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Plantation (Lowcountry Tales #2)

Dorothea Benton Frank (Goodreads Author),

Susie Breck

4.16 · Rating details · 9,021 Ratings · 398 Reviews

When Caroline Wimbley Levine learns that her mother, Miss Lavinia, has supposedly gone mad, she leaves the big city bustle of Manhattan and returns to Tall Pines Plantation. Caroline originally left Tall Pines to escape her feisty, eccentric mother and her drunken brother, Trip, but when Miss Lavinia dies, Caroline is forced to come to terms with her family's troubled hist ...more

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Published August 28th 2001 by Brilliance Audio (first published July 1st 2001)

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Oct 29, 2017 Zainab Shah rated it liked it · review of another edition

Ehh it was a pretty good book.

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Jun 04, 2010 Kimberly rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own, 2010, fiction, loaned-out

The characters in Plantation are fantastic! Love them (Miss Lavinia) or not (Frances Mae), they are all vividly portrayed and intriguing. Certain characters reminded me so much of members of my own family, especially Trip's brood (I probably shouldn't say that, haha!). Frank's descriptions of the ACE Basin are so colorful and graphic you can feel the mugginess in the air, taste Miss Sweetie's strawberry jam, and smell Miss Lavinia's roses. This is one of the few books I've read that emotes both ...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Carolyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I've read several excellent novels set in the Low Country of the U.S. Southeast (roughly, along the tidal coast between Charleston and Savannah) by three authors: Pat Conroy, Anne Rivers Siddons, and Dorothea Benton Frank. Though a long way from being a native, I'm familiar with the territory because my husband grew up in Savannah and one of my brothers has lived in the Charleston area for 45 years or so.

As with the others, this book's characters are so richly drawn I felt as if I knew them as ...more

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May 02, 2008 Gloria rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This may have even been better than Sullivan's Island, which was the first Frank book for me. It was so clever and funny, but yet so poignant. The characters were so well developed--it was a really fun read, for sure. Hmmm, which Dorothea Benton Frank book I will tackle next?????

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Sep 10, 2011 Judi Anne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I picked this novel up at a local library book sale for 25 cents and I got a big surprise when I opened the book and started reading. I couldn't stop turning the pages of this mesmerizing story of a family in distress in the Low Country, which are the islands surrounding Charleston, SC. As I was reading this wonderful novel I couldn't help thinking the the writing style seemed similar to a cross between Pat Conroy and Fannie Flag, two popular southern authors. This novel will be a revisit for an I picked this novel up at a local library book sale for 25 cents and I got a big surprise when I opened the book and started reading. I couldn't stop turning the pages of this mesmerizing story of a family in distress in the Low Country, which are the islands surrounding Charleston, SC. As I was reading this wonderful novel I couldn't help thinking the the writing style seemed similar to a cross between Pat Conroy and Fannie Flag, two popular southern authors. This novel will be a revisit for anyone who has been to the shores of South Carolina and for anyone who has not, I will bet that you will make plans to visit soon after reading this smart and sassy tale of the shores of the Low Country. Also, the language is right on for that area. I only say this because I read a comment where a reviewer asks the question, "Who talks like that"?

From page one you know that the matriarch of the family, Lavinia has died since the prologue starts out with her funeral. From the first chapter the story goes back a few months and brings you up to that time. During this time you will get to know and love the characters of the dysfunctional Wimbly family and their friends. "Plantation" is such an emotional roller coaster that I promise they will keep you smiling, laughing out loud and boo hooing like a baby.

Caroline Wimbly has fled to New York City to get away from her mother and the Low Country. She marries and has a son who has learning disabilities. When her disastrous marriage falls apart, she and her son flee NYC to return to her home where she feels safe. Even though her brother is in financial trouble, and his wife is a loose tongued, mean spirited piece of trash she begins to feel as though she has really come home. In light of all of this and while she is in the mist of several other colorful characters, she finds comfort in the arms of her cantankerous but larger than life mother and her surrogate mother, Millie, the housekeeper. Caroline begins a journey of new found love of family and her very own Low Country of South Carolina. As, they say in the south, "It's a hoot, ya heah?"
...more

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Sep 20, 2013 Anne (Booklady) Molinarolo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fall-2013, good-fiction, permanent-library, womens-fiction

I love Dorothea Benton Frank. She always writes wonderful stories with very strong women characters and Plantation is no exception. Millie is wonderful with her fiery personality and her Gullah dialect and her potions. She is a great sidekick to Miss Lavinia, the Queen of Tall Pines. Miss Lavinia is eccentric as they come. She rules her little world with a strict discipline - Miss Manners must be proud. She is irreverent. She is funny. She is warm when she wants to be. And she loves to have fun ...more

