Tides Of War is well written for those who are familiar with British nineteenth century war history, and with British idiom. Not knowing background was a handicap as I read this book, as the author plunged into the tale, moving rapidly from one venue to another, one person to another without making connections. A good novel for me is one I don't have to struggle to read, and this was tough.

Having just returned from a visit to my son's near Charleston, South Carolina, I was taken with Dorothea Benton Frank's intimate knowledge of the area, hinted at as she lead us to the Gullah culture, sweetgrass baskets, and local institutions. Frank braids two differing story lines--which at first seem disconnected--into a tale of a woman's success after what appears to be utter domestic devastation. The author's imagination offers some story portions that are a bit too convenient, but "Folly Beach" is an easy summer read with historic interest for those who enjoy theater, and those who love a good romance.