Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we’re excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they’re books that have yet to be released. It’s based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. If you’re continuing with WOW, feel free to link those up as well! Find out more here. This week, I’m waiting for…

Reunion Beach: Stories Inspired by Dorothea Benton Frank

Reunion Beach: Stories Inspired by Dorothea Benton Frank

by Elin Hilderbrand, Adriana Trigiani, Patti Callahan Henry, Cassandra King, Nathalie Dupree, Marjory Wentworth, and Mary Alice Monroe

Expected publication: April 27th 2021 by William Morrow

In this warm and moving anthology, a group of bestselling authors and writers pay tribute to legendary, larger-than-life New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank and her literary legacy, capturing her unforgettable spirit, joy, and humor in stories of reunions and love.

When Dorothea Benton Frank died in the fall of 2019, her friends in the literary community were bereft. Her loss was a hole in their lives that could not be filled. Elin Hilderbrand dedicated her most recent novel 28 Summers to Dottie, and other writers paid tribute to her in blogs and on social media. Yet they wanted to do more. Inspired by the title Dorothea Benton Frank planned for her next book—Reunion Beach—these close friends and colleagues channeled their creativity, admiration, and grief into stories and poems that celebrate this remarkable woman and her abiding love for the lush Lowcountry of her native South Carolina—a land of beauty, history, charm, and gullah magic she so brilliantly brought to life in her acclaimed novels. 

In the poignant and atmospheric “Summer of ’79,” the beloved characters from Elin Hilderbrand’s Summer of ’69 reunite on Nantucket ten years later for a bittersweet family reunion that holds life-changing consequences for them all.

A crisis of the heart reunites five best friends on idyllic Oak Island, where the memories they share and the truths they reveal offer unexpected insights and opportunities in Patti Callahan Henry’s engaging “The Bridesmaids.”

Mary Alice Monroe weaves past and present in an emotionally powerful and uplifting story of love lost and found, about a birth mother who at long last meets the daughter she gave up in “Mother and Child Reunion.”

Dorothea Benton Frank and Pat Conroy meet for a heavenly meal amid the divine beauty of the Lowcountry they shared and loved in Adriana Trigiani’s delightful and poignant story—a tribute to two dear friends and bestselling Southern legends.

A television special commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of a Lowcountry chef’s hit cooking show makes for an emotionally rich family reunion in Cassandra King Conroy’s “Lowcountry Stew,” a blend of food, friendship, and marriage infused with the intoxicating flavor of coastal Carolina. 

Infused with Dorothea Benton Frank’s remarkable spirit, Reunion Beach is a literary homage and beautiful keepsake that keeps this dearly missed writer’s flame burning bright.

Not only have I loved and enjoyed many books by Dorothea Benton Frank over the years, but many of the authors who have contributed to this one. I can’t wait to sit by the pool reading this one.

Does this book appeal to you?

What are you waiting for this week?