Welcome to Walls of Water, North Carolina, where secrets are thicker than the town's famous fog.I haven't read anything by Sarah Addison Allen before but I found The Peach Keeper really interesting. The book is set in North Carolina and centres around the characters of Willa Jackson and Paxton Osgood, two females with very different characters. Paxton has been restoring The Blue Ridge Madam, the big house overlooking the town, she wants to use it's grand re-opening as a hotel to celebrate the town's womens' society of which her grandmother and Willa's were founding members. For Willa, the old house represents the troubles in her family's past. The Jacksons used to own the house and it is something that Willa would rather not be reminded of. However, a human skull is discovered under the old peach tree in the grounds of the house and Willa and Paxton's surviving grandmother's suddenly have a lot of questions to answer.
Once upon a time, Willa Jackson's family owned the beautiful house on top of the ridge. Now it symbolises her family's ruin and a legacy Willa longs to escape from.
Paxton Osgood also yearns to break free, especially from her parents' expectations and the heartbreak of unrequited love. Desperate for a distraction, she decides to restore the empty mansion to its former glory. But the discovery of a long buried secret, a friendship that defies time, and a touch of magic, will transform both women's lives in ways they could ever have expected.
I did find this book really interesting, I think it was the mysterious events of the past that kept me reading rather than what was happening in the present. For some reason I didn't really take to either Paxton or Willa as characters but I still enjoyed the strong theme of friendship that the author explored through these two women.
The Peach Keeper is extremely well written and Sarah Addison Allen is very good at presenting dysfunctional people and relationships. I wish I had taken to the main characters a little more but this won't put me off trying the author's other books.
Dot Scribbles rating: 3.5/5
Many thanks to Hodder for sending me a copy of the book to review, The Peach Keeper is published on Thursday 17th January.
7 comments:
You must read The Snow Queen!!!!! It is utterly fabulous. I love Sarah Addison Allen's books. You all must read them.
Vivienne- thanks for the recommendation, shall check it out! x
Love the cover and title of this book. Just so pretty. Shame the main characters weren't quite as appealing, but still an intriguing story concept so may have to consider giving it a go.
I've read all of SAA's books and loved them. The Sugar Queen is my favourite so I'd recommend that if you feel like trying a second one (it has magic books in it!)I've got this one on my to read pile and am intrigued now I've read your review. Thanks Dot
Jessica- the cover is so lovely, I think it's worth giving it a go!
One More Page- So many people have said about her other books, I shall definitely have to try them!
I loved this one! I've enjoyed all of Sarah's books. I eagerly await each new one!
Marlene Detierro (Eureka Joe's)
Sarah Addison Allen quickly became my favorite author with Sugar Queen, and she has kept that status throughout all of her novels. The Peach Keeper definitely departs from the more magical aspects of her prose, inciting more mystery than previous works. However, it is still delightfully enchanting, leaving just enough for the reader to discover their own truths in her work.
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