Review: The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

Sarah Addison Allen’s 2011 novel, The Peach Keeper, takes place in the town Walls of Water in North Carolina. Set near mountains and mystery, shrouded in fog, Allen disembarks from her usual light and delicate magical realism to attempt a darker novel, one with a murder mystery. Unfortunately, while I deeply appreciate her attempt at suspense, The Peach Keeper comes across as forced and piecemeal.

Willa Jackson and Paxton Osgood are unlikely friends living down their high-school memories as adult women. During the renovation of the Blue Ridge Madam, a beautiful old antebellum mansion that used to belong to Willa’s ancestors, a body is discovered. The discovery and investigation of the body bring Willa and Paxton together on the trail of their grandmother’s secrets. While this is the plot described on the cover of the book, the body isn’t discovered until half-way through the novel, meaning there’s a lot of unnecessary set-up that doesn’t quite fit.

Allen sticks to her usual magical realism at times, but it seems disjointed in the context of the mystery. At one point a group of women start spontaneously revealing their innermost secrets to each other, but there’ s no explanation as to why this occurs, and it never resurfaces for conflict resolution. Throughout the novel there are forced mentions of fantastical things; a bell over a door ringing but no one entering, the scent of peaches floating on the air. We get that they’re supposed to be manifestations of a ghost, but they’re too obvious.

In her prior novels, Allen’s character’s inner-dialogues were realistic and true to life if not a little fluffy; in The Peach Keeper they are grasping and cliché. Paxton’s crush on her best friend is described in several different ways, when we get it loud and clear. There’s far too much telling, and not enough showing.

If I could compare The Peach Keeper to The Sugar Queen, I would say The Sugar Queen is a wispy, airy, bakery-made cupcake with whipped frosting that feels light as air in your mouth, while The Peach Keeper tastes like a mass-produced Little Debbie snack–sweet, but not the home-made baked good you were craving.

Reading on her Facebook page, I know that Sarah has just undergone surgery, chemo, and radiation for breast cancer. I’m sad I have to give The Peach Keeper a negative review as I really loved The Sugar Queen and Garden Spells. I know I, like all her fans and readers, are wishing her a speedy recovery as we anticipate her next book.

3 stars

(I received an advance copy from LibraryThing)

Teaser Tuesdays: The Peach Keeper

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted at Should Be Reading. For one reason or another Sarah Addison Allen’s latest two novels aren’t making me jump hoops like her earlier ones. This is either because they’re becoming formulaic, which was the case for The Girl Who Chased The Moon, or my literary sensibilities are changing (i.e. growing?). Regardless, there are some things I appreciate about The Peach Keeper that do make it unique from her earlier works. I’ll clue you in when I post my review. For now, here’s a teaser:

If anyone had been paying attention to the signs, they would have realized that air turns white when things are about to change, that paper cuts mean there’s more to what’s written on the page than meets the eye, and that birds are always out to protect you from things you don’t see. (4)

Review: The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

I’ve been so busy editing and mothering lately that it’s not often I’m able to read anything purely for pleasure. Not that editing and mothering aren’t incredibly beautiful and fulfilling each in their own ways, I just haven’t been able to sink into a book without an ulterior motive since before Avery was born. (Looking back I realize I reviewed Kamala Nair’s The Girl in the Garden at the beginning of the month, however that book clearly left me underwhelmed since I can’t remember being satisfied with it as a reading option.) Finding something to represent reading for that “just-a-hobby” reason was like drinking a cool glass of water on a hot, humid day. I literally feel as though my soul has being quenched of thirst.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon is not Sarah Addison Allen’s best novel, but that doesn’t make it awful. I’ll get the bad parts over with quickly: partially cheesy dialogue, semi-cheesy romance, predictable plot and outcome. Done. Moving on.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon contains all the magic and sparkle of Sarah’s previous novels, this time in the form of the sweetness of cake and the glow of young love. Emily Benedict moves to her mother’s hometown following her death. Greeted with cold shoulders and dark glances, Emily has no idea that her mother’s legacy is not one the town is willing to forgive. With her eight-foot tall grandfather choosing to spend more time in his bedroom than explaining her past to Emily, she is forced to fend for herself and find out why Mullaby, and a boy named Win, are so mysterious.

