Synopses & Reviews
In this sequel to Amy Hill Hearths “funny and charming” (
Publishers Weekly) debut novel,
Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Womens Literary Society, the eponymous book club reunites one year later, in the late summer of 1964.
Their mission: to fight a large development along the tidal river where member Robbie-Lee grew up and where his mother, Dolores Simpson, a former stripper turned alligator hunter, still lives in a fishing shack.
The developer is Darryl Norwood, ex-husband of narrator Dora Witherspoon, who returns to Collier County to assist in the battle. An old land deed, the discovery that one of the key characters has been using a false name, and a dramatic court hearing are just a few of the highlights. Not to mention the reappearance of the Ghost of Seminole Joe.
Just as Hearths debut explored the ways we can find a sense of belonging in other people, her latest novel shows how closely tied each of us is to our sense of home—and the conflicts that can arise when our idea of that home becomes threatened. For Darryl, the river is a place ripe for development. For Dora, whos known as the Turtle Lady because she rescues Everglades “snappers,” its a place that belongs to the critters. And for Dolores, former stripper, its a place to hide from the world…
Review
Praise for Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society:"This first novel is a sweet story of female bonding and southern grit that will remind readers of Fannie Flagg." Mollie Hoben, Founding Publisher, Minnesota Women ' s Press
Review
"Amy Hill Hearth's first novel is a charming and funny snapshot of life in a tiny Florida town in 1962. It's also a sweet-tart reminder that those good old days weren't so good for everybody." Booklist on MISS DREAMSVILLE
Review
"Funny, insightful, poignant and uplifting."
Review
"You may already know Hearth's name - the former journalist wrote the nonfiction book HAVING OUR SAY: THE DELANY SISTERS' FIRST 100 YEARS, which was a bestseller and play. MISS DREAMSVILLE is Hearth's first novel, and her fictional storytelling is just as captivating." Southern Literary Review
Review
“Its a fun novel that flies by and makes readers glad Hearth is expanding her own literary horizons.” The Durham Sun
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"A funny and charming fiction debut." The Herald Sun on MISS DREAMSVILLE
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Amy Hill Hearth's delightful first novel, Miss Dreamville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society is a rollicking, provocative tale about how reading and meeting others who are different can be the most subversive of acts. Publishers Weekly on MISS DREAMSVILLE
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"Amy Hill Hearth honors and humanizes people and their wonderful diversities, [and] astutely weaves pertinent, factual histories into her debut novel. What a laudable book!" Ruth Pennebaker - author of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough
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“Segregation, feminism, gays coming out, interracial dating, its all in there, written as it happened in small towns everywhere. And wisdom; you could learn a lot about life from reading this book. Most of all, be daring, be friends, be true to yourself. By the end, I cried and I must say, I wouldnt mind hearing more about each of the richly painted characters.” Tampa Bay Times
Review
Miss Dreamsville‘s cast of characters includes a postmistress, a librarian, a convicted murderer, a northern transplant, a lone African-American girl, and an even lonelier gay man, among others. Set in Naples in the early 1960s, its local color and plot will surprise Florida natives and visitors alike. Patricia Harman - author of The Midwife of Hope River on MISS DREAMSVILLE
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"Sometimes, an exceptional writer finds an exceptional premise, and the result is a truly exceptional book. Such is the case with MISS DREAMSVILLE...The writing is brilliant, especially the dialogue through which the characters are defined." Cleveland Plain-Dealer
Review
"In the mid-1960s, change comes slowly to Naples, Florida -- a small, Gulf Coast town on the edge of the Everglades.
Miss Dreamsville and the Lost Heiress of Collier County is Amy Hill Hearth's latest episode about a book club composed of Naples' dreamers and misfits who see a better future but want to hold on to their slower, small-town way of life.
Miss Dreamsville is an antic and heartfelt romp through family secrets and land developers' schemes, funny and warmhearted and a pleasure to read."
Peter Golden - author of Comeback Love
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"This is not only a delightful diversion, but also a lively and wise deliberation on the dynamics of friendship, change, and self-realization, not to mention a charming representation of 1960s cultural history."
national bestselling author of THE SEA KEEPER - ' - S DAUGHTER
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"Theyre back! Dora Witherspoon, Miss Dreamsville, and the gang. So rejoice—Amy Hill Hearth his written another beauty aimed right at your funny bone and your heart."
Southern Literary Review
Review
"Amy Hill Hearth delivers another bighearted story filled with small town flair. Lovers of quirky Southern characters will want to move to Collier County and settle in for this delightful ride!" Lisa Wingate
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“Hearth’s sound writing and wit create a story featuring a wealth of eccentric characters.”
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Praise for Miss Dreamsville and the Lost Heiress of Collier County:“Hearths sound writing and wit create a story featuring a wealth of eccentric characters.” Kirkus Reviews
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“Radiating southern grace and charm in the manner of Fannie Flagg and Mary Kay Andrews, Hearths uplifting novel, a sequel to Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Women's Literary Society (2012), is a story of how several very different women learn to navigate the shifting mores and niceties of southern society on their own terms.” Booklist
Review
"Funny, insightful, poignant and uplifting." Enid Shomer - author of The Twelve Rooms of the Nile on MISS DREAMSVILLE
About the Author
Amy Hill Hearth is the author of Miss Dreamsville and the Collier County Womens Literary Society, in addition to author or coauthor of seven nonfiction books, including Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters First 100 Years, the New York Times bestseller-turned-Broadway-play. Hearth, a former writer for The New York Times, began her career as a reporter at a small daily newspaper in Florida, where she met her future husband, Blair (a Collier County native). She is a graduate of the University of Tampa.