out of steam with the story.
The things I DID like about The Hurricane Sisters are solid and shows Frank's ability to know her characters.
The research Frank did into domestic violence was spot on. The grooming and mind control of a victim; the victim second and third guessing her own judgment; family members discounting or not recognizing signs and perpetrators being the least expected guy in the room. Frank did an excellent job showing how even the brightest person can fall under the spell of a sweet-tongued devil.
Another aspect of the novel that resonated with me {probably because of the age of my own children} was the push and pull of Ashley and her parents regarding parental support. At what point do you push your babies out of the nest and expect them to fly? Frank really got it with her ability to show the relationship of allowing your child to grow up, stepping back as a parent while learning to be that parent to your adult children. does that make sense? Much different from being a parent to a 10 year old that's for sure!
The Hurricane Sisters follows three generations of women living in Charleston and adjacent Sullivan's Island, South Carolina. As in any family, this one has its share of dysfunctions, secrets and drama. The novel opens with the celebration of Maisie's 80th birthday - mother to Liz and grandmother to Ivy {childhood nickname from his Clayton Bernard Waters, IV} and his younger sister, Ashley. Ivy escaped the family drama and emotional digs by moving to San Francisco, but when he brings his partner both in business and in life to the birthday celebration, mom and dad cannot help but express their disapproval of his lifestyle.
The same is true for Ashley. She is living in her parent's beach house on Sullivan's Island with roommate and best friend, Mary Beth {for free}. Both girls are only making around $10/hour in their respective jobs although roommate Mary Beth has her teaching degree and Ashley "wasted" her time in college studying art. Clayton and Liz express their disapproval of daughter and Ashley's seemingly wasting her life away {and parental financial support} by working in an art gallery and painting in the shed behind the beach house.
Grandmother Maisie gets her shots in by being overly supportive of her grandkids and their choices and by bringing up her deceased daughter and Liz's sister, Juliet, in every other sentence. This, of course, leads Liz to be extremely jealous and even more combative towards her mother and hateful to her daughter.
Whew! With a family like that who needs enemies, right?
Father Clayton does some kind of investment work in New York City during the week and is home in Charleston on the weekends. Mother Liz works for the local domestic violence shelter and is quite passionate about her work with the shelter. Clayton and Liz hired 60 years young debonair, Skipper, to be Maisie's driver and helpmate but to their mortification, Skipper becomes Maisie's young stud and moves in with her {the announcement is made at Maisie's birthday dinner!}.
Just your average southern family.
I really wanted to like this one. I've only read one of Frank's fifteen novels, Shem Creek, probably a hundred years ago and remember enjoying it, and everything I've ever read is so glowing about Dottie Frank's novels. I just knew I would love this one.
But.
Perhaps it's that I've been reading more literary fiction rather than contemporary women's fiction? I found the dialogue to be grating and stilted. I understand how the slang words used were part of the storyline, but overall the conversations between the characters {in my opinion} just did not seem real or to flow well. What does "YOLO" mean anyways? I have an 18, 20, and 22 year old and they don't talk like that. At all.
The point of view disagreed with me. While typically I enjoy hearing from different characters, The Hurricane Sisters had Maisie, Clayton, Liz, and Ashley all taking on different chapters and talking to the reader as if we were sitting in a bar and they were disclosing their most intimate family secrets to me, a perfect stranger. For example, Clayton's chapter begins with "Sorry to interrupt but you need to know my story too."
The neat wrap-up, during an almost hurricane no less, did not seem to be plausible, and it felt rushed - as if Frank had run out of steam with the story.
The things I DID like about The Hurricane Sisters are solid and shows Frank's ability to know her characters.
The research Frank did into domestic violence was spot on. The grooming and mind control of a victim; the victim second and third guessing her own judgment; family members discounting or not recognizing signs and perpetrators being the least expected guy in the room. Frank did an excellent job showing how even the brightest person can fall under the spell of a sweet-tongued devil.
Another aspect of the novel that resonated with me {probably because of the age of my own children} was the push and pull of Ashley and her parents regarding parental support. At what point do you push your babies out of the nest and expect them to fly? Frank really got it with her ability to show the relationship of allowing your child to grow up, stepping back as a parent while learning to be that parent to your adult children. does that make sense? Much different from being a parent to a 10 year old that's for sure!
