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Garden Spells

by Sarah Addison Allen (Goodreads Author)

4.03 of 5 stars 4.03 · rating details · 34,487 ratings · 5,333 reviews

The women of the Waverley family -- whether they like it or not -- are heirs to an unusual legacy, one that grows in a fenced plot behind their Queen Anne home on Pendland Street in Bascom, North Carolina. There, an apple tree bearing fruit of magical properties looms over a garden filled with herbs and edible flowers that possess the power to affect in curious ways anyone...more

Hardcover, 290 pages

Published August 28th 2007 by Bantam (first published January 1st 2007)

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Community Reviews

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Apr 23, 2013 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, romance, sf-fantasy, women, fiction

For generations, the Waverly family has made their home in Bascom, North Carolina. Each of the Waverly women possesses a unique magic which has made them a curiosity in the town, but their oddness also keeps others at a distance. Claire is a caterer who uses the enchanted herbs and flowers in her garden to prepare exquisite dishes that affect the eater's feelings. Claire’s aunt, Evanelle, gives odd and random gifts that she knows the recipient will need in the future. Her younger sister, Sydney,...more

45 likes · like · see review

Apr 15, 2008 Grace rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Practical Magic

Yes, this book is definitely reminsicent of Practical Magic in plotline. I can't imagine anyone not thinking so...a beautiful old house, two magical sisters whose mother died when they were young, one practical and a homebody, the other a wild woman with a daughter who comes back home to escape an abusive man. Um...sounds familiar. Very.

BUT

The author creates an amazing atmosphere, and the basics of the plot may be the same, but the details are entirely new and lovely. The aunt Evanelle is an abs...more

68 likes · like · see review

Jun 13, 2008 Sara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Chicken soup when you're sick. Chocolate when you're hormonal. Lavender for your bathroom. Citrus for the kitchen. Pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. Peppermint at Christmas time.

This book completely spoke my language - that of food and how we are connected to what we serve, eat and order. We may not be able to put magic into our cooking, but as a mother I know there are certain things to feed my family for certain reasons, and that can be sort of a form of magic (at least to the little child in bed w...more

89 likes · like · see review

Apr 21, 2008 Dorlana rated it 4 of 5 stars

It is really difficult for me to find a book that suits me. I love stories, and I love to read. Since I don’t have a lot of time to read, I have to be really picky. Which means, if it hasn’t grabbed my attention early on, I normally don’t continue.

When I saw Garden Spells on the shelves in the book store I immediately wanted to read it because of the cover, the title and the blurb. I knew for sure that this was a book that I had to read.

I was so excited when I sat down and opened the book. Perha...more

20 likes · like · see review

Dec 06, 2007 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: women...and men who appreciate magic

Shelves: magic, romance, nongenre-fiction, magical-realism

What I learned from this book is...if an apple tree throws its apples at you, for goodness sake, pay attention already!

This book is lovely, magical, enchanting. I sat down to read just one chapter, basically to decide whether it was worth holding onto even though it was already overdue. At 2:30 a.m. I finished the whole darn thing. Couldn't stop myself. I floated in a state of suspended reality, where time had no meaning.

The basic idea of the book: two sisters experienced their childhoods very...more

24 likes · like · see review

Jun 28, 2011 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: meh

In Bascom, North Carolina, everyone is destined to live up to their family name. Clark women are lascivious femme fatales, Mattesons will be wealthy and will put family duty first, Hopkins men always marry older women, and the females of the Waverley clan always manifest a quaint magical talent. Fate is heavy-handed in Bascom. There's no escaping your name and there's no escaping your heritage, even though Sydney Waverley, just like her mother before her, has tried.

Sydney grew up a Waverley, but...more In Bascom, North Carolina, everyone is destined to live up to their family name. Clark women are lascivious femme fatales, Mattesons will be wealthy and will put family duty first, Hopkins men always marry older women, and the females of the Waverley clan always manifest a quaint magical talent. Fate is heavy-handed in Bascom. There's no escaping your name and there's no escaping your heritage, even though Sydney Waverley, just like her mother before her, has tried.

Sydney grew up a Waverley, but didn't embrace the stigma associated with her name in the way her sister, Claire, did. Sydney's been everywhere, man, but her free spirit has finally been trapped by an abusive husband and her commitment to her 5 year old daughter. When Sydney finally musters the courage to escape, there's only one place for her to go--back to Bascom and a sister who despises her. When Sydney returns, she must confront the past, mend her relationship with Claire, and embrace what it means to be a Waverley--all the while knowing that trouble is most likely following her and could threaten the very lives of those she loves the most.

