“If I could only read one writer from now until the end of my life, it would be Dorothea Benton Frank.” –Elin Hilderbrand, New York Times bestselling author of The Identicals The Lowcountry of South Carolina is where By Invitation Only begins at a barbecue engagement party thrown by Diane English Stiftel, her brother Floyd, and her parents to celebrate her son’s engagement. On this gorgeous, … and her parents to celebrate her son’s engagement. On this gorgeous, magical night, the bride’s father, Alejandro Cambria, a wealthy power broker whose unbelievably successful career in private equity made him one of Chicago’s celebrated elite, discovers the limits and possibilities of cell phone range. While the mother of the bride, Susan Kennedy Cambria, who dabbles in the world of public relations and believes herself deserving of every square inch of her multimillion-dollar penthouse and imaginary carrara marble pedestal, learns about moonshine and dangerous liaisons.
Soon By Invitation Only zooms to Chicago, where the unraveling accelerates. Nearly a thousand miles away from her comfortable, familiar world, Diane is the antithesis of the bright lights and super-sophisticated guests attending her son Fred’s second engagement party. Why a second party? Maybe it had been assumed that the first one wouldn’t be up to snuff? Fred is marrying Shelby Cambria, also an only child. The Cambrias’ dearest wish is for their daughter to be happy. If Shelby wants to marry Frederick, aka Fred, they will not stand in her way—although Susan does hope her friends won’t think her daughter is marrying more than a few degrees beneath her socially. At the same time, Diane worries that her son will be lost to her forever.
By Invitation Only is a tale of two families, one struggling to do well, one well to do, and one young couple—the privileged daughter of Chicago’s crème de la crème and the son of hard -working Southern peach farmers.
Dorothea Benton Frank offers a funny, sharp, and deeply empathetic novel of two very different worlds—of limousines and pickup trucks, caviars and pigs, skyscrapers and ocean spray—filled with a delightful cast of characters who all have something to hide and a lot to learn. A difference in legal opinions, a headlong dive from grace, and an abrupt twist will reveal the truth of who they are and demonstrate, when it truly counts, what kind of grit they have. Are they living the life they want, what regrets do they hold, and how would they remake their lives if they were given the invitation to do so?
By Invitation Only is classic Dorothea Benton Frank—a mesmerizing Lowcountry Tale that roars with spirit, humor, and truth, and forces us to reconsider our notions of what it means to be a Have or a Have Not.
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Combine Low-country magic, high society of Chicago, pig roasts and a wedding you have one wonderful book that just screams summertime to me. Nothing is better than slipping into one of Dot Frank’s books and not coming up for air until the end. I loved the sassy , gritty, strong and charming characters. Two families, one humble and homespun the other as high society as you can get. The mother of the bride Susan is so into appearances that she cannot bear the thought of the grooms mother Diane, having any say in the upcoming wedding. Susan thinks that her lifestyle is more important than Diane’s life on her family farm. Now Susan was a bit of a complex character for me, on the one hand I could not stand her high brow snotty demeanor but on the other hand I sensed something more underneath, a bit of spunk and grit to her character. Diane was just an honest to goodness low-country girl that I have come to love from this authors books. Everyone is shocked when the unthinkable happens in Susan’s family, this is when we learn exactly what Susan is made of. I just loved this book, it is a sweet story, sometimes sad but always full of southern charm and drama. People bond together that you never thought would in this book and did I mention Diane’s mother and her sassy wit? Now here was a woman that I loved right away.
The peach farm was a nice change from the usual beach settings of this authors books. I was sad to see this book end, that is my only criticism.
I was saddened to learn Dorothea Benton Frank died September 2019. I’ve read many of her books, and they were always a fun educational read. By Invitation Only is no exception. I loved her cast of characters, especially her protagonist Lady Di. I always think her lead characters must have a lot of her personality traits. (Thank goodness she wrote her novels for readers to enjoy for generations to come!) Frank’s subtle wit threads through this novel as it does all the others. The deep familial love between siblings Diane and Floyd, and their parents is beautifully written. Though they annoy each other at times they always have each other’s backs. (The gentle teasing was a sweet reminder to me of growing up in a large farm family that showed no mercy whenever there was a chance to tease one another.) Diane’s son, Fred falls in love with a wealthy city girl. The contrast of his Lowcountry peach farm and her million dollar Chicago lifestyle couldn’t have been farther apart. Frank weaves a touching story and ultimately all characters become empathetic in the reader’s eyes. Nothing is as it seems to be. The transformation of the characters is believable and necessary. Who says a good book can’t have a happy ending? You won’t regret reading By Invitation Only. It’s a hoot as well as a make you feel good book.
