The Peach Keeper: A Novel

I love Allen's work, also she's from my neck of the woods, so that's a plus. I love how she takes small town NC and makes it magical.

Very interesting. Draws in. A little strange, but not disturbingly so.

I recently discovered Sarah Addison Allen's books and have fallen in love with her magical stories of small-town Southern women, similar to Alice Hoffman's books set in New England. The Peach Keeper is another such book; Willa is the owner of an organic sporting goods store, fairly set in her ways contrary to her prankster role in high school. Paxton Osgood was her opposite number, a perfectionist multi-tasker who still lives at home in the mansion her parents own. When Paxton's twin brother shows up, he's the catalyst to bring these two women together. Both their grandmothers are in the same nursing home, best friends, though one has dementia. The two older women started a club meant to keep their friendships though it has become more of a social entity now with rich women competing.
It's a good story with interesting characters and a bit of a darker mystery. Bonus points for the Waverley cameos.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this on audiobook from the library.

Thoughts: This was a sweet little read about a small town with a mysterious past and a couple of women there, who not only uncover some secrets from their past and find peace, but also find love along the way. I didn't enjoy this as much as the Waverly Family books, but it was still a fun read.

The story goes mainly between Willa and Paxton; two women with links back to The Blue Ridge Madam, a historical house that is being restored. We do hear some from their love interests as well. The story focuses on these women healing, finding friendship, and love. However, interwoven with that is a mystery involving The Blue Ridge Madam, a traveling salesman named Tucker Devlin, and Willa and Paxton's grandmothers.

This was a cozy, small town mystery and I enjoyed it. There is some subtle magical realism throughout as well. The story can feel a bit fractured because you are jumping back and forth between a number of people but it worked okay. I listened to this on audiobook and sometimes it took me a couple minutes to figure out whether we were hearing from Paxton or Willa...while their internal character voices are different, the voices the narrator used were incredibly similar.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and am happy I read it. Allen's books always have a peaceful, happy quality to them which leaves you feeling upbeat. I did not enjoy this as much as the Waverly Family books, mainly because it wandered between too many points of view. There was a good mystery here and I enjoyed watching these women find some peace and happiness.

Wow. Just. Wow. This is a book about becoming who you are and the true meaning of friendship. And it's beautifully done. I finished it and immediately wanted to start it over again. Highly recommended.

I've thoroughly enjoyed all the Sarah Addison Allen books I've read, but I stayed away from this one for a long time because, frankly, I don't like peaches*.

As reasons go to not read a book, it's a pretty stupid one, so when I saw the title at a library sale for $1 I did the mature thing and bought it.

I LOVED this book! It was SO good. It had shades of Practical Magic in it, and a cameo by Claire Waverly from Garden Spells and a small but very important murder mystery. The only thing it needed to make it perfect was Claire's apple tree.

The Peach Keeper felt like Allen crossed from Magical Realism into straight magic; there aren't a lot of logical reasons (or any) for why the strange events in Walls of Water were happening. The character development felt a lot richer too; limiting the plot to only 4 people, and really focusing on the 2 female protagonists made it feel like a much tighter story. The romantic tension was intense (although the sex scenes were almost non-existent).

Is this Pride and Prejudice good? No, of course not (nothing is that good), but it is Practical Magic (the movie, not the book) good. If you liked that movie, or you enjoy good stories about the power of friendship, I think you'll enjoy this.

* It's a tactile thing; peach fuzz = fingernails on a chalkboard.

Love all her stories, always look forward to the little whiffs of magical realism. Her books are like dessert.

This book was an enjoyable combination of romance, mystery, and character. The characters are well drawn and likable. The mystery's primary purpose is bringing the characters together and moving them forward, not keeping readers on the edges of our seats. The romance was enough to make for a satisfying ending, but it was never predictable enough to know how it would turn out for all four main characters. I'm not a big reader of supernatural stories, but this one pulled off its magical elements well...just enough to give atmosphere, where all of it could almost be read as superstitions of the characters, but not enough to be off-putting to readers who aren't drawn to magic and ghosts. The setting in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina is fascinating and compelling and helps give this novel a feel I haven't found elsewhere. All in all, it is an easy, enjoyable read.

I loved "Garden Spells" spells and "The Sugar Queen". This one didn't live up to that standard for me.

A little disappointing.

Willa and Paxton, never friends in school, find common ground when their grandmothers are linked to a newly dug up skeleton.

Strangely, there really wasn’t much of a mystery involving that skeleton, I thought maybe the characters at least would have to do some leg work to discover the truth but they just asked someone and received answers, simple as that when I was hoping for a more complicated unraveling of the truth.

Like this author’s other books, this has a touch of magic realism to it, there are light hints here and there of magic though there isn’t enough for this novel to genuinely feel magical.

While I struggled to picture Willa as the high school practical joker, I did like Willa’s present day toughness. I also enjoyed her sparks with Colin although their romance seemed a touch underdeveloped like it could have used a few more scenes to show a gradual progression in their relationship.

