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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Ah, magical problem solving where a lifetime of resentments and hurts can be cured by a good haircut and a magic tree. Interesting world, could have been a really strong book but felt like the author ran into a page limitation and so had to short circuit the solutions to all the conflicts.
One of my favorite authors. Her descriptions are so real and I fall in love with her characters in every book.
A charming, enchanting book of life and love and relationships, wrapped in a magical world of herbs and flowers and an apple tree with an attitude. I loved, loved, loved this book. I want to read more from this author but do not see how she can possibly top this one.
Quick, fun read. I keep going back to visit these characters.
Mystical and quirky, beautifully written
This book was wonderful. Original characters and setting, a wonderful read that I really enjoyed.
Hope there are sequells.
I would read more of this series. It reminds me of the movie “Practical Magic”.
I enjoyed it.
Just loved this and all her books.
You fall in live with the Waverlys!
Loved it!
Once you read one of her books you will want to read every word she writes. Also if you are on facebook you want to be her friend because sometimes on Sunday she will put part of a short story and invite you to add to it. Even the tiny bits of story are wonderful
It wasn’t what I expected but I enjoyed it.
This book lets you know the importance of family, and their is always a road home.
Magical.
Wonderful book for a light break between heavier subjects. Thoroughly enjoyed the respite it provided.
Great work of fantasy about a family of special gifts, not always easy to bear….and with an apple tree as the family’s familiar, as it were. One comment: when it was all done, this and First Frost, I found myself (raised in the South) thinking…”There weren’t any black people, even though this is written as a Southern novel” But the …
This is the first book i have read by this author and i really enjoyed it. I look forward to reading more of her books.
I really enjoyed this book. Great cast of characters