Saturday, June 20, 2020

On Ocean Boulevard by Mary Alice Monroe (Spotlight and review)




by
Mary Alice Monroe


About the book:
It’s been sixteen years since Caretta “Cara” Rutledge has returned home to the beautiful shores of Charleston, South Carolina. Over those years, she has weathered the tides of deaths and births, struggles and joys. And now, as Cara prepares for her second wedding, her life is about to change yet again.

Meanwhile, the rest of the storied Rutledge family is also in flux. Cara’s niece Linnea returns to Sullivan’s Island to begin a new career and an unexpected relationship. Linnea’s parents, having survived bankruptcy, pin their hopes and futures on the construction of a new home on Ocean Boulevard. But as excitement over the house and wedding builds, a devastating illness strikes the family and brings plans to a screeching halt. It is under these trying circumstances that the Rutledge family must come together yet again to discover the enduring strength in love, tradition, and legacy from mother to daughter to granddaughter.

Like the sea turtles that come ashore annually on these windswept islands, three generations of the Rutledge family experience a season of return, rebirth, and growth. “Authentic, generous, and heartfelt” (Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author), On Ocean Boulevard is Mary Alice Monroe at her very best.
  




(Note from ELF:  My apologies, I asked for an excerpt, but for some reason I could not get a response. Sorry!)



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My review:



4.25 out of 5 stars


On Ocean Boulevard by Mary Alice Monroe follows the close connections of a group of women in the lowcountry of South Carolina, who are not only bound by love and friendship, but who are united in their care for the loggerhead sea turtles that many of them are devoted to helping survive. Linnea Rutledge has returned to her roots, but she’s far from settled, and it will be a challenge to navigate the personal and professional challenges, but her passion for the preservation of the environment never flags.

This contemporary women’s fiction story paints a vivid portrait of life on a special island and one of the families who are integrated into Charleston’s colorful history. Although I have never been to this area, I could almost smell the beach and I was delighted to share the experience of the lives of these characters and fascinated by the complicated hierarchy of the families. Although there are several books that touch on the Rutledge family, there is no problem reading this story as a stand-alone tale.


A copy of this title was provided for review

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