Julia has returned to Mullaby for her own parent’s death. Left with her father’s barbecue restaurant and costly mortgage, Julia counts the days until she can leave again and return to the life she’s created since she left Mullaby when she was a teenager. But fate has a different plan for Julia, and the love of her teenage life refuses to let her go so easily.

Surrounding these two stories are the secrets of Mullaby: the lights that glow in the woods every night, the strange townspeople, the Coffey’s and why they don’t leave the house after sunset, the ever-changing wallpaper in Emily’s mother’s room. Each nugget of mystery is almost as magical as Sarah’s other novels, and just as delicious as the cakes Julia bakes every day and night.

While The Girl Who Chased the Moon is not as effortless as Garden Spells or The Sugar Queen, it’s still a delicate, magical morsel of a read. Part of it feels as though the author was grasping at straws, trying to repeat her earlier success with a carbon-copy type of novel. It’s not as original as her earlier works. Still, I do love Sarah Addison Allen’s hold of magical realism; it’s fantastical without being pure fantasy, and seductive without hitting you over the head with its obviousness. She’s still one of my favorite magical realism authors, and I hope The Peach Keeper is a better representation of her skill.

4 stars

In My Mailbox Monday: The Girl Who Chased the Moon

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren, and Mailbox Monday is hosted at Library of Clean Reads. My hubbers bought me this for Valentines Day! I’ve been dying to read Sarah Addison Allen’s third novel ever since I finished her first two long ago. So excited!

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen (Random House, Originally released March 2010)

Emily Benedict has come to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew, she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor, Julia Winterson, bakes hope in the form of cakes, not only wishing to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also dreaming of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.

Review: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Some things couldn’t be explained, some things could. Sometimes you liked the explanation. Sometimes you didn’t. That’s when you called it myth.
Garden Spells – Sarah Addison Allen

This is Sarah Addison Allen’s first novel, and I can see why she was published. As much as I loved The Sugar Queen, I think this might have been a tad better. A bit more delicious, if you will.

Claire Waverley is a caterer who works with the edible flowers that grow in her mysteriously enchanted garden. Her flowers affect people in different ways, and it’s her Waverley talent that she knows them and how to put them into delectable dishes for the best effects. All Waverley’s have a talent, which is why the town of Bascom, North Carolina generally tries to avoid socializing with them. But they can’t resist Claire’s food, and if her older cousin Evanelle gives you a gift? Then you’d best keep it close,  you never know when you might need a melon slicer or a couple of quarters.

Sydney is Claire’s estranged sister, whose return to Bascom shakes things up for the quiet town, and disturbs Claire’s delicately assembled routine and way of life. Claire is forced to let people in, Sydney and her daughter Bay amongst others; and Sydney is forced to put down roots. All while  purple sparks follow the men in love with them, and apples rain down from the ancient apple tree with “issues.” Bread toasts itself, thunder clouds signal bad times ahead, and one bite of a piece of fruit can show you the most important event of your life, for better or worse. The are the Waverley’s.

Sarah Addison Allen has created a fabulous story, at times fascinating and magical, but suspenseful as well. We can sense the feelings in the air that unease Claire, we know why Sydney is anxious, and Bay is nervous, and the apple tree shivers. The tension builds to a crescendo and I was squeezing the book wide-eyed and breathless. The ending leaves you happy and satisfied, and it’s a good thing for us that her third book is released in March.

I give Garden Spells 4 stars. It is magical realism at it’s best: a dash of a love story, a bit of excitement, a pinch of sensuality, and a flutter of the unexplainable.

Check out my review of her second book, The Sugar Queen, here.

Quicky: Garden Spells. Also, where’s the BTT?

