LAST LIGHT OVER CAROLINA by Mary Alice Monroe
Mary Alice Monroe is an esteemed author who has achieved much success in her short career. Books by her such as TIME IS A RIVER, THE BEACH HOUSE and SWIMMING LESSONS are reader favorites. Now comes LAST LIGHT OVER CAROLINA and it is her most romantic and emotion filled novel yet.
The book takes place in the actual town of McClellanville, South Carolina. This is a sleepy little village on the coast of South Carolina and its primary industry is shrimping. This industry has fallen on hard times in the past few years and those who operate shrimp boats have been in a financial bind.
Such a man is Bud Morrison. He comes from a long line of shrimpers and there is nothing he would rather do. His dedication to his profession has caused him financial problems, health problems, and problems in his relationships with his wife and daughter. His wife Carolina is a good shrimper’s wife but even she resents the lonely days she spends when Bud is out on the boat.
They have hit some rough spots in their marriage on the day in the book when Bud goes to sea once again. He leaves early and doesn’t even kiss Carolina good-bye. He comes to regret this when he suffers and accident on his boat and doesn’t know if he will survive the day or not.
The entire book takes place in this single day. It begins at first light and goes through last light. It details the love that Bud and Carolina share and what a tragedy it will be if this love can not continue. Bud and Carolina are both devoted to each other but this book raises the question as to whether or not that is enough. Can Carolina’s love for Bud extend across the water and bring him home.
In setting her story in McClellanville, Monroe adds another character to the story. There is so much to McClellanville as a place that its beauty and charm permeate every factor of the story. If, like I, you have once walked the streets of this wonderful town then you will know that Monroe perfectly captures the rhythms and flow of its people and places.
Monroe knows how to weaver a story. She has shown this in the past. But never before has she reached into the hearts of her characters and laid them out in print as she does this time. By book’s end you have a relationship with Carolina, Bud, their daughter Lizzy and her husband Josh. You have soared with them and you have suffered with them and those experiences have bonded you with them.
LAST LIGHT OVER CAROLINA is Monroe’s best book yet and one you will want to read over and over again. It takes you home to those places in your heart you love the most.
LAST LIGHT OVER CAROLINA is published by Pocket Books. It contains 369 pages and sells for $25.00.