A Lowcountry Wedding

Members of the Muir family of Sullivan's Island, SC, are planning two weddings. Harper finds herself following her grandmother's preferences, instead of her own. Carson isn't much interested in wedding plans and leaves as much as she can to her sisters; she is more concerned with how her professional life may suffer when she is tied to a South Carolina existence. The prospective husbands make brief appearances, usually at meals. A new character, Atticus, is introduced to stir the pot. Old Mrs. Muir recognizes him, but the two decide to keep his identity a secret so the weddings won't be spoiled. Yet when this life-changing secret is revealed, it is resolved so quickly that it is anticlimactic. Monroe herself reads the book, so the listener has the benefit of the author's interpretation of the text. This works for pacing and emphasis but less well with accents, especially for the British characters.