GARDEN SPELLS - Sarah Addison Allen
A Bantam Discovery
Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-0-553-38483-3
Mass Market PB ISBN: 978-0-553-59032-6
May 2008
Contemporary Fiction w/ Magical Elements

Bascom, North Carolina - Present Day

The Waverly family has always been endowed with unusual gifts that have made them the town outsiders. Claire Waverly's gift is catering food to fulfill one's desired wish. If someone wants to pursue a romance, discourage an unwanted suitor, or impress friends, Claire will prepare an entire menu to achieve that goal. The gated Waverly garden contains a prophetic apple tree that imbues its magic into the garden that surrounds it. Each flower and herb that Claire uses from the garden that has been tended by generations of Waverlys is carefully crafted into delicious, mystical recipes. Claire's gift has been passed down to her from her grandmother, who took in the six-year-old and her unstable mother. After an early childhood spent living in cars and homeless shelters, Claire absorbed the security and legacy provided in the old Waverly home.

When Claire's sister Sydney suddenly returns home ten years after abandoning her, just as their mother abandoned them as children, Claire's quiet life and secure routine is turned upside down. Sydney now has a young daughter of her own, Bay, and insists that she is home for good. But Sydney isn't answering any questions about where she has been or what she has done in the years since she left, and Claire can't lower the barriers protecting her heart. The only thing Claire has ever wanted for herself is security and unconditional love. She believes that Sydney, like their mother, will leave once again. Sydney knows that she must heal the wounds of the past, accept her legacy, and convince Claire that she is committed to providing a secure, loving family for not only her daughter, but for herself as well.

Other pivotal people in the sisters' lives include their only other surviving relative, Aunt Evanelle, an elderly woman who has the uncanny ability to give people things that they will shortly need; their next-door neighbor, Tyler, who is fixated on Claire and curiously resistant to her recipes; David, the vicious, abusive father of Bay from whom Sydney is running; Sydney's first love, Hunter John Clark; Sydney's best friend from high school, Emma, who is now married to Hunter John; and Henry Hopkins, Sydney's first childhood friend. These characters bring pain, anger, humor, and romance into the sisters' lives and have interesting stories of their own.

GARDEN SPELLS is a wonderful debut novel. Richly drawn characters create a visceral connection that draws the reader into the small town emotions and antics that surround Claire and Sydney. The story is written with a breezy Southern style that is lyrical and heartfelt. Paranormal elements are interwoven as natural, inherent traits, rather than supernatural occurrences, adding to the gentle, rhythmic quality of the story. Slowly built romances are believable and sweet. The story is perfectly paced, and the setting is rich and lush. Expert craftsmanship and storytelling earned the hardcover edition of this book( 2007) RRT's Perfect 10 rating.

GARDEN SPELLS is an enchanting treat, and I look forward to more tales from Sarah Addison Allen.

Jennell