One of PureWow’s “Best Beach Reads of Summer 2018”New York Times bestselling author Karen White crafts evocative relationships in this contemporary women’s fiction novel, set in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, about lifelong friends who share a devastating secret.On the banks of the North Santee River stands a moss-draped oak that was once entrusted with the dreams of three young girls. Into … dreams of three young girls. Into the tree’s trunk, they placed their greatest hopes, written on ribbons, for safekeeping—including the most important one: Friends forever, come what may.
But life can waylay the best of intentions….
Nine years ago, a humiliated Larkin Lanier fled Georgetown, South Carolina, knowing she could never go back. But when she finds out that her mother has disappeared, she realizes she has no choice but to return to the place she both loves and dreads—and to the family and friends who never stopped wishing for her to come home.
Ivy, Larkin’s mother, is discovered badly injured and unconscious in the burned-out wreckage of her ancestral plantation home. No one knows why Ivy was there, but as Larkin digs for answers, she uncovers secrets kept for nearly fifty years—whispers of love, sacrifice, and betrayal—that lead back to three girls on the brink of womanhood who found their friendship tested in the most heartbreaking ways.
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This wonderfully woven novel has it all — intrigue, romance, echoes of lingering regrets — and the pages are brimming with compelling characters. Dreams of Falling is the best kind of novel — it’s a past-and-present love story expertly wrapped in mystery. Karen White never fails to deliver.
This was a beautiful story of family and friends that become family. I loved the strong female characters of the story and I loved the bond they shared with one another. There are many secrets that come to light, both from the past and present. As you read, make sure you have tissues handy! I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Berkley. All opinions are my own.
My favorite of Karen White’s novels by far. A must-read for this summer.
I have read and loved many Karen White novels but this is in my opinion her best. I cried, I laughed and at times had chills from the filling like I was in the room with her characters. I stayed up very late reading this one.
Fans of Karen White will not be disappointed by Dreams of Falling in which she employers her signature writing style to tell the story of two lifelong friends, Ceecee and Bitty, set in South Carolina in 2010. Growing up, there were three of them and the beautiful, charismatic Margaret Darlington was the center of their universe. Wealthy, privileged, and unaccustomed to being denied her every whim, Margaret’s Southern charm and sophistication stood in contrast to Ceecee’s conservative upbringing as the daughter of a local pastor and Bitty’s rearing by working-class parents. Into the Tree of Dreams, a towering oak on the Darlington’s property, the three girls dropped, at Margaret’s urging, ribbons upon which they wrote their hopes and desires. And during one glorious two-week vacation following their 1951 high school graduation, Margaret and Ceecee believed the tree had fulfilled their identical desires. However, the long-revered Darlington luck had finally run out. Now, in 2010, Margaret’s granddaughter, Larkin Lanier, has returned home from New York City to tend to her catastrophically injured mother, Ivy. Larkin fled South Carolina in search of a life free from the humiliations and delusions of her youth. Ivy was raised by Ceecee after Margaret died tragically when Ivy was just two years old, and Ceecee & her husband also played an enormous role in Larkin’s upbringing. Larkin has been estranged — apart from the annual birthday message — from Ivy for nine years, but her return home provides the impetus for resolution of old hurts, resentments, and the discovery of the truth about Margaret’s untimely death. White employs multiple voices to tell the story of current-day events, as well as those set in motion back in 1951 that altered all of their lives. As Ivy, in a comatose state, observes what is transpiring around her, as well as her motivations, Ceecee narrates the youthful adventure of three hopeful 1951 graduates, while Larkin relates her journey to come to grips with the realities of her circumstances and choices. The result is a powerful tale of familial choices, secrets, and relationships within an intricately-plotted mystery. In other words, pure Karen White-style storytelling infused with Southern charm and values. Dreams of Falling is a perfect summer beach read!
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book!
The characters in this book were so, so good and I loved following them on their journey through life, love, and self discovery.
Larkin needed to come home from New York because her mother was missing.
What she found was that over the years a lot of things were missing and quite a few things were kept secret.
Larkin found secrets about her mother and her family at every turn.
When she asked why she wasn’t told, the answer was ignored or she was told to wait until her mother, Ivy, wakes up and to ask her.
Larkin wondered how long she would have to wait for her mother to wake up. She also wondered how long until she found out everything.
Ivy had been found near death at the old homestead, Carrowmore, underneath a rotting staircase.
Carrowmore had been a favorite childhood place of her mother and her friends where they put “wishes on ribbons” into the opening of a tree.
As the book continued, the plot thickened, and Larkin kept finding out more and more about what had been kept from her and how some close family members were not as they appeared.
DREAMS OF FALLING was a bit confusing at first in the character department. It took me a while to figure out who belonged to who and what their connections were. The connections became more tricky and quite intriguing as things were revealed.
We learn of the secrets kept and of the lives of the main characters by going back to 1951 and then returning to 2010. I really enjoyed seeing the three friends in their youth. Their current lives didn’t seem as exciting, but their youth and family history as with all of us had a major influence on their lives now and the paths they had chosen.
DREAMS OF FALLING started out not feeling like Karen White’s usual books because of the confusing character problem, but once the book got going, the familiar writing, the marvelous story line, the Southern charm, and warm characters made its appearance and made the story line completely wonderful and enjoyable as always.
DREAMS OF FALLING is another marvelous treat.
