Narrator Shannon McManus performs this Lowcountry story about three women, each on the brink of change. Holly raises bees while waiting for a teaching position to open up at the local elementary school, Leslie has moved back home because her marriage is in trouble, and their mother—referred to as the Queen Bee—is starting to have health issues. Although generally engaging, the performance would have benefited from more sharply distinguished voices to make the dialogue easier to follow. But McManus’s hint of a Southern accent helps ground the audiobook to the Sullivan Island setting, and her lively delivery amplifies the humor and drama that ensue after the women, reunited under one roof, attempt to sort out their love lives, their family dynamics, and their futures. C.B.L. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
“If I could only read one writer from now until the end of my life, it would be Dorothea Benton Frank."" -Elin Hilderbrand, the New York Times bestselling author
Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of New York Times bestselling author Dorthea Benton Frank's Carolina Lowcountry in this evocative tale that returns at long last to her beloved Sullivan's Island.
Beekeeper Holly McNee Kensen quietly lives in a world of her own on Sullivan's 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.
Queen Bee is a classic Lowcountry Tale, warm, wise and hilarious, roars with humanity and a dropperful of whodunit added for good measure by an unseen hand. In her twentieth novel, Dorothea Benton Frank brings us back to her beloved island with an unforgettable story where the Lowcountry magic of the natural world collides with the beat of the human heart.
“If I could only read one writer from now until the end of my life, it would be Dorothea Benton Frank."" -Elin Hilderbrand, the New York Times bestselling author
Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of New York Times bestselling author Dorthea Benton Frank's Carolina Lowcountry in this evocative tale that returns at long last to her beloved Sullivan's Island.
Beekeeper Holly McNee Kensen quietly lives in a world of her own on Sullivan's 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.
Queen Bee is a classic Lowcountry Tale, warm, wise and hilarious, roars with humanity and a dropperful of whodunit added for good measure by an unseen hand. In her twentieth novel, Dorothea Benton Frank brings us back to her beloved island with an unforgettable story where the Lowcountry magic of the natural world collides with the beat of the human heart.
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940170068470 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Publication date: | 05/28/2019 |
| Series: | Lowcountry Tales , #13 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
Videos