Longing for a more gradual progression also came into play with Paxton’s relationship. It morphed from one thing into another too abruptly for me to get on board. I’m all for stories of people figuring out their identities and at all ages, too, it’s just the pacing was troubling, there’s so little clarity for so long and then suddenly diving right in. I don’t know, I just really wish a bit more time had been taken with it, and a bit more time had been spent in that character’s point of view so I could be sure of how they reached their conclusion, sure that this wasn’t a case of feeling pressured into being someone they’re not in order to hold on to a friend.

The romances, the alleged mystery and magic, all of that let me down to some degree, but I was glad I read this for the friendship that developed between Willa and Paxton (their accidental late night meet up was a particular highlight, kind of great to see a heroine ride to another heroine’s rescue for once instead of a guy). Had the book given me even more scenes of their opposing personalities, maybe through doing the renovation together or through Paxton going to Willa for advice about gaining her independence or through them actually having to work at solving the mystery, had the connection between these two unlikely friends been the central focus I might have loved The Peach Keeper, but as it is, I was just okay with it.

3.5 stars. I'm a sucker for a love story like this. And it goes right along with my current obsession of walking the shelves of my local library branch, peeping for the "NC" on the spine.

Not terrible, but not as good as her others. There is something missing in Allen's Peach Keeper novel....some kind of spark, or something. It wasn't the audiobook version's fault, either; I didn't think Karen White was the perfect narrator for this novel, she also lacked a certain "magic". I was a bit underwhelmed. Maybe Allen will get her spark back, in another, later novel.....we can only hope.
3 stars, for barely keeping my interest, even with a murder involved.

Missed the magic of her other books (even tho Claire Waverly makes a cameo catering) but still enjoyed the read. 4 old classmates reunite and find themselves (and each other) when skeletons are unearthed and memories shared. Allen's books are always like visiting good friends. Relaxing, warming and needed.

Ms. Allen's books almost always consist of two women's lives and magic is always included. This book was no exception. It was fun, sweet, and magical.

Even with its requisite love story, at its core The Peach Keeper is a story of friendship. Willa Jackson, once known as the resident prankster in her youth, returned to her childhood home of small-town Walls of Water following the death of her father nearly ten years prior and has never left. As the only remaining descendent of a formerly elite Southern family but for an elderly grandmother with dementia, Willa has no interest in being involved in the restoration of her ancestors' once grand home by Paxton Osgood, socialite and former classmate. However, the discovery of a skeleton buried beneath the peach tree in the mansion's front lawn has Willa and Paxton drawn deeply into a gothic mystery and facing dark secrets from their families' pasts. An eerie, magical novel not without the charm and romance expected of Sarah Addison Allen.

No one does magical realism wrapped in a comfort read like Sarah Addison Allen. I will read anything she writes, own it, gift it, do the dance, listen to the audiobook. Yes, I am an unapologetic fangirl. She just hits it out of the park every time. The Peach Keeper is at the top of my list, but I'd never pick a favorite. Willa Jackson has a family with history, just not the right kind of history, and in a small southern town in North Carolina for many you simply are who your people were, and people don't forget. Willa has moved on, or so she says, opened a lovely little store in town, lives a quiet life. Willa's past and present collides when a high school classmate contacts her to participate in the grand reopening of a historic home that once belonged to Willa's family and was subsequently lost in shame and scandal. Things aren't always as they seem, and even after a lifetime or two secrets have a way of becoming unearthed. Told with wit, charm, and a style so totally unique to SAA The Peach Keeper is a total delight. Highly recommended, 5+ stars!

I didn't finish reading this book. It looked interesting but after reading quite a few pages, I found the writing to be getting in the way of the story. It wasn't good. Maybe the story is OK, but I couldn't get past the writing and didn't wish to spend more time on it.

This was a very nice story about friendship in a southern way. ?

Just an average story. The paranormal aspect could have been boosted to prevent the plot from falling flat. The only memorable character was Nana Osgood. The other characters, who were in their 30s, should have been more developed and mature. They acted like whiny teenagers.

This was a neat surprise! I'm a huge fan of Allen's work and I especially enjoy the magical realism genre, but this novel blended a few of my favorite genres together to create one fantastic afternoon of reading! I loved the small town setting. It was filled with realistic characters that were as colorful and complex as their relationships. I was glad to see that the friendships weren't from a fairy tale. They were like our own, experiencing the same "ups and downs" that life can create between family and friends.

I thought the mystery was a little predictable, but the way Allen presents the story I was too entertained and enamored by the characters (as well as their secrets) to really care. The magical elements were amazing and we even had a ghost thrown in for good measure!

The Peach Keeper was impossible to put down and I enjoyed every minute of it. It's running a close second to my favorite, the author's novel Garden Secrets! This is a must read for Sarah Addison Allen fans.

I enjoyed the first half of this and could hardly put it down, but somehow the second half became predictable and it seemed to end rather suddenly. However, it was good enough it makes me want to read some of the author's previous books.

