Garden Spells

In a garden surrounded by a tall fence tucked away behind a small quiet housein an even smaller town is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a veryspecial sort... » 

In a garden surrounded by a tall fence tucked away behind a small quiet housein an even smaller town is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a veryspecial sort of fruit. In this luminous debut novel Sarah Addison Allen tellsthe story of that enchanted tree and the extraordinary people who tend it....The Waverleys have always been a curious family endowed with peculiar giftsthat make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom North Carolina. Eventheir garden has a reputation famous for its feisty apple tree that bearsprophetic fruit and its edible flowers imbued with special powers.Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. Butso were their futures. A successful caterer Claire Waverley prepares dishesmade with her mystical plantsfrom the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secretsand the pansies that make children thoughtful to the snapdragons intended todiscourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile her elderlycousin Evanelle is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses becomeuncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverleysexcept for Clairesrebellious sister Sydney who fled Bascom the moment she could abandoningClaire as their own mother had years before. When Sydney suddenly returns homewith a young daughter of her own Claires quiet life is turned upside downalong with the protective boundary she has so carefully constructed around herheart. Together again in the house they grew up in Sydney takes stock of allshe left behind as Claire struggles to heal the wounds of the past. And soonthe sisters realize they must deal with their common legacyif they are evertofeel at home in Bascomor with each other. Enchanting and heartfelt thiscaptivating novel is sure to cast a spell with a style all its own.... Fromthe Hardcover edition. «