Mira, May 2002, 6.50, 416 pp.
ISBN: 1551668998
Cara Rutledge may start believing bad things do come in threes. She lost her job; her boy friend knew she was unemployed before she did but failed to tell her making her wonder about their relationship; and her mother, needing to see her, asks Cara to return to South Carolina. Reluctantly, Cara decides to visit her mom Lovie, a card-carrying member of the Turtle Ladies.
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In Isle of Palms, South Carolina Cara learns that her mom is dying. Still, the pending mortality fails to ease the acrimonious estrangement between mother and daughter that grew over the years faster than the cancer destroying Lovie's body. Time is running out and if this pair cannot reconcile their differences through their love for one another, both will go to their graves filled with regret.
THE BEACH HOUSE is a poignant contemporary tale that provides a deep message of the importance of forgiving in relationships before it is too late. The story line is loaded with angst and plenty of tears because the two women not only seem authentic, but also they feel like you and me as many readers have held grudges for years. Mary Alice Monroe turns up the passion and compassion with this plea of not to wait until its too late to reconciliate tale that requires a crate of tissues nearby.
Harriet Klausner
The review of this Book prepared by Harriet Klausner