Look at me, expertly avoiding the dreaded post about The Marriage Plot (“I shall conquer this, I shall!”) and jumping ahead to the lovely The Peach Keeper. It’s probably my least favorite of Addison Allen’s novels, but it’s still kinda great. She’s that kind of author: a Deliverer. You want a bit of Southern comfort? You got it.
If you’ve read any of her books, you’ll recognize some of the elements: a couple of families in a Southern village, a strong sense of place and “roots”, a mysterious past, magic realism elements that are never enough to classify her books as fantasy, strangers who walk into town and heroines who are at odds with their lives.
The setting this time is Walls of Water, North Carolina. Although both descending from rich families, Willa Jackson and Paxton Osgood are now on difference wavelengths of society’s spectrum. Willa’s family lost their money and she now owns a hiking shop, while Paxton, still part of the élite, is the President of the local Women’s Group and the coordinator of their most ambitious project to date: restoring the mansion where both hers and Willa’s grandmothers used to live and where a mysterious event changed their lives forever.
Once again Addison Allen writes satisfying romances for both her heroines, but more than in any of her earlier books, this is a story about female friendship.
Paxton was particularly interesting because she had everything to be another Hilly Holbrook (The Help), or Lemon Breeland (The Heart of Dixie), or any other stuck-up rich Southern woman, but she breaks the stereotype and turns into an incredibly realistic character. With money and the pedigree comes an obligation to family and community, and while Paxton’s twin brother escaped by leaving Walls of Water, Paxton is trapped in her golden cage, her own dreams and aspirations becoming secondary. It’s a very fresh take on the Southern Belle.
Although food is less central in The Peach Keeper than in the other Addison Allen books, it’s still present (it’s Southern lit after all!), most noticeably though a funny cameo appearance of Claire Waverly from Garden Spells.
I’m now officially in count-down mode to her next novel – I hope she feels well enough soon to continue delighting us!
Read for the Southern Literature Challenge 2012.
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Other thoughts: Tiny Library, An Armchair by the Sea, You’ve GOTTA Read This, Estante de Livros (PT), Literature and a Lens, The Written Word, The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader, Coffee and a Book Chick, Angieville, Boston Book Bums, St. Krishna’s Books, Alison’s Book Marks, Books Distilled, Always with a Book, Good Books & Good Wine, Literate Housewife, Book Addiction, Fizzy Thoughts, Page After Page, write meg!, Jenn’s Bookshelves, Lesa’s Book Critiques, Confessions of a Book Hoarder, Amy’s Book Obsession, Reflections of a Bookaholic, Book Maven’s Blog, Beth’s Book-Nook, A Few More Pages, Crazy for Books, Redlady’s Reading Room, Chachic’s Book Nook, Beyond Books (yours?)
19 comments
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April 10, 2012 at 3:33 pm
Sam (Tiny Library)
Thanks for linking my review! Unfortunately I didn’t like this book as much as you did although I did love the Southern setting. I’m from the UK and visited the South for my honeymoon and reading The Peach Keeper made me want to go back!
April 26, 2012 at 1:50 pm
Alex
I found that even a bad SAA is a good comfort book. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
April 10, 2012 at 4:22 pm
Jenna (Literature and a Lens)
Allen is definitely one of my go-to authors when I’m looking for good comfort fiction. I like the way she uses the south as a setting but not in a cliche or offensive way. So glad you enjoyed this one!
April 26, 2012 at 1:51 pm
Alex
Exactly! I found that Paxton really broke the usual chiches. Very refreshing!
April 10, 2012 at 8:27 pm
sandynawrot
Our book club read this, and while I liked it, I’ve decided that maybe I’m not a lover of this author. By saying this, I know at least a dozen specific people who will want to throw tomatoes at me. I must say that I did like it 100% more than Garden Spells!
April 26, 2012 at 1:52 pm
Alex
I feel that way about Georgette Heyer *ducks tomatoes*
April 11, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Joanna
I can’t believe that there is a book of hers that I haven’t heard about, I must be really behind!
April 26, 2012 at 1:52 pm
Alex
Tss, tss, tss Joanna! Good thing you have me around!
April 12, 2012 at 1:11 am
Mady
This was by far the book I least enjoyed from her (though I still enjoyed it quite much), I felt that the magic was not really there… and the food had such small part. But loved to hear from Claire 🙂
Countdown mode here as well!!!
April 26, 2012 at 1:54 pm
Alex
Yes, I missed the food as well. That title was very misleading, was expecting lots of peach jam and peach cobbler.
April 12, 2012 at 7:51 pm
Zeba Clarke
Nothing to do with Peaches, but just a big thank you for steering me towards Leviathan – absolutely brilliant!!! Am now reading Behemoth and will blog a review of all three next week. Too busy reading now. Hugs and hope your father is feeling better.
Zx
April 26, 2012 at 1:56 pm
Alex
I still haven’t seen your thought on it, did I miss it? I though you’d like it: good mix of romance and adventure + a girl disguised as a boy 😉
April 13, 2012 at 9:54 pm
Larissa
I still haven’t read any of her, and have “Garden Spells” waiting for me on a shelf. She seems to write quite the kind of genre that I would appreciate though… Soon, then, soon…
April 26, 2012 at 1:58 pm
Alex
Maybe it can be part of my-books-to-you 2013?
April 14, 2012 at 4:43 pm
Kailana
I really enjoy Addison. I look forward to more from her in the future. She is a perfect example for me of getting out of your comfort zone and being influenced by other bloggers.
April 26, 2012 at 1:59 pm
Alex
The same for me, actually. it was the first book I’ve read recommended by a blogger (Joanna, who you can see above)
April 15, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Andi (@estellasrevenge)
This was my least favorite of her novels, but like you said, she’s still pretty darn good! Definitely a comfort author for me. Looking forward to her next offering.
April 26, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Alex
Do you know of any other author that has the same style? She seems to reach a balance that doesn’t get her books only in the “romance” or “chick lit” category.
January 4, 2013 at 7:44 pm
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