One of those books I read in one sitting. ( )

I started to write this one last night and had to stop because I just wasn't sure what to say. I genuinely enjoyed this book; it was lovely, and funny and extraordinarily accurate for its place and time.

But would others enjoy it as much as I did? I don't know. I know a huge part of why I enjoyed it as much as I did had to do with its setting: southwest Florida in the early 60's. I'm definitely not that old, but the Florida I knew as a child differed very little from the Florida Ms. Hill Hearth describes, although thankfully, the Klan was long absent in my time, as was segregation.

Eighty-year-old Dora, the narrator of a story that began a half century earlier, is bonding with an unlikely set of friends, including Jackie Hart, a restless middle-aged wife and mother from Boston, who gets into all sorts of trouble when her family moves to a small, sleepy town in Collier County, Florida, circa 1962.

Dora at 80 resonated with me; her story-telling style reminded me of my father, a master of the art himself, and nights sitting around the dinner table listening to tales of growing up in a Florida that was mostly swamp and almost no concrete. I was never bored listening to those stories and I was never bored with this book either. Each of the members of the Collier County Women's Literary Society has their own societal burden to carry - none of them justified - and all of them find strength and mayhem when they come together.

The author could have perhaps built the story with more tension, but I didn't mind not really worrying about what would happen; I just had a great time going along for the ride. I'm definitely checking out the sequel. ( )

In an uncomplicated and loving way Amy Hill tackles huge issues a group of women and one (gay) man encounter in 1963 Florida. She uses crisp descriptions and a lot of dialog to tell the story.

Dora, the narrator of the story is on the one hand a regular southern woman, but when she joins the Collier County Women's Literary Society, started by a newcomer from Boston she Starts to rebel against the treatment women, blacks and gay people get in their little southern town. Several times she says things like: "Northeners don't understand how things are done in this town." Subsequently she discovers that she likes the outcome of reacting defirrently to the situation.
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The characters in this novel were charming, each in their own way. I feel as though I were just getting to know each character better and the book was over. I think the author could have written more little stories within the story, because my biggest complaint is that the book was too short. Definitely was an easy read but still well written and humorous. I'm now thinking of who I would like to see cast in the movie version. If you liked The Help or Secret Life of Bees, then I believe you will like Miss Dreamsville too. ( )

This is a funny book, set in 1962 in what was then quiet Naples, Florida. Jackie is a transplanted Yankee not really trying to fit in. She starts a book club whose members are a bunch of other social misfits in the area. She also secretly becomes "Miss Dreamsville," host of a late-night radio show that becomes quite popular. Really enjoyed this and looking forward to the sequel. ( )