Review: My Magnolia Summer: A Novel

My Magnolia Summer: A Novel by Victoria Benton Frank
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. Just wow!
I didn't realize who this author was related to, so I had no expectations when I started this book.

This was just a wonderful book. Exactly what I needed to come to of my book slump. This was one of those books that I just didn't want to end.

This is a perfect beach read, and it reads fast. I'll tell you, I didn't want this book to end! I was a tad disappointed that the conclusion was as brief as it was. I would have loved to learn more about the family and how their lives were going on. But, I can see where this might be the start of a series. I do hope that Violet gets her own book!

My Magnolia Summer starts with an interesting look into the workings of a restaurant kitchen and jumps into several family issues...one tragedy after another, but don't worry, things work out for the best.

A lovely book about family, home, and personal growth.

*ARC supplied by the publisher William Morrow, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "Escape to the South Carolina Lowcountry, where family bonds and hidden secrets run deep. In this gripping tale of self-discovery, Victoria Benton Frank introduces us to Maggie, struggling to find her place in the world when she receives a phone call bringing her back to her hometown of Sullivan's Island.

In New York City winter never seems to loosen its hold and for South Carolina transplant Maggie (born Magnolia after the fairest summer flower) the balmy beach weather of April back home on Sullivan’s Island feels like a distant memory. Until a phone call from her sister, Violet, changes everything.

Gran, the treasured matriarch, has fallen into a coma after a car accident caused by Maggie’s troubled mother, Lily. But once Maggie returns, she finds that her hometown of Sullivan’s Island holds even more secrets. The Magic Lantern, the restaurant owned and run by generations of women in her family, is now rudderless, and her sister seems headed for a savage breakup.

Once she is between the marsh grasses and dunes of South Carolina, she feels herself changing like the Atlantic tides, rediscovering the roots she left behind, and a new and different version of herself—one who can see how a minor crash into the back of a very handsome farmer’s truck may become fortunate. Or perhaps it’s even… fate?

When the three generations of South Carolina women join forces—the family pillar Gran, troubled Lily, impulsive Violet, and redoubtable Maggie—anything is possible.

With stunning descriptions of the magic of the Lowcountry, this novel will transport you to a world of treasured family traditions and unexpected twists of fate.