BONUS: This edition contains excerpts from Sarah Addison Allen’s First Frost and The Girl Who Chased the Moon.
In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small, quiet house in an even smaller town, is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a very special sort of fruit. In this luminous debut novel, Sarah Addison Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree, and the extraordinary … of that enchanted tree, and the extraordinary people who tend it.…
The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.
A successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants — from the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secrets and the pansies that make children thoughtful, to the snapdragons intended to discourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile, her elderly cousin, Evanelle, is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverleys — except for Claire’s rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could, abandoning Claire, as their own mother had years before.
When Sydney suddenly returns home with a young daughter of her own, Claire’s quiet life is turned upside down — along with the protective boundary she has so carefully constructed around her heart. Together again in the house they grew up in, Sydney takes stock of all she left behind, as Claire struggles to heal the wounds of the past. And soon the sisters realize they must deal with their common legacy — if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom — or with each other.
Enchanting and heartfelt, this captivating novel is sure to cast a spell with a style all its own….
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This is a great read. I promptly ordered the second in the series!
Fun, entertaining book, I would probably read any of her stuff.
I loved the unique aspect of the garden influencing the family.
Reminded me of “Like Water for Chocolate”
This is a charming and heartwarming story, a great antidote to the pain of the evening news.
This book is one of my favorites. I have read it so many times that I could probably recite it by heart, but I keep going back to it when my spirits are down. This book has love, magic, starting over, overcoming all obstacles, and just a touch of the unexpected. This book is a must read.
Loved it!
My first book by this author and I still re-read it on a regular basis. It’s like a story woven out of all those little things your grandmother used to tell you.
Fun read. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Love this whimsical story! It’s an enjoyable read which mixes reality and fantasy so that you accept both.
This was good for summer reading. Nothing too deep, but entertaining for an afternoon’s read.
Not her best but very good anyway. Really like this author.