8. Early in the book Mary Alice Monroe writes that “Weddings bring out the best and the worst in people.” Share with your book club stories of best and worst behavior at a wedding you’ve attended (or your own!).
9. While Harper is initially against signing a prenuptial agreement, Granny James raises some valid points for protecting the family assets for Harper’s future children. Whose viewpoint—Harper, Granny James, or Taylor—do you find yourself agreeing with most? Would you sign a prenup?
10. Taylor and Harper live in Sea Breeze together, but to Taylor, since Harper owns the house and her name is on the deed, “It feels like I’m living in your house”, rather than a house they both have equal control over. Do you think Harper would feel the same way if the roles were reversed and Taylor owned all of Sea Breeze on paper? Or if she lived in Taylor’s ancestral family home that he owned and connected with fond memories? How does gender, society, even region, influence the roles a man and a woman assume in marriage today?
11. What do you make of Harper’s renewed interest in religion and how she relates to God? How does this compare with the role of religion in Atticus’s life? How common is it for young mothers to reconsider the role of religion, and baptism, in their new family?
12. Were you at all surprised by the direction Mamaw and Girard’s relationship went? In what ways does their relationship mimic, and in what ways does it differ from, Dora and Devlin’s relationship?
13. Consider Parker’s written legacy: “It was the treasure for which the girls had been searching for so long. Not because it was an outstanding novel and would bring great wealth; sadly it wasn’t. But because the book was Parker’s life’s work. That made it priceless.” Why is it important for the Muir sisters to understand their father? Why does a person’s life’s work take on the mantle of “priceless”? Do you think Parker deserved the elevated status his daughters give his novel? Finally, why do you believe Parker wrote, and hid, his children’s book, Tideland Treasures?
14. The novel describes two classic lowcountry wedding venues—the plantation wedding and the beach wedding. Which would you prefer?
15. Delphine’s role in the novel, while understated, rounds out the series’s theme of appreciating and protecting wildlife. Why do you think Mary Alice Monroe wrote the epilogue in the dolphin’s point of view? Discuss the ways you can support dolphins in the wild.
Enhance Your Book Club
1. Fun drinks feature prominently in the rehearsal dinner and at Harper and Carson’s wedding. As part of your club’s meeting, bring ingredients for the cocktail created by Firefly: “A Lowcountry Wedding” or the “Firefly Cannonball” (recipes follow).
2. A Lowcountry Wedding is the fourth book in the Lowcountry Summer series. If you haven’t already, check out the first three books about the Muir sisters, The Summer Girls, The Summer Wind, and The Summer’s End. Or reread the books as a group and refresh your memory on how Mamaw, Dora, Carson, and Harper all began their journey to finding Sea Breeze and one another again.
3. Create the delicious lowcountry dishes mentioned in the book: “Lowcountry Gumbo,” “Lowcountry Pickled Shrimp,” and “Pecan Tassies” (recipes follow). Don’t forget the cornbread!
4. Have book club members bring photographs of their weddings to share. Perhaps have a prize for the worst bridesmaid dresses!
RECIPES
All recipes from Rise and Shine!: A Southern Son’s Treasury of Food, Family, and Friends by Johnathon Scott Barrett and courtesy of Mercer University Press.
A Lowcountry Wedding Cocktail
3 ounces sparkling wine or prosecco
1 ounce Firefly Peach Moonshine
1 orange wedge
Firefly Cannonball
3 ounces Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka
2 to 3 ounces Cannonborough Ginger Beer
1/4 slice of lemon, squeezed
Add ingredients to shaker to blend. Pour over ice, and enjoy!
Lowcountry Gumbo
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, shells reserved*
2 quarts low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 pound smoked sausage, such as andouille, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
4 teaspoons creole spice,** divided
1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 scant cup chopped onion
1/2 cup each chopped celery, green bell pepper, and red bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic, packed
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Texas Pete or other hot sauce
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
2 teaspoons each minced fresh thyme and oregano
11/2 cups sliced fresh okra, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
2 teaspoons filé powder
6 servings of cooked rice
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Place shrimp shells and stock in a pot; bring to a boil, reduce heat, stir, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Set aside.
While waiting for the stock to simmer, brown the sausage in a Dutch oven. Remove the sausage and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the accumulated fat.
Rub 2 teaspoons of the creole spice onto the chicken thighs.
Add olive oil to the pan and bring to medium-high heat.
Add chicken, browning nicely on each side, turning occasionally until done, about 10 minutes. Set aside with the sausage.
Keeping the Dutch oven on medium-high heat, add the onion, celery, and bell peppers, along with the salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
Add the garlic, stir, and cook another 4 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the onion becomes translucent.
Strain the stock into the pan, pushing down on the shells in your sieve to get the juices.
Cube the chicken into bite-size pieces.
Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, bay leaves, basil, thyme, and oregano and the remaining 2 teaspoons of creole spice. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat, stirring.
Add okra, sausage, and chicken and continue cooking for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
With the gumbo on a steady simmer, add your shrimp, stirring occasionally; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until just done.
