Search - Garden Spells

I have to admit that I do agree with some of the other reviewers about the book echoing a little of Alice Hoffman's book Practical Magic as the premise is similar. I did, however, find the characters in this book to be very engaging and interesting. The sisters in this story played well with the secondary characters which did help give this book an individual feel. I particularly liked the way the author made the apple tree in the garden a character (in its own way) in the story.

The book is well thought out, but there is more internal conflict rather than external conflict in this book. If you are a reader who prefers their books with a lot of fast paced action than this book will probably read a little too slowly for you.

I personally loved this book. It was sweet, smart, and had some lovely lines in it that made me want to read more from this author. I can see how it could have been fleshed out a little more, but as this is a fresh author I think this will probably come with time.

Absolutely delightful book. A treasure of light fantasy, some romance without the usual romance plot. This book is a nice break from all the heavy, serious, thinking books many of us read. I recommend it for even the hardcore non-fiction readers.

What an enjoyable book! I loved the characters, loved the light touch with magic, and loved the story.

Lovely novel! The storyline is engaging and the characters are all fully fleshed out and well-written. Addison Allen takes everyday life and makes it magical!

This was a fun read, just what I wanted at the end of a summer term of graduate classes!

I listened to this book on audio. I picked it out because it sounded interesting, magical, and had gotten wonderful reviews. I am very glad I listened to it; it was a wonderful book unlike anything I have read before.

The Waverly family has magic. There are two sisters; Claire can make people feel things with the flowers she uses in her cooking and Sydney can make your hair look better than it ever has. Sydney's daughter, Bay, knows where things below and where they should be. Evelyn, an older cousin to the sisters, knows when people need will need something and gives people strange things that they do eventually need. It is mostly passive magic and is subtly woven in throughout the story. The bigger part of the story deals with these women and their lives, as well as their quest to find happiness. Claire is set in her way and doesn't want to change for anything or anyone, least of all for a man. When Sydney arrives with Bay in tow, fleeing an abusive husband, Claire's routine is sent askew. Claire's nice life is further disrupted when her neighbor claims he is in love with her and tries to win her heart. Oh and let's not forget the magical apple tree that keeps secrets of its own.

This was a beautiful book, there is no other way to describe it. It is written in such a way that you can smell the flowers and see their beauty; the description is wonderful. The characters are beautiful too; they are flawed but always striving to obtain happiness and do the best that they can to make others happy.

I wasn't sure if I would like this book. It seems more aimed at middle-aged women than anything else. Even though the women involved are older, I grew to love them and the grace with which they struggled through life. There is quite a bit about love in this book, not exactly romance, but love between family members, mother-daughter, and about finding new love.

The book has a light sense of humor throughout and really tugged at my emotions. Sometimes I found myself laughing out loud, sometimes angry, and sometimes almost in tears. It takes a great writer who can write engaging characters to evoke all those emotions in a reader and Allen suceeded at this.

You'll love the complex, intelligent women in this book. You'll cherish the struggles they go through; you'll read about how wonderful life can be when you strive to make it so. The actual magic in this book is subtle but definitely one of the driving influences in these women's lives. There is even more magic in the every day struggles the characters go through both with their personal issues and their past histories.

Loved this book. Different from what I normally read and aimed at an older female audience. Still I think many people will enjoy this book; there is a lot of subtle magic here, beautiful description, and it ends happily. Definitely a feel-good book. I will most likely check out some other works by Laura Addison Allen when I get the chance. This book reminded me a bit of some movies I've seen like Practical Magic or Chocolat.