Garden Spells is a nice little book. Just awfully darn nice. Everything's beautiful and brimming with Southern charm, the characters could have been pulled off the street in Mayberry and sprinkled with pixie dust, and we know there's a happily ever after awaiting everyone. I'll give Allen credit--there were some unexpected thorns and rough edges amid a plot that was as insubstantial as an Angel Food Cake (this also means that I laughed my ass off when I read the 1 star reviews on this book to find so many readers of "wholesome" novels were disgusted and couldn't go on when the first F bomb was dropped or during the first sex scene), but it was predictable and sweet and light-reading. It was the perfect book for vacation because I didn't have to think much and I could easily pick the plot line back up after being distracted. However, that's generally not what I'm looking for in a novel, so I don't think I'll seek out any more Allen books (although I already have The Sugar Queen on my shelf--it may go with me on my next vacation, but that will probably be my last encounter with Allen's particular brand of magical realism). There were some groan-worthy moments (such as when Ariel Clark is described as smelling like "peaches and cottonwood"--wtf kind of fragrance is that? Who smells like a cottonwood?), but there were some characters who held some undeniable charm for me. The most interesting character, unfortunately, wasn't a main character (I found the Waverley sisters to be rather tiresome). It was Evanelle, an elderly relative of the Waverley sisters, whom I found the most interesting. Evanelle's peculiar talent manifested itself as a compulsive need to give things to people--specific things which always turned out to have a purpose, though Evanelle never knew what that purpose was when giving (at one point she was overwhelmed by the need to give a woman a box of condoms, even though the woman's husband had been left impotent after a WWII injury--it turns out she had been having an affair and ended up pregnant because she didn't accept Evanelle's gift). The chain of events that would occur after Evanelle presented a gift to someone were often the best stories in the novel.

Many of the other reviews have compared this novel to Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, another magical realism book about two polar opposite sisters from a magical family, and some other readers have gone so far as to suggest that Allen has plagiarized Hoffman. I don't think that's quite the case, but the similarities are hard to ignore. However, I enjoyed Practical Magic immensely because there was an undertone of darkness and menace, which Garden Spells lacks. Also, Hoffman includes a little more magical realism while the magic in Allen's book is pretty light. In fact, Allen might be best labeled as "Hoffman-Lite." And that's why I think I'll stick with Hoffman from this point on.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Jul 22, 2009 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

In a small southern town, Claire Waverly runs a catering business out of her small family farm, but her quiet, secure life is turned upside down, when a new next-door neighbor moves in, at the same time that her footloose, wilder younger sister Sydney comes home. Sydney is on the run from an abusive ex, and she and her six-year-old daughter Bay need a place to hide and recover. But Sydney's history, both in the town and out of it, has a way of catching up on her. This book is basically about rel...more

6 likes · like · see review

Feb 16, 2008 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-adult-fiction

I made one of my departures from YA into the adult book world with Garden Spells. This is a book about place and belonging and love. It centers around the Waverley family, specifically, Waverley women. Claire was only 6 when her mother brought her to the Waverley family home in Bascom, North Carolina, where she has lived quietly ever since, but her early experiences have made her terrified of becoming close to people. Claire's younger sister, Sydney, was born in Bascom but left after high school...more I made one of my departures from YA into the adult book world with Garden Spells. This is a book about place and belonging and love. It centers around the Waverley family, specifically, Waverley women. Claire was only 6 when her mother brought her to the Waverley family home in Bascom, North Carolina, where she has lived quietly ever since, but her early experiences have made her terrified of becoming close to people. Claire's younger sister, Sydney, was born in Bascom but left after high school, following in the wandering ways of their mother, whom she never knew.

The story begins when Sydney returns to Bascom with her 5-year-old daughter, Bay, to escape an abusive relationship. Claire and Sydney were not close growing up, but now that they're older, they're able to work together and appreciate each other. Their growing sisterliness is one of the highlights of the book.

There are many highlights in this book, several of them individual characters. Claire and Sydney's cousin Evanelle, who's nearly 80, has a gift for giving people things before they need them. Two sets of sheets that she gives Claire come in handy when Sydney and Bay show up on Claire's doorstep. A too-big shirt that she knew she had to give Sydney leads to Sydney finding a job. Evanelle is a delight.

