Victoria Benton Frank, daughter of the late beloved New York Times Bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank, will release her debut novel, My Magnolia Summer, on June 6th. Victoria’s book is expected to carry on her mother's tradition of writing the perfect summer beach read.
My Magnolia Summer is set on Sullivan's Island, like her mother's first book, and Benton Frank writes from the heart about what she knows having lived in both Charleston and New York City where she worked in the kitchens of some of the city's finest restaurants.
Here’s a description of the novel:
Charleston born Maggie Adams (born Magnolia after the fairest summer flower) is chasing her New York City dream of being a chef. Sure, she misses her family and the balmy beach weather back home on Sullivan's Island, but she's inches away from her big break working at Bar JP, one of NYC's most popular restaurants, and semi happily involved in a romantic relationship with Ronny, a fickle, but handsome and talented chef she works with. The stars seemed aligned in her favor, until a phone call from her sister Violet changes everything.
Gran, the treasured matriarch, has fallen into a coma after a car accident caused by Maggie's troubled mother, Lily. Maggie rushes home to be by her side and soon finds herself playing catch-up on all the family drama that her New York life has shielded her from. The Magic Lantern, the restaurant owned and run by generations of women in her family, is being run into the ground by her mom's new boyfriend Buster, and her sister seems headed for an epic breakup.
Back home in South Carolina, between the marsh grasses and the dunes, Maggie steps into a new and different version of herself, one who rises to the occasion to fix the wrongs that have occurred during her absence and one who can see how a minor crash into the back of a very handsome farmer's truck may become fortunate. Or perhaps it's even… fate?
Benton Frank has already generated plenty of early praise for the novel:
- “This enchanting novel will bring romance and sunshine to your summer reading list.” – Elin Hildebrand, New York Times bestselling author
- “Victoria Benton Frank shows that she is the rightful heir to the crown of summertime storytellers. Her mother would be so proud.” – Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author
Benton Frank makes her home just outside of Charleston and is a graduate of the College of Charleston and the French Culinary Institute.
