Queen Bee

A Novel

By: Dorothea Benton Frank

Narrated by: Shannon McManus

Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

“If I could only read one writer from now until the end of my life, it would be Dorothea Benton Frank." (Elin Hilderbrand, the New York Times best-selling author)

Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of New York Times best-selling author Dorthea Benton Frank’s Carolina Lowcountry in this evocative tale that returns at long last to her beloved Sullivan’s Island.

Beekeeper Holly McNee Kensen quietly lives in a world of her own on Sullivan’s Island, tending her hives and working at the local island library. Holly calls her mother "The Queen Bee" because she’s a demanding hulk of a woman. Her mother, a devoted hypochondriac, might be unaware she’s quite ill, but that doesn’t stop her from tormenting Holly. To escape the drama, Holly’s sister, Leslie, married and moved away, wanting little to do with island life. Holly’s escape is to submerge herself in the lives of the two young boys next door and their widowed father, Archie.

Her world is upended when the more flamboyant Leslie returns and both sisters, polar opposites, fixate on what’s happening in their neighbor’s home. Is Archie really in love with that awful ice queen of a woman? If Archie marries her, what will become of his little boys? Restless Leslie is desperate for validation after her imploded marriage, squandering her favors on any and all takers. Their mother ups her game in an uproarious and theatrical downward spiral. Scandalized Holly is talking to her honey bees a mile a minute, as though they’ll give her a solution to all the chaos. Maybe they will.

Queen Bee is a classic Lowcountry Tale, warm, wise, and hilarious, roaring with humanity and a dropperful of whodunit added for good measure by an unseen hand. In her 20th novel, Dorothea Benton Frank brings us back to her beloved island with an unforgettable story where the Lowcountry magic of the natural world collides with the beat of the human heart.

©2019 Dorothea Benton Frank (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

I always wait patiently for the next Dorothea Benton Frank book

.....But this was not one of her best. I thought the story line was thin and predictable and far fetched. It lacked the humor that I so look forward to with DBT’s books. Also the narrator was tooo exaggerated for me.

I hope there is another coming out soon so I dont’t have to remember this one.

Great read

Quick and easy read. You won't want to put it down. Expectantly delightful. Great read

Celebrate the Queen

Loved this story...I can remember listening to my first Benton-Frank story..."Plantation"...how I enjoyed that story...actually listened to it in the car on the way to Hilton Head South Carolina...I remember when my sister said we were about to cross the Edesto river...the low country is so beautiful...if I could afford it I would absolutely build or buy a place there...it's so lovely and romantic..and there seems to be a strange and alluring mystery that looms there...something sort of magical....I'm hoping to go back there sometime in the near future...

Please stop saying "said"

Would be a good book if I didn't have to hear "said" 3 000 times. As many books as she had written there should be more than said to acknowledge the speaker and this is an audio we know who's talking

The final chapter

I bought this after hearing that the author had passed away. I have read or listened to almost all of her books over the years so this is like saying farewell to an old friend. This was a fun story with a happy ending. I'm sad that it is the last.

Great Book 👍

Witty, romantic, and sweet! A must read!
This book is a relaxing southern story that will leave you feeling good and warm your heart. You will fall in love with the characters especially Holly. But very story has to have a villain, someone you will love to hate! LOL!
I enjoyed this book several years ago and I just got it on audio. It will be my book choice for my book club meeting this month. I hope my friends will love it as much as I do. We wanted something fun and light. ENJOY!

QB

I loved this sweet story! I will miss these characters, and most importantly, DBF. So bittersweet.

Visit the Lowcountry from your headphones

As a resident of nearby Mount Pleasant and a frequent Sullivan's Island visitor, Queen Bee does not disappoint. Great story, fun characters and the backdrop of a magical South Carolina beachfront town. Don't miss this one!!

low country

Loved this book, made you fell as tho you were there! Would recommend reading you will enjoy!!!!

What I’d call non-threatening easy listening

This is the first book I have read/listened to by this author. She is far from vapid, but also far from revolutionary. It’s an interesting paradigm, the south, because there are things that many other places in this country don’t consider to be terribly controversial that count as edgy when placed in a southern milieu. And I guess that’s what makes them entertaining, and this book is entertaining, no mistake about that. The characters are a little predictable, and sometimes you just want to slap one or the other of them, but it’s perfectly fine escape entertainment. The one place it rises above is in the connection with beekeeping. Informative, entertaining, and verging on insightful. Overall, quite enjoyable, if not terribly compelling.