Holy chills, Batman! It’s freezing outside! According to the weather sites it feels like NEGATIVE FIVE DEGREES. Now, I know to some of you, that doesn’t seem like much, but I’m frigid! Why am I flying to Minnesota on Monday again? Oh yeah, family… Christmas… presents!

So there does not appear to be a new Booking Through Thursday question up today, which is sad and I’m hoping one makes itself known later on. For now, I’ll give you a Quicky. You know you want one.

I’m reading Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen right now, which you probably know. What you may not know is that it’s wonderful. I’m about half-way through and it’s magical and mysterious and enchanting and sparkly. Claire Waverley is used to her routine, her secluded lifestyle where she lets no one in except her crazy cousin Evanelle. Waverley’s are different, they’re special and they have special gifts. Claire’s gift is the way she works with the edible flowers she grows in her garden. The townspeople of Bascom, North Carolina know she’s strange and they stay away from her, but they can’t resist her foods and her flowers. Enter into the picture Sydney Waverley, Claire’s estranged sister, and her daughter Bay. Having run away from Bay’s abusive father, Sydney returns to Bascom, to home. And begins to make a life in the town she always despised. But her return stirs pot for the Claire and for the town, and who knows what magic might be disturbed.

If you like magical realism, you will like this. It’s tasty and enticing and Sarah Addison Allen’s novels are too delectable not to love. I cannot wait for The Girl Who Chased The Moon!

UPDATE: Thanks to Freda for letting me know when the BTT question went up! Here it is:

What do you think of speed-reading? Is it a good way to get through a lot of books, or does the speed-reader miss depth and nuance? Do you speed-read? Is some material better suited to speed-reading than others?

I don’t speed-read, not because I am against it, which I am, but because I can’t. I’ve tried, and I find I see the words, in hyper-quick succession, but they don’t really hit my brain and make themselves understood. Thus I’m anti-speedy because there is more to a piece of writing than the words: there’s feeling, and voice, and flow and those things can’t be effectively understood if you’re only skimming the lines. Kudos to you though, if you can speed-read and understand it all and get the message. 

Post your answers here and at Booking Through Thursday.

Waiting On/Wishful Wednesday: Miscellaneous

Last night while trying to fall asleep I was trying to think of what I could post for today’s Waiting on Wednesday hosted by Breaking The Spine, and Wishful Wednesday hosted by The Bluestocking Guide. Fast forward to now and I just can’t come up with anything justifiable to post. The two books I’m most excited for right now are Altar of Eden by James Rollins, and The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen, and I’ve used both of those in the past. So instead of posting something here that I’m not all that excited for, I’m going to take full advantage of everyone else posting hot books they want, and I’ll just pilfer the titles and add them to my To Read page.

But I can’t leave you in the dark with nothing, so I’m giving you three gifts on this day.

1. The picture above is of a necklace I just purchased from a lovely friend I went to high school with. I got it from her Etsy page. She makes the most fabulous, vintage jewelry. The best are the necklaces (check out the wallflowers, the wise old owl, and the swan song). If you should be wanting a beautiful necklace for yourself or someone you know, I send you her way.
2. A song: Brooklyn by Wakey!Wakey. Beautiful, haunting, heartbreaking. Amazing. Here is the google page where you can listen to the full song for free. I am giving you a present, go do it. Maybe it’s not your thing, but I think it’s wonderful.
3. Another excerpt from ye’ old Graduation Application Essay. This one about my bookcases: 

I am not sure what reaction, if any, you have when you look at your bookcase at home. Perhaps you see the books and feel nothing. Perhaps, as I, you wish the bookcase on the left, the ones you’ve already read, was a person you could hug, because that’s how much you love your books. They’re your grandparents feeding you sweets, and your best friend listening to you about a bad day at work, and your spouse giving you a foot rub when you need it most. They’re the comfort of family and the excitement of friends and the satisfaction of junk food. Those are the books you’ve read. And for me, the books I haven’t read are just as welcoming, but for a whole other reason. They entice me. They make my heart beat faster and my mind spin in circles. Finishing a book is a glorious feeling; I look forward to writing a review and seeing how people respond. But it also means I get to stand in front of my second bookcase, the one on the right, and ponder, and poke, and prod, and pick a new book to read next. Will it be a literary love story or action-adventure? Will it be short and quick and light, or long and deep? Will it be newly published, not yet released, or an old favorite of the masses? Should I read something my followers recommend or something I bought for my own guilty pleasure? These are the things I think about when standing in front of my bookcase on the right. It is never an easy decision, trying to determine what to read next. Plan though I might, my cravings will often sway by the time I get to pick out something new.