While giving the right things to people is Evanelle's bit of Waverley magic, cooking is Claire's. The Waverley garden is famous for producing food that has a strong influence on people. Somewhat reminiscent of Like Water for Chocolate, the food that Claire serves in her catering business can calm a crowd or make them remember good things or induce in them an admiration of their hosts. Bay, who is a true Waverley, knows where things belong, and she knows that she and her mother belong in Bascom with Claire.

One of my favorite characters is the apple tree that is legendary in Bascom. Eating an apple from it will show you the 'biggest event in your life.' It sometimes throws apples at people when it wants them to eat one or to get their attention. If it's too rowdy, the Waverleys will yell at it to stop. It listens to Bay particularly.

I enjoyed the mixture of magic and ordinary life-ness in this book. And I'd love to see the Waverley garden.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Feb 14, 2008 Heather Ormsby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Well, this is tricky. I really enjoyed the book. I enjoyed it the first time I read it when it was called "Practical Magic" by Alice Hoffman. Was it plagiarism? I'm not sure - that's for Hoffman's lawyers to decide, but if you enjoyed the following things about Hoffman's book, then you'll enjoy this one:
- a lovely garden where the plants grow in an atmosphere of magical realism, out of time and season.
- two sisters who seem polar opposites, who suffered the loss of their mother at a young age an...more

8 likes · like · see review

Feb 03, 2008 Margaret Oneal rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: adult readers, women, fantasy lovers

Recommended to Margaret by: Bell, Book and Candle Bookstore

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book... but then I never am. That seems to the mantra that I open every book with: distrust of the author's skill, interests, etc. I was encouraged early on by the author's gift for language... Bits like "She was so Southern that she cried tears that came straight from the Mississipi...", and "Memories, even hard memories, grew soft like peaches as they got older."

Ah, you're thinking that this is one of those dreary Southern rites of passage books, one of t...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 09, 2009 Carm rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2008, library-books

Set in North Carolina, we explore the lives of the Waverly women and their strangeness in a community where everyone has their expectations for the long family lines native to the area. The Waverley's have a garden where an enchanted apple tree grows and Claire masterfully creates foods with properties that do more than tantalize the taste buds. The ideas behind this are great and this first novel for Sarah Addison Allen might be a fun summer read for someone less picky than me. While I enjoyed...more

12 likes · like · see review

Sep 16, 2008 Christine (AR) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Two sisters deal with being magical in a small town. Practical Magic by way of Allende.

I don't care if this is almost the same story as Practical Magic; I thought it was lovely. A very fast read, very prettily written, and it has some absolutely beautiful moments. Really nice.

7 likes · like · see review

May 07, 2010 Karla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: american, chick-lit, romance, fantasy, magical-realism, 2010, favorites

Sometimes you just need a good enchanting fantasy with humor, heart and charming loveable characters. I enjoyed the differnt points of view and the revealing look into their personal jouney for love, strength and fulfillment. It captured everyday loss, pain, and personal growth and twisted in the perfect touch of whimsy.
There is a unique magical apple tree that grows in the Waverly's back garden and each Waverly woman or girl has an special gift to share with the little town of Bascom, North Ca...more

11 likes · like · see review

Sep 11, 2008 Juushika rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: status-borrowed

The Waverleys are a strange family: each of them has a special gift and a prophetic apple tree grows in their backyard, imbuing the entire garden with magic. But when wandering Sydney escapes an abusive boyfriend and returns back home to live with her introverted sister Claire, the Waverley sisters must learn to step outside of their eccentricities and discover life, love, and happiness. Despite the dark elementsan abusive boyfriend, an abandoning motherGarden Spells is unmitigated fluff. As l...more The Waverleys are a strange family: each of them has a special gift and a prophetic apple tree grows in their backyard, imbuing the entire garden with magic. But when wandering Sydney escapes an abusive boyfriend and returns back home to live with her introverted sister Claire, the Waverley sisters must learn to step outside of their eccentricities and discover life, love, and happiness. Despite the dark elementsan abusive boyfriend, an abandoning motherGarden Spells is unmitigated fluff. As long as the reader isn't looking for complexity, the book is a lighthearted and fanciful piece of escapism. I moderately recommend it.

