The Peach Keeper By Sarah Addison Allen

March 3, 2014 Chick Lit, Contemporary Fiction 25

How Y’all Doing, Bookworms?

I have really been digging some Southern Fried Fiction lately! I recently finished Sarah Addison Allen’s The Peach Keeper, and now I want to talk about it. (Novel concept, right? I should probably write a book blog! Oh wait…)

peachkeeprWilla Jackson lives in Walls of Water, North Carolina. Her family were once fancy folks, but after falling on hard times in the 30s, they had to sell off the fanciness and go back to being normal. Also in town is the resident perfect princess, Paxton Osgood. She’s well dressed, well mannered, and appropriately ensconced in the local women’s society club. These two gals have very little in common, until fate sees fit to push them together.

Fate and a skeleton. Yup. The site of Willa Jackson’s once proud family home was in the midst of a glorious renovation via Paxton Osgood, when a tree transplant leads to the discovery of a body. In order to attempt to solve the mystery of the dude planted under the peach tree, Willa and Paxton seek answers from their respective grandmothers, who were besties back in the day.

I had fun reading The Peach Keeper. There was a supernatural undercurrent I wasn’t expecting, but rather enjoyed (very Alice Hoffman-esque.) There was one particular scene that stuck out to me, and I can’t just not discuss it, because it involves Sarah Michelle Gellar. That’s right. She who was Buffy. Midway through this book, the ladies club has a lunch with a super swanky caterer, and the caterer seems to have some special powers. It’s a tertiary plot point, but it reminded me SO MUCH of SMG’s masterpiece of a Rom-Com Simply Irresistible. You know. The one where she became a cook and somehow the food absorbed her feelings? People would start crying and/or floating while eating dessert? No? Ah well. When you have a couple of hours to kill and you need something ridiculous, check it out.

Credit: http://whataslayeris.tumblr.com/

Credit: http://whataslayeris.tumblr.com/

Sorry for the digression there, the 90s, you know? I get distracted. In addition to the mystery, the magic, and the mayhem, there are some romantic entanglements and a whole lot of ladies realizing the value of friendship. In short, The Peach Keeper was sweet. If you are in the mood for something to pull you out of a wintery funk, this could be just the ticket.

 Because I’m constantly getting off topic, I may as well ask. Do any of you have a favorite Rom-Com from the 90s? Or some random movie you watched too often with your college roommate? 

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25 Responses to “The Peach Keeper By Sarah Addison Allen”

  1. Jayne

    OMG, my college roommate made me watch Simply Irresistible (and EVERY Buffy TV episode too, for that matter)! Ugh, what an awful movie… Sorry, I just couldn’t get into it… I mean, really, a magic crab?? I still give her grief about that one. But I’m sure she would claim there are some I made her watch that she rolled her eyes at quite a bit 🙂 .

    Reply

  2. Charleen

    Sarah Addison Allen has been on my TBR for quite some time, but I just can’t seem to make the time for her. She’s so not what I normally read and so often not what I feel like reading… but the first one I read of hers (Garden Spells) I really enjoyed, and I’m sure I’d enjoy her other books too if I could make myself pick them up.

    Reply

  3. Melinda

    I’m very glad to see you enjoyed this book. Two weeks ago I almost started reading it, but for some reason I didn’t. I can’t wait to read it now!

    Reply

  4. Megan M.

    Sarah Addison Allen is one of my favorite authors! I just read her latest, Lost Lake, and it was so great! The caterers who make a cameo in The Peach Keeper are from her first book, Garden Spells.

    I tried to watch Simply Irresistible but… it’s SO BAD. I have tons of 90s movie diversions, but my favorite is probably Empire Records. I have this one college friend and 85% of our relationship consists of quoting the movie to each other and it is excellent. “We mustn’t dwell… no, not today. We CAN’T. Not on Rex Manning day!”

    Reply

    • Words For Worms

      Garden Spells just made my TBR! Simply Irrsistible is genuinely terrible, but Empire Records is THE BEST MOVIE EVER! Now I have “Video Killed the Radio Star” stuck in my head, so thanks for that!

      Reply

  5. Ashley F

    OMG can I mention that I LOVED Simply Irresistible?? Loved it in that it’s horrifyingly cheesy and bad but come on. There’s like a mystical crustacean.

    Reply

  6. Amy

    I just moved this book to the front of my TBR shelf yesterday, and now I’m glad I did!

    My roommate and I would watch Definitely, Maybe and 30 Going on 30 WAY too often…but I love them both even now!

    Reply

  7. April @ The Steadfast Reader

    I was the one forced into the Buffy episodes in college. But I did push a whole ton of Meg Ryan rom-coms onto the roommates from my angle. The incredibly ridiculous ‘Kate and Leopold’ was my ultimate staple though. 🙂

    Reply

  8. Loralie

    I love love love The Cutting Edge! It is completely ridiculous but I adore it and had a huge D.B.Sweeny crush for quite a while after seeing it.

    Reply

  9. Lillian

    Adding this one to my wish list. I like super natural undercurrents.
    My book list is getting ridiculously long. I haven’t been reading as much as I used to. I miss it. I now read in bursts and then there is a drought.

    Reply

  10. Katie @ Doing Dewey

    I hadn’t heard about Sarah Addison Allen until just recently and now I feel like I’m hearing about her all the time. Since I love magical realism, I’m very excited to start Lost Lake later this month and expect to pick up more of her books soon 🙂

    Reply

  11. Christy (A Good Stopping Point)

    I really enjoy Sarah Addison Allen’s books – Garden Spells and The Girl Who Chased the Moon I think are my favorites. The only one I haven’t read of hers is the latest one – Lost Lake. But I will get to that this year. 🙂

    Favorite ’90’s rom-com? I love Next Stop Wonderland with Hope Davis but I didn’t see it until probably a decade after it came out. So for 90’s rom-com that I actually saw in the ’90’s – maybe Ever After, or 10 Things I Hate About You which my college friends and I watched over and over. Yay for Heath Ledger singing “You’re Just Too Good to be True”.

    Reply

    • Words For Worms

      Ten Things I Hate About You is one of my all-time favorites. Not even in a “it’s so bad it’s good” way. In a “I will force my future children to watch this as teenagers” sort of way.

      Reply

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