The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

I've quickly grown to adore just about all of Sarah Addison Allen's books. And this one, while it took me a little while to sink in, is no different. It has that same charm and warmth of characters that I've grown to expect from her works.

Once a trickster, Willa has come back to the town of Walls of Water and settled as the owner of a sporting clothes store. There she tries to live a calm life, completely unlike what she used to be. But the visit of Colin, brother of the socialite Paxton, breaks up the monotony of her life and causes her to have some of those old sparks of mischief again. Meanwhile, Paxton is planning an anniversary party for the local ladies' social club and is putting the finishing touches on an old home that is being restored when a body is found buried beneath the peach tree in the yard. This opens a whole series of questions that will bring Paxton and Willa together.

I liked both Willa and Paxton. They were wildly different from each other but both were good people in their own right. They tried to be accommodating to everyone and neglected themselves in the process, as good people often do. But they both had a spark to them. And their love interests, Colin and Sebastian were quite charming as well. Everything you'd want in a real guy, it's just a matter of finding the right one. There were a few side characters, but they played small roles in the story, and honestly, they probably weren't needed.

The plot was predictable, but still charming. I always enjoy the little bits of magic that Allen inserts in her works. Although they weren't quite as prevalent in this one. She just has a way of making the ordinary special and makes you want to believe that that kind of magic is quite possible. And she had a few good quotable lines in this book too. "Happiness means taking risks" and other such inspiring things. Her writing is just so comfortable that you can sink in with a book and not emerge until you're done with it.

A very good book and I eagerly await the next one she will write. She's definitely becoming one of my favorite writers.

The Peach Keeper
Copyright 2011
273 pages

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

I like Allen's books. They always seem to have whimsical aspects to them that I just can't get enough of. And this one is no different, despite some troubles with the book, I enjoyed it overall and thought it had that same sense about it that her other books have.

After the death of her mother, Emily makes the trip to Mullaby, NC to stay with her grandfather, who to her surprise, turns out to be a giant. But that wasn't the only secret her mother kept from her, as she goes about town meeting people, she discovers that her mother appeared to be running from her past, and that some people blame Emily for her mother's faults. But one boy, who has cause to not like her family, is drawn to her, and Win Coffey has secrets all his own. Meanwhile, Julia has returned to set things in order after father's death and it seems that part of that is taking over his business until she can settle the debts and sell it for a profit. But that plan nearly backfires on her when she encounters someone from her past whom she has had painful memories of all her adult life. But she has other goals in mind, and as she runs the restaurant, she also bakes cakes non-stop, in the hopes that something good will happen from it.

Emily is such a nice girl and a pleasant surprise to read about. Often teenagers are described as bratty non-listening whiny individuals and while I'm not arguing that's true for some, there really are some delightful teenagers out there too. So I'm glad Emily got to be representative of that. Win on the other hand I didn't like. Too mysterious and his motives too weird, he just didn't make sense in the novel, even if you do allow for the magical aspects of it. Julia also was a very good character and while my childhood was nothing like hers growing up, I really felt like I could identify with her. She also had a good match in Sawyer, even if he did stir up feelings in her that she didn't want to think about. Emily's grandfather I thought was vastly under-used in the novel. He had the capacity to be such a bigger part of the story and I was disappointed to not see him appear more.

The plot was somewhat predictable, but that's ok. It was smooth reading and enjoyable and I loved all the magical elements that Allen included. She has a way of working them in seamlessly that makes it seem like something that could actually happen. And her descriptions of food, although not overly wordy, are delicious and part of what I look forward to in her books. So is her description of small town South and the kind people who can inhabit such a place. Part of that use of description though does include a sex scene, so reader, you have been forewarned if that's not to your taste. I was a little disappointed that the ending cut off so short. I can only hope that maybe there's a sequel in the works, but somehow I doubt it. I just didn't want the book to end there.

Another delightful read by Allen. I'll read her books anytime I can get my hands on them.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon
Copyright 2010
269 pages

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

I just recently became acquainted with the books by Allen.  And just as recently became a fan.  Her first book, Garden Spells, I loved to pieces.  This one I liked nearly as well.  It's just as charming as the other, and has its own magical elements.

