Rating: 
Summary: A Coastal Treat
Review: OK, so maybe I'm biased because I'm from South Carolina and knew where and what the author described. But even without the bias, this author did a jam up job. This is the first novel I've read by this author and was thoroughly impressed. And in reality I picked up the book at a grocery store because I needed something to read and it looked better than my other choices. But it turned out to be a great choice. Benton draws the reader in with her southern dialect and her conspiratorial tone. One of those novels , that although not highly suspenseful, the reader still has a tough time walking away. I highly recommend it to anyone from anywhere. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit the lowcountry in Charleston, SC read this novel and get an inside look of the beauty and culture. And if you've been a visitor to this beautiful area you'll enjoy this colorful tale even more.
Rating:
Summary: Her second excellent book!
Review: PLANTATION by Dorothea Benton FrankPLANTATION is the second book I've read by the author Dorothea Benton Frank. I was not thrilled with her first book, SULLIVAN'S ISLAND. But I already had PLANTATION in my pile of books to be read, and many have told me that this book was much better than her first. So, I read it. PLANTATION, like SULLIVAN'S ISLAND, is a story that takes place in the "low country" of South Carolina. This area includes Sullivan's Island (outside of Charleston) as well as the ACE basin, the area where the Ashepoo, Combahee, and the Edisto Rivers join at St Helena's Sound. It's a picturesque area of beauty that only nature could create, and it is near the Edisto River on a plantation called Tall Pines Plantation that the bulk of this story takes place. Caroline Wimbley Levine's search for happiness is one of the main themes of this book. She's married to a man that was once her professor in college, and while at one time in her life she loved this man with a passion, she is now at a point where she needs her space. The plot though is not as simple as that. Caroline is fighting demons in her head. She's grown up almost hating her mother for a past that started with her father's death. When her brother Trip asks her to come home to check on their mother's mental stability, Caroline does just that. After being gone for so many years, the memories come flooding back, memories of her father, the only parent she thought she loved, and a mother that abandoned them emotionally after their father had passed on. She becomes reacquainted with her brother and his wife, the lowly Frances Mae, who seems so uncouth that she embarrasses the entire family, including Trip. Through it all, she finds that she can come back home again, finds that she has bonded with her mother again, and returns to New York a much happier person. However, things in New York have not changed. Upon returning she finds that her husband has been unfaithful to her, and the scene where she confronts the two of them is something I will never forget. Now that her marriage to her husband Richard has failed, her mother's warnings about marrying Richard haunt her. It seems that no matter what she does, her mother never approves. She can never live up to her mother's high expectations. Now, with her husband left behind in New York, Caroline hopes to start a new life in South Carolina. With her son Eric, she moves back to Tall Pines Plantation with her mother. Another theme of this book is the unforgettable character of Miss Lavinia, Caroline's mother. She is a woman of southern class and is so outgoing and gregarious that she is almost a caricature of a woman of the Deep South. Lavinia is loved by all, and even Caroline cannot help but love her mother, who outside of her faults, is such a likeable person, but a formidable force in the family and amongst those who live their lives around her. As the reader learns about Caroline's past, we also learn about Lavinia's crazy life. The story is told in the first person, changing narrators between Lavinia and Caroline. Through this narration, we learn why Lavinia behaved the way she did and why she treated her children so horribly after losing her husband. We also learn about Trips internal demons, and how his father's death truly affected his life into adulthood. PLANTATION is not a simple story. It's a complex tale of a family that is falling apart, but through it all Caroline and Lavinia find a way to keep them together, and they both find the peace that they have been looking for all their lives.
Rating: 
Summary: My favorite Dorothea Benton Frank Book
Review: PLANTATION by Dorothea Benton Frank PLANTATION is the second book I've read by the author Dorothea Benton Frank. I was not thrilled with her first book, SULLIVAN'S ISLAND. But I already had PLANTATION in my pile of books to be read, and many have told me that this book was much better than her first. So, I read it. PLANTATION, like SULLIVAN'S ISLAND, is a story that takes place in the "low country" of South Carolina. This area includes Sullivan's Island (outside of Charleston) as well as the ACE basin, the area where the Ashepoo, Combahee, and the Edisto Rivers join at St Helena's Sound. It's a picturesque area of beauty that only nature could create, and it is near the Edisto River on a plantation called Tall Pines Plantation that the bulk of this story takes place. Caroline Wimbley Levine's search for happiness is one of the main themes of this book. She's married to a man that was once her professor in college, and while at one time in her life she loved this man with a passion, she is now at a point where she needs her space. The plot though is not as simple as that. Caroline is fighting demons in her head. She's grown up almost hating her mother for a past that started with her father's death. When her brother Trip asks her to come home to check on their mother's mental stability, Caroline does just that. After being gone for so many years, the memories come flooding back, memories of her father, the only parent she thought she loved, and a mother that abandoned them emotionally after their father had passed on. She becomes reacquainted with her brother and his wife, the lowly Frances Mae, who seems so uncouth that she embarrasses the entire family, including Trip. Through it all, she finds that she can come back home again, finds that she has bonded with her mother again, and returns to New York a much happier person. However, things in New York have not changed. Upon returning she finds that her husband has been unfaithful to her, and the scene where she confronts the two of them is something I will never forget. Now that her marriage to her husband Richard has failed, her mother's warnings about marrying Richard haunt her. It seems that no matter what she does, her mother never approves. She can never live up to her mother's high expectations. Now, with her husband left behind in New York, Caroline hopes to start a new life in South Carolina. With her son Eric, she moves back to Tall Pines Plantation with her mother. Another theme of this book is the unforgettable character of Miss Lavinia, Caroline's mother. She is a woman of southern class and is so outgoing and gregarious that she is almost a caricature of a woman of the Deep South. Lavinia is loved by all, and even Caroline cannot help but love her mother, who outside of her faults, is such a likeable person, but a formidable force in the family and amongst those who live their lives around her. As the reader learns about Caroline's past, we also learn about Lavinia's crazy life. The story is told in the first person, changing narrators between Lavinia and Caroline. Through this narration, we learn why Lavinia behaved the way she did and why she treated her children so horribly after losing her husband. We also learn about Trips internal demons, and how his father's death truly affected his life into adulthood. PLANTATION is not a simple story. It's a complex tale of a family that is falling apart, but through it all Caroline and Lavinia find a way to keep them together, and they both find the peace that they have been looking for all their lives.
