Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Tuesday Memes: The Hurricane Sisters


Every Tuesday Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea hosts First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros, where you can share the first paragraph, or a few, of a book you are reading or thinking about reading soon.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along!

Today I am spotlighting The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank


Filled with her trademark wit, sassy, heartwarming characters, and the steamy Southern atmosphere and beauty of her beloved Carolina Lowcountry, The Hurricane Sisters is New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank's enchanting tale of the ties and lies between generations.

Beloved New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank once again takes us deep in the heart of the magical Lowcountry--a sultry land of ancient magic, glorious sunsets, and soothing coastal breezes, where three generations of strong women wrestle with the expectations of family while struggling to understand their complicated relationships with each other.

Best friends since the first day of classes at The College of Charleston, Ashley Anne Waters and Mary Beth Smythe, now 23 years old, live in Ashley's parents' beach house rent-free. Ashley is a gallery assistant who aspires to become an artist. Mary Beth, a gifted cook from Tennessee, works for a caterer while searching for a good teaching job. Though they both know what they want out of life, their parents barely support their dreams and worry for their precarious finances.

While they don't make much money, the girls do have a million-dollar view that comes with living in that fabulous house on Sullivans Island. Sipping wine on the porch and watching a blood-red sunset, Ashley and Mary Beth hit on a brilliant and lucrative idea. With a new coat of paint, the first floor would be a perfect place for soirees for paying guests. Knowing her parents would be horrified at the idea of common strangers trampling through their home, Ashley won't tell them. Besides, Clayton and Liz Waters have enough problems of their own.

A successful investment banker, Clayton is too often found in his pied-a-terre in Manhattan--which Liz is sure he uses to have an affair. And when will Ashley and her brother, Ivy, a gay man with a very wealthy and very Asian life partner--ever grow up? Then there is Maisie, Liz's mother, the family matriarch who has just turned eighty, who never lets Liz forget that she's not her perfect dead sister, Juliet.

For these Lowcountry women, an emotional hurricane is about to blow through their lives, wreaking havoc that will test them in unexpected ways, ultimately transforming the bonds they share.

Opening Paragraph

    My husband, Clayton, and I were at the police station getting my mother, Maisie, out of jail for brushing up against the wrong side of the law. Her actual charges were still unclear. She claims it is not against any law in the state of South Carolina to take a llama for a walk on the open road. He was, after all, on a leash. The local police beg to differ, saying this is a case of animal cruelty, endangerment, and reckless behavior. Legal or not, it wasn’t normal. I was glad they brought her in to the police station until I could get there because her behaviour surely demonstrates a lack of sound judgment. Or not. Maisie was crazy like a fox and we all knew it. So I sat and waited while Clayton made things right between the Town of Mount Pleasant and Maisie by writing a check.


My Teaser

    All I can tell you is that every family on the planet is dysfunctional and we celebrate occasions as generously as we know how to do. We were all doing our best to appear grateful to have one another. Weren’t appearance worth something?
page 21

So...what do you think? Is this one you would pick up? Leave a comment below!


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21 comments:

  1. Looks like it might be a fun beach read. I love the cover - very striking.

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  2. It's been awhile since I've read Dorothea Benton Frank - she does write great beach reads and I love reading about the low country!

    Here's Mine: http://www.sarahsbookshelves.com/fiction/first-chapter-first-paragraph-tuesday-intros-secret-life-violet-grant-beatriz-williams/

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  3. I'm hoping to start this one soon. I met Dorothea Benton Frank at BEA last week and got a signed copy of this book.

    My Tuesday intro: http://www.bookclublibrarian.com/2014/06/first-chapter-first-paragraph-63.html

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    1. How fun that you got to meet her! Enjoy the book!

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  4. I would definitely read it. Simply because it's written by Dorothea Benton Frank. I remember her Low Country and Sullivan's Island and Shem Creek. These opening sentences about the mother are hilarious, at least to me. Enjoy!

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  5. def sounds interesting enough to continue..
    my tt is a bit of classic nostalgia

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  6. I think every family may be a little dysfunctional in their own ways, so that's a fun teaser! Sounds like the Carolina setting plays a big role in the story too.

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  7. This sounds like a great story with plenty of drama. Families conflicts always fascinate me!
    My Teaser is from SINFUL FOLK.

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  8. This book is on my wish list...love the author! It sounds like one I should get right away!

    Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  9. I have heard such great things about this author, but I have yet to read her. From the intro, I would keep reading.

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  10. Love the sound of it! I gotta read this!

    Here is my intro post from Song for Sophia by Moriah Densley.

    AND

    Here is my teaser post from Extra Care by Alina Cosma .

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  11. I read my first DBF book last year and loved it. I would keep on reading this one for sure.

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  12. This sounds wonderful! I would definitely keep reading.

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  13. Both the intro and the teaser made me smile - sounds like a really good read. Here is my TT http://cleopatralovesbooks.wordpress.com/2014/06/03/teaser-tuesday-june-3/

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  14. Taking a llama for a walk is a totally sane thing to do. If I had a llama I would take it walking. I'd try to ride it to, rather than have it on a leash. I want to be Maisie when I grow up! And every family is definitely dysfunctional! I hope you enjoy it :)
    My Intro
    Juli @ Universe in Words

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  15. I'd keep reading. Sounds like a good summer choice.

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  16. Oh, that is a great beginning. I'd keep reading. Enjoy your book. kelley—the road goes ever ever on

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  17. I think appearances are a little deceiving, myself, but it is a good teaser.

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  18. The writing is very approachable and easy to read, gosh I can see that llama in front of my eyes now :)
    My post is here

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  19. Haha that made me laugh. Love the mental image of someone walking their llama on a leash :)

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  20. Nice tease, I would think so!

    Thanx for visiting my TT
    Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace

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