Read this for the library Mystery Book Club. Nice enjoyable read after reading some heavier fiction and non-fiction reads. Southern fiction steeped in family secrets that come to a head after a skeleton is unearthed during a renovation project.

This was a quick read and fairly engaging. The supernatural was woven in nicely, but got to be a bit much toward the end. All in all, it was a good beach read or to take on an airplane.

I just finished the book and I really loved it. I enjoyed every bit of it, the pace, the language, the feeling of the place and characters. As always Sarah enters my heart and stays. The Story is filled with mystery and passion for love and food. The original story is set 75 years ago from our day, it is about two best friends and how much they loved each other. The story is about a guy who was as hot as the devil and smelled as sweet as peaches, but was a con man. The story in our day is about a Princess (Paxton), a Freak (Sebastian), a Stick Man (Colin) and a Joker (Willa). And I was really happy to see Claire and Bay from Garden Spells pass in this book.

So I love Sarah Addison Allen, don't get me wrong. I love her skillful, subtle weaving of magical realism through lovely small-town tales of love and loss. She follows in the footsteps of Alice Hoffman in the best possible way.

That said, her last two books have seemed very short to me. Not unfinished, exactly -- there aren't any plot points left unexplained, or anything like that. It's just that I don't get the same labor-of-love feeling from this that I did from her first book. I suspect, although I haven't done the research to back it up, that her first book took her much longer to write than the last two. And so some of the intricacy and detail is missing. I was trying to think of concrete examples, and here's one that came to me: for all the zillion times we're told how androgynously beautiful Sebastian is, I don't have a clear picture of him in my mind. I don't remember what color his hair is, or his eyes, or any idea of how his face is put together. I think maybe, if someone spent a couple of years lovely slaving away at this book, that those are the kinds of details that can't help but find their way into the pages. Maybe she wrote this so quickly that his facial features aren't clear to her either?

Anyway, these are tiny nitpicks against what is a lovely and thoroughly enjoyable book. I don't mean to dissuade anyone from picking it up, but make sure you pack a couple of other books if you're going on vacation, because this one might not last you more than a day -- it didn't for me.

I could not put this book down! So far, I have loved every book I've read by Sarah Addison Allen, and want to read all of her works. I love the realness of the characters (like when Willa hides from Colin in the sporting goods store and he finds her), the relationships (like the typical inequality of mothers between sons - Colin - and daughters - Paxton, the magical elements woven with the slightest glint throughout the story, the reference to another book's characters, the contrast in grandmothers... I loved it all - start to finish. A new favorite!

? ? ? 1/2

First: This is the 4th book I've read by Allen and it is not the best, it is not the second best.....

Second: It was filled with "Magical Realism", but you have to be in tune with subtleties & nuances to notice most of them.

Third: This smacks of Chick-Lit & Romance and yes I would have preferred more to the mystery.

Fourth: This was predictable and a bit towards the shallow side. Yes, it needed more of the story...and the characters could have definitely been better developed.

Fifth: I was prepared to Hate it, because I normally take Coyote's reviews to heart (even when I'm not remotely interested in reading her choices myself)....but I didn't. I liked it for what it was....and since I had absolutely no expectations of it being as good as her other books, I wasn't disappointed and happily surprised.

Sixth: as for Colin being "Orgasmic" while overseeing the planting of the ancient oak tree... I Got It!

There were some strange occurrences sprinkled throughout the book. Secrets fighting to get out can cause some weird things I suppose. And the secrets in this story are deeply buried. I love the multigenerational aspect of the story and the mix of the different romances, friendships, family bonds, and mystery.

The Peach Keeper follows two girsl, Willa and Paxton living in a small town of Walls of Water, North Carolina. Both girls grew up in town, Willa was the class joker (although she hid it until the very end) and Paxton was miss popularity. Willa's family was once part of the town's elite however in her grandmother's day they moved out and she was working as a maid in her friends homes. Paxton is living in her parents house doing the social butterfly stuff her mom always wanted and restoring the Blue Ridge Madam, the Jackson family home. Willa owns a small store in town and is trying to fit her life into the box that she thinks her family would find appropriate. Neither woman is happy, then a body is unearthed at the Blue Ridge Madam and both girls find a way to break out of the shell's they are in and about their families pasts.

Just like other books by Sarah Addison Allen you get two watch two wonderful characters fall in love an come into their own. Actually three this time because Paxton's brother Colin also figures himself out.

I really liked getting to see Paxton and Waverly develop a friendship. I also liked hearing Paxton's grandmother tell them the story of her and Georgie's past. She did a good job with it. Sometimes when people tell and don't show in books it can get boring but I found the story just as captivating. (Although I did appreciate getting to be shown it too.)

There was less magic in this book then in previous books. There was also just something about the ambiance of this book that was a little different. The magic floating around was less helpful and a little bit more malicious.

I am something of a geek and I was super excited to see Claire Waverly from Garden Spells make an appearance. Just like every other book by Sarah Addison Allen, I thoroughly enjoyed it and found myself charmed by the characters and locale.

Surprisingly entertaining, like a movie your friends want to see and you accompany them, begrudgingly.