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Feb 01, 2011 Clare rated it did not like it · review of another edition

One star is too many for this book. In the spirit of full disclosure, I need to say that I could not get past the first 100 pages before I put it down in disgust. The author relies on stereotypes (a pregnant woman thinks she is going to have a girl because she craves pink food), improbablities (a woman says nothing to her husband after calling his hotel room and his jealous ex-wife answers the phone), and misinformation (the information shared regarding learning disabilites is misleading and jus ...more

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Aug 08, 2009 Stacy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

moves right to the top of my list.......can't wait for "Lowcontry Summer"......God Bless Dottie Frank!

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Jan 13, 2016 Christina rated it liked it · review of another edition

Nice easy read. I liked it a lot...was it a five star read? heavens, no, but it was an entertaining easy read where I didn't need to think at all so it was just the book to get me out of my reading slump.
It dragged a wee bit for the last third, but then don't all things drag a bit in the South ? :)

2 and a half star read...I gave it the extra half here on good reads, because it helped me get out of my reading slump.

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Mar 11, 2018 Patricia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I enjoyed the Prologue tremendously. The next 100 pages were just okay, but it kept getting better after that. I loved the character development and the setting in the Lowcountry of South Carolina!

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Jul 03, 2012 Amanda rated it liked it · review of another edition

I really enjoyed reading this book, until the end; not that the ending was bad...I just don't care for sad endings. The whole book tended to be on the humorous side but the ending took a turn for the serious that didn't really mesh with the tone of the rest of the book.

The main character, Caroline, deals with major life changes with a quick wit and sassy southern charm. She grows up idolizing her father who was taken away from the family far too early. Caroline is left with her brother while he ...more

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Jun 19, 2010 Marcia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, x2010, fiction

Plantation by Dorothea Benton Frank has been on the "gotta get to this book" list for some time. Now that a follow-up book, Lowcountry Summer, has just come out, I figured it was time to get to Plantation which I had downloaded to my Kindle last year.

Plantation was a story of a family finding its true self again after years of misinterpretations and misunderstandings. I enjoyed seeing Caroline Wimbley Levine find her true heart and home, although it seemed at times that she certainly was taking ...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Alyce Joines rated it really liked it · review of another edition

An "eyes wide open" look at mother-daughter relationships, Plantation introduces us to Caroline Wimbley Levine who left her southern home for the big city, married and had a son. She also left behind her mother, Miss Lavinia, and her brother, Trip. Caroline comes back to the plantation after both call her with wildly varying stories of an incident in which Miss Lavinia fired a gun at Trip. Finding the truth behind this story and many others which Caroline had believed since she was a child gives ...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Jacqui rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: faves, fiction, guilty-pleasures, women

I love the molasses-y southerness of this book - the music of the speech, the visceral presence of the setting, the irreverent reverence of “Mother,” the slow waltz of character interplay.
And it was the perfect book for this moment in my life.
warning: sort of spoiler alert for next paragraph...
Having just been blind-sided by the sudden death of my mother, I, like Caroline in the novel, find myself stopped short by brief glimpses of her presence. I’ll see it out of the corner of my eye. There ...more

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Dec 12, 2009 Linda rated it liked it · review of another edition

I have read several books by Dorothea Benton Frank that I have enjoyed very much. However, I did not like Plantation as much as the others. The story is good, a grown daughter returning to South Carolina to care for her mother, however I never really connected with the daughter. She seemed to behave in ways that didn't seem in character. The descriptions of the Low Country of South Carolina are very well done. The loving and devoted housekeeper was funny and delightful, my favorite character in ...more

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Dec 14, 2008 Natalie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Ivy and Jen

Recommended to Natalie by: Aunt Cay

A masterpiece in what I would call "character-driven fiction." Much like my own writing, it's not the plot-points that sell this as much as the characters, think Fanny Flagg but faster moving fiction. The mother in this novel is one of the best female characters I've seen in a long time and quite original, warm, funny, inviting. It's told from the daughter's point of view in first person. You will bawl your eyes out towards the end when the mother holds her last great "Hurrah!" in her pontoon bo ...more

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May 25, 2011 Meg rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shit on this book. It's my own fault that I kept going, but I felt it was pretty good until 350 pages or so. I couldn't stop when I was that far invested and then it just got so much worse. Layers and layers of BS cliche southern woman rediscovering her love of home and freedom from a shit marriage and reacquaintance with her faith. Vomit on a stick! Just serve me up a 12 pack of American cheese instead; I'd feel just as disgusted upon finishing. I kept thinking if I died while I was reading thi ...more

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Oct 03, 2014 Cindy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: swapped

I guess I'd rate this one at 3.5. I liked it better than Sullivan's Island because I felt the story progressed a bit better. I am finding an unlikely amount of love interests in her stories. It seems that every man these women meet just about fall in love with them and no one ever really seems angry when the romance fizzles. And they are always so friendly with each other. No hurt feelings or jealousy. Seems a bit unrealistic to me, but it was a cute, feel good story none-the-less.

