The Sarah Addison Allen Fan Group discussion

Anyone else (besides Sarah Addison Allen) grow up in the South? Why do you enjoy reading about the South?

I grew up in Florida (even though that isn't really considered the south, but seriously, how much further south can you get? lol) The town I grew up in is called Wauchula and yes it sounds as twangy as it is!!

I enjoy reading about the south because for some reason, the best love stories are set there. I'm not quite sure why that is... maybe southern sweethearts and chivalrous gentlemen are hard to top.

Favorite place on the map and in the world..

I grew-up in Alabama, attended the University of Alabama, lived in five other states (a few out of the South) and now I'm back home in Sweet Home Alabama! :D

I love reading about our Southern culture. You truly get a sense of place when reading books written by Southern writers set in the South. SAA is VERY GOOD depicting North Carolina in her books.

I was born and raised in a small town in Texas. The South is beautiful and full of warm, kind people who take the time to really talk to you (ie we talk slowly.)

I enjoy Sarah's descriptions of the people and their mannerisms. There is a sort of magic in the South, especially for the smaller towns.

I grew up in NJ and NY and on vacation in FLA I fell in love with the southern charm, beautiful ocean and the old trees dripping with live moss. Oh, and the food. Homemade biscuits and sausage gravy and grits are firmly placed in my repertoire now! I moved here 20 years ago, and so much has changed. I still love the southern states, and my next life adventure will be up coast a bit.

I spent my childhood in Illinois and the rest of my life I've lived in Maryland. My first exposure to "the South" was Gone with the Wind. I was quite enthralled by the southern accent delivered by Vivien Leigh. We possess no discernible accent where I am from, and so, of course I wanted one badly. I love Sarah's soft and sweet small town version of the South. I very much want to visit those little towns and the magical people who live there.

I grew up in Minnesota. I love the southern writers because there is a sense of gentility that I am drawn to.

I grew up in Massachusetts but something about the South has always drawn me in. I love reading about it!

I was born in Westchester County, White Plains, NY.
An avid reader and now a reviewer too, I love books about the South. Living in VA now, I am an "adopted
Southern Belle". Love your books, Keep Writing!

I grew up in Savannah and northern Louisiana, about as south as you can be. I love reading about the South because frequently the setting can almost become a character in itself. I recall reading Pat Conroy's Beach Music when he describes the marsh behind his mother-in-law's home as smelling like a beast crawled up in there and died. Remembering Savannah Beach (Tybee Island) as a child, I knew exactly what he was writing about.

I grew up in Tuscaloosa , Alabama am in my mid 50's & remember days of the past when things moved a little slower , gasoline was about 47 cents a gallon , bottled drinks out of a vending machine were 5 cents , & everyone had the traditions handed down from their families. Recipes, what china to use , if we called it supper or dinner for the 6:00 pm meal , what was acceptable & not was understood & everybody said please , thank you , sir or mam . For the most part , southerners have good hearts & kindness , love to share long stories about real life. Canning vegetables & preserves , making tea & lemonade sweetened with real sugar & ice cubes that klink along the sides of your glass are such simple standard expectations in the south. The south is home. I love to read about home as it still should be !

I grew up in southern Virginia and have spent my adult life in North Carolina. Good southern writers, like SAA, have a unique way of capturing the charm and quirkiness of being southerners.

Love your books Sarah, can't wait for Lost Lake!!

I've lived in North Carolina all my life. Other southern books and authors I like are Blue Bottle Club by Penelpe Stokes and At Home on Ladybug Farm series by Donna Ball. Happy southern reading!

Because the south is just full of wonder and charm, it just feels like a magical place and books about the south really capture that feeling.