So, I’m about to check out all of your books and see what you’ve got going on today. Toodles…

Teaser Tuesdays: Garden Spells

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Well, minus the snow, but you get the idea. It’s time for Teaser Tuesdays so let’s get right down to it. Just finished The Doomsday Key (click here for review) and snatched up Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen for the ride today. Here’s your teaser:

“On those nights in the summer, Claire would garden by the light of the solar-powered footpath lamps, weeding and trimming the night bloomers–the moon vine and the angel’s trumpet, the night jasmine and the flowering tobacco. These weren’t a part of the Waverly legacy of edible flowers, but sleepless as she often was, Claire had added flowers to the garden to give her something to do at night when she was so wound up that frustration singed the edge of her nightgown and she set tiny fires with her fingertips.” (3-4)

This one is her first novel but it’s sure to be just as fabulously magical as her second, The Sugar Queen (review). Post your teaser link here and at Should Be Reading.

WWW/Waiting On/Wishful Wednesday: The Girl who Chased the Moon

Oh the joys of having your internet crash. It makes work, and life in general, so much fun. Sorry I didn’t post earlier friends. You know how these things go. But enough of my woes. It’s Wednesday which means there’s always some bookish meme out there to answer. I’ve got enough books, so I should technically stay away from Wishful Wednesday hosted by The Bluestocking Guide, and Waiting on Wednesday hosted by Breaking The Spine, and post WWW at Should Be Reading, but alas, I can always think of one I’d like to add to my ever growing pile o’ novels.

The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen. This is her third novel. I loved The Sugar Queen so much I wanted to eat it, literally. I own her first novel, Garden Spells, but haven’t had a chance to read it yet. It may be next on my plate. Her newest book comes out in March. I’m keeping fingers crossed for an ARC.

To play along with WWW all you do is answer three easy-peasy questions.

What are you currently reading? That would be Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood. It’s fabulous. She’s a wonderful writer.

What did you recently finish reading? The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw. Click here for my review.

What do you think you’ll read next? That’s a bit more difficult. Either Garden Spells, The Doomsday Key, or Black Rain. Check back to see which I pick!  

Don’t forget to leave me your links!

Mailbox Monday: Amazon, P&P&Z, S&S&SM, The Atlantis Code

I’m quite excited to be able to post another Mailbox Monday this week. It’s hosted by The Printed Page and you can post your links there or here, or just get crazy and do both.

I received lots of goodies via the post this past seven days and I get to share them all with you. Don’t be jealous though… since I’ve received all of the following books, I’m officially not allowing myself to purchase any new ones for a looooong time. You may remember I bought eight books from Amazon, while the haul arrived this week and I was overjoyed to open it and rearrange my To Be Read bookcase to fit them in.

 I also received a wonderfully late birthday present from my step-sister. I LOVE late birthday presents because they come as a surprise when you least expect it, and are that much more awesome! She sent me two fabulous books: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters!

And, on top of that, I received a Goodreads First Readers advance copy of The Atlantis Code by Charles Brokaw. I can’t wait to start this one either; it looks to be about the Lost City of Atlantis, and I love good intrigue and mysterious cities that vanish. Who doesn’t?!

So, I’m jam packed with new books and doubt I’ll have a new Mailbox Monday for a while. At least not from any purchases I’ve made. I think I must ground myself for a bit until I can make some realistic space in the To Be Read bookcase.

What did you get this past week?