
By Invitation Only
A Novel
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Narrated by:
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Susan Bennett
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Courtney Patterson
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Sarah Naughton
About this listen
The Lowcountry of South Carolina is where By Invitation Only begins, at a barbecue engagement party thrown by Diane English Stiftel, her brother Floyd, and her parents to celebrate her son’s engagement. On this gorgeous, magical night, the bride’s father, Alejandro Cambria, a wealthy power broker whose unbelievably successful career in private equity made him one of Chicago’s celebrated elite, discovers the limits and possibilities of cell phone range. While the mother of the bride, Susan Kennedy Cambria, who dabbles in the world of public relations and believes herself deserving of every square inch of her multimillion-dollar penthouse and imaginary carrara marble pedestal, learns about moonshine and dangerous liaisons.
Soon By Invitation Only zooms to Chicago, where the unraveling accelerates. Nearly a thousand miles away from her comfortable, familiar world, Diane is the antithesis of the bright lights and super-sophisticated guests attending her son Fred’s second engagement party. Why a second party? Maybe it had been assumed that the first one wouldn’t be up to snuff? Fred is marrying Shelby Cambria, also an only child. The Cambrias’ dearest wish is for their daughter to be happy. If Shelby wants to marry Frederick, aka Fred, they will not stand in her way - although Susan does hope her friends won’t think her daughter is marrying more than a few degrees beneath her socially. At the same time, Diane worries that her son will be lost to her forever.
By Invitation Only is a tale of two families, one struggling to do well, one well to do, and one young couple - the privileged daughter of Chicago’s crème de la crème and the son of hardworking Southern peach farmers.
Dorothea Benton Frank offers a funny, sharp, and deeply empathetic novel of two very different worlds - of limousines and pickup trucks, caviar and pigs, skyscrapers and ocean spray - filled with a delightful cast of characters who all have something to hide and a lot to learn. A difference in legal opinions, a headlong dive from grace, and an abrupt twist will reveal the truth of who they are and demonstrate, when it truly counts, what kind of grit they have. Are they living the lives they want, what regrets do they hold, and how would they remake their lives if they were given the invitation to do so?
By Invitation Only is classic Dorothea Benton Frank - a mesmerizing Lowcountry tale that roars with spirit, humor, and truth and forces us to reconsider our notions of what it means to be a Have or a Have Not.
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Accent was hard to take.
- By Millicent on 06-17-13
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Plantation
- A Lowcountry Tale
- By: Dorothea Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Susie Breck
- Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins
- Abridged
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When Caroline Wimbley Levine learns that her mother, Miss Lavinia, has supposedly gone mad, she leaves the big city bustle of Manhattan and returns to Tall Pines Plantation. Caroline originally left Tall Pines to escape her feisty, eccentric mother and her drunken brother, Trip. When Miss Lavinia dies, Caroline is forced to come to terms with her family's troubled history as well as her failing relationship with her husband.
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Abridged!!
- By Teresa on 04-18-16
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Bulls Island
- By: Dorothea Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Julia Gibson
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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A satisfying tale of honor, chance, and star-crossed love infused with Southern wit, grace, and charm - the story of two old Southern families. The Langleys have more money than the Morgan Stanley Bank. And they think they have more class. The Barrett family made their 19th-century fortune in a less distinguished manner: corner grocery stores and liquor stores.
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Loved Betts McGhee!
- By Patricia on 05-21-12
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Sullivan's Island
- A Lowcountry Tale
- By: Dorothea Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Abridged
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Born and raised in idyllic Sullivan's Island, Susan Hayes navigated through her turbulent childhood with humor, spunk, and characteristic Southern sass. But years later, she is a conflicted woman with an unfaithful husband, a sometimes resentful teenage daughter, and a heart that aches with painful, poignant memories. And as Susan faces her uncertain future, she realizes that she must go back to her past. To the beachfront house where her sister welcomes her with open arms.
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Wish there were more
- By Amy on 05-19-16
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My Magnolia Summer
- A Novel
- By: Victoria Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Dorothy Dillingham Blue
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Escape to the South Carolina Lowcountry, where family bonds and hidden secrets run deep. In this gripping tale of self-discovery, Victoria Benton Frank introduces us to Maggie, struggling to find her place in the world when she receives a phone call bringing her back to her hometown of Sullivan's Island.
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Yes Yes Yes
- By CBrock on 07-10-23
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All Summer Long
- A Novel
- By: Dorothea Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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As they prepare to relocate to Charleston, SC, Olivia, the ultimate New Yorker, has reservations about the promise she made to retire in the Lowcountry, where Nick wants to return home and lead a more peaceful life. They are moving north to south, fast pace versus slow pace, and downsizing. Nick is ecstatic. Olivia is not. She can't let Nick know that their finances are not what he thought. Her client list is evaporating, their monetary reserves are dwindling, and maybe that house she picked out on Sullivan's Island needs too much work.
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Disappointed with narration
- By Judy on 07-23-16
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The Christmas Pearl
- By: Dorothea Benton Frank
- Narrated by: Celia Weston
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Theodora is the matriarch of a family that has grown into a bunch of truculent knuckleheads. While she's finally gotten them all together in South Carolina to celebrate, this Christmas looks nothing like the extravagant, homey holidays of her childhood.
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Never too old to learn or to love
- By Debbie on 12-20-13
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Stars over Sunset Boulevard
- By: Susan Meissner
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Los Angeles, present day. When an iconic hat worn by Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind ends up in Christine McAllister's vintage clothing boutique by mistake, her efforts to return it to its owner take her on a journey more enchanting than any classic movie.... Los Angeles, 1938. Violet Mayfield sets out to reinvent herself in Hollywood after her dream of becoming a wife and mother falls apart, and she lands a job on the film set of Gone with the Wind.
