All Summer Long: A Novel by Dorothea Benton Frank

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

Filled with her trademark wit, poignant themes, and rich characters, the perennial New York Times bestselling author returns with a sensational novel that follows the travels of one couple though a tumultuous summer.

Dorothea Benton Frank’s magical stories take us deep into the heart of her beloved Carolina Lowcountry. In her novels, this lush landscape comes alive in all its vibrancy and color. She ignites all of our senses with her vivid descriptions of landscape and atmosphere. In her novels you hear the ocean washing the shore on different islands so profoundly that you can nearly hear the sea gulls squawking, too.

This is a story of people whose lives are changing—a southern gentleman returning home to lead a more peaceful life and his talented New York wife who is not quite sure she is ready to make the transition. They are moving north to south, fast pace versus slow pace, downsizing. And while they are doing this, they are getting glimpses into other people’s lives over the course of a summer, holidays that will amuse, shock and transform them.

This irresistible story is home to captivating characters as funny, complicated, and real as our best friends—husbands and wives, mothers and daughters, friends and family who wrestle with the complexities, pain, and joys familiar to us all.

Finally, we’ll come to recognize the face of love, the kind that deepens and endures but only because one woman makes a tremendous leap of faith. That leap changes them all.

my thoughts:

Disappointing with a capital "D".  All Summer Long was not my cup of tea.  In fact, I had to DNF it about midway through.  I just couldn't stand reading about these selfish and spoiled characters who were beyond unlikeable.  Olivia is an interior decorator who is married to Nick.  They are getting ready to retire to his hometown in Charleston.  The only problem - she has spent their retirement fund and now they are broke.  Oh, and she hasn't told him about their finances.  Whoops!?  So, what does Olivia do?  She acts like everything is normal and keeps on spending.  Say what?!  Yep, apparently having no money means spending money on eating out, groceries at Whole Foods, and paying an assistant.  Wow! How crazy unbelievable is that?  And then there is Bob and Maritza.  He is Olivia's favorite client, because he loves to remodel his home with every new wife he gets.  Of course the fact the he constantly cheats on his spouses could explain why he's always redecorating.  So you can imagine how keen Olivia is on keeping Bob happy.  Except, I didn't finish the book, so who knows what happened to any of them in the end.  All I know is that I couldn't stand to read any more about any of these characters.  They were simply the worst!  And the story didn't really seem to be going anywhere - it was just about these rich people spending money.  Talk about boring.

I will definitely be skipping DBF's books in the future.  And I won't be recommending this one. 

Here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: All Summer Long

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!