Josey is somewhat of a recluse.  As a rather temperamental child, she mellowed into an adult woman who is run by the whims of her bother.  Her only solace is the hidden closet of sweets that she has, and the travel magazines to accompany them.  With no friends, her daily thing to look forward to is a visit from the mailman who she is attracted to.  But then, one morning she wakes up to a visitor inside her closet; an older woman who's on the run from a boyfriend, and since she knows secrets Josey doesn't want to divulge, Josey lets her stay.  Della makes her get out and meet new people too, and with that comes some emotions and experiences Josey has never had before.

Josey is an ok character.  She seems very real with her flaws and wants for sweets.  Her mother completely domineers her, and it makes you want to shout at her sometimes, but this whole novel is about her growth, so at least it seems authentic.  Her love interest, the mailman Adam, was nice enough, but I didn't really understand him or his motivations.  And the other side characters all had their own quirks.  The only one I didn't really like was Josey's mother; I just thought she was a deplorable person without any redeeming qualities.  At least Josey had the maid I suppose.  Chloe, kind of the almost other main character in this book had some unique qualities too that I appreciated, especially since her's involved books.

The plot was fairly predictable, but it was still so nice that you couldn't help but forgive its predictability.  I liked the descriptions of the sweets Josey craved and the sandwiches her friend made.  The sandwiches most of all; give me one of those over a piece of chocolate anyday.  There was a lot of drama in this book and sometimes it moved a little too fast for me to keep up.  But by the end everything was sorted in my head and it did have a nice twist I was expecting.  Unlike the other book of Allen's there wasn't any descriptive love scenes or a great deal of violence.  Little things were mentioned but never brought forth in any detail.  It should be mentioned, that in the particular edition I read, there were some deleted scenes that the author kept out of the book.  They were interesting, but I am glad they weren't in the main story itself.

A very nice book.  I will definitely keep reading any book Allen puts out.  I know they're all bound to be quite magical.

The Sugar Queen
Copyright 2008
294 pages

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

This was a very charming book.  Absolutely delightful.  I was attracted by the cover and that's what made me pick it up, but the story was wonderful too.

The Waverly's are known for not being quite right; something about them is just different from the other people in town.  But then again the townsfolk family lines are all known for something.  For instance, the Hopkins men always marry older women the Clark women have a certain prowess in bed.  But the Waverly's, what they do is out of the ordinary, and the garden of their's, with its special apple tree, is just the beginning.  Claire Waverly, who spent her first six years of life with her nomadic mother, doesn't like change, she prefers to work at her catering business living up to people's expectations.  But when her sister Sydney comes back, with daughter Bay in tow, she knows she has to learn to like a little change, if only for their sakes.

I like both of the Waverly sisters.  They couldn't be more different, but you can watch them grow closer throughout the novel.  And the way that was done was authentic.  Bay especially was a sweet little girl and her presence was definitely needed in the novel.  But I think the best character was Evanelle.  She was interesting and her role in the book was pretty important.  She just had a way of knowing what was needed.  Even the leading men in the book were likable but not too perfect as to be unbelievable.  I found myself rooting for them the whole way.

While the plot kind of meandered, it did so in a nice way.  You just wanted to know what would happen for the sisters.  And the apple tree, doing its thing, just kind of worked along with that.  There were several subplots, about the townspeople, and this actually brought some needed points in the novel.  It showed that people are going to do what they're going to do, despite what the "main" people of the book are doing.  And they also taught some important life lessons; and who knows if that was the author's intention.  Descriptions abound in this book and I especially loved all the different foods that Claire made.  I only wished there were some recipes included, but alas, I didn't see any.    I should point out that there is sex, violence, and mentions of abuse in this book.  They aren't over-glorified by any means, but rather important to the story as a whole.

One of my favorite books I've read this year.  I just found it very charming and the characters very likable.  I'll definitely be reading more books by Allen.

Garden Spells
Copyright 2007
290 pages