Rating:
Summary: Heartwarming
Review: Plantation is a heartwarming story of a woman who returns to her home to find herself and to find forgiveness. When Caroline gets a call from her brother, Trip, telling her that their mother, Miss Lavinia, is in need of assistance, she leaves her home in Manhattan and returns to Tall Pines. This is her ancestral home, which she left as a young woman. The book is interspersed with snippets from Miss Lavinia's journal, which describe her point of view in addition to the first person narration by Caroline. We learn about Caroline's marriage to an Englishman, who just happens to be Jewish. Throughout the course of this book, you get an idea of how strong a person Caroline is. She doesn't realize it until toward the end of the book. You also get an idea of the strained relationship between her and Miss Lavinia, and Trip, her brother.
Trip plays a part in the story, although the predominant characters are Miss Lavinia, Caroline and her son, Eric.
The relationships are well developed and well thought out. Miss Frank has done a wonderful job of mingling some trivia regarding the ACE Basin in the South Carolina Lowcountry with a touching story and blends it with a bit of humor.
I rate this book 5 stars. It is certainly one that I will recommend to my friends. Marguerite Nico 2/10/02
Rating: 
Summary: EDITOR!
Review: This book first of all needs an editor to cut about 1/3 of the maundering. But the low stars goes for the mean spiritedness in this family. The low rent sister-in-law maybe a greedy gold digger but please--who said the children should pay for the mother's sins. The scathing treatment of the children is horrible. They are treated like her low rent offspring when they are also half the so called upper crust brother's. The upper crust brother who drinks, gambles and won't even buy a proper home to house his ever increasing clan. Even a new born baby is condemned as a devil's minion--no wonder they turn out 'witchy' when their own daddy showers more attention on the nephew and they get treated like dirt from the get-go. Grandmother has no trouble handing over $50,000 to her spoiled son w/o question but thinks Frances Mae is greedy for wanting more room for her children. I want to get to know these people. Not.
Rating:
Summary: EDITOR!
Review: This book first of all needs an editor to cut about 1/3 of the maundering. But the low stars goes for the mean spiritedness in this family. The low rent sister-in-law maybe a greedy gold digger but please--who said the children should pay for the mother's sins. The scathing treatment of the children is horrible. They are treated like her low rent offspring when they are also half the so called upper crust brother's. The upper crust brother who drinks, gambles and won't even buy a proper home to house his ever increasing clan. Even a new born baby is condemned as a devil's minion--no wonder they turn out 'witchy' when their own daddy showers more attention on the nephew and they get treated like dirt from the get-go. Grandmother has no trouble handing over $50,000 to her spoiled son w/o question but thinks Frances Mae is greedy for wanting more room for her children. I want to get to know these people. Not.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Winner!
Review: This book is the first I've read by this author. I usually like a good mystery but since this was given to me, I thought I'd give it a try. It is a really heart-warming book with lots of humor. I loved every minute of it. The characters were warm and colorful and said things that you'd like to if put in their situation.
I liked it so much I went to the library and found another book by this author which was every bit as good as this one. I hope Ms. Frank continues her superb writing.
Rating:
Summary: Anyone with a sense of humor will LOVE this book
Review: This is one of the best books I have read in quite a while-any woman with a sense of humor and a sense of who she is will love this book-you don't even have to be from the south (but it helps). Ms. Frank and her contemporaries (Anne Rivers Siddons, Pat Conroy) have really struck a nerve and appeal to an audience that was once all but ignored-the new generation of southern women who struggle to keep it all together while honoring their histories.
Rating:
Summary: Loved It!
Review: This is the first Dorothea Benton Frank book I've read and I must admit, I'm hooked! Her characters are so real and convincing (not to mention hilarious). I'm a native of Charleston, SC and Ms. Benton has amazingly captured the essence and culture of the Lowcountry in this wonderful story. Would I recommend this book to others? You bet!
Rating:
Summary: Loved It!
Review: This is the first Dorothea Benton Frank book I've read and I must admit, I'm hooked! Her characters are so real and convincing (not to mention hilarious). I'm a native of Charleston, SC and Ms. Benton has amazingly captured the essence and culture of the Lowcountry in this wonderful story. Would I recommend this book to others? You bet!
| 
