Sunday Salon: Garden Spells
By Kristen on Aug 24, 2008 in Reviews, The Sunday Salon
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Release date: 2007 / 290 pages
First line: Every smiley moon, without fail, Claire dreamed of her childhood.”
Synopsis(from back cover): “In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small house in the smallest of towns, is an apple tree 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 people who tend it..”
Review: Please do not be deterred by the above synopsis! I would have been, but my mother loved it and passed it on to my aunt who then mailed it to me. So, I packed it for a weekend at the cabin and boy did I love it!
I do not like fantasy, so a mystical tree had me raising my eyebrows and reluctantly reading the first page. But Allen’s character development and sense of place is truly luminous, as the synopsis promises. When I finished Garden Spells (in one sitting), I immediately wanted to recommend it to every woman I know — because this novel truly appeals to a wide, wide variety of women.
The plot focuses on two sisters who are very different and are not close due to a childhood of misunderstandings and the pressures of living under the microscope of a small town. To state that they slowly come to understand each other would not give anything away. Nor would the fact that each sister finds a romantic partner by the end of the novel. Each of these facts are expected.
But what is not expected is the alchemy of place and nature that transports and revisions the reader. One of the many reasons we love reading is the magic of escapism. Garden Spells is like a magic carpet that is a lovely way to spend a few hours — I strongly recommend it!
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I loved this book too, but it took me a long time to get around to reading it - I thought the synopsis seemed kind of campy and cheesy. I’m glad I took a chance on it though!
S. Krishna | Aug 24, 2008 | Reply
I just read someone else’s Sunday Salon and they said Garden Spells was the worst book they’d read this year, so it’s interesting to hear your take on it! I have it on request at the library, so we’ll see how I feel about it after I read it. Happy Sunday!
The Beautiful Witch | Aug 24, 2008 | Reply
Hmmm. I was all intrigued by your review (because I agree the synopsis sounds awful) but now that I see the above comment, I dunno… I put in a library request anyway. We’ll see. Thanks for the interesting review!
Julie | Aug 24, 2008 | Reply
I’m not a fan of the fantasy genre either, but I loved Garden Spells and Sugar Queen. I think Garden Spells is my favorite of the two. You can see my reviews of both books on my site.
Lisa | Aug 24, 2008 | Reply
Interesting to see such contrasting views on two blogs.. and not being a wide variety of a woman don’t have to reconcile them!
My Holiday from Hell and Books from Heaven post.
John | Aug 24, 2008 | Reply
I just got home from the cabin and was thrilled to read all the comments! I would love to read the negative reviews of this novel, too — especially since I was so apprehensive before reading it.
Beautiful Witch and Julie, please be sure to stop by after you have read Spells and report on your findings!
@ Lisa — I just read a novella by Allen and did not enjoy it as much, but I’m looking forward to trying Sugar Queen…
Kristen | Aug 24, 2008 | Reply
I just finished The Sugar Queen this weekend and was surprised by how much I loved it! I’m not a huge fantasy person either, but there was just enough magic to not lose me and yet still add a little mystery and fun!
Thanks for the review, I can’t wait to read this one too!
Kimberly Keith | Aug 25, 2008 | Reply
Thanks for the review! I’ve heard good things about this book, but I was put off by the fantasy aspect. You’ve convinced me to check it out!
Anna | Aug 26, 2008 | Reply