The Beach House

This novel is the fourth in a well-loved series. Picking up one of Monroe's books is like returning to a favorite place - there is comfort in the familiarity and you can settle in. However, as the author does a good job with providing brief looks into the back story, this works well as a stand alone. However, if this is your first introduction to the series, you may be well enticed to seek out the earlier books. (And you should.)

This book starts out slowly, as if to let you settle into the story like you'd sink into your favorite chair. It's difficult at times to write reviews when you've read and reread the predecessors in a series because you have what feels like a relationship with the characters, I will confess, and this definitely show more comes into play with Cara's storyline.

Monroe's stories are a good mix of character-driven and plot-driven. The story follows two storylines - that of Cara Rutledge, who is the owner of the beach house in question, and that of Heather, an agoraphobic artist from Charlotte who is renting said beach house for the season. For the new reader, Heather's storyline will have a bigger punch as we see her struggle and then bloom over the arc of the story - all the while Cara's character shrinks and fades in the face of her own tragedy. (For fans of the series, the tragedy that strikes Cara is a kick in the gut because it happens so quickly and you KNOW their story - but no spoilers from me.)

The juxtaposition of personalities - Heather, quiet and frightened, wanting to be stronger and willing her way through anxiety attacks, and Cara's brash confidence are contrasted in the beginning of the story, but as the two stories collide the synergy between Cara's past and Heather's experience/agoraphobia drives the story forward in unexpected ways.

The book brings back beloved characters: Flo and Ellie, Palmer, Mother Muir and even Lovie (in her own gentle way.) Central to the story is the beach house itself - it is as comforting and familiar as a favorite chair, and her description will have you longing for such a place of your own to escape to.

Mary Alice Monroe's love for the low country continues to shine through and we once again see the magic of the dunes, the sea turtles, and dolphins; in this book, she turns her attention to the shore birds and quietly works in information on the plight they face (as she has done so well with sea turtles and dolphins in prior books.) Her lush descriptions of the beach, the house, the wind whispering through the dunes and the beauty of the birds that Heather studies will weave a spell and make you long for some sand between your toes.

This story tackles themes of family dynamics, mental health, of loss and grief, and of healing - all of which Mary Alice Monroe deals with deftly and gracefully while delivering what is still a wonderful escapist beach read.

Thanks to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Mary Alice Monroe for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. show less

I read the fourth book in the Beach House series, Beach House for Rent, by Mary Alice Monroe, several years ago, and have finally made my way back to the series. I decided to read the first book, The Beach House, to see how things started. Reading a beach-themed book in July seemed like the best idea. It worked out perfectly, as The Beach House takes place over the course of one summer in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

Caretta Rutledge, is called from her home in Chicago to visit her mother at the family beach house. Cara’s life has just taken an unexpected turn, so a visit to the Lowcountry is perfect timing. The relationship between her and her mother is strained, so it takes the women time to open up to one another about why show more Cara’s visit has been requested. Time and the healing attributes of the beach house help Cara process what happened in Chicago and navigate upcoming life-changing experiences. Over the summer, as Cara and her mother work on their relationship, Cara rekindles old friendships, takes on repairs to the beach house, and becomes a turtle lady.

Mary Alice Monroe has written a beautiful story that gets better with every page. This is definitely a Chick Lit novel, considering the presence of romantic relationships. I enjoyed my fictional time at the beach house, weathering the storms with these ladies and experiencing their joyful celebrations. My favorite character was Cara’s mother, Lovie. She shared a lot of wisdom with the younger female characters and navigated her own life-changing experience with grace. I like how Monroe paralleled the characters' stories with the lives of the Loggerhead turtles. It was educational and sentimental. She even closes the book with helpful tips for visitors to the Lowcountry so that the turtles can continue to flourish.

I purchased the audiobook of The Beach House with my Audible subscription. Surprisingly, Mary Alice Monroe narrated this audiobook. She did an excellent job changing her voice for each character. It was a pleasure to listen to her read her own story.

I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog show less

Beautifully written. Very well rounded characters.
The story takes place during the summer, at a beach house where an estranged family reconnects.

Cara left home at 18, running away from a very unkind, controlling father and a mom who didn't stand up for herself or her kids. This is how Cara saw it and she saw her brother as the golden child.

She's been gone for twenty years, her father passed away years ago and her mom beds her to come home again to straighten things up.
She doesn't clarify what needs straightening up, but Cara decides to go home to see her.

When she gets there, she is at first surprised to see her mom has invited a young, pregnant girl (Toy) to live with her. She learns that the girl is her mother's care giver and that show more her mother is dying.

She agrees to stay the summer, to be there for the last of her mom's days.
This coincides with the remainder of Toy's pregnancy and turtle season.

Her mom has been helping during turtle season for decades and her closest circle of friends is made up of other turtle ladies.

I thought this was beautifully written and the distance Cara has with her mom is well explAined and ultimately rebuilt.

My reviews are personal responses to the book though and it was too sad for me. Cara's mom's eventual death lingers through the whole story and so does the sadness of her childhood. I thought the entire story was handled well, and I loved the last few pages, but I felt like the sadness just lingered through so much of the book. show less

THE BEACH HOUSE
MARY ALICE MONROE

MY RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️▫️
PUBLISHER MIRA
PUBLISHED January 1,2017 (Kindle Edition)

A perfect summer beach read exploring the tenuous bonds between a mother and daughter and the opportunity for renewal.

