Garden Spells

At the beginning of July, we met to discuss "Garden Spells" by Sarah Addison Allen. One of the lighter reads we have discussed so far, this book had a touch of romance, a sprinkle of family drama, and a whole bunch of magical realism. During our discussion, Sarah prepared a few questions for us --

Question 1: In light of what we as readers know about the citizens of Bascom, are the Waverly's "strange"?

• How do the identities of Hunter John, Emma, Evanelle, Lester, Henry, Phineas Young, etc., present advantages and challenges within the community?
• What about Tyler? How does his position as an outsider impact his role in the story?
• If you were a Bascom resident, what do you think you would be known for?

Question 2: Which of the characters resonates most with you and why?

• What is this character's inherent misbelief?

Question 3: Fred observes, "You are who you are, whether you like it or not, so why not like it?" How does this statement relate to the different characters in the book?

• Does this statement hold true for everyone in the book?

Question 4: If you knew that biting into a Waverly apple would reveal your future, would you bite? Why or why not?

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We had a lively discussion about super powers, small-town dynamics, and much much more. On the whole, everyone agreed that we enjoyed the book, although it wasn't the most groundbreaking thing in the world. 3.5 - 4 stars out of 5. 

Our next meeting will be on September 3rd at 3:30pm and we will be discussing "The Botanist's Daughter" by Kayte Nunn. Support our friends (and neighbors) at Blackbird Books & Coffee by sourcing the book from bookshop.org and selecting their shop as your local bookstore!