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Sarah Addison Allen

Author of Garden Spells

19+ Works 16,659 Members 1,375 Reviews 176 Favorited

About the Author

Sarah Addison Allen was born in Asheville, North Carolina and received a bachelor's degree in literature. Her first book, Garden Spells, was published in 2007. Her other works include The Sugar Queen, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, which became a New York Times bestseller in 2015, The Peach Keeper, show more Lost Lake, and First Frost. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Provided as photo on author website

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Works by Sarah Addison Allen

Associated Works

More Sweet Tea (2005) — Contributor — 31 copies
On Grandma's Porch (2007) — Contributor — 20 copies
RDSELP v180 The Peach Keeper | Now You See Her (2012) — Author — 10 copies

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2008 (57) 2010 (64) 2011 (93) 2014 (60) 2015 (56) adult (62) audio (75) audiobook (63) chick lit (234) contemporary (124) contemporary fiction (121) ebook (141) family (233) fantasy (463) favorites (64) fiction (1,421) food (60) friendship (124) ghosts (93) Kindle (107) library (59) love (112) magic (448) magical realism (1,048) mothers and daughters (60) mystery (84) North Carolina (386) novel (65) own (122) read (217) read in 2011 (63) relationships (91) romance (537) secrets (56) sisters (236) small town (75) southern (135) southern fiction (140) to-read (1,483) women's fiction (98)

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Zoey moves from Tulsa to a South Caroline coastal island, Mallow Island, where her late mother kept a small apartment for her. She moves in with Pigeon, her imaginary bird friend, who is the spirit of her late mother, Paloma. She meets the other residents of the small apartment complex and finds friends, surrogate fathers, and a love interest.
½
 
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mojomomma | 35 other reviews | Feb 20, 2024 |
Fun fantasy romance.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 people who tend it.慎he 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テつ・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テつ・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テつ・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テつ・if they are ever to feel at home in Bascomテつ・or with each other. Enchanting and heartfelt, this captivating novel is sure to cast a spell with a style all its ownテつ.From the Hardcover edition.… (more)
 
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bentstoker | 368 other reviews | Jan 26, 2024 |
This had so much potential but it really left me feeling kind of flat. I love a story of found family but this seemed to fall short of making me care about most of the characters. I kept waiting for something else to happen to knit it all together but it never really materialized in the way I thought it should have.

 
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hmonkeyreads | 35 other reviews | Jan 25, 2024 |
What a perfectly crafted story! I love Ms. Allen's ability to weave magic and wonder into every page. The characters are wonderful, and she reveals them with slow, tantalizing care. And I include Mallow Island itself as one of the primary characters of the book.

She never slides into clichテゥ rom-com trope. This novel is a breath of fresh air, a joy to read on every page, even in the most painful parts.

Thank you, Ms. Allen, for a beautiful read.
 
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BethOwl | 35 other reviews | Jan 24, 2024 |

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Statistics

Works
19
Also by
22
Members
16,659
Popularity
#1,356
Rating
3.9
Reviews
1,375
ISBNs
169
Languages
15
Favorited
176

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