Title: All the Single Ladies
Author: Dorothea Benton Frank
Published: June 9, 2015 by William Morrow
Pages: 368
Source: Purchased
Rating: 3.5/5
Goodreads
Few writers capture the complexities, pain, and joy of relationships—between friends, family members, husbands and wives, or lovers—as beloved New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank. In this charming, evocative, soul-touching novel, she once again takes us deep into the heart of the magical Lowcountry where three amazing middle-aged women are bonded by another amazing woman’s death.
Through their shared loss they forge a deep friendship, asking critical questions. Who was their friend and what did her life mean? Are they living the lives they imagined for themselves? Will they ever be able to afford to retire? How will they maximize their happiness? Security? Health? And ultimately, their own legacies?
A plan is conceived and unfurls with each turn of the tide during one sweltering summer on the Isle of Palms. Without ever fully realizing how close they were to the edge, they finally triumph amid laughter and maybe even newfound love.
My review:
This author is another of my go-to authors for summer reading pleasure. While this book had a few features that rankled a bit, for the most part I enjoyed it. Frank has a wonderful wit (I've seen her speak in person a few times and she is delightfully humorous), and I love the funny quips that are almost always evident in her books. I also love the southern references, now that I've lived here for almost two decades, they make me feel part of the action. The aspect of this particular novel that I enjoyed the most was that the three main protagonists were all middle aged women. I've said this before, but I sometimes like to read about women my own age 🙂 That does bring me to the part that I wasn't keen on, I don't understand why they all had to have a man "swoop in and save them"? The novel was progressing well, and then I could clearly see how it was going to end, and it wasn't necessarily the way I would have liked. Couldn't one of them have been happy on her own? Aside from that nugget of disappointment, there was also a bit of a mystery going on with regards to the landlady of the deceased friend. That was a fun piece to follow, albeit not terribly scary or dangerous (which is more my style of mystery anyway).
All in all this is a quick read with lots of Southern references, and a cast of "older women". It hit the spot for me, even with the kind of sappy ending.