A predictable plot, minimal conflict, some comical antagonists, simplistic characters, an an unbelievable happy ever after: this book has little depth and, on a technical level, not much to offer. In fact, Claire's homeless past and Sydney's abusive boyfriend are almost red herrings, foreshadowing conflicts that never quite arrive. Instead, this book is about self-discovery and love with perfect endings, containing impossible magic and set in a small town where the biggest conflict is a foolish family feud. There is no complexity, no hidden meaning or intelligent depth, and readers expecting it will be disappointed.

Garden Spells is fluff. Accept that the book is little more than escapism, and it actually becomes quite a fun read. There's something enjoyable and uplifting about uncomplicated self-discovery and romance, and the magicunbelievable as it isis colorful and entertaining. The conflicts of the small town remain vaguely irritating (and mildly sexist), but they're comical as well. So, while the book is simple and unmemorable, it's pure escapism which is surprisingly fun to read. I wasn't blown away by this book and I'll never reread it, but I enjoyed it much more than I expected I would. Exaggerated as it is, I like the magic. There's something oddly enduring about a playful apple tree with prophetic fruit, or the ability to influence memory or emotion by baking with the right edible flowers. All told, I recommend this book only moderately, and only to the reader looking for a lighthearted bit of escapism. It's a good book to borrow, because it won't stand up to rereads. But if you want simple fantasy and fun with a colorful twist, Garden Spells might be a good choice for an empty afternoon.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

May 28, 2008 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: those looking for an easy and enchanting read

Recommended to Bonnie by: Barnes & Noble

I saw Sarah Addison Allen's new book "Sugar Queen" at Barnes & Noble and thought it looked interesting, but was unwilling to pay the price for a hardback book on an untried author. So, instead I picked up "Garden Spells" because of its beautiful cover and interesting synopsis. I'm VERY glad I did.

The story and the magic were...well...magical...and enchanting. I love gardens and books where people have green thumbs, unlike myself. The garden is a main character in this story, specifically th...more I saw Sarah Addison Allen's new book "Sugar Queen" at Barnes & Noble and thought it looked interesting, but was unwilling to pay the price for a hardback book on an untried author. So, instead I picked up "Garden Spells" because of its beautiful cover and interesting synopsis. I'm VERY glad I did.

The story and the magic were...well...magical...and enchanting. I love gardens and books where people have green thumbs, unlike myself. The garden is a main character in this story, specifically the apple tree. And a book with a garden as a main character makes my day. Each Waverly in the book has a talent that makes them extra ordinary. There's no wand waving or incantations, only recipes, haircuts, random gift giving, and a heightened sense of what seems right.

I've read some of the other reviews and agree with several. I agree with the reviewer who said this book is very sweet....it is sweet, so if you're looking for something jaded and sarcastic, read something else. I agree with the reviewer who said that underneath the magic is a story about extra-ordinary people and the challenges they face as they try to find their happy ending. And I definitely agree with the reviewer who said they couldn't put the book down and was late to everything....me too...

I cannot speak on whether the book is similar to "Practical Magic" the book as I haven't read it and I absolutely don't think it very similar to "Practical Magic" the movie. The movie seems somewhat dark and twisty and this book is light, energetic and postive. All the 'kitchen magic' ellicits mostly positive things- understanding, clarity, good memories, etc. Even though sometimes those positive things lead to the more negative emotions like guilt or remorse about something you've done.

This book is ultimately about relationships- romantic and familial- and all the trials involved in making those relationships work. This is a book to sink into and simply enjoy...maybe with a mint julep on the veranda. The author does not beat you in the head with her agenda or attempt to brain you with a serious message. It is simply an enjoyable read that will have you looking a little closer whenever you pass an apple tree.(less)

8 likes · like · see review

Oct 10, 2007 Lauren Giova rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Most likely the best book I've read in a while. The story enfolds you from the very first page. And i have nothing but praise for it so i will make it short.

I definitely identified with at least one of the characters if not all of the them. I saw parallels from the novel to my life and i think a lot of readers will feel the same way. I believe that is what makes a story good, when you can place yourself in the situations the characters have placed themselves in. That's what makes it believable...more

5 likes · like · see review

Sep 10, 2007 Stacey rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked this one up because it was $10 at Barnes and Noble (yeah coupons!). I figured that if they recommended it and it cost less than dinner, I'd give it a try.

This was a fun, quick read. I haven't read or seen the movie "Practical Magic", but I do typically like Alice Hoffman's books. I didn't have a problem with this story line being recycled since I've never encountered it before.