June 19, 2014
You can always count on Dorothea Benton Frank to deliver a terrific summer read to hunker down with on the beach. Her contribution this year is The Hurricane Sisters, which once again features a gorgeous cover.
We meet eighty-year-old Maisie Pringle, celebrating her birthday with her driver-turned-boyfriend Skipper, who is a much younger (65!) man. He and Maisie are very happy together, much to the chagrin of Maisie's daughter Liz, who at first glance is kind of a stick-in-the-mud.
Liz's twenty-something daughter Ashley lives in the family's somewhat rundown beach house on an island off of Charleston, South Carolina. Ashley works in an art gallery for ten dollars an hour and aspires to be an artist and visit Rome, Paris and New York. Her college friend Mary Beth can't find a teaching job, so she works for a caterer and lives with Ashley.
Liz is married to Clayton, who works in finance and spends most of his week in New York City. They also have a son, Clayton, called Ivy because he is Clayton IV in the family. Ivy lives in San Francisco with his business and life partner James, and though his parents had a difficult time with the fact that he is gay (they sent him to a conversion camp when he was a teen), they all seem to have made their way back to each other.
Ashley has a crush on a state senator, Porter, who is a bit John Edwards/John Kennedy-ish. She dreams of being his Jackie Kennedy, and when she meets him at an event and they start dating, it seems that her dreams may come true.
But Porter proves to be very controlling. He tells Ashley how to speak, how to act, and is generally very critical of her. Mary Beth and Maisie warn Ashley about Porter, but Ashley makes excuses for his behavior. When one of Porter's ex-girlfriend's tries to warn Ashley, she chalks it up to jealousy until the situation worsens.
Frank tackles the issue of domestic violence here, in a manner that may surprise people. South Carolina has the highest rate of women murdered by their husband/boyfriend, and Frank shows us how insidious domestic violence can be.
It doesn't just happen to women who are trapped, have children to support and nowhere to turn. It can happen to an intelligent, educated woman from a good family who should know better because her mother works for a domestic violence program. Frank definitely gives the reader something to think deeply about, and even offers the reader a way to help at the end of the book.
Of course, she still has her fabulous sense of Southern humor. I cackle at her one-liners, like this one from Liz, who says "Let me tell you, my friend, the gene pool is a mighty big place and like they say, there's literally no lifeguard."
Frank also again has an interesting take on marriage, and how difficult it can be and how much care you must take to stay connected, like she did in her last book, The Last Original Wife. And again, I got lots of great restaurant suggestion for my Charleston Pinterest board.
There is so much in this fantastic book, told from the alternating perspectives of Maisie, Liz, Ashley and Clayton, that I would love to read a prequel, telling us more about Maisie, Liz and Liz's sister Juliet who died young. I feel there is an amazing story there as well.
The only problem with my Dorothea Benton Frank novels is that they all have sunscreen on the pages from turning them so quickly.
We meet eighty-year-old Maisie Pringle, celebrating her birthday with her driver-turned-boyfriend Skipper, who is a much younger (65!) man. He and Maisie are very happy together, much to the chagrin of Maisie's daughter Liz, who at first glance is kind of a stick-in-the-mud.
Liz's twenty-something daughter Ashley lives in the family's somewhat rundown beach house on an island off of Charleston, South Carolina. Ashley works in an art gallery for ten dollars an hour and aspires to be an artist and visit Rome, Paris and New York. Her college friend Mary Beth can't find a teaching job, so she works for a caterer and lives with Ashley.
Liz is married to Clayton, who works in finance and spends most of his week in New York City. They also have a son, Clayton, called Ivy because he is Clayton IV in the family. Ivy lives in San Francisco with his business and life partner James, and though his parents had a difficult time with the fact that he is gay (they sent him to a conversion camp when he was a teen), they all seem to have made their way back to each other.
Ashley has a crush on a state senator, Porter, who is a bit John Edwards/John Kennedy-ish. She dreams of being his Jackie Kennedy, and when she meets him at an event and they start dating, it seems that her dreams may come true.
But Porter proves to be very controlling. He tells Ashley how to speak, how to act, and is generally very critical of her. Mary Beth and Maisie warn Ashley about Porter, but Ashley makes excuses for his behavior. When one of Porter's ex-girlfriend's tries to warn Ashley, she chalks it up to jealousy until the situation worsens.
Frank tackles the issue of domestic violence here, in a manner that may surprise people. South Carolina has the highest rate of women murdered by their husband/boyfriend, and Frank shows us how insidious domestic violence can be.
