Lee Smith brings her masterful storytelling magic to this jewel of a
novella that follows Jenny, an adventurous thirteen-year-old, down to
Key West for a patched-up family vacation following the discovery of her
father's illicit affair.
Available for the first time as a stand-alone novella, this book centers
on the Blue Marlin Motel in 1959, where Jenny, her beautiful socialite
mother, and chastened father share their sunny days with movie stars who
are in town to make the movie Operation Petticoat.
Jenny is precocious and a bit of a sleuth, so her innocent
"observations" to uncover the secrets of movie stars also end up
revealing the secrets of her own family. Jenny confronts the frailty of
family life while also vying for the attention of actor Tony Curtis and
even a role in his movie. Smith delivers humor and honesty to her flawed
characters with genuine Southern dignity.
