Sullivan S Island

Set in the steamy, stormy landscape of South Carolina, this New York Times bestseller from the author of Queen Bee is the unforgettable story of one woman’s courageous journey toward truth… Born and raised on idyllic Sullivan’s Island, Susan Hayes navigated through her turbulent childhood with humor, spunk, and characteristic Southern sass. But years later, she is a conflicted woman with an unfaithful husband, a sometimes resentful teenage daughter, and a heart that aches with painful, poignant memories. And as Susan faces her uncertain future, she realizes that she must go back to her past. To the beachfront house where her sister welcomes her with open arms. To the only place she can truly call home...

"The Island is a very singular one. It consists of little else than the sea sand and is about three miles long. Its breadth at no point exceeds a quarter of a mile." Edgar Allan Poe's terse description, from his story The Gold Bug, is essentially as true today as when it was written. Others, before and after Poe, have been captivated by "the Island." For a long time, Sullivan's Island was the only Charleston-area beach resort, and its importance in the nation's history gave it a special significance. From the Battle of Fort Sullivan (now Fort Moultrie) came the inspiration for the state flag and for the arms of the Great Seal of State. The unique architectural heritage of Sullivan's Island evolved out of this historical background. A visiting New York architect in the 1970s said, "This Island has the greatest assortment of styles and periods of architecture ever put together in one small area." However, an 1872 observer more accurately called the style of architecture "multifarious." He noted, "Everybody who builds follows his own ideas-in most cases comfort is consulted-and the resort is a varied collection of cottages and summer villas of every conceivable description."

“Her books are funny, sexy, and usually damp with seawater.” —Pat Conroy, author of The Prince of Tides In Return to Sullivans Island, Dorothea Benton Frank revisits the enchanted landscape of South Carolina’s Lowcountry made famous in her beloved New York Times bestseller Sullivans Island. Frank focuses on the next generation of Hamiltons and Hayes, earning high praise from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which writes, “Frank brings to vivid life the rich landscape and its unpretentious folks….A reader need only close her eyes for a moment to feel that thick-sticky heat, smell the wild salt marshes.” If you enjoy getting lost in the works of Anne Rivers Siddons, Rebecca Wells, and Pat Conroy—novels brimming with atmosphere and strong Southern charm—you are going to love Dotty Frank’s Return to Sullivans Island.

From the very beginning, Sullivan's Island has held a unique place in the history of South Carolina. As a fortress, it provided protection from enemies. As a lazaretto, it became a main corridor through which slaves entered America. Its most enduring role, however, has been as a place of escape, first for those in the nineteenth century avoiding the epidemics plaguing the city and lately for those in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries looking for a relaxing vacation. Join native Cindy Lee as she traces the island's singular past. Calling on her experience as a guide to the city of Charleston, she uses the buildings to illustrate the stories of the people who lived and worked on Sullivan's Island for over three centuries.

Invaluable advice by regional experts and master photographers on where to find the most stunning sites at their peak and how to shoot them. Gracious, historic Charleston, South Carolina, has long been a favorite travel destination. Lovely, romantic Savannah, Georgia, is a gem of the Old South. The many barrier islands running along the coast between them offer miles of beaches, great wildlife viewing, dramatic seascapes, and lush wetlands. The entire area provides diverse opportunities for photographers at all levels of expertise, and this new guide shows you where to find its best and most photogenic antebellum architecture, historic sites, and wild vistas. Maps and GPS coordinates will help you find precise locales, and the advice on when and how best to capture them on film will help make your excursions fruitful as well as enjoyable.