Willa Jackson still lives in the little North Carolina town that her great-grandparents used to dominate. Their wealth, power and generosity was a legend until they lost everything when the logging industry collapsed. Today Willa lives modestly in the town she was raised in, working in her organic sports wear shop in the trendy area of town. But when her great-grandparents' old house is renovated, a mystery is uncovered and Willa's perception of her family and herself is changed in a way that changes her relationships and her life permanently.
That summary doesn't really cover it. My favorite part of the book was its portrayal of the kind of friendship that binds women together for life. In fact, I got this book in the mail from my bff and I couldn't help but feel it was a bit of a love letter from her to me, a warm hug to me from a sweet friend. I closed the book with warm and fuzzy thoughts about the way women help each other and they way we SHOULD help each other.
And of course I loved the two love stories that developed over the course of the book too. I love a good love story. I highly recommend the book, with the provisos listed below. Mostly I just loved it.
Sex: Yup. Both couples begin sexual relationships outside of marriage. There is a brief petting scene and several non-descriptive sex scenes.
Bad language: I don't remember any...I think there is some mild swearing, though.
A note on this author's book "Garden Spells", which I read such glowing reviews of: I did not like it at all. Disappointing, too, since I loved "The Peach Keeper" so much. For one thing, there was some significant bad language in "Garden Spells" and I found the magic pretty heavy-handed. I also found the relationships much less natural-feeling than the ones in "The Peach Keeper". The romances were less satisfying and more sexual. The heroines were more damaged. Altogether, it was disappointing and I don't think I'll read any more from Sarah Addison Allen.
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