Just Jennifer

Season of the Dragonflies by Sarah Creech (William Morrow, August 2014)

Beginning with Serena Lenore, the matriarchal dynasty has been producing some of the most beguiling scents for centuries.  Tucked away in the Blue Ridge mountains is a perfumery that is worth millions of dollars owing to a signature perfume whose wearers are hand-picked, sign a contract and are willing to hand over a fortune for the success it guarantees.   Something is not right, though, with the Lenore women.  Willow, the current CEO and granddaughter of Lenore is beginning to forget things; Mya, the heir apparent is willing to tamper with the formula for the sake of even greater success, or so she thinks; the youngest, Lucia, left the family fifteen years ago to seek her fame and fortune as an actress in New York City.  Newly divorced, Lucia is returning to the place of her birth where she will learn she has more of the family traits than she realized, maybe even more than Mya, and may be the key to saving the generations’ old business.  Led, or announced, by a swarm of dragonflies, Lucia and Willow quickly come to learn that Lucia is the only thing that can save the family business, but at what cost?

Told with a magical realism, Season of the Dragonflies is an atmospheric debut that explores or relationship to our family, especially the women in our family, and to generations that have come before and the ones that are yet to come.  As Lucia is willing to accept her gifts and find her place within her family and the company, Mya also learns to redefines her place in both, and learns what overreaching and not taking responsibilities can sometimes cause.  A perfect sultry read for the late summer.