Heaven Is a Beautiful Place: A Memoir of the South Carolina Coast
In any literary undertaking, to capture the "essence of a place" truly is no easy matter. Baldwin achieves this feat by teaming up with 72-year-old local historian Peterkin to deliver a century's worth of stories about Murrells Inlet, SC. Touching on family bonds, culture, racial relations, war, love, memories, the hurricane of l893, and plantation life, the memoir affords readers a unique perspective of this coastal area. Titled after the popular spiritual, this book candidly depicts the life and times of many residents of the Lowcountry through stories that sing of the joys and sorrows of everyday life. Peterkin's conversational delivery draws readers into her life, and the interest level escalates during the latter half of the book. Although the book is recommended for its value as both a cultural study and memoir, it will mostly appeal to a restricted regional audience.AJo-Anne Mary Benson, Osgoode, OntarioCopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.