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Feb 01, 2016 Joanieg rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved this book so much. The setting was beautiful, the characters were awesome (you either love them or love to hate them), loads of good family drama and a touch of romance. Miss Lavinia will make you laugh out loud. My favorite DB Frank book so far, but I've got a lot of her books to go yet. One of my very favorite authors.

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May 22, 2012 Susan Willingham rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I should have read this one first, but I accidently read Lowcountry Summer first (which is the continuing story of the Wimbley family.) I love Miss Lavinia, owner of the plantation. She is an exact copy of my mother-in-law! Perfect manners, everything served in just the right way, with the perfect linens, dishes, and goblets. Lots of humor and sarcasm galore.

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Jul 02, 2011 Lorna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I loved Frank's Sullivan Island so I thought I would love this one too. I picked up and put it down, picked it up and put it down. Then last week I picked it up again and finished it in two days. I love the southern humor and the voodoo herbs. This is a fun read once you get past the first couple of chapters it swings into gear and you'll be laughing all the way to the end.

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Nov 29, 2014 Gwenette rated it did not like it · review of another edition

This book was a big disappointment. I had previously read A Lowcountry Summer by the same author, and this is the backstory for the characters, but SO much ridiculousness ensued that I barely made it through the book. I ended up disliking most of the main characters.

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Mar 17, 2015 Debbie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is a "ten star" book. I just could not stop reading this book and I really laughed and cried. DBF is one of the best story tellers .. hands down. I just wanted this book to go on and on. If you are looking for a great summer read HERE IT IS!

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Apr 19, 2015 Sarah rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: bookclub-selection

Somewhere around page 478 of 583 (mass paperpack edition), I slammed the book shut. Done. I read it.

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Oct 22, 2009 Miandmiksmom rated it liked it · review of another edition

This was a good book...I love the Southern culture and the story. It seemed to go on and on though...maybe because I had too many books that I was excited to read sitting on my bedside table!

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Aug 09, 2016 Connie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is a beautiful book that is both touching and funny. I loved it. I will certainly be reading more of Dorthea Benton Frank's work!

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Mar 30, 2018 Rebecca rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Lord, I love this woman's writing. If you are looking for fast-paced excitement and steamy sex, buy a different book. But if you want to sink into a slow, sensuous taste of the deep South, with all its traditions, its failings, and its triumphs, if you want to feel the low, sleepy waters of the Low Country move like warm honey through your veins, then Plantation will take you there in style. ALL of Dorothea Benton Franks books that I have read to date (and I am sadly behind) leave me wanting to ...more

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Jul 13, 2017 Susan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

If you are craving a family saga that takes place in the deep South, you will enjoy Plantation by Dorothea Benton Franks. This is actually the second book in the Lowcountry Tales series and takes place in South Carolina. It is a story of the trials and tribulations of a well-to-do Southern family who have owned Tall Pines since the original home was built on 5000 acres on the river bank in 1855. This is a home-coming. Secrets, lies, and scandals have occurred over the decades but the family ties ...more

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Sep 18, 2017 Dyann Taylor rated it liked it · review of another edition

I've enjoyed the other Lowcountry Tales by Frank that I've read, and I guess I enjoyed this one as well. But the main characters - Caroline and Miss Lavinia especially - were just two Southern cliches. The story dragged on way too long. Millie, the housekeeper and practitioner of voodoo medicine, was by far the best character. I'm glad I read it because I do like this setting. But I may take a bit of a break from Frank.

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Nov 12, 2017 Diane Harris rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I fell in love with Caroline, Lavinia and Trip, and Frank's writing gets better with each book. They are not completely formulaic and there are surprises that keep me interested. I want to visit each and every setting of her books after I've read them. I dwell in the aura for awhile before I venture to the next book. They leave me with such a good feeling. Exactly what I desire from a recreational book.

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About Dorothea Benton Frank

Dorothea Benton Frank

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

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

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