The Sarah Addison Allen Fