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Dorothea Benton Frank is an American author that was born in 1951 in Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. She went to Bishop England High School, General William Moultrie High School, and the Fashion Institute of America. She wrote a lot about complex women and the difficult decisions they had to make.
Order of Lowcountry Tales Series
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sullivan's Island | 1999 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | Plantation | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | Isle of Palms | 2001 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Shem Creek | 2002 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | Pawleys Island | 2005 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | Bulls Island | 2008 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | Return to Sullivan's Island | 2009 | Description / Buy | |
| 8 | Lowcountry Summer | 2010 | Description / Buy | |
| 9 | Folly Beach | 2011 | Description / Buy | |
| 10 | The Hurricane Sisters | 2014 | Description / Buy | |
| 11 | All the Single Ladies / Carolina Girls | 2015 | Description / Buy | |
| 12 | Same Beach, Next Year | 2017 | Description / Buy | |
| 13 | Queen Bee | 2019 | Description / Buy | |
| 14 | Reunion Beach | 2021 | Description / Buy |
Order of Dorothea Benton Frank Standalone Novels
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Full of Grace | 2006 | Description / Buy | |
| 2 | The Land of Mango Sunsets | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
| 3 | The Christmas Pearl | 2007 | Description / Buy | |
| 4 | Porch Lights | 2012 | Description / Buy | |
| 5 | The Last Original Wife | 2013 | Description / Buy | |
| 6 | All Summer Long | 2016 | Description / Buy | |
| 7 | By Invitation Only | 2018 | Description / Buy |
Order of Dorothea Benton Frank Children's Books
| # | Read | Title | Published | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teddy Spaghetti (Short Story) | 2020 | Description / Buy |
She also described herself as a Southern writer whose stories were inspired by the things she saw, experienced, and heard about. Her stint at the Fashion Institute of America was inspired by a desire to pursue a career in retail fashion. She spent some time with Kerrison’s Department Store before moving to San Francisco.
After marrying her husband, Peter Frank, and giving birth to two children, the family went to Montclair, NJ. The author gained a reputation for her charity work. Besides volunteering with arts and culture organizations, she also helped raise money for their causes.
The people who knew her at the time will tell you that she revered the environment and her cultural identity. Her entry into writing was not planned. Dorothea lost her mother in 1993. Cancer was the cause.
The author was beside herself with grief. Her pain was further exacerbated by the decision her siblings made to sell their family home. Dorothea Benton Frank spent her childhood on Sullivan’s Island. She had fond memories of her home.
Therefore, the notion of selling it was completely anathema to her. So she spoke to her husband, asking him to buy it. However, Peter refused. The hot summers in the area did not appeal to him. He also wasn’t convinced that it was a worthwhile investment.
Dorothea was not amused by the response. She also refused to abandon her family home. She told her husband that she would buy the house herself. The author did not have the money at the time but she knew exactly how she was going to get it.
Not only would she write a novel but it would sell a million copies and she would use the money to secure the home. It was a bold announcement. But Dorothea had some confidence in her abilities. She was not completely inexperienced. The author had attended Bloomfield College in New Jersey.
There, she had studied creative writing. Dorothea had also spent quite a bit of time reading romance novels. So, she had a good reason to remain optimistic. Her first novel came out in 2000. Titled ‘Sullivan’s Island’, it was a big hit and it transformed Dorothea into a best-selling author.
Regardless of the intentions that had driven her to start writing, once the first novel was published, the author found that she had many more stories to tell. Her determination to save her family home had lit a creative spark that she could not extinguish.
In the years that followed, she wrote several novels. She couldn’t buy her family home. By the time she acquired the funds, it had already been sold. But she bought a better house in the area. Dorothea died in 2019. She was 67 at the time.
Her friends and family will tell you that she loved cooking and fishing. She also enjoyed reading and traveling.
Best Dorothea Benton Frank Books
When she was alive, Dorothea was known for her work with non-profit organizations; she poured her heart, mind, and soul into the causes she supported, with some of the best books in her bibliography:
Sullivan’s Island: Susan’s childhood was hardly easy. But her humor and spunk helped her survive. As an adult, her life is no better. Her husband is not faithful. Her daughter is resentful. Susan doesn’t know what to do with the uncertainty in her future. This is why she must go back home.
The Last Original Wife: Leslie’s social life is gone. Her husband’s friends have slowly but surely replaced the mothers of their children with younger women. Leslie is the only one left. With her friends gone and several setbacks having forced her to question the nature of her life, Leslie is looking for comfort.
As a girl, she was happy and carefree. She longs for those days and she hopes that running to her brother’s historic home will enable her to recapture the joys of her childhood, if only for a moment.
When Does The Next Dorothea Benton Frank book come out?
Dorothea Benton Frank doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Reunion Beach and was released on May, 15th 2021. It is the newest book in the Lowcountry Tales Series.