It doesn't just happen to women who are trapped, have children to support and nowhere to turn. It can happen to an intelligent, educated woman from a good family who should know better because her mother works for a domestic violence program. Frank definitely gives the reader something to think deeply about, and even offers the reader a way to help at the end of the book.
Of course, she still has her fabulous sense of Southern humor. I cackle at her one-liners, like this one from Liz, who says "Let me tell you, my friend, the gene pool is a mighty big place and like they say, there's literally no lifeguard."
Frank also again has an interesting take on marriage, and how difficult it can be and how much care you must take to stay connected, like she did in her last book, The Last Original Wife. And again, I got lots of great restaurant suggestion for my Charleston Pinterest board.
There is so much in this fantastic book, told from the alternating perspectives of Maisie, Liz, Ashley and Clayton, that I would love to read a prequel, telling us more about Maisie, Liz and Liz's sister Juliet who died young. I feel there is an amazing story there as well.
The only problem with my Dorothea Benton Frank novels is that they all have sunscreen on the pages from turning them so quickly.
May 24, 2016
I am a fan of Dorothea Benton Frank. I have never visited South Carolina but for some reason the Lowcountry interests me. It could be because it seems so different from where I am from, dry high plains desert, Wyoming. Ya think?
In this story, we are introduced to three headstrong women each with a secret and each with a contentious relationship to the others. Maisie Pringle is 80 and a bit eccentric. She still lives alone. Well ,not exactly, her daughter and son-in-law, Liz and Clayton have hired a younger man (he is 65) to be her driver. Skipper has a llama farm. What could be more eccentric than that? They seem to get along well.
Liz and Clayton’s marriage has stale-mated in a classic way. She is involved in an emotionally demanding career, and her stock broker husband is basically absent and self absorbed. They have two children who refer to them as The Impossibles. Ashley is an aspiring artist, living in the family beach house and Ivy, their son, is a kind, caring successful young man living in California with his partner, James.
Ashley’s personal life this summer includes a budding relationship with an aspiring local politician. She can see herself as the next Jackie Kennedy. Porter sees her as his next conquest. Trouble!! Even though her mother is an expert in the field of domestic abuse, Ashley misses all the signs in her effort to fulfill her dream of a future in Camelot.
As the summer storms keep brewing, the stormy relationship of these three women and their partners and friends comes to a dramatic conclusion.
I liked this book for the most part. At times I felt it was a bit stilted as each Mother/daughter relationship played out. I have a bit of familiarity about the secrets revealed and felt a little of it did not ring true. I will reveal no spoilers here, but I found Liz and Clayton hard to grasp. That being said, I liked the book a lot and will wait to post this review until my book club has their discussion Tuesday. 5-17. Just to keep you informed, my book club did not much care for this story. Several said they "couldn't relate to the characters" because they were wealthy?? Don't we sometimes read books to live the lives others live, to see how the other half gets by? Oh, well! Like I always say, "It is good we all don't have the same taste in books, food, or men!" I recommend this book.
In this story, we are introduced to three headstrong women each with a secret and each with a contentious relationship to the others. Maisie Pringle is 80 and a bit eccentric. She still lives alone. Well ,not exactly, her daughter and son-in-law, Liz and Clayton have hired a younger man (he is 65) to be her driver. Skipper has a llama farm. What could be more eccentric than that? They seem to get along well.
Liz and Clayton’s marriage has stale-mated in a classic way. She is involved in an emotionally demanding career, and her stock broker husband is basically absent and self absorbed. They have two children who refer to them as The Impossibles. Ashley is an aspiring artist, living in the family beach house and Ivy, their son, is a kind, caring successful young man living in California with his partner, James.
Ashley’s personal life this summer includes a budding relationship with an aspiring local politician. She can see herself as the next Jackie Kennedy. Porter sees her as his next conquest. Trouble!! Even though her mother is an expert in the field of domestic abuse, Ashley misses all the signs in her effort to fulfill her dream of a future in Camelot.
As the summer storms keep brewing, the stormy relationship of these three women and their partners and friends comes to a dramatic conclusion.
