Joanna, a corporate wife, is weary of the frequent moves her family makes to accomodate her husband’s career ladder.  At 46, with an empty nest, she decides during her morning jog to leave New Jersey.

She drives to Pawleys Island and accepts a live-in companion position with an elderly widow, Grace. Grace asks Joanna to stay on for six months, but does not reveal a secret that she is also hiding from her own family.

The seasonal life of Pawleys Island and the family histories of Joanna and Grace drive the story line. Joanna accepts part-time work, first as a waitress then with the local daily paper. As the plot unfolds, the reader gets a view of the social fabric of the community through the eyes of Joanna, an outsider.

Spectacular descriptions of the beach and the island's natural environment add a richness to the prose as Joanna joins the loggerhead turtle team and Grace revisits her dream to become an artist.  If you are a fan of South Carolina beaches, then give this novel a try.  The colorful visual imagery will have you longing for the coast, and may even awake memories of your own family beach vacations.