Garden Spells

Sarah Addison Allen's first novel, Garden Spells, is Southern fiction in a nice way - nicer and gentler than any Southern fiction I've ever read. To be sure, there are odd and quirky characters, but they're odd and quirky in charming ways. The only really awful character is from Seattle.

This is the story of the Waverley sisters, Claire and Sydney. Claire lives in the old family home and has a magical garden which she uses in her catering business. Claire is single, craves constancy and order, and fears being left by those she loves. Sydney has a young daughter from an abusive relationship and is running from trouble. The two sisters were never close, but when Sydney's trouble brings her back to North Carolina and the family place, Claire and Sydney begin anew and find they have more in common than they thought when they were younger. They begin to love each other as sisters.

This really is a sweet book and I'm looking forward to reading Ms. Allen's second book, The Sugar Queen, and hoping it is as good as the first.