Summer

18 June 2009

GARDEN SPELLS - Sarah Addison Allen


This is my favorite book so far this year. Enchanted is a start to how I felt while reading this lovely magical book. I could identify with the emotionally encased main character, Claire, needing to keep people out so as not to be hurt as she was sure she would be. I loved watching her bloom as her garden perpetually did once she realized that some things are worth the possibility of heartache.
I enjoyed disliking the wealthy, self-centered characters of Hunter John and his wife, Emma and their clique of like-minded narcissists.
I loved meeting Claire's runaway sister Sydney and Sydney's daughter, Bay. Sydney ran away from Bascom, North Carolina as a teen to escape what she thought of as a prison. Now she realizes it is a safehaven for her and Bay.
Then there are the magical recipes Claire, a successful caterer, creates for her clients from the flowers and plants in her garden. I had to grin at the apple tree at the center of the mystical garden. It had a character all its own, producing apples year round, throwing them at Claire and others to get attention. Claire buries the apples as they fall so that innocents won't eat one and discover the biggest event in their lives, some wonderful, sometimes awful.

I am loaning this to my sister with the proviso that I get it back for my keeper shelf. I will read this again.

Five magically warm beans.....



10 comments:

Mary (Bookfan) said...

Vickie, I'm glad you enjoyed this book - I did too. I hunted down my review (read it last year) and it is here. I enjoy a little magical realism every once in a while :)

I liked The Sugar Queen as well. She has a new book coming next year.

Thoughts of Joy said...

I just started listening to this today! :) I'll be back to read your review when I'm done.

Vickie said...

Mary: I cannot wait to read SUGAR QUEEN. Thanks for pointing me to your review.

Joy: I do hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I should get it as an audibook.

TexasRed said...

I loved this book! Will definitely be keeping my eye out for more from this author. Loved the characters and they way they interacted.

Vickie said...

TexasRed: ME TOO! That's exactly how I felt.

Terry Kate said...

So I have a question,
Who reads reviews first and who reads them after they read the book?
I am an after kinda gal.
All the best and happy reading,
Terry Kate
www.romanceinthebackseat.com

Bella Foxx said...

HI, I have an award for you. You can pick it up here.

Vickie said...

TerryKate: I am a little of both, I think. I don't necessarily take reviews to heart. If I want to read a book and I read a positive review, it makes me that much more ready to get it. If I read a negative review or a so-so review, I look at who the reviewer is. If I trust them, I'll likely heed.

SuziBell: Thankin' you! Heading on over!

Thoughts of Joy said...

I didn't love this near as much as you. Actually, I didn't love it at all. It got a 3.25/5 (better than just okay) from me. I'm thrilled that you loved it, though! It's so much fun when a 5/5 book comes our way.

Pam said...

What a beautiful review. This looks fantastic!