I liked this book for the most part. At times I felt it was a bit stilted as each Mother/daughter relationship played out. I have a bit of familiarity about the secrets revealed and felt a little of it did not ring true. I will reveal no spoilers here, but I found Liz and Clayton hard to grasp. That being said, I liked the book a lot and will wait to post this review until my book club has their discussion Tuesday. 5-17. Just to keep you informed, my book club did not much care for this story. Several said they "couldn't relate to the characters" because they were wealthy?? Don't we sometimes read books to live the lives others live, to see how the other half gets by? Oh, well! Like I always say, "It is good we all don't have the same taste in books, food, or men!" I recommend this book.
September 5, 2015
The novel begins with a peek into an eccentric, dysfunctional family headed by matriarch Maisie, who, at eighty, is very much in charge. Her quirkiness and her current love, a man named Skipper, who raises llamas, are on full display during her birthday party event attended by many, but especially spotlighting her own family: her daughter Liz and husband, Clayton Waters; their daughter Ashley, a budding artist who lives in the family cottage on Sullivan's Island; and their son Ivy, nicknamed thus because he is Clayton Waters IV. His new partner, James, captures attention from them all.
The Hurricane Sisters: A Novel is set in South Carolina, in Charleston and on Sullivan's Island, with a little visit now and then to Clayton's New York apartment, where some unsavory happenings are taking place.
Narrated alternately by Maisie, Liz, Ashley, and Clayton, we get an insider's view of each family member, and before the tale has ended, we are rooting for the fun to be back in "dysfunctional." Hurricanes are like another character in the story, and Liz's work for domestic violence victims helps bring out some old secrets...and protects another potential victim.
The author does a great job of showing us what this family's world looks like through great descriptions and internal monologues that made me feel that I was right there with them.
Cocky characters like a senator named Porter Galloway helped flesh out the issue of domestic violence, and the threat of an impending hurricane reminded us that bonding can occur at the most unlikely times. Another enjoyable story from a favorite author: 4.0 stars.
The Hurricane Sisters: A Novel is set in South Carolina, in Charleston and on Sullivan's Island, with a little visit now and then to Clayton's New York apartment, where some unsavory happenings are taking place.
Narrated alternately by Maisie, Liz, Ashley, and Clayton, we get an insider's view of each family member, and before the tale has ended, we are rooting for the fun to be back in "dysfunctional." Hurricanes are like another character in the story, and Liz's work for domestic violence victims helps bring out some old secrets...and protects another potential victim.
The author does a great job of showing us what this family's world looks like through great descriptions and internal monologues that made me feel that I was right there with them.
Cocky characters like a senator named Porter Galloway helped flesh out the issue of domestic violence, and the threat of an impending hurricane reminded us that bonding can occur at the most unlikely times. Another enjoyable story from a favorite author: 4.0 stars.
July 9, 2014
For a book about abuse, there was no depth, and it felt rushed. The characters were just not believable at all. Told from multiple points of view, there was way too much telling and not enough showing emotion. I didn't FEEL any of it--the date-rape--the unfaithful husband--the loss of a daughter/sister. Hugely disappointing.
January 23, 2024
4.5 stars
November 25, 2018
THE HURRICANE SISTERS is another excellent read by Dorothea Benton Frank. I especially appreciate how her storyline shows that domestic violence doesn't discriminate. In fact, it occurs in every socio-economic stratum, every academic achievement level, every financial status, every political party, every spiritual and religious tradition, and every ethnicity. No area in humanity is exempt. I highly recommend this book.
December 15, 2022
Two-haiku review:
Three generations
Each woman has own problems
All suffered losses
Enjoyed it a lot
Quintessential Southern gals
Heart-warming ending
Three generations
Each woman has own problems
All suffered losses
Enjoyed it a lot
Quintessential Southern gals
Heart-warming ending
October 13, 2024
This story’s beginning chapters didn’t catch my attention as the author’s other books have. I’m am so glad I didn’t stop reading this story because it takes a turn which surprised me. I couldn’t put this story down. My family and I are victim’s of domestic violence. If you as a reader are in denial I plead with you to get help. Make a stand for yourself and if you have a family, for them too. Please.
May 3, 2016
Please note that this book deals with rape.
You know I used to eat up Ms. Frank's books like candy a few years back. She made me dream of the lowcountry and smelling salt air. Her last few books have been a struggle to get through though. This one had too many characters and an epilogue that made me roll my eyes.
The Hurricane Sisters follows several characters: Maisie Pringle, the family matriarch, Maisie's daughter Liz, Liz's husband Clayton, and Liz and Clayton's son Ivy and daughter Ashley.
