This is a story about the Waverly Sisters,who are considered to be a bit odd by the residents of Bascom,in North Carolina where they reside.It is rumoured that all the women in the family have 'special gifts'.There's Claire Waverly who has started a successful new venture,'Waverley's Candies' which people cannot get enough of as they are really effective in recalling lost love or promoting happiness or soothing throats and minds.Sydney, is a hairdresser with a special touch and people drive miles to just get a haircut from her,Sydneys daughter Bay just knows where everything belongs.Even the elderly Evanelle Waverly has a special ability to know what another person would soon need and presents it as a gift.
However the Waverly women also have their own insecurities to deal with.Claire doesnt want to give up her catering business,Sydney is unable to have a second child, Bay has her love woes and Evanelle is dealing with old age and the pain of letting go.
The Waverly women however also have an apple tree in their backyard which blooms in time for the first frost and whoever eats the fruit from that tree is shown the biggest event of their life.Even though they themselves dont eat the apples owing to a distaste for the fruit they wait in anticipation for the tree to bloom which they believe will herald the end to all their problems.
But when a mysterious stranger shows up and challenges the very heart of their family,they must make choices they have never confronted before and hold themselves and their family together through the season of change,just waiting for that extraordinary event that is First Frost.
My Views:Like I have said many times before,I am happiest in this little corner of my world ,where I immerse myself and sometimes stay lost in the magic.When there is an overdose of reality,when I just want a moment or two in a place where apple trees bloom in time for the first frost and people celebrate this extraordinary event.Where even homes have a mind of their own.Where people get by with just a little bit of magic.
I am not a huge fan of Sarah Addison Allen and have read only a couple of her books.This book happens to be the sequel to 'Garden Spells' where we are first introduced to the characters.However It works as a stand-alone novel too.
The writing captivated me more than the story.Even though the basic premise was magic,that wasnt all that helped these women to get by in life.Sometimes our inner strength,the choices we bravely make and the lessons we learn along the way are more magical than any real magic.We spend all our lives trying to figure out who we are or where we're supposed to go and sometimes we meet people who we think are supposed to be with us throughout our journey but later find out that they are just co-travellers who are meant to go with us only for a while.
Sometimes the least likely things can complement each other like the fig and pepper bread she talks about.Opposite things can make perfect sense too.
Noone can snatch our identity away from us if we dont choose to give it away.It is all a matter of choice,how we live and who we are.The world isnt just ours,everyone lives in it,some people we can be ourselves with and some others we have to be less weird with.Sometimes one big common bond is stronger than a dozen tiny ones.Above everything else,living your life knowing that Happiness isnt a point in time you leave behind.It's whats ahead of you.Every single day.
Of course there were a few parts that didnt really hold my interest like the Great Banditi and his character in the story but the lessons learnt about letting go,being yourself,seeking redemption,were nicely incorpororated and that more than made up for it.
Read it when you are feeling particularly low and need a little magic to liven up your day.
I rate it a 3 and a half out of 5.
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