About this item
Known for her moving characters and emotional honesty, Mary Alice Monroe brings listeners a beautifully rendered story that explores the fragile yet enduring bond between mothers and daughters.Caretta Rutledge thought she'd left her Southern roots and troubled family far behind. But an unusual request from her mother -- coming just as her own life is spinning out of control -- has Cara heading back to the scenic Lowcountry of her childhood summers. Before long, the rhythms of the island open her heart in wonderful ways as she repairs the family beach house, becomes a bona fide "turtle lady" and renews old acquaintances long thought lost. But it is in reconnecting with her mother that she will learn life's most precious lessons -- true love involves sacrifice, family is forever and the mistakes of the past can be forgiven."Mary Alice Monroe is helping to redefine the beauty and magic of the Carolina Lowcountry. Every book she has written has felt like a homecoming to me. ... " -- Pat Conroy --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.
About the Author
Mary Alice Monroe is the New York Times bestselling author of 27 books, including The Summer of Lost and Found, the latest installment of her beloved Beach House series. Monroe has also published children's books which complement the environmental themes she is known for in her adult novels. Monroe's middle grade series, written with Angela May, The Islanders, debuted #2 on the New York Times Best Sellers List in 2021. The second book in the series, Search for Treasure, debuted #3 on the New York Times Best Sellers List. Nearly eight million copies of her books have been published worldwide. Mary Alice has earned numerous accolades and awards including induction into the South Carolina Academy of Authors' Hall of Fame; South Carolina Center for the Book Award for Writing; the South Carolina Award for Literary Excellence; the SW Florida Author of Distinction Award; the RT Lifetime Achievement Award; the International Book Award for Green Fiction; the Henry Bergh Award for Children's Fiction; and her novel A Lowcountry Christmas won the prestigious Southern Prize for Fiction. Mary Alice is also the co-founder of the popular weekly web show and podcast Friends & Fiction. The Beach House is a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie, starring Andie McDowell. Several of her novels are optioned for film. Mary Alice has championed the fragility of the earth's wild habitat. The coastal southern landscape in particular is a strong and important focus of many of her novels. For her writing, Monroe immerses herself in academic research, works with wildlife experts, and does hands-on volunteering with animals. She then uses the knowledge and experiences to craft captivating stories that identify important parallels between nature and human nature. Sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, monarch butterflies, shorebirds are among the species she has worked with and woven into her novels. Mary Alice is also an active conservationist and serves on several boards including the South Carolina Aquarium board emeritus, the Pat Conroy Literary Center Honorary Board, and the Leatherback Trust, which she received the Leatherback Trust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022. She is especially proud to be a state-certified volunteer with the Island Turtle Team for more than twenty years. Mary Alice splits her time between her home on the South Carolina coast and her home in the North Carolina mountains. When she's not writing a novel, she is with her family or busy working with wildlife somewhere in the world.
