Beach House Memories Paperback - 2013

Autumn brings haunting beauty to the sun-soaked dunes on Isle of Palms, where Olivia “Lovie” Rutledge lives in her beloved Primrose Cottage. As the seasons change, Lovie remembers one special summer. . . .

In 1974, America is changing, but Charleston remains eternally the same. When Lovie married aristocratic, well-connected businessman Stratton Rutledge, she turned over her fortune and fate to his control. But she refused to relinquish one thing: her family’s old seaside cottage. Precious summers with her children on the barrier island are Lovie’s refuge from social expectations and her overbearing husband’s philandering. Here, she is the “Turtle Lady,” tending the loggerhead turtles that lay their eggs in the warm night sand and then slip back into the sea.

Then, in the summer of ’74, biologist Russell Bennett visits to research the loggerheads. Their shared interest brings them together, and soon it blooms into a passionate, profound love—forcing Lovie to face an agonizing decision. Stratton’s influence is far-reaching, and if she dares to dream beyond a summer affair, she risks losing her reputation, her wealth, even her children.  

This emotional tale of a strong woman torn between duty and desire, between tradition and change, is an empowering journey through the seasons of self-discovery. Until this autumn, this time of winds and tides, of holding on and letting go. . . .

Details

• Title Beach House Memories
• Author Mary Alice Monroe
• Binding Paperback
• Edition Reprint
• Pages 432
• Volumes 1
• Language ENG
• Publisher Gallery Books
• Date 2013-04-09
• ISBN 9781439170946 / 1439170940
• Weight 0.75 lbs (0.34 kg)
• Dimensions 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.3 in (20.83 x 13.46 x 3.30 cm)
• Themes
  • Chronological Period: 1970's
  • Cultural Region: South Atlantic
  • Cultural Region: Southeast U.S.
  • Geographic Orientation: South Carolina
  • Sex & Gender: Feminine
  • Topical: Family
• Library of Congress subjects Domestic fiction, Love stories
• Library of Congress Catalog Number 2012004099
• Dewey Decimal Code FIC

Mary Alice Monroe takes us back to the mid 1970s when sea turtle conservation was in its infancy. The efforts by turtle lady Lovie Rutledge to document the number of loggerhead nests each season on the Isle of Palms was largely unappreciated or even ridiculed by locals. Then a kindred spirit comes into her life and fills her with self-worth, resolve and bittersweet beach house memories. BEACH HOUSE MEMORIES is another in a remarkable trilogy that has increased sea turtle volunteerism and conservation efforts. I highly recommend it.

Sally R. Murphy, DNR Sea Turtle Coordinator