All Summer Long by Dorothea Benton Frank

I like reading. I like Charleston. I like reading books set in Charleston. So, Dotty Frank's All Summer Long should have been a walk in walk in Waterfront Park, Slam dunk at the Joe (and maybe TD Arena at CofC for the dunk), day at the beach (Folly, Sullivans, Isle of Palms, and heck, even Kiawah, Seabrook, or Edisto) for me. Right?

Except it wasn't. The only things that engaged me in this book was the dedication to Pat at the beginning (assuming that Pat was Pat Conroy) and the memory of flying into Charleston from New York City, and reading  Frank's description of the same flight path. But even then, I shuddered. "Scarlett's ringlets"? Even as a joke? Nevah. The characters felt dead to me, and even my beloved lowcountry failed to breathe a spark of life (or interest ) into the story.

Dorthea Benton Frank's books tend to either be a hit or a miss for me, rarely lukewarm. But I keep reading them, because when the combo hits a homer into the marsh from The Joe, I wanna be there in my kayak to catch it. I am currently rethinking that plan. My apologies to the author and to her fans.

Tags: 2016-read, an-author-i-read, give-me-my-time-back, read, thank-you-charleston-county-library, thought-i-was-gonna-like