Description
From Booklist Four generations of Lenore women have manufactured a unique, very costly perfume that endows its carefully selected wearers with spectacular success in their chosen careers. But things have started to go wrong. Willow, the president of Lenore Inc. is having memory lapses. One of the company’s clients, a pop star, is causing trouble. Willow’s older daughter, Mya, who has always dreamed of taking over when her mother steps down, feels threatened when younger daughter Lucia comes home after a 15-year absence. Lucia has never before manifested the family gifts, which involve visions as well as special skills with perfumery, but now she sees an ominous dark cloud hovering over Mya’s head. And the rare flowers from which the perfume is made seem to be dying. Creech has created an intriguing premise in her first novel, but the plot elements related to the perfume and its powers are underdeveloped. More satisfying are the novel’s Blue Ridge Mountains setting and the relationships among mother and daughters, sisters, and the men with whom they fall in love. --Mary Ellen Quinn “Sarah Creech weaves together a magical tale of sisters and mothers and the power of human love. Season of the Dragonflies is a rich, deeply satisfying debut. — Beatriz Williams, author of The Secret Life of Violet Grant “Season of the Dragonflies is a magical, romantic, and riveting novel. You won’t be able to put it down, and as soon as you finish reading, you’ll begin waiting for Sarah Creech’s next book. What a dazzling new talent!” — Nina de Gramont, author of Meet Me at the River “By turns charming and suspenseful, this is a memorable first novel.” — Publishers Weekly For generations, the Lenore women have manufactured a fragrance unlike any other. Hidden in the quiet rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, their perfumery guards unique and mysterious ingredients. A secret known only to a select clientele of movie stars, politicians, artists, and CEOs, the Lenores' signature elixir is the key to success for the world's most powerful women. Willow, the coolly elegant matriarch, is the brains behind the operation. Her gorgeous golden-haired daughter, Mya, is its heart. Like her foremothers, Mya can "read" scents and envision their power to influence events. But Willow's younger daughter, dark-haired, soulful Lucia, claims no magical touch; wanting no part of the family business, she has left the mountains to make her own way in New York City. When a divorce leaves Lucia at loose ends, she returns to the Blue Ridge Mountains for an uncomfortable family reunion and discovers trouble brewing. Willow is experiencing strange spells of forgetfulness. Mya is romancing a younger man and plotting to take the reins of the business. A client is threatening blackmail. And most ominously, the strange, magical plants that provide the perfume's secret ingredient seem to be dying. With the Lenore empire at stake, the sister who can save their lucrative scent stands to inherit when Willow steps down. Though Mya schemes, Lucia has suddenly begun to show signs of possessing her own special abilities. And her return to the mountains—heralded by a swarm of blue dragonflies—may be the answer they all need. Capturing the essence of sisterhood with the sweetness of flowers, Season of the Dragonflies is a beguiling tale of practical magic, old secrets, and new love. Born and raised in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Sarah Creech teaches English and creative writing at Queens University of Charlotte. She is the author of the novel Season of the Dragonflies and lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her two children and her husband, poet Morri Creech. Read more
Features & Highlights
- 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.
