Porch Lights - by Dorothea Benton Frank (Paperback)

About the Book

When Jimmy McMullen, a fireman with the NYFD, is killed in the line of duty, his wife, Jackie, and ten-year-old son, Charlie, are devastated. Charlie idolized his dad, and now the outgoing, curious boy has become quiet and reserved. Trusting in the healing power of family, Jackie decides to return to her childhood home on Sullivans Island. Crossing the bridge from the mainland, Jackie and Charlie enter a world full of wonder and magic--lush green and chocolate grasslands and dazzling red, orange, and magenta evening skies; the heady pungency of Lowcountry Pluff mud and fresh seafood on the grill; bare toes snuggled in warm sand and palmetto fronds swaying in gentle ocean winds.

Book Synopsis

New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank is back home in the Carolina lowcountry, spinning a tale that brims with the warmth, charm, heart, and humor that has become her trademark. Porch Lights is a stirring, emotionally rich multigenerational story--a poignant tale of life, love, and transformation--as a nurse, returning to Sullivans Island from the Afghanistan War, finds her life has been irrevocably altered by tragedy...and now must rediscover love and purpose with the help of her son and aging mother.

An evocative visit to enchanting Sullivans Island with its unique pluff mud beaches, palmetto trees, and colorful local lore--a novel filled with unforgettable characters, and enlivened by tales of the notorious Blackbeard and his bloodthirsty pirate crew and eerie Edgar Allan Poe stories--Porch Lights stands tall among the very best works of not only Dottie Frank, but Anne Rivers Siddons, Rebecca Wells, Pat Conroy, and other masters of the modern Southern novel as well.

From the Back Cover

When fireman Jimmy McMullen is killed in the line of duty, his wife, Jackie, and ten-year-old son, Charlie, are devastated. Trusting in the healing power of family, Jackie decides to return to her childhood home on Sullivans Island--a place of lush green grasslands, the heady pungency of Lowcountry Pluff mud, and palmetto fronds swaying in gentle ocean winds.

Thrilled to have her family back, matriarch Annie Britt promises to make their visit perfect. Over the years, Jackie and Annie, like all mothers and daughters, have had differences of opinion. But her estranged and wise husband, Buster, and her best friend, Deb, are sure to keep Annie in line. She's also got the flirtatious widowed physician next door to keep her distracted. Captivated by the island's natural charms, mother, daughter, and grandson will share a memorable, illuminating summer.

Review Quotes

"The prolific Frank provides another sweet summer read set in her beloved South Carolina Low Country.... Head to the beach, apply sunblock, read, and enjoy!" - Booklist
"Something about her novels just seems to say summer." - USA Today
"Porch Lights is another outstanding read by Ms. Benton Frank.... An engaging read with well-developed characters and a location evocatively described, the reader feels a part of the muggy, briny setting and it heart-warming story." - New York Journal of Books
"Packed with Lowcountry charm and Frank's trademark humor, this family story is sure to delight readers." - BookPage.com
[A] compelling tale of betrayal, shocking loss, acceptance, family ties, redemption and renewal....There must be something in the sea air and coastal breezes that infuses the language of low country authors such as Frank with full, lush, evocative word paintings. "Folly Beach" was much more than a great summer novel, with its combination of a romantic story and the careful blending of history. - Bowling Green Daily News
[T]he queen of sassy Southern fiction. - Charlotte Observer
"A masterful storyteller." - Booklist
"Dottie Frank's books are sexy and hilarious. She has staked out the lowcountry of South Carolina as her personal literary property." - Pat Conroy, Author of South of Broad
"Frank keeps you reading compulsively." - Charlotte Observer