Review
by Deb Czajkowski
The
Waverly women are each born with a special gift; one might say they’re magical
gifts. The Waverly magic is more than personal, it’s also environmental. Their property is home to many edible flowers
and plants that are not only tasty and pretty but also purposeful. And then there’s the apple tree that has a
mind of its own, frequently throwing its apples at people or to people,
depending on each person’s motives. Myth
or magic?
Clare
Waverly is a caterer turned candy maker.
Using her bountiful flora, Clare uses roses in her candy to recall lost
love, lavender to promote happiness, and lemon verbena to soothe throats and
minds. Now incredibly successful, Clare
struggles with how the cost of her success affects her life personally; she
struggles with how to find joy in her life again. She also wonders about her special Waverly
gift: Does she really have one? Or is she
just selling a myth?
Sydney
Waverly is Clare’s younger sister. Sydney
is now happily married to Henry, who has adopted her daughter, Bay, and loves
her as his own. Still, Sydney feels
insecure, wondering why her husband loves her (a Waverly), wondering if he will
stay with her, even if she can’t give him a son. Sydney has always struggled with being a
Waverly and if, or how, that defines her, especially as she sees Clare as pure
Waverly. Can Sydney make peace with
herself and her heritage?
Bay
Waverly is Sydney’s daughter, born during Sydney’s rebellious “I am not a
Waverly!” years. Bay’s Waverly gift is
to discern where everything fits; she knows this instinctively, whether it’s
where the silverware goes in a friend’s kitchen or that a person somehow
belongs in her life. The “somehow” can sometimes
be the tricky part for Bay. First she
questions how her evil and violent natural father fits into her life, any life, really. Then there’s Josh, a boy she knows belongs
with her, but, given their different economic worlds (never mind that she is
part of the Waverly mystique!), Bay wonders if her gift has made a mistake.
Evanelle
Waverly is a cousin to the Waverly sisters’ deceased grandmother Mary. Evanelle’s Waverly gift is that an item is
randomly dropped into her consciousness and also the person to whom that item
must be given. It might be a spatula or
a bed sheets and pop tarts, a starry night night-light or two quarters. She cannot rest until the item has been given
to the specified person. She cannot tell
you why an item is given, only that she knows they will need it sometime in the
future. Evanelle has never been one to
question her Waverly gift or the fact that it has labeled her as “strange.” Evanelle has never been one to question at
all. She simply accepts.
And
so I question you: What’s your gift? Everyone has gifts, or at least one! Perhaps
your gift is cooking or baking and taking a sampling to a friend or
shut-in. Perhaps you have a listening
ear that makes people feel heard.
Perhaps it’s your smile, given freely to everyone who crosses your
path. Perhaps you give up your seat, so
someone else can ride more comfortably. Every one of us has something that makes us
unique, special. It’s not always obvious
or seemingly remarkable to us. But just
ask the person who has been on the receiving end of your gift. To them it’s magical!
Whether
or not you believe in magic, whether you’ve been told of your distinctive gift
or you are still searching, read Sarah Addison Allen’s First Frost. The author does
a wonderful job of illustrating this in the lives of the Waverly women. Even they struggle to identify the gifts that
shape their individuality. Whether or not you find the Waverly heritage to be
myth or magic, I predict you will enjoy the Waverly women’s stories.
Purchase the book at:
About
the Author:
New York Times Bestselling novelist Sarah
Addison Allen brings the full flavor of her southern upbringing to bear on her
fiction -- a captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, and
small-town sensibility. Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina, in the
heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Sarah grew up with a love of books and an
appreciation of good food (she credits her journalist father for the former and
her mother, a fabulous cook, for the latter). In college, she majored in
literature - because, as she puts it, "I thought it was amazing that I
could get a diploma just for reading fiction. It was like being able to major
in eating chocolate."
After graduation, her big break
occurred in 2007 with the publication of her first mainstream novel, Garden
Spells, a modern-day fairy tale about an enchanted apple tree and
the family of North Carolina women who tend it. Booklist called Sarah's
accomplished debut "spellbindingly charming." The novel became a
Barnes & Noble Recommends selection, and aNew York Times Bestseller.
After publishing four bestselling
books in five years, Sarah took a hiatus when she was diagnosed with late-stage
breast cancer at age 39. She returned to writing with her 2014 bestselling Lost Lake.
She is now in remission. In 2015, she revisited the popular setting of her
first book. First Frost continues the story of the Waverely Sisters from Garden
Spells.
Connect with the author at:
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First Frost
by Sarah Addison Allen
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