Garden Spells

by Sarah Addison Allen

The Waverleys have always been a little strange; at least that’s what the folks in Bascom, North Carolina would tell you. Claire is a successful caterer who uses plants and flowers in a most deliberate way. Her cooking is magical, and clients hire her for this specific reason.

When her estranged sister, Sydney, unexpectedly arrives at Claire’s home with her daughter in tow, Claire doesn’t know what to think. Why is Sydney back? Has she come home to stay, or will she abandon her again?

I’ll stop the plot summary at that. I don’t want to give away anything else.

This is a truly Southern novel with a twist of magical realism. Others have compared it to Alice Hoffman’s Practical Magic, but I was struck by how similar it is to Ms. Allen’s other novels. It seems as though families in the South and magical realism figure prominently in the author’s novels.

Oh, by the way, I liked this one. It seemed a little hokey at times, but I still enjoyed it.

11/11/10