On Folly Beach by Karen White

ISBN-13: 9780451229212
Publisher: NAL Accent
Published: May 2010
416 pgs
Source: Joan Schulhafer Publishing & Media Consulting
(ARC)


I fell in love with Karen White's writing style after reading a few of her earlier work - The Lost Hours and the Tradd Street series so when I knew she has a new book coming out this month, I just knew I have to read it!

Set in the 1940s and the Year 2009, On Folly Beach tells the story of the life of three women - Emmy during the present day, and Margaret and her younger sister, Lulu during the WWII period. Told in a third person perspective and with Emmy's and Margaret's stories alternate between the time span through chapters, I find this method to be effective as it allows the readers to get sucked into their stories at the same time instead of splitting into parts (which can be also effective in portraying the story but in a different light).

The story opens when Emmy is still depressed from the loss of her husband. To distract her from drowning into her misery, her mother suggested that she bought Folly's Finds, a bookstore at Folly Beach in South Carolina. Emmy is not at all keen with the idea in the first place, after all she is so used to her life living in her parents' place, tending to her mother's bookstore. Her curiosity is piqued only after she discovered some love notes written in some of the used books her mother had bought from Folly's Finds, and she thinks it might not be a bad idea to go to Folly Beach after all.

Upon reaching Folly Beach, she is somewhat touched by the warm hospitality from Abigail, the woman who owns Folly's Finds and her son, Heathcliff (he was named after a character in Wuthering Heights) but she could not say the same towards his great aunt, Lulu, for she feels Lulu's cool demeanour whenever she is around her. However, Emmy knew the older woman might have some answers in regards to the love notes found in those old books so she is hoping to find out some truth from her, though she knew it might take her some time and efforts to break the ice. Besides the mystery surrounding those love notes, Emmy is also interested in Lulu's bottle trees and why she is so adamant about continuing to sell them from the store's backyard.

When Emmy began to discover more love notes, the more she learned about the past history at Folly Beach and the relationship between Lulu and her elder sister, Margaret. The most interesting part is where readers will learn not only about Margaret's life but also her relationship between her lover, Peter as well as her cousin, Catherine.

While reading this book, I was very much like Emmy as we both have questions surrounding Margaret, Peter and Catherine, and not to mention Lulu who played an important role in this story. However, this is not all about mystery and secrets but is also about finding hope and having a second chance. With great characterisation and an intriguing plot, Karen White has succeeded in bringing this heartwarming story to life. And before I end this post, I need to mention that I absolutely loved the literary references mentioned in this book, as I am sure this will delight many booklovers. There, I said it. I hope I managed to convince you into reading this book because I really enjoyed it.

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