Ode to Dorothea Benton Frank

Last summer I had the honor of reading the Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank.  Do I consider this book a beach read? Yes, it is.  It is also the last book that Dorothea Benton Frank will ever share with the public. I also had an opportunity to meet her once. She passed away last summer and was at the top of my list  when came to thinking of my favorite writers that publish during this beach read season.  A patron where I work highly recommended this one.

Beekeeper Holly McNee Jensen quietly lives in a world of her own on Sullivans Island, tending her hives and working at the local island library. Holly calls her mother The Queen Bee because she’s a demanding hulk of a woman. Her mother, a devoted hypochondriac, might be unaware that she’s quite ill but that doesn’t stop her from tormenting Holly. To escape the drama, Holly’s sister Leslie married and moved away, wanting little to do with island life. Holly’s escape is to submerge herself in the lives of the two young boys next door and their widowed father, Archie.

Her world is upended when the more flamboyant Leslie returns and both sisters, polar opposites, fixate on what’s happening in their neighbor’s home. Is Archie really in love with that awful ice queen of a woman? If Archie marries her, what will become of his little boys? Restless Leslie is desperate for validation after her imploded marriage, squandering her favors on any and all takers. Their mother ups her game in an uproarious and theatrical downward spiral. Scandalized Holly is talking to her honey bees a mile a minute, as though they’ll give her a solution to all the chaos. Maybe they will. (Amazon, 2019)

I did not think that I would like this novel, but I did!   I loved the sense of humor and irony that appears in Dorothea Benton Frank’s writing.   I would love to go visit Sullivans island one day because it is one of my favorite settings.  This book also has great characters and is a character-driven story.  I read the book but I bet the audiobook would be just as good.  There was one subject  that I was not comfortable reading about but otherwise, I loved the book. 

This novel takes a page from another author Mary Alice Monroe who writes about animals.  Mary Alice shapes her story around the animals and this time Dorothea Benton Frank did the same.  I always say there is a little truth in fiction.  This novel is about honey bees.  For those of you who have read Mary Alice Monroe know that the story reflects the animal of choice. How would you say these characters reflect the hive that lives on Sullivans Island? 

Rating:

4/5

Please make sure you check out other books by Dorothea Benton Frank.  My top favorites are Queen Bee,  Return to Sullivan’s Island, and Sullivan’s Island.   I hope they become yours as well.