Experience the sultry Southern atmosphere of Atlanta and the magic of the Carolina Lowcountry in this funny and poignant tale of one audacious woman’s quest to find the love she deserves, from New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank.
Leslie Anne Greene Carter is The Last Original Wife among her husband Wesley’s wildly successful Atlanta social set. His cronies have all traded in … cronies have all traded in the mothers of their children they promised to love and cherish — ’til death did them part — for tanned and toned young Barbie brides.
If losing the social life and close friends she adored wasn’t painful enough, a series of setbacks shake Les’s world and push her to the edge. She’s had enough of playing the good wife to a husband who thinks he’s doing her a favor by keeping her around. She’s not going to waste another minute on people she doesn’t care to know. Now, she’s going to take some time for herself — in the familiar comforts and stunning beauty of Charleston, her beloved hometown. In her brother’s stately historic home, she’s going to reclaim the carefree girl who spent lazy summers sharing steamy kisses with her first love on Sullivans Island. Along Charleston’s live oak- and palmetto-lined cobblestone streets, under the Lowcountry’s dazzling blue sky, Les will indulge herself with icy cocktails, warm laughter, divine temptation and bittersweet memories. Daring to listen to her inner voice, she will realize what she wants… and find the life of which she’s always dreamed.
Told in the alternating voices of Les and Wes, The Last Original Wife is classic Dorothea Benton Frank: an intoxicating tale of family, friendship, self-discovery, and love, that is as salty as a Lowcountry breeze and as invigorating as a dip in Carolina waters on a sizzling summer day.
more
I think I’ve read just about all the Frank novels. She’s by far one of my favorite, all time authors. This is another example of her witty, down to earth southern writing that is literally irresistible and difficult to put down!! Being a southern girl and having visited Charleston and the area many times, I can picture and relate to just about …
A good beach read, but not really my cup of tea. The premise was good, and there was a lot of reality in the way things happen, but the characters just did not relate to me. It was well-written and light enough to be a fun beach read.
Ms. Frank is always a solid and fun read. She never disappoints. I especially enjoyed this story of a sixty-something woman and her new love. She successfully uses humor with a Southern flavor to ease the rough patches of an unfaithful husband, an ungrateful family and putting her needs first after years of neglect. Her heroine does it all with …
Dorothea Benton Frank is one of my favorite authors. All her books are wonderful and this one was no exception. A great story about a wife who is an “original” wife while it seems like all her husband’s friends are on Wife No. 2. What she does and how she copes — a really good story.
I was so proud of Les! Becoming aware of how much better she deserved, was enjoyable. And I really loved the southern charm of the Carolina Lowcountry.
The characters were delightful and I fell in love with Leslie and her brother, Harlan, and her old high school boyfriend. I enjoyed the setting, the strength in the characters, the interactions …
This book is seriously amazing!!! By the time i started reading it, i literally couldn’t put it down!! I think i liked it so much cus it was so relatable to what ive been going through with my fiance. I HIGHLY recommend this book. Taught me not to put up with bullshit stand up for myself.
Great book. Really enjoyed it. love most of Ms Franks books and the localities she writes about.
Ms. Frank never disappoints!
Loved it!
Excellent read, great story line and characters.
It was a good read and it flowed well after the first few pages.
enjoy her characters living in the low country. Always entertaining.
Never pass a Dorothea Benton Frank novel by. She builds wonderful characters, descriptions of places and is a perfect example of a Southern writer who excels at her craft. I absolutely love every book she has written!
I loved this book and Leslie’s journey is an inspiring journey for any wife who feels stuck at the side or behind a man who she really isn’t sure loves her anymore. As all of the wives of their club group in Atlanta have been cast aside and replaced with younger trophy wives, Les is expected to embrace them in order for her husband to keep up his …
It was interesting & very different.
This was a little different than all Dorothea Benton Frank’s other books that I have read. The Last Original Wife was a great story, it was wonderful seeing Leslie gaining her confidence and finding her voice. Wes, her husband, was such a bully, in a very subtle way. All through the book I was so afraid she’d end up going back to him.
Read …
Everything I’ve read by Dorothea Benton Frank has kept me interested and entertained.
This is by far one of the best books I have read in years! It is so beautifully written with wonderful characters. The storyline pulls at your heart while, at the same time, the colorful characters make you laugh out loud. The perfect medicine in today’s world!
Fun to read! I enjoyed the change of POV with each chapter. It really helped to see into the minds and emotions of the characters.
Realistic view of a women giving up her dreams for an unappreciative man. And her awakening and quest for change