Blog Tour & Review: Season of the Dragonflies by Sarah Creech
Author: Sarah Creech
Published: August 2014, William Morrow
Format: ARC Paperback, 224 pages
Source: Publisher via TLC Book Tours
As beguiling as the novels of Alice Hoffman, Adriana Trigiani, Aimee Bender, and Sarah Addison Allen, Season of the Dragonflies is a story of flowers, sisters, practical magic, old secrets, and new love, set in the Blue Ridge Mountains
For generations, the Lenore women have manufactured a perfume unlike any other, and guarded the unique and mysterious ingredients. Their perfumery, hidden in the quiet rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, creates one special elixir that secretly sells for millions of dollars to the world's most powerful-movie stars, politicians, artists, and CEOs. The Lenore's signature perfume is actually the key to their success.
Willow, the coolly elegant Lenore family matriarch, is the brains behind the company. Her gorgeous, golden-haired daughter Mya is its heart. Like her foremothers, she can "read" scents and envision their power. Willow's younger daughter, dark-haired, soulful Lucia, claims no magical touch, nor does she want any part of the family business. She left the mountains years ago to make her own way. But trouble is brewing. Willow is experiencing strange spells of forgetfulness. Mya is plotting a coup. A client is threatening blackmail. And most ominously, the unique flowers used in their perfume are dying.
Whoever can save the company will inherit it. Though Mya is the obvious choice, Lucia has begun showing signs of her own special abilities. And her return to the mountains-heralded by a swarm of blue dragonflies-may be the answer they all need.
My thoughts: This is Sarah Creech's debut novel and it is a delightful story that combines magic, a secret flower and several generations of women who develop a mysterious and powerful fragrance. When I first heard about the book, I was reminded of Sarah Addison Allen's books and I knew I had to read it and I'm so glad I did.
I loved the women in this book. They are strong, independent characters. Each of them had their own strengths that made them unique, yet they were still flawed, which makes them more relatable. Lucia comes home after a failed marriage and career. Mya has made a mistake that threatens the company and Willow's memory issues are worse than she's willing to let on. And on top of all that, something is wrong with the prized gardenia and this year's crop is in danger.
I have to admit that it wasn't until I started reading Sarah Addison Allen that I really became a fan of the whole magical realism genre and now I really enjoy it. I find it adds an extra layer to enjoyment to the story and that's exactly what happens here in this book. The magic that the flowers have in this book, the dragonflies that swarm around Lucia, the deer that surround Mya, all just seem to enhance the storyline. It's not over the top, in my opinion, but just enough to give it that extra something to make the story come alive. Having a perfume that will help you rise to the top of your chosen career, having a flower bloom if you are with your true love - these are the extras that make this story more dynamic.
This was a relatively quick read and I found myself hooked from the first few pages. It's a story about love and loss, the relationships between mothers and daughters and between sisters. I can't wait to see what comes next for Sarah Creech...I certainly hope she continues with stories like this one as I thoroughly enjoyed Season of the Dragonflies!
Authors Links:
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To see who else is participating in Sarah Creech's Season of the Dragonflies tour, click here.