Sprinkle filé powder over the stew, stirring, and allow to cook 2 to 3 minutes more; the gumbo will thicken slightly.
To serve, pour into a bowl, top with 1/2 cup rice and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with a hot biscuit to sop up the gravy.
Serves 6
* * *
* Instead of shrimp, you may also add or substitute 1 pound of lump backfin crab. Because the crab is so delicate, I recommend stirring it in at the very end of the recipe until just heated through.
** Harper makes this recipe a little lighter by cutting out the sausage or using chicken andouille sausage. Panfry ingredients in a little olive oil instead of bacon grease to cut back on the fat.
Lowcountry Pickled Shrimp
This dish is a fixture on Savannah buffet tables and sideboards; usually served in large cut-glass bowls, it makes a beautiful presentation. There are a number of variations on the dish—some with capers, maybe green bell pepper, some spice it up with red pepper flakes. Tom likes to throw in cherry tomatoes and fresh bay leaves to give it a bold splash of color, particularly at a Christmas party. But the basics are always the same: lightly poached shrimp, oil, vinegar, onions, and celery. I enjoy the taste of fresh dill with shrimp and include it in this recipe.
3 quarts water
1/4 cup Old Bay Seasoning
3 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
3 stalks celery, sliced into 2-inch julienne strips
1 medium Vidalia or red onion, very thinly sliced into rings
1 (4-ounce) jar sliced pimiento, drained
6 to 8 fresh bay
leaves
3 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup minced fresh dill weed, packed
11/2 cups good quality vegetable oil
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 large sprigs fresh parsley, for garnish
Bring the water and the Old Bay Seasoning to a boil in a large pot. Add shrimp, stir, cover, remove from heat, and set aside for 5 minutes. The shrimp are done when the tail section curves up and almost touches the head area. Drain thoroughly in a colander; do not rinse.
Place the shrimp into a large airtight container, along with the celery, onion, pimiento, bay leaves, capers, and dill. Toss to mix.
In a bowl, whisk together the oil and remaining ingredients except the parsley. Pour over the shrimp mixture and toss to coat. Cover the container and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight. Stir once or twice during the chilling process.
Before serving, drain the shrimp in a colander. Place in a decorative crystal or cut-glass bowl and garnish with sprigs of parsley.
Pecan Tassies
CRUST
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
Pinch of salt
FILLING
4 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons superfine or confectioners’ sugar, for decoration
INSTRUCTIONS
CRUST
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of butter.
Mix the 1 cup of butter, the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl; stir well until thoroughly combined.
Place dough in the baking dish and pat down the mixture into the bottom of the dish with your hands until evenly distributed.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crust is golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
FILLING
Beat the eggs and sugar until smooth.
Add the juice, zest, baking powder, salt, and flour; stir until well incorporated. Pour the filling over the crust.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the filling is set.
Allow to cool to room temperature. Sprinkle with sugar and cut into bars. Can be stored for several days in an airtight container.
Serves 16 to 20
AUTHOR PHOTOGRAPH BY BARBARA J. BERGWERF
MARY ALICE MONROE is the New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels, including The Summer Girls, The Summer Wind, The Summer’s End, Last Light Over Carolina, Time Is a River, Sweetgrass, Skyward, The Beach House, Beach House Memories, Swimming Lessons, The Four Seasons, and The Book Club. Her books have received numerous awards, including the 2008 South Carolina Center for the Book Award for Writing, the 2014 South Carolina Award for Literary Excellence, the 2015 SW Florida Author of Distinction Award, the RT Lifetime Achievement Award, and the International Book Award for Green Fiction. An active conservationist, she lives in the lowcountry of South Carolina. Visit her at MaryAliceMonroe.com and at Facebook.com/MaryAliceMonroe.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR: authors.simonandschuster.com/Mary-Alice-Monroe
MEET THE AUTHORS, WATCH VIDEOS AND MORE AT
SimonandSchuster.com
Facebook.com/GalleryBooks
@GalleryBooks
Also by Mary Alice Monroe
LOWCOUNTRY SUMMER SERIES
The Summer Girls
The Summer Wind
The Summer’s End
Beach House Memories
The Butterfly’s Daughter
Last Light over Carolina
Time Is a River
We hope you enjoyed reading this Gallery Books eBook.
* * *
Join our mailing list and get updates on new releases, deals, bonus content and other great books from Gallery Books and Simon & Schuster.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
or visit us online to sign up at
eBookNews.SimonandSchuster.com
Gallery Books
An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
www.SimonandSchuster.com
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016 by Mary Alice Monroe, Ltd.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Gallery Books trade paperback edition May 2016
GALLERY BOOKS and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or [email protected].
The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.
Cover design by Laywan Kwan
Cover photograph by Tiffany Coker
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN 978-1-5011-2543-0
ISBN 978-1-5011-2544-7 (ebook)
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Snapshots
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Gallery Readers Group Guide
Introduction
Topics & Questions for Discussion
Enhance Your Book Club
Recipes
Lowcountry Gumbo
Lowcountry Pickled Shrimp
Pecan Tassies
About Mary Alice Monroe
A Lowcountry Wedding Page 36