Rating: 
Summary: Unfortuately, disappointing
Review: Having read Plantation, I was looking forward to this book, but I have to say I agree with the reader from Charlottesville. This story is largely unbelievable, mostly because the author didn't develop her characters enough. What was the point of Grandmother Violet even being in the book? She was supposed to be a real b----, but I only got the sense of a cardboard figure.And Lucy, who is portrayed as a real ditz, conveniently enough has sold a bundle of stock right before the market dropped (!). Huh?! And just loans a boodle to Anna, the narrator, so she can open up a salon. That just strained credulity for me. It's a rapid read, and I read the whole thing, but there is just too much deus ex machina. I liked the narrator, Anna Abbott; I just wish the characters were more developed and the plot less fantastic.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific Summer Read!
Review: Honey, plop on down raht chea on your beach blanket, even if you set it up on your livingroom floor, because here is your quintessential beach book. Highly reminiscent of "Fried Green Tomatoes" but with a voice all its own, "Isle of Palms" has everything from enjoyable characters to wonderful plot twists to a happy ending.
What I liked most about the book was the easy, Southern way of the characters, from our heroine, hairderesser Anna Lutz Abbot of the highly dysfunctional family and even more dysfunctional marriage, to her much-loved ex-husband Jim, to her best friend Francie, to her college-age daughter Emily, to all the friends and family and acquaintances in between.
Anna is in her late 30s when she decides once and for all to return to the dreamland of her childhood, the Isle of Palms. Frightened by her own boldness, she buys a small beach cottage--her first place that is truly her own--and then, throwing caution to the winds, buys and sets up her own hairdressing business. Along the way, she confronts many ghosts (and everyone on the Isle of Palms knows that ghosts are real)-- from her mother, dead at a tragically early age, to her own frightened child self.
I ate this book up, I loved it so much. I can't wait to read the others by this entertaining, funny, and altogether delicious author!
Rating:
Summary: Witty and Unique writing...With a few flaws
Review: I choose this book to read because I was attending a DBF book signing (Shem's Creek) at the end of the week. Meeting Dottie Frank was an honor. She is a spunky, interesting lady. I was certainly impressed when I went up to her and mentioned a phrase in this book and she repeated it word for word. ("my tongue had probably earned about 20 million Frequent Flyer Miles to rush my immortal impudent soul to a special torture chamber in purgatory")
This book started out sad...mother dying, mean grandmother, rape...but after Anna moves out on her own, her life definately takes a turn for the better. I liked this book. However, the only confusing part was, some of the chapters were told through the eyes of the old next door neighbor. I don't think the idea was complete. I don't understand the significance of it.
There was a reviewer who mentioned something about too much written about food. What was she reading? Must have been on a diet. I don't agree.
Another reviewer said something about the grandmother not being pertinent to the story. Couldn't be more wrong. Definately was pertinent.
This is truly an enjoyable read with just a few flaws. It's worth the read.
Rating: 
Summary: I want to live on The Isle of Palms!
Review: I had a little trouble getting into this book initially. It wasn't my "type" and I thought the Southern jargon and sharp-tongued wit would wear thin after a few chapters. Was I ever wrong! I ended up laughing out loud and even starting to throw a few "y'all"s into my daily conversations. This story had just the right mix of emotion and humor - I thoroughly enjoyed this lowcountry tale!
Rating:
Summary: Too much to be believed
Review: I hate to rain on the parade of stars for this book, but I honestly thought it was totally unbelievable. I had read Sullivan's Island which was funny and convincing most of the time, so I was looking forward to reading this book next. I have to say that except for in a few chapters, the story is just too ridiculous. It has too many underdeveloped characters and plot ideas. Anna, the narrator, takes ONE walk on the beach and meets the perfect man. She buys a new house and starts her own business and has parties and on and on without the least problem. It is such a fantasy, it's hard to feel convinced. The author has talent, but she needs to slow down and think through her plot a little better. I'm getting tired of so many sterotypes in southern fiction. This had potential- it was just overdone.
Rating:
Summary: Love love love this book!
Review: I love this, and all of Miss Dorothea's books. It's heartwarming and makes me want to go back to the South.
Rating:
Summary: Liked but not loved..
Review: I truly enjoyed Sullivan's Island...so i was hoping this book would be just as good. Not true...the first part was a bit dull but once Emily, David, Bettina and Brigitte came aboard, all was well. I finished it with a positive feeling and will continue to read DBF in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Good beach book...
Review: If you are looking for a fun and entertaining beach book (especially about the low country beaches of South Carolina), Dorothea Benton Frank's Isle of Palms is just the book. Having previously written Sullivan's Island and Plantation, Frank's third book is her best effort yet.
Summer is coming and 37-year-old Anna Lutz Abbot decides that it is time to take control of her life. Three traumatic events occurred during Anna's childhood, and she has pretty much lived her life as a victim. A divorcee' raising an 18 year old daughter, Anna decides to buy a house, make a career change and find a romantic interest. A terrible wrong in her life must also be righted. Things don't always develop as Anna expects, but sometimes the surprises are the most rewarding.
What makes Frank's books so much fun are the sassy writing, witty dialogue, and colorful characters. Frank's descriptions are hysterical. At one point, she tells us the difference between Southern gentlemen, bubbas and red necks-something that only a person raised in the South could do without offense. Her characters are especially memorable from gay ex-husband Jim, to Lucy the intellectually challenged and surgically altered bombshell neighbor to beautiful daughter Emily, who comes home from college in Gothic attire.
On the minus side, this story is a bit unbelievable in parts. Anna doesn't quite deal with issues involving both parents and her childhood. Also, the book is written entirely in the first person. Most of the chapters are seen through Anna's eyes, but several are told by the nosy neighbor, Miss Mavis. At the start of a new chapter, it was sometimes confusing to figure out who was speaking.
But negatives aside, Isle of Palms is an entertaining read. It was especially timely as I actually read it on a South Carolina beach, and am familiar with many of the sights Frank mentions. Her latest book, Shem Creek, has just been published. I think I'll save it for my new low country vacation.
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Read!
Review: ISLE OF PALMS is, very simply, a good read.
After completing this novel, one might conclude that the precipitating event seems implausible, that the ending is too tidy and too happy.
And, while in the midst of the book, some of the dialogue seems stilted, more likes speeches than like normal speech.
All of these considerations are quibbles, however.
The sense of place is strong in this book, so strong that the reader can smell the ocean off the barrier island of North Carolina which has its name used as this title. In fact, by the end of the book, one is ready to pack up and move to the ISLE OF PALMS.
In ISLE OF PALMS, Dorothea Benton Frank has authored a compelling and engaging story, a story which will engross the reader from the first page to the last.
Rating:
Summary: Some bright spots but ultimately unsatisfying
Review: Isle of Palms starts out dramatically, with some very funny writing. About midway, it degenerates into dullness with far too many details of mundane chores and far less wit. The characters seem bold at first and one beleives they will be fleshed out fully, but alas, they are not. The story also stretches credulity...in the beginning things are very tough for the main character and it has depth. Later, things just seem to sail along without a hitch with little or no description of the difficulty the protagonist would have in accomplishing her many feats (setting up her business, forgiving those who have badly wronged her, a miraculous turn-around for her "goth" daughter, etc...). There are endless accounts of dinners and wine being poured, without the necessary descriptions to make these meals and drinks palatable. Also, there are several chapters that are narrated first-person by someone other than the main character. I expected to find a reason for this, but there didn't seem to be one. Overall, it was a disappointing read.
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