Despite the confusion with the characters at the beginning, DREAMS OF FALLING is another Karen White masterpiece that pulls you in and keeps you loving each turn of the page.
I hope you enjoy it too. 5/5
I received an Advanced Reader of this book. All opinions are my own.
Dreams of Falling is another wonderful read by Karen White. A story of friends, family, and secrets long buried. Told from multiple points of view, reading this is like unwrapping a beautiful present. The characters were interesting and the story kept me turning the pages. With touch of magic and a little mystery, the secrets will keep you guessing until the end. This is a perfect Southern read for curling up on a front porch with a glass of sweet tea.
#FirsttoRead #DreamsofFalling
I love Karen White’s books and this one didn’t disappoint! Dreams of Falling is full of long buried secrets that have festered for decades. This may be my favorite book by Karen White so far!
I love Karen White’s writing so I was swept up in the story as usual. This is the perfect beach read. It is flawless writing, a touching, nostalgic tale of friendship, of bonds, old wounds and loss. You will smile and you most definitely will weep.
Beautiful story. Beautifully written.
Ever wonder who your favorite authors like to read? Well, Karen White is my personal favorite, and her newest is just as magical as the many great books she’s given us in the past. Wonderful characters, a fully developed setting that transports you right to Charleston, and a plot that will not let go. This would be a great book to start your Karen White addiction. Welcome to the club!
aren White’s books are known for their beautiful, lyrical blend of familial bonds, deep secrets, and the charm of the South. Dreams of Falling is no different.
No one knows where Ivy has gone and Larkin sees no choice but to come home to Georgetown, South Carolina. Nine years ago, she fled to New York and never looked back. Now the disappearance of her mother has brought everything to a head, forcing Larkin to face what she tried so hard to forget.
After finding Ivy unconscious in the old, abandoned family home, Larkin starts searching for answers. Why does she not know more about her mother, her grandmother? Why has no one ever told her? Alternating between an unconscious Ivy, flashbacks to the 1950s, and the world Larkin is living in now, Dreams of Falling explores what we are willing to do, and hide, for our dearest of friends.
Family secrets and drama are something every family experiences. Larkin ran from her hometown and family to escape all that but when she is pulled back due to her mother being in the hospital she starts to realize that her memories may not be quite so spot on. What she thinks she remembers may not be the entire truth, there might be more to her family that she was never aware of, and there are friendships she left behind that might have more to tell. I loved that the friends she ran from still had open arms welcoming her home as if she had never left. The family that she left doesn’t push her to stay just work on reminding her what she was missing and why she shouldn’t leave again.
Dreams of Falling is a story rich with family history. The history starts with Margaret, CeeCee, and Bitty and their amazing friendship. Add Ivy, Margaret’s daughter, to that history a few years later and the story just gets more interesting. Then Ivy has a daughter, Larkin, and you have three generations of wonderful, strong, and smart women. The thing with history is that there are secrets kept, hidden, or needing to be forgotten.
I am a Karen White fan and recommend this wonderful Southern fiction story.
Dreams of Falling is the latest offering by award winning author Karen White. Advertising editor Larkin Lanier has been called home to Georgetown, SC, when her mother goes missing. Upon her return, Larkin joins forces with her grandmother’s close friends Ceecee and Bitty to find her mother, which they do. She has been seriously injured in the burnt out shell of the family home, Carrowmore.
During the weeks of her mother’s hospitalization, Larkin comes face to face with the past, her family’s and her own. She is forced to face facts about her own growing up years, to speak again to those she had thought to have left behind, and to learn to forgive herself for her own girlhood foolishness. Larkin also makes discoveries previously unknown to her that explain occurrences between her parents that have helped to drive her away. And, most surprisingly, Larkin unravels the full mystery of her grandmother Margaret’s death in the fire that destroyed Carrowmore.
Again, Karen White writes a complex story spanning three generations of southern women, sharing their hopes and dreams, fears and foibles, and the wishes they had left on ribbons in the wishing tree. This book is a great read, and I do recommend it!
Karen White’s writing is absolutely exquisite. Her characters are so carefully developed until they are jumping out of the pages and into the reader’s head. The story was told from different perspectives and time periods, and that can sometimes be confusing – it wasn’t here. It was flawless. I loved the characters, the story, the writing, all of it.
Thanks to the publisher for the chance to read this incredible story!
I love southern fiction and the new book by Karen White is southern fiction at its best. It’s a book full of secrets that slowly come to light and its the story of a family, not just a family by blood but by the love they share with each other.
Larkin returns home from NYC to Georgetown SC. She had left there 9 years earlier and never wanted to return but her mother was missing and she had to help find her. When they find her mother, gravely injured, the close friends that made up Larkin’s family were there to help her. As the story shifts back in time, we learn about the three friends who vowed to be friends forever and how their lives changed over the years. As secrets are revealed, will the friendships remain intact?
This is a wonderful novel that takes place in the beautiful lowcountry of SC full of characters who are so well written that the reader will laugh and cry with them. This is a book that needs to go on everyone’s summer lists – they won’t be disappointed.
I read an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Deserves more than 5 stars!
4 1/2 stars!
Another great book by Karen White. She never disappoints and this book met my expectations. Love, intrigue and friendship. I enjoyed all the characters, even with their obvious flaws. The flow between the two time periods was seamless and added to the story without distraction. It was like reading a book with two main characters, Larkin and Ceecee, each complete.
Love her books and really enjoyed this one too! Karen White is one of my favorite authors!