Author: Sarah Addison Allen
Published: January 1, 2010
Genre: chick lit
eBook: approx. 292 pages
Source: borrowed from the library
My Rating: 3 stars
Synopsis (from GoodReads): Emily Benedict has come to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew, she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor, Julia Winterson, bakes hope in the form of cakes, not only wishing to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also dreaming of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.
My Thoughts: I read The Peach Keeper, a later work of Sarah Addison Allen, sometime last year and wasn't in love with it the way that many people were. I thought that the characters weren't flushed out enough, the plot wasn't strong, and it left me wanting more. I decided to give her another chance since so many people (especially some bloggers who I love) seemed to enjoy her work so much, and I'm glad that I did. While this book is by no means a classic, it's a wonderful little story to get lost in and forget the outside world for awhile.
The story is so charming and sweet that it may hurt your teeth if you aren't in the right mindset to read a book like this. Set in a quaint North Carolina town, you follow Emily as she adjusts to living with her grandfather after her mother has died. You meet a cast of characters who all contribute something to the story, no matter how small the role is. Emily is a teenager, so you can expect some of those sappy teen love stories, but it didn't take away from my reading in anyway.
For me, there were a few problems with the book. For starters, it was too short! There was so much that could have been flushed out and expanded upon, but it was just a little too rushed in trying to wrap everything up. Then there was the ending. While I won't give anything away, I will tell you that it didn't really end the book like it should have. It left me with a lot of questions about the characters and wondering what happened to all of them. While it isn't a perfect novel, it was the perfect time for me to read it. I will look for more of Sarah Addison Allen's work in the future when I am looking for something quick and easy to get lost in.
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