Sunset Beach Books

I first read this book in 1996, and have purchased 2 additional copies since then. It seems, I have taken this book to the beach and pool one too many times!! I love this book - the entire story inspires!! WOW!

I loved SUNSET BEACH-the first time I read it-and then again and again and again. The problem? I want another book by the same author. I found the book when I lived in South Carolina...could not put it down. Now I am back in the cold, cold, cold, and often reread SUNSET BEACH-just to remember.
Each trip to Myrtle Beach, I look for another book by this author. No luck so far. I check Internet (Amazon.com) regularly...no luck.
The story is intriguing...the days of long past...families went to the ocean for the summer...dad came when he could...I can't imagine getting to live like that-relaxing and having fun for weeks at a time. The love story or almost love story...well...I'll leave that to the reader.
If one enjoys the beach/ocean/has fond memories of Myrtle Beach and the surrounding beaches/vacation spots...this is a MUST READ...

Being from the area this book brought back many memories of my special times at the beach. The title caught me in the store and I picked it up. I read 4 chapters before I even bought it, and finished the next morning. Then passed it on to all my firends. Had the pleasure of meeting Trip and having him sign my copy. Now no one borrows it now! Am still waiting for his next book! If it is anything like this one he is sure to have a winner!

It has been about 15 years since I have sat down and read a book from start to finish! This was so good I finished it in a weekend at the Beach! It was wonderful and I am now looking for more books by this author! Just a Great Book for anyplace and any time!!

Sunset Beach is connected to the mainland by an old bridge. The marriage story is symbolized by this bridge which is affected over and over again by high and low tides. The low tide days are Laura's discovery that her husband was wealthy,giving up tennis to care for her husband and lieing about her SAT score. High tide was the awakeninga of desire, the nights of Bird Island,and "when they were the Spirit." Laura found the level place after the kindred spirit gave her confidence to speak her mind and to value her own needs.

Sunset Beach is an easy to read book which will be appreciated by women who are neglected and who continue their relationships with self-centered husbands. Women can improve their lives by making changes and voicing their needs. This book reminded me of the Bridges of Madison County. Both women characters stay in the safe passage of the matrimonial bonds. The difference is Laura in Sunset Beach takes action. She speaks her mind. She does not continue to exist in a simmering situation of past moments of passion. She wears the gold starfish earrings which were a gift of a spirit to survive and keeps her balance even though the bridge did adulterously sway at Sunset Beach.

Trip Purcell has written an easy to follow story. His word selection quickly brings to mind sand, surf and starfish with radiantly disposed arms. Some might have been destructive to the taciturn oyster-but not the one encasing a mother of pearl - the starshine gem.-- Ele Mae

I had the pleasure of having Woodie on a TV program I produced back in the 80's. He was a genuine treat and a terminal optomist. He was responsible for creating the smiley face as a button/logo.

His book is fun and worth reading.

Charles Busch had my attention from the very start and he never let me down. Tale of the Allergests Wife as well as Psycho Beach Party were honestly 2 of the funniest plays i have ever read. his satire is astounding and yet makes perfect sense. anyone. who knew that a cross dresser could provide so much fun!

Even though the category is "Gay & Lesbian", these plays do not fit the category all that well...so if you are looking for gay or lesbian plays, this probably isn't the book for you. If you are looking for funny plays, this is the book for you. All of the plays in this book are good, though some can get a wee bit boring at parts. I especially like TALE OF THE ALLERGIST'S WIFE and PSYCHO BEACH PARTY, though all of them are great.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a good summer reading book. You can read it at the beach on a weekend and it was funny heart warming and delightful.

A little different from other DBF books that I've read, this book tells the story of a Manhattan wannabe lock jaw who was brought up to know diffently. She endures some hard knocks in life and finds out along the way what it really takes to find happiness. In the process, she returns to her Southern roots (of course) but on the path to happiness we meet many eccentric characters, including her hippe mother, her fabulous gay tenant, her amusing parrot Harry, and various ridiculous "Social List" types. It'll keep you laughing.

alot more drama in this particular book; enjoyable, but not as likable as others by d.b.frank

I love Dorothea Benton Frank. However, the Land of Mango Sunsets left me wanting. BTW - I am the main character's age, so there was a lot to potentially identify with. Some situations were dealt with too thinly. The message is wonderful. Kevin was hysterical. However, an entire book could have been written about after Mellie's mother died, the Harrison story. As usual she makes me laugh out loud but I didn't find the depth of her other works in this one.

I can see that DBF hasn't lost her charm with this book. After reading Bulls Island, I was hoping (with fingers and toes crossed) that her magical writing style hadn't disappeared. It didn't. Not in this book, it didn't. This is a heart-warming gem of a book set in the colorful low-country. This one has the depth of character development that I so love.

Miriam Elizabeth Swanson is a rich and priviledged woman who has gotten bitter over time since her divorce from her philandering husband, Charles. She lives alone in the townhouse with her pet parrot, Harry (who, I might say is a real character!). Estranged from her sons, Miriam lives only for her daily chats with her tenant upstairs, Kevin, and for her charity committees commitments. Miriam flies home to Sullivan's Island to visit her mother, Miss Josie (another delightful character). Something that her mother said to her in their conversation before Miriam flies back home to NYC struck a nerve in Miriam and Miriam started to wake up from her despondent state of affairs and found joy in life again.

This is a quirky tale of a divorcee, who discovers that there is more to life than what she has been experiencing. It is a delightful tale that is bound to warm your heart and makes you remember why life is so delightful after all. Yes, it is such a happy-go-lucky tale with a predictable ending, but who cares? Sometimes, those are the best kinds of novels to soothe your soul especially after a long day of chasing kids and everything else that comes in the way of reading a juicy book.

If you're looking for a quick and enjoyable novel, this one definitely fits the bill.

6/20/08

I bought this book on the advice of a clerk in
Holden Beach, NC, and I should have saved the money.
If all you want is sex scenes, buy it, but if you
want plot and character development, forget it.
The mystery was thin, and the romance wasn't there........

This book is a fun read, though there is certainly way more romance than mystery. In fact, perhaps the author should just go ahead and write romances, becuse the 'mystery' part was not very well developed. I think she's a good storyteller, but perhaps tried to do too much in this book. There were times when I though the behavior of the two main characters made no sense and other times when I could almost see them as living, breathing people I might want to actually know. I also thought this book could use an editor. There were lots of places where the phrasing was rough. Lots of sentences and/or phrases that could have been (SHOULD HAVE BEEN) edited out and none of her meaning would have been lost.

Fun read!

The Secret of the Kindred Spirit is a great book. It has everything, mystery, romance and detailed scenery. I go to Sunset Beach every summer and when I read this book, it was like I was there at the beach all over again. The mystery part was good. The book has plenty of romance/sexy scenes. The characters have real personalities that are easy to relate to.
I can't wait to read her next book!

Delighted that Jacqueline has given us another "can't put down" book. I totally pictured her first book "CLIMAX" as a film; this book should follow as a perfect sequel. It just gets better and better!

I read this book and cannot understand why it was even published. Ms. DeGroot starts off with a plot about a murder then immediately switches to chapter after chapter on sex. She told me more about sex than she did about the reason for the murder. She fails to develop her characters adequately so that you feel absolutely no concern or interest in them. At the end of the book, I couldn't decide why I had even bothered to read it! She apparently believes that sex will sell anything. I certainly hope it will sell my used copy of this book. Save your money for something worth reading!