This book was entertaining and well written. There were moments that made me smile and chuckle to myself. I li...more

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 04, 2007 Ellen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: gentlereads

Garden Spells is a wonderful, gentle romance set in Bascom, North Carolina. Claire Waverly has an orderly life as a botanical caterer. Her flower and herbal recipes are known to help others gain clarity in their lives. Her own life becomes clouded by the handsome neighbor next door and the return of her sister Sydney with her young daughter. The Waverly girls are all gifted with a type of magic, abilities to help others through their various talents. It has a similar feel to "Like Water for Choc...more

3 likes · like · see review

Mar 08, 2008 Siobhan added it

This book is completely twee and unoriginal, and I am a little embarrassed to be reading it. It's the literary equivalent of eating a whole box of cookies -- but not even good cookies, more like Snackwell's. Mediocre and unsatisfying.

(And yet I am reading it anyway.)

Now that I've finished it, I can say definitively that the barrage of five-star reviews for this book kind of makes me lose my faith in humanity. Even if you like this kind of writing, it is so clearly a wholesale ripoff of "Practica...more

8 likes · like · see review

Mar 11, 2011 Audrey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: romance, magical-realism

I thought this was lovely. Simple, light, magical...similar to Alice Hoffman. Finished it in one evening and truly enjoyed it.

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 16, 2008 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

I loved, loved, loved this book. It reminded me of Practical Magic with a bit of Simply Irresistible thrown in. I had a hard time putting it down because of my enjoyment.

Yes, it is predictable. But I really liked the everyday magic--there's a real feel-good vibe to this book. I liked the characters and the depiction of a small town. Sure, entire families are categorized with specific traits, but there was a part of me that found comfort in that.

Great summmer escape read.

5 likes · like · see review

Jul 18, 2012 Monique rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, chicklit, fiction, romance, young-adult, magic-realism

Original post here.

Garden Spells is easily one of the best feel-good YA books that I've read of late. I loved the element of magic, most especially, and was pleasantly surprised when I found I couldn't put the book down until I was done with it.

The entire time I was reading this book, I couldn't help but think about the 1998 film Practical Magic starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, who also played sisters in the movie. Just as Sally and Gillian Owens were diametrical opposites in Practical ...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 03, 2012 Renetta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own-book

This is the second book by Sarah Addison Allen I've read and I really enjoy her style. I'm glad to see she's written so many books, I'll be reading more. They give me quite a hangover....

Starting out with this book I almost chucked it across the room and grabbed the next one from my stack to read. It really was so much like Practical Magic! But instead I went to goodreads and read some reviews. Feeling a little more hopeful I continued on. It didn't take too long for me to forget all about that....more

5 likes · like · see review

Mar 09, 2011 Michelle Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-read

The Waverley family. The sisters Claire & Sydney. Sydney's daughter Bay and Evanelle Franklin their distant relation (cousin). I also can't forget to mention the Apple Tree because it was just as much it's story too.

See all the wonderful thing I have to say about Garden Spells on my Book Review blog

http://anotherlookbookreviews.blogspo...

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 10, 2007 Marta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Set in today's world, the family of "Waverly Women" are all enchanted. One works magic with the foods as a caterer from the herbs in her garden. Another "sees" odd things that people need--she doesn't know why they need the things she gives them, but she gifts little things that then become critical in the lives of those who receive them. A fun read.

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 11, 2007 William rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: neverreadagain

Fascinating premise, ineptly implemented.

The author is a graduate of the Octavia Butler/Rosie Lyons School of Literature which features victims instead of protagonists.

Shamelessly manipulative.

The family of witches in a magic garden is a great setting for a novel. It is pathetic that the author could not do any better than this.

10 likes · like · see review

May 05, 2011 Robbi rated it 4 of 5 stars

In her debut novel, author Sarah Addison Allen, takes readers on a journey to Bascom, North Carolina into one of the most beautiful gardens you could ever image, with a lot of sentimentality, a little big of magic, and a compelling story about a family. The Waverlys have always lived in Bascom and always had a magical garden, often to the envy of neighbors, but also setting them apart from everyone else. For Sydney Waverly, this was always a bit hard to deal with. Unlike her older sister, Claire...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 31, 2010 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Angela by: goodreads site

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, usa-setting

I absolutely loved this book!Loved,loved,loved it! The language and imagery are exquisite and the story is satisfying like a perfect dark chocolate truffle.
Or smelling the perfect flower. I want to live in this town. I want to know more about flower magic! What a well crafted piece of art.