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Pass on this
- By Lulew on 03-24-17
By: Susan Meissner
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The Summer Girls
- The Lowcountry Summer Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Mary Alice Monroe
- Narrated by: Mary Alice Monroe
- Length: 11 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Three sisters reunite on Sullivan’s Island off the coast of South Carolina after years of separation in this heartwarming first novel in a new trilogy from a beloved author. 80-year-old Marietta Muir is a dowager of Charleston society who has retired to her historic summer home on Sullivan’s Island. At the onset of summer, Marietta - "Mamaw" - seeks to gather her three granddaughters - Carson, Eudora, and Harper - with the intent to reunite them after years apart.
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The summer girls
- By Eveline Howells on 01-05-17
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The Library of Lost Love
- By: Norie Clarke
- Narrated by: Harrie Dobby, Joan Walker
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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Jess knows it's time to move on from her best friend's couch, where she's been crashing since her boyfriend emptied out her heart, and all her savings. But when she responds to an ad in the newspaper for a lodger on a quiet Notting Hill street, Jess has no idea how life's about to change. Joan has spent too long alone with her memories of the man she walked away from one Manhattan evening years ago. Passing a bedroom door she can't bear to open, she decides to advertise for a lodger. When Jess meets Joan, she recognises a woman left behind by the world, and so she suggests a switch.
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Sweet story
- By Sherry A. Lyon on 03-24-25
By: Norie Clarke
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Alone
- By: Lisa Gardner
- Narrated by: Anna Fields
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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As a sniper with the elite Massachusetts State Police SWAT Team, Bobby Dodge saved a woman and her young son by shooting her armed husband. But vicious rumors begin to circulate the next morning when Bobby loses his gun and his privileges. It turns out the dead man was the son of a prominent Boston judge and had accused his wife of poisoning their son.
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I know I'm not Alone . . .
- By Sherry on 02-06-05
By: Lisa Gardner
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The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
- By: Colleen Oakley
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 9 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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Twenty-one-year-old Tanner Quimby needs a place to live. Preferably one where she can continue sitting around in sweatpants and playing video games nineteen hours a day. Since she has no credit or money to speak of, her options are limited, so when an opportunity to work as a live-in caregiver for an elderly woman falls into her lap, she takes it. The two start off their living arrangement happily ignoring each other until Tanner starts to notice things—weird things.
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This one’s a fun one!
- By NTexHiker on 04-01-23
By: Colleen Oakley
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Promise
- A Novel
- By: Minrose Gwin
- Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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In the aftermath of a devastating tornado that rips through the town of Tupelo, Mississippi, at the height of the Great Depression, two women worlds apart - one Black, one White; one a great-grandmother, the other a teenager - fight for their families' survival in this lyrical and powerful novel.
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Mostly Disappointing
- By Anjoli on 06-15-19
By: Minrose Gwin
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The School of Essential Ingredients
- By: Erica Bauermeister
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 6 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Once a month on a Monday night, eight students gather in Lillian's restaurant for a cooking class. Among them is Claire, a young woman coming to terms with her new identity as a mother; Tom, a lawyer whose life has been overturned by loss; Antonia, an Italian kitchen designer adapting to life in America; and Carl and Helen, a long-married couple whose union contains surprises the rest of the class would never suspect.
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Lovely, lovely book
- By Molly-o on 03-21-09
What listeners say about By Invitation Only
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- Jennifer
- 06-15-18
Loved it!
What a great summer read. I loved the character development and the story.
Some was predictable, but not in an annoying way.
I would recommend it!
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6 people found this helpful
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- jeanjie
- 10-03-19
Not my type but LOVED it
This is a character study of a mixing of stations in life. NY snobs vs southern hicks. Just kidding about the second group (or am I?). The pending marriage of their kids is how the two twains meet.
Mysteries and crime novels are my preferred genr, but this book was like pancakes for dinner: a pleasant respite from the norm.
I enjoyed the company of the protagonists and looked forward to listening.
The narration was great. The story was pleasant, with a golden rule winning out in the end. Not at all boring.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Stan Parsons
- 08-02-20
my beloved South Carolina
The comparisons of the two lifestyles was good. I loves the S.C. life style. the people are "good" like that!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Dottie Landry
- 02-04-19
Loved it!
Dottie
What a great book! I laughed and teared up. The development of the characters throughout the book was enjoyable too!
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- Robbiekit
- 06-16-18
Outstanding
Fun, intelligent writing. Great story; refreshingly so. Clever juxtaposition of the two families. The performances were also excellent!
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- william d kirby
- 01-15-19
Wonderful book
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are fascinating and inspiring. I love that it was set once again in the Low Country of S.C.
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- ScrapperJose
- 03-09-19
Totally Enjoyable!!
I loved this book! It was the first I've read by DBF, and it was just as if the story was told to me by a dear friend. I laughed many times, was heartbroken, and many times I found myself cheering for this family on its journey. I can't wait to read more!
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- Danoo5000
- 01-21-19
Feel good story
I loved the story and all the characters. I really loved having all the different narrators, it adds more to the different characters.
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- daiziedot
- 03-11-19
Stick with it!
Slow starting story but a great performance so I kept going. Very glad I did! Wonderful finish! Recommend, yes!
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- ElizrdbthSpeaks
- 07-04-18
Great Book & Cover!
I love it when you get pulled into a great book that totally got ya due 2 the cover. Such a great listen. I will be looking more into Dorothea's books … these characters at times are hilarious … did remind me of a few folks I have met in my life … just in passing … so glad I am personally more down 2 earth. Quick Read, I love finding a great audible book that you can use 2 make those chores of life go by more quickly. so fun. ( :
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