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The Peach Keeper

Sarah Addison Allen

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Sarah Addison Allen

New book?
By Angela · 6 posts · 314 views

last updated Jan 01, 2017 11:40AM

Magical Reads
By Sarah · 9 posts · 240 views

last updated Aug 01, 2015 06:15PM

What Members Thought

May 05, 2011 Carolyn Hill rated it really liked it

I'm a fan of SAA and I have to admit I'm partly prejudiced because she lives in my second hometown. I loved this book, but most of all I love Sarah's voice - her evocative descriptions, her insight, her distinctive style. Sarah has a way of capturing that uneasy social divide so prevalent in small southern towns, without being blatant about it. She is recognized for her magical realism, and it is given a light touch here and integrates well into the story. I would not consider it a distraction o ...more

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Mar 22, 2011 Linda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mod-lit, fantasy

Among all their high school contemporaries, only Willa Jackson and Paxton Osgood still live in their small hometown, Walls of Water, North Carolina. Willa, nicknamed "The Joker" for the pranks she used to play, is now somewhat reclusive, and runs the "green" sporting goods shop. Paxton, the "Princess" born with the proverbial silver spoon, still lives with her parents and runs the Women's Society Club. These women were never friends during high school, but that is about to change, because two of Among all their high school contemporaries, only Willa Jackson and Paxton Osgood still live in their small hometown, Walls of Water, North Carolina. Willa, nicknamed "The Joker" for the pranks she used to play, is now somewhat reclusive, and runs the "green" sporting goods shop. Paxton, the "Princess" born with the proverbial silver spoon, still lives with her parents and runs the Women's Society Club. These women were never friends during high school, but that is about to change, because two of the boys are back in town. The "Freak", impossibly handsome Sebastian, takes over the practice of the town's retired dentist, and everyone knows he's gay, so Paxton's close friendship with him must be platonic, right? Paxton's twin, Colin, the "Stick Man", is a landscape architect, and he's arrived in Walls of Water to help her oversee the renovation of the once grand house known as The Blue Ridge Madam. Colin finds Willa to invite her to view the restoration, because the estate was owned by her family before they encountered hard times, and had to sell the place to Colin's grandparents. Just as the restoration approaches completion, a skeleton is unearthed, and relationships that only recently were remote will undergo remarkable transformation.

Sarah Addison Allen is well on her way to becoming a favorite author. Her style is an irresistible blend of magic, food, and romantic attraction, tempered with a large dollop of mystery. Her characters are always start off rather repressed, and as the plot develops, so do they, and before the book is half over, you're pulling hard for them to discover their true identities, in addition to finding each other. In The Peach Keeper, the setting, with its myriad of waterfalls and misty mornings and evenings, is magical in its own right; throw in the old sayings, superstitions, signs, and portents that keep cropping up, and the memories of the two elderly grandmas who are the only folks in town who know the whole truth, and you've got a novel that will keep you up half the night. Enchanting! ...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Kerri rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, grown-up-books, summer-reading, chick-lit

I wanted to take my time let the story sink in and write a phenomenal review for this book, but alas, too much time has passed and I forgot. The book is magical in so many ways, it is subtle but present. One funny magical scene was in the beginning of the story when Paxton attends a society meeting and everybody just starts going off on each other, and tells their deepest darkest thoughts and feelings. Everything explodes in Paxton's seemingly perfect Southern world. There obviously was some mag ...more

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Mar 26, 2011 Tanja rated it liked it

I would like to rate this higher because Sarah's writing is like a cool glass of lemonade, sitting on my deck with my feet up in summer with a warm breeze. I love it and it makes me happy. But, this was my least favorite of her books. I just wanted more. I liked the story but wanted more depth to the book. Love the cover and the cameo from Claire. If you don't know who claire is go read Garden Spells. ...more

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Apr 15, 2011 Alice rated it really liked it

I liked this one a lot. It is such a simple pleasant little book. It has romance--this is about the perfect amount in my book ;o)--I saw that this book was on the NYTimes best sellers this week. I am happy to see that more people have discovered the simple pleasure of Sarah Addison Allen.

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Mar 26, 2011 Stacey rated it really liked it

Another charming book by this author.

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Jan 11, 2011 Lisa rated it really liked it

I was excited to read this latest novel by one of my favorite authors. While I enjoyed it, it's not one of her best. She definitely has a formula, though in this one her typical "magical realism" was sort of thrown in here and there and wasn't as much an intrinsic part of the plot. Other parts of the plot felt shortchanged, but I'm giving it 4 stars anyway because despite all that, I kept wanting to read past my bedtime! ...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Kelly rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites

I do love Sarah Addison Allen's novels. The Peach Keeper wasn't my favorite of her novels, but it still was near impossible to put down.
I love the magic and nature that flows through her writing.
My only complaint about the novel is I hate it when authors incorporate characters from their other novels into a completely different, unrelated novel. But that is by far my only complaint about The Peach Keeper ...more

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Jan 20, 2011 Joey rated it really liked it

I saved this book for six month so I could read it on vacation. Totally worth it. I love how Sarah incorporates a little bit of magic somewhere in her stories. And that her books always has an ending.

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