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 04, 2010 Glenda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2010

The Waverlys have always been curious family endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their own home town of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for the feisty apple tree that throws apples and allows the eater of the fruit to see the biggest event of their lives.
After reading the first 2 chapters, I thought this a little corny, but I was interested enough to continue reading and it turned into a charming, enchanting, and heartwarming story. Sy...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 30, 2011 Asheroo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-my-shelf

Garden Spells,

SAA's first novel, and my last to read of hers.

After I read The Sugar Queen I quickly obtained her other three books. Since Garden Spell was the only other paperback book of hers I had, and it is my Mom's favorite, I saved it for my trip to England. It wasn't easy mind you! I had to carefully plan how to read the other two, trying to savor them and not read them well into the night with excitement and joy. I was able to save Garden Spells, after loving the previous three, for the p...more Garden Spells,

SAA's first novel, and my last to read of hers.

After I read The Sugar Queen I quickly obtained her other three books. Since Garden Spell was the only other paperback book of hers I had, and it is my Mom's favorite, I saved it for my trip to England. It wasn't easy mind you! I had to carefully plan how to read the other two, trying to savor them and not read them well into the night with excitement and joy. I was able to save Garden Spells, after loving the previous three, for the plane ride to Newcastle.

My husband and I believe airplanes are getting worse with each trip we get. The seats are smaller, less leg room, and just the right amount of uncomfortableness to not be able to sleep. This is all besides the point but it makes a difference in my attitude for the book. Our flight was supposed to be 6 hours and 20 minutes long, taking off at 7 pm. We had a 3 hour delay on the taxi and then back to the gate thanks to a check engine light! We sat on the plane for an extra 3 hours, and when we took off we were all irritable and unable to sleep.

I was in an unpleasant mood, and though I tried to read the lovely book I just couldn't. I didn't want to ruin a happy story with my unhappy circumstance.

The good news is! I read it while I was in England, while I had the feeling of whimsy and magic in the air. The sun was surprisingly shining a majority of the time and I felt good. I got to read a little here and there while taking baths and before going to bed at night. Twas the perfect atmosphere and time to read a magical novel. I finished it within my first week there, with a satisfied and happy sigh as I got out of the bath. And soon after I felt sadness for there were no more SAA books for me to read! And, not matter how much I scour the internet, I can't find anyone giving me similar books to read!

Finally, time for my actual thoughts on the book.
I am aware that many people say this book is dangerously similar to Practical Magic, and while I can see the connections, it's like anything else. True originality may be impossible, I choose to enjoy each new thing as it is and in all honesty, I see this story as quite different from Practical Magic. You can't see sisters that are magical in a house and automatically hook it up as the same thing.

I loved the idea of the apple tree throwing apples, though I do wish they utilized that tree's magic more, it seemed like a nice smart tree. Wanting to show the good and not show the bad. I swear yesterday an apple tree threw an apple at me... I couldn't find the apple though, wishful thinking!

There was a lot more magic in this novel than her others, a nice change of pace after The Peach Keeper, which had very little magic and more superstition. I especially love SAA novels due to their hint of magic in every day life. This whole family in Garden Spells held magic in their blood. It was never about calling them witches or even magical, it was more of a weird thing they possessed and learned to love about themselves. It was a story about accepting yourself and supporting your family, being there for the ones you love, understanding that you as a person grows, and so do the people around you.

A truly wonderful story, but still, The Sugar Queen remains my favorite. I have found with SAA lovers, the first book you read of hers will hold you and bring you in, and will therefore be your favorite of hers. If someone has a different experience, let me know and tell me why and how! I would love to hear.

TLDR: I loved the book, much more magic than SAA's other books, but great to read in whimsical England.(less)

1 like · like · see review

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About Sarah Addison Allen

New York Times Bestselling novelist Sarah Addison Allen brings the full flavor of her southern upbringing to bear on her fiction -- a captivating blend of fairy tale magic, heartwarming romance, and small-town sensibility.

Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Allen grew up with a love of books and an appreciation of good food (she credits her journ...more

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Quotes from Garden Spells

“She looked like autumn, when leaves turned and fruit ripened.” — 70 people liked it

“She was so Southern that she cried tears that came straight from the Mississippi, and she always smelled faintly of cottonwood and peaches.” — 67 people liked it

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Garden Spells

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