Miss Dreamsville and the lost heiress of Collier County

About this book

"In this sequel to Hearth's debut novel, MISS DREAMSVILLE AND THE COLLIER COUNTY WOMEN'S LITERARY SOCIETY, the characters reunite one year later (late summer 1964) to fight a large development along the tidal river where book club 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 court hearing in which Jackie steals the show are just a few of the highlights. New characters include a young lawyer from Atlanta who is afraid to visit the Everglades, and the Ghost of Seminole Joe. Just as MISS DREAMSVILLE explored the ways that we can find a sense of home in other people, Hearth's latest novel shows how closely tied home is to a sense of place and the conflicts that can arise when that becomes threatened. For Darryl Harmon, the river is a place ripe for development. For narrator Dora Witherspoon (known as the Turtle Lady because she rescues Everglades "snappers") it's a place that belongs to the critters. And for Dolores Simpson, former stripper, it's a place to hide from the world"--