Book Review: Dreams of Falling by Karen White

Pages: 416

Genre: Adult Fiction

Pub. Date: June 5, 2018

Publisher: Berkley

Source: Publisher for review

Other Books By Author: The Night the Lights Went Out

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says,  "It's been nine years since Larkin fled Georgetown, South Carolina, vowing never to go back. But when she finds out that her mother has disappeared, she knows she has no choice but to return to the place that 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 in the burned-out wreckage of her family's ancestral rice plantation, badly injured and unconscious. No one knows why Ivy was there, but as Larkin digs for answers, she uncovers secrets kept for nearly 50 years. Secrets that lead back to the past, to the friendship between three girls on the brink of womanhood who swore that they would be friends forever, but who found that vow tested in heartbreaking ways."

Larkin is from Georgetown, South Carolina, but has escaped the low country to live out her dreams in New York City.  Unfortunately, she receives an upsetting phone call that she needs to return home immediately.  Her mother, Ivy, has gone missing. Before Ivy went missing, she was trying to figure out what exactly happened to her mother, Margaret, who died when Ivy was very young. Before long, Larkin finds her mother, Ivy, unconscious at her family's old run down plantation home. What was she doing there? Maybe Margaret's two best friends can bring her up to speed on things, but Larkin finds that when she uncovers one secret, there are even more unanswered questions.  Dreams of Falling by Karen White is a great Southern beach read that is all about female friendships, secrets, and loss.

Larkin is a great character in Dreams of Falling. Even though she dreaded going home, I was looking forward to her putting together the missing puzzle pieces surrounding Ivy's disappearance as well as Margaret's untimely death. Also, I really like the idea of a character coming home to the small town she grew up in and having to face former friends, family members, etc.  I also wanted to know exactly what happened to Larkin's family's plantation home and slowly Larkin uncovers the truth.

Whether it be through Larkin's discoveries or the flashbacks to Margaret's all-important summer with her girlfriends, I enjoyed going on for the ride and uncovering secret after secret.  Also, I really enjoyed all the female friendships that spanned many years in Dreams of Falling.  

The coastal setting of Georgetown was also well done and made Dreams of Falling a perfect beach read. White describes the coastal birds, the sunsets, the marshes, the night-blooming flowers very memorably and brought Georgetown to life. Plus, the dilapidated plantation home was a nice touch, which made the story very atmospheric at times.

Karen White is quickly becoming one of my favorite historical authors of Southern fiction. While I didn't enjoy this one as much as The Night the Lights Went Out, I still was thoroughly entertained.  I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Have you read any of Karen White's novels? If so, which ones is your favorite?