Beach House Memories

She felt it now. She was slipping into the insistent undertow of the past. There was no use fighting it. It was so easy to simply close her eyes. And relinquish.

Autumn brings its own haunting beauty to the sun-soaked beaches and dunes on Isle of Palms, where Olivia “Lovie” Rutledge lives in her beloved Primrose Cottage with her daughter, Cara. Looking back as summer fades, Lovie can remember many island summers, but especially one. . . .

In 1974, America was changing, but Charleston remained eternally the same. Lovie had always done what was expected—marrying the son of a historic Charleston family, Stratton Rutledge, and turning over her fortune and fate to his control. But one thing she steadfastly refuses to relinquish: her family’s old seaside cottage. The precious summers spent on the barrier island are Lovie’s refuge. Here, she can escape with her children from the social expectations of her traditional Southern mother, and her overbearing husband’s ambition and philandering. Here, she indulges her lifelong vocation as a “Turtle Lady,” tending the loggerhead sea turtles that lay their eggs in the warm night sand and then slip back into the sea.

This summer, however, is different. Visiting biologist Russell Bennett arrives on the island to research the loggerheads. What begins as a shared passion for the turtles changes to a love far more passionate and profound than Lovie has ever known—but one that forces her to face the most agonizing decision of her life.

For Charleston’s elite, divorce is an unforgivable scandal, and Stratton’s influence is far-reaching. If Lovie dares to dream beyond a summer affair, she risks losing everything: her reputation, her wealth, even her precious children.

Beach House Memories
—a poignant and emotional tale of a strong, passionate woman torn between duty and desire, between the traditions of the old South and the social changes sweeping America—will capture your heart. For Lovie, it is an empowering journey of seasons of self-discovery.

Until this autumn, this time of changing tides, of holding on and letting go. . . .

“This luminous tale—set in the South Carolina Lowcountry that we both love so deeply—was hard to put down. Fans of
The Beach House
will at last discover what happened during the summer of 1974. But readers new to Mary Alice Monroe need not worry, for this emotional story of love and loss stands alone.”
—
New York Times
bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank

Mary Alice Monroe “helps to redefine the beauty and magic of the Carolina Lowcountry,” enthuses Pat Conroy, while
Publishers Weekly
praises her “evocative, often beautiful prose and keen insights” that, bring to life the South’s “poison and tonic.”

“Monroe’s usual resplendent storytelling shines even brighter in
BEACH HOUSE MEMORIES,
which offers startling insights into the intimate connection between nature and the human heart.” —
New York Times
bestselling author Patti Callahan Henry

The Butterfly’s Daughter

“A novel that, like the monarch butterfly, has a plentitude of beauty and wonder.”—
New York Times
bestselling author Ron Rash

“Monroe invigorates her characters with a spiritual energy that effectively drives the inspiring novel.” —
Booklist

Last Light over Carolina

“Haunting . . . a story of past mistakes and second chances.” —
The Charleston Post and Courier

“Perfectly portrayed character. . . . An exciting read that allows her fans to feel they have grown up on the beautiful coastal waters of South Carolina.” —
Charleston City Paper

Time Is a River

“Compelling.” —
Asheville Citizen-Times

“This exquisite, many-layered novel . . . treats readers to lush descriptions of nature.” —
Booklist

MARY ALICE MONROE
is the
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Butterfly’s Daughter, Last Light over Carolina,
and
Time Is a River
for Gallery Books. The recipient of the 2008 Award for Writing from the South Carolina Center for the Book, she is also an active conservationist in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. Visit her at
www.maryalicemonroe.com
.

MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
SimonandSchuster.com
• THE SOURCE FOR READING GROUPS •

JACKET DESIGN BY SUSAN ZUCKER
JACKET PHOTOGRAPH OF BEACH BY ISTOCKPHOTO/MALIKETH;
HAT BY ISTOCKPHOTO / EVEMILLA
AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPH BY BARBARA J. BERGWERF
COPYRIGHT © 2012 SIMON & SCHUSTER

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