My Magnolia Summer

Victoria Benton Frank, daughter of the beloved writer Dorothea Benton Frank, spins us a new Lowcountry tale that is spicy and heartfelt, filled with twists and turns and a few good laughs.

Charleston born Magnolia Adams?known as Maggie?thought she was chasing her New York City dream of being a chef: inches away from her big break; involved in a romantic relationship with a fickle, but handsome, talented man. But then came a phone call from her sister, Violet, that changed everything.

Gran, the treasured matriarch, has fallen into a coma after a car accident caused by Maggie's troubled mother, Lily. But once Maggie returns, she finds that her hometown of Sullivan's Island holds even more secrets. The Magic Lantern, the restaurant owned and run by generations of women in her family, is now rudderless, and her sister seems headed for a savage breakup.

Once she is between the marsh grasses and dunes of South Carolina, she feels herself changing like the Atlantic tides, rediscovering the roots she left behind, and a new and different version of herself?one who can see how a minor crash into the back of a very handsome farmer's truck may become fortunate. Or perhaps it's even... fate?

When the three generations of South Carolina women join forces?the family pillar Rose, troubled Lily, impulsive Violet, and redoubtable Maggie?anything is possible.