I disliked each of these characters except for Ivy. I thought it was cute how he got his name (he is the IV so he became Ivy) and I liked his relationship in the book. Unfortunately we don't get to spend that much time on him. We just keep getting thrust back into the stupidity of the other characters.
Maisie is highly critical of Liz and not loving to her at all and seems determined to spoil her grandchildren. When we get why Maisie acted the way she did in the end I thought it was pretty childish all in all and doesn't make any sense since Liz is her only child still living. I think readers were supposed to be charmed by her eccentricities.
Liz is a martyr, full stop. So even though I had some pangs of sympathy for her, I was sick of reading about it. Putting your hand in the sand about your marriage is not something to be proud of or applauded.
Ashley was infuriating as hell. Her getting a crush on a Senator and excusing everything that he does to her because she wants to be First Lady one day? I mean come on. There is another scene that I won't get into here, but I was appalled at how Frank handled it and had Ashley kind of shrugging off what happened to her.
Clayton was an ass. I don't have much to say to him except I am hard pressed to see what attracted him or Liz to each other at all.
The secondary characters like Ashley's best friend Mary Beth were given nothing to do really. I was also really offended by how Ms. Frank portrays a supposedly Saudi businessman who was on a nearby boat that Mary Beth was dating.
The writing was pretty bad in my opinion. Every time the character Ashley "spoke" I wanted to shake her. Sorry, I had a really tough time dealing with this character who had the mentality of a 12 year old who all she wanted to be was first lady of the U.S. like Jackie Kennedy Onassis.
Sorry, five characters was way too many for this book. It jumped around a lot and the flow was terrible from beginning to end.
The final reveal of what happened to Liz's sister Julia I thought was ham-fisted and lacked any sort of emotion behind it because Ms. Frank seems to think that Southern people just don't discuss their emotions or feelings.
The ending I think was supposed to wrap everything up in a tidy bow, but we pretty much had every character in a state of arrested development as far as I can see.
You know I used to eat up Ms. Frank's books like candy a few years back. She made me dream of the lowcountry and smelling salt air. Her last few books have been a struggle to get through though. This one had too many characters and an epilogue that made me roll my eyes.
The Hurricane Sisters follows several characters: Maisie Pringle, the family matriarch, Maisie's daughter Liz, Liz's husband Clayton, and Liz and Clayton's son Ivy and daughter Ashley.
I disliked each of these characters except for Ivy. I thought it was cute how he got his name (he is the IV so he became Ivy) and I liked his relationship in the book. Unfortunately we don't get to spend that much time on him. We just keep getting thrust back into the stupidity of the other characters.
Maisie is highly critical of Liz and not loving to her at all and seems determined to spoil her grandchildren. When we get why Maisie acted the way she did in the end I thought it was pretty childish all in all and doesn't make any sense since Liz is her only child still living. I think readers were supposed to be charmed by her eccentricities.
Liz is a martyr, full stop. So even though I had some pangs of sympathy for her, I was sick of reading about it. Putting your hand in the sand about your marriage is not something to be proud of or applauded.
Ashley was infuriating as hell. Her getting a crush on a Senator and excusing everything that he does to her because she wants to be First Lady one day? I mean come on. There is another scene that I won't get into here, but I was appalled at how Frank handled it and had Ashley kind of shrugging off what happened to her.
Clayton was an ass. I don't have much to say to him except I am hard pressed to see what attracted him or Liz to each other at all.
The secondary characters like Ashley's best friend Mary Beth were given nothing to do really. I was also really offended by how Ms. Frank portrays a supposedly Saudi businessman who was on a nearby boat that Mary Beth was dating.
The writing was pretty bad in my opinion. Every time the character Ashley "spoke" I wanted to shake her. Sorry, I had a really tough time dealing with this character who had the mentality of a 12 year old who all she wanted to be was first lady of the U.S. like Jackie Kennedy Onassis.
Sorry, five characters was way too many for this book. It jumped around a lot and the flow was terrible from beginning to end.
The final reveal of what happened to Liz's sister Julia I thought was ham-fisted and lacked any sort of emotion behind it because Ms. Frank seems to think that Southern people just don't discuss their emotions or feelings.
The ending I think was supposed to wrap everything up in a tidy bow, but we pretty much had every character in a state of arrested development as far as I can see.
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