SUMMARY
Caretta Rutledge left Charleston and the Low Country behind when she was 18. Now 40, Cara has a high powered marketing job in Chicago, but things are spinning out of control there. She gets an unusual request from her mother to come spend the summer at her mother’s beloved Primrose cottage on the Isle of Palms. When Caretta arrives there she finds that both the beach house and her family are in disarray. First, she must readjust to the beach life and get rid of her silk pants suit and show more rhinestone studded strappy sandals. She soon finds some old friends, and makes new ones as well. She fixes up the beach cottage and helps her mom with “turtle” duty. In reconnecting with her mother Caretta learns so much about love, sacrifice, family and forgiveness.

REVIEW
Having recently read Beach House for Rent (#4), I found I wanted to read more of Mary Alice Monroe. This is the first book in her Beach House series. It was originally published in 2006. The other two books in the series are Swimming Lessons (#2) and Beach House Memories (#3).

In THE BEACH HOUSE each chapter enjoyable alternates perspective between Cara and her mother, Olivia. Olivia is getting up in age, and has returned to live at the beach permanently. Some of her fondest memories are among the dunes in front of the yellow beach house. Olivia is known as the “turtle lady” on Isle of Palms because of her dedication to the loggerhead turtle nests she protects on the beach.

Each chapter opens with vignettes about the life and nesting habits of loggerhead turtles. Each loggerhead prelude most creatively foretells the struggles and events that were strikingly similar to the lives of Cara and Olivia. I loved this parallel, and the way the loggerhead turtles were also such an prominent part of the renewal between Cara and her mother, as well as the rest of the family.

Cara thinks that she and her mom couldn't be anymore different. But she is wrong. Cara is strong and independent while her mom lived her entire life with a man controlling her every decision. But the move out to the beach represents a new chapter in both of their lives. A chapter of renewal, understanding and freedom. It's a story about strong women facing difficult times with grace and perseverance.

It's a great beach read! MARY ALICE MONROE is known for moving character and emotional honesty. In this book she explores the tenuous but enduring bonds between a mother and her daughter. show less

Mary Alice Monroe delves into the Southern psyche in The Beach House. She brilliantly flitters on Southern history with all the platitudes of Brett on his Southern man beliefs and in the history of Lovie’s family with all her family’s wealth and heirlooms. Then Lovie must explain to Cara a woman’s place in the world, of course, this belief of the “good ole wife” that sacrificed all for her husband, her lord and master. Next, we have the importance of family where secrets are locked away and expected never to leak, such as the terrible temper of Mr. Rutledge and Lovie’s secret love affair with Sullivan. A sense of community and your role in that community as with the Turtle Ladies who protect and nurture the eggs of the show more loggerhead turtle. With the character of Toy, a young and pregnant teen-ager, we see the sense of class and her reluctance to join high society of the Rutledges. Mary Alice Monroe does not write in the Southern dialect but does mention Southern basics like sweet tea and a fish fry. I enjoyed this journey into the head of a determined woman finding her true identity. show less

I was urged to read this on my annual South Carolina beach vacation with old friends. It's a perfect beach book that would also be enjoyable for someone who only wishes she were at the beach. In addition, the reader will painlessly learn quite a bit about loggerhead turtles, the symbol that holds the book together.

Caretta Rutledge thinks she has her life in order. Since leaving her Charleston home at 18, she has earned two degrees, become an account executive in an ad agency, and bought a lakefront condo in Chicago. Her boyfriend, with whom she has a cordial but passionless relationship, works for the same firm. But on her fortieth birthday, she is laid off from the agency while the boyfriend is conveniently out of town. Having just show more received a letter from her mother, asking her to come home, she flees, leaving her laptop and cellphone behind, to the old family beach house on the Isle of Palms.

Caretta's mother, Olivia or Lovie, who named her daughter for the loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta)that she cherishes, is dying of cancer -- a fact Caretta doesn't learn until midway in the book. She has returned to the beach house with the companionship of Toy Sooner, a pregnant teenager from the wrong side of town, whose parents and boyfriend have abandoned her. THE BEACH HOUSE is the story of these three women and the summer they share with the turtles, with each other, and with a group of other interesting characters. Caretta and Toy have momentous decisions to make, and Lovie, determined to live fully until her last breath, also needs to mend the long estrangement between her and her daughter. Need I say there is also a romance?

This is a great example of the "not-so-trashy-trashy=novel" or, a politer term, domestic fiction. There's much more to it than just romance. If you have never been to the Carolina Low Country, this book will hive you an idea of what it's like. If you have, THE BEACH HOUSE ]will bring back the sight of the dunes, the scent of pluff mud, the taste of really fresh shrimp, and the music of Southern voices. Recommended. show less

A gripping tale of the love between a mother and daughter put on hold for too long. After twenty years away, Cara Rutledge returns home to South Carolina. Though she only intends to stay a week or so, she quickly changes her mind. She struggles with rebuilding old relationships and establishing new ones, while the surf, the sand and the beach house call to her roots. Will the Chicago advertising executive listen to her mind and leave South Carolina and all she has there behind for good, or will she listen to her heart and stay? The Beach House tugs at the heartstrings, making you laugh and cry. It’s on my highly recommended list.