Cagrowngirl's comment: "i have finished garden spells and felt magical after reading it. what a wonderful garden to be a part of. it is a delightful book.
the sugar queen which i also read. was at time LOL. i have a sweet tooth and can relate to the main character. it is a quirky story which is loveable. enjoyed reading this also."
This is a very humorous writer who, according to her delightful webpage, claims she wanted to be a trash man when she was a child. In 1994, Allen earned a BA in literature. Allen noted that choosing a major in reading, was "like being able to major in eating chocolate."
Her first book,
Garden Spells, "was supposed to be a simple story. . .but then the apple tree started throwing apples." Garden Spells won the 2008 SIBA* Book Award for Fiction. (*Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance)
Her second book,
Sugar Queen, is set in the part of North Carolina where Allen currently lives. Each chapter is the name of a candy. If some of these treats are unknown to you, you can see a picture of each of them on her webpage. Sarah sampled each of these candies "for research" and claims to have gained 18 pounds while writing
Sugar Queen.
Book Club questions for
Sugar Queen can be found on the official website for Sarah Addison Allen.
Reviews of Sugar Queen:
... Allen's delectable follow-up to her sprightly best-selling debut (Garden Spells, 2007) is another tasty trek into a world where things are not quite as they seem. Like the most decadently addictive bonbons, once started, Allen's magically entrancing novel is impossible to put down.
Booklist (Starred review) - Carol Haggas
Allen’s second bewitching offering...is a candy jar of magical characters and mystical adventures. As in Allen’s previous work, there’s an element of the supernatural (self-help books that literally follow one around; tears that sprout mysterious tropical flowers), and again it works. Words such as sweet, charming and delightful are weak accolades for such a pleasurable book.
Publishers Weekly
In 13 candy-themed chapters, secrets from the past unravel, and old and new dreams and romances come to fruition. Allen's inspired descriptions of Della Lee's ex-boyfriend Julian wonderfully explain the power "bad boys" exert over even good women. (She) uses magic to captivating effect. Fans of Garden Spells will want this.
Library Journal - Rebecca Kelm
