"Uplifting story with a down-home feeling."

Life turns upside down every so often and throws you into situations of which you never dream. Linda Breland finds herself in just such a situation when her husband decides to leave her for another woman. Suddenly the house and summertime in Montclair, New Jersey, do not seem like home. Sulking is not the answer, especially when you have the epitome of a gracious Southern Lady waiting to help you back home. After all, according to sister Mimi, when life gives you lemons, it's time to make up some refreshing lemonade and drown your sorrows with it. Rounding up her children, her dependable college-bound Lindsey and her wild child Gracie, she packs them all into her car. Soon they are heading down south to the land of her birth, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

As her roots reconnect with the land, Linda finds herself revitalized and looking forward to life. On a whim she scans the local want ads and finds herself interviewing for a job managing Jackson Hole, a quaint wharf restaurant on the banks of Shem Creek. Brad Jackson is not your usual restaurant owner. An attorney who has escaped his own bad marriage, the restaurant is more a kind of refuge from reality. His best friend Alex and he only take on cases when they want, preferring to be as laid back and unstressed as possible. When he meets with Linda at the interview, he is drawn in by her fresh, frank character. Linda passes inspection not only with Brad, but also with Louise, his fiery, no nonsense second-in-command, and the job is hers. Now if only her daughters can live with this choice, then they all have a chance to grow and love and learn. Many trials stand in their way and serious details need some working out. However, if love sweeps Linda up along the way, then that's an unexpected bonus, and something she cannot deny.

This is a beautiful uplifting book, with a down home feeling. Dorothea Frank's characters are people you would love to meet and have fun with. She leaves you with a longing for the banks of Shem Creek, with its promises of life, love and home. Lyric, interesting and full of just plain, old Southern hospitality, this book may one day be a classic. If the story is not enough for you, wait 'til you get to try out some of those mouthwatering recipes in the back! This is a book that will whet/fill your soul just as much as your appetite. Bon Appetite!

Reviewed by Anne Barringer
Posted August 11, 2004

Summary

Pat Conroy has call her books "hilarious and wise," noting that they are "funny, sexy, and usually damp with seawater." Anne Rivers Siddons said of Sullivan's Island that it "roars with life." Now Dorothea Benton Frank takes us back to the Lowcountry to introduce a whole new cast of characters whose lives will surely move your heart.

Linda Breland has no experience managing a restaurant, but then neither did Brad Jackson, and he owns the place.

Meet Linda Breland, single parent of two teenage daughters. The oldest, Lindsey, who always held her younger sister in check, is leaving for college. And Gracie, her Tasmanian devil, is giving her nightmares. Linda's personal life? Well, between the married men, the cold New Jersey winters, her pinched wallet, and her ex-husband, who's married a beautiful, successful woman ten years younger than she is—let's just say, Linda has seen enough to fill a thousand pages.

As the story opens, she is barreling down Interstate 95, bound for Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, the land of her ancestors. Welcomed by the generous heart of her advice-dispensing sister, Mimi, Linda and her daughters slowly begin to find their way and discover a sweeter rhythm of life.

And then there's Brad Jackson, a former investment banker from Atlanta, Georgia, who hires her to run his restaurant on Shem Creek. Like everyone else, Brad's got a story of his own—namely an almost ex-wife, Loretta, who is the kind of gal who gives women a bad name.

The real protagonist of this story is the Lowcountry itself. The magical waters of Shem Creek, the abundant wildlife, and the astounding power of nature give this tiny corner of the planet its infallible reputation as a place for introspection, contemplation, and healing.