Dorothea Benton Frank is one of my all-time favorite authors for a good reason. That woman can tell a story that will make you laugh, make you cry, and touch upon every other emotion in-between. BY INVITATION ONLY is no exception. It’s an incredibly satisfying read that will burst your heart open with joy.
Very entertaining. How does one handle adversity in its many forms? This was unrealistic at times in how easily everyone adapted to circumstances but, of course, we were rooting for them to do just that.
Love all D B Franks books. This may be my favorite.
4.5 Humorous & heartfelt tale of 2nd chances as the main characters learn to appreciate family & life’s simple pleasures. Hours of entertainment & a sweet ending. I can understand why DBF is so popular with women of a “certain age.” It seems she put part of her humor & heart into the books she left behind for a new generation of readers to enjoy.
A friend recommended this author and I’m so glad she did. So far, this story is my favorite, probably because I love the area around Charleston S.C., and was able to spend time in Mount Pleasant a couple of years ago. The author captures all the charm and adds an array of original, quirky characters that never would have come together except for a wedding. It was a delight to follow this endearing protagonist, Diane, as she navigates proper etiquette and challenging family relationships to create a memorable wedding for her son.
I enjoyed the collision of the groom’s peach farming family with the bride’s wealthy jet set family. Big bang! Weddings can bring out the worst in controlling mothers and this is what happens on both sides, to some extent. I could see both sides and sympathize. The narrator made the characters pop off the page. It is a quick and enjoyable read.
Love all of Dorothea Benton Frank’s bookS. She has a way with words and full of wit and energy.
Favorite Quotes:
Family mythology says that even in its youth, the house was so unappealing that Sherman’s troops let it stand. The officers said it wasn’t worth the flick of the flint it would’ve taken to torch it, and the Yankees had slept in the barn by choice. I heard somewhere that the real reason they took to the barn was that my great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother was especially frisky, but I’d never repeat that.
“That ought to make ‘em happy… And if it doesn’t, they can all go home and scratch their mad place.”… No one ever really defined what one’s mad place might be, but it was assumed to be in the area of one’s personal Lowcountry.
When we were growing up, Floyd and I used to say our dishes were Chinese – Ding Dynasty.
My Review:
Dorothea Benton Frank imbues her entertaining stories with a special blend of humor, which appears to be equal parts keen wry wit and a unique yet indefinable form of Lowcountry magic. I have been completely enamored with clever arrangements of words since my first exposure with The Hurricane Sisters. I was an instant fangirl and have delighted in each of her thoughtfully observant and witty written tales that I’ve been lucky enough to snag. Her quirky characters come alive on the page and become so familiar I feel I could recognize them on the street.
By Invitation Only was a smartly paced and pleasantly entertaining tale of contrasts that began with a young newly engaged couple announcing their intentions and plans to introduce their divergently different sets of relatives for the first time were instituted. It was the in-laws vs. the outlaws; midwestern urbanites meet the Southern country bumpkins; wealthy snobs meet salt-of-the-earth rednecks. It didn’t help that Uncle Floyd was a Doomsday planner who appeared besotted with camo. He primarily wore camo pants, had camo covered furniture, and even toted a camo themed flask for his spirits. He was also a chick magnet. Go figure…
Dueling engagement parties were planned across the country every upscale extravagance was expended by the Chicago contingent, who thought their worst fears would be finding taxidermy, picnic tables, and gun racks upon arrival at the farm for the Southern version – only to discover moonshine, pig trophies, and the impossibility of removing manure from Chanel ~ snort. I savored every word and eagerly consumed the amusing tag lines that set the tone for each new chapter.
I absolutely loved this Christian novel. It is truly an inspirational read with realistic characters with depth to their personalities. This is a very relatable story.
Great read!
Intriguing
Good read loved it!
I found this book to be a real page Turner with unexpected plot twists
It was a book just to sit out on the patio and read, snuggled in a blanket for a rainy day, it was the kind of book I like:)
Everything is what I loved about this book. Dorthea Benton Frank is at her best with very memorable characters and a story line everyone can relate to!
I LOVE her characters. They literally jump off the page. She is such an amazing and gifted writer. I am so excited everytime I see that she has a new book.
Like her other books, she is not as unpredictable as she could be. I almost know the characters before the book starts. I like that because they are like my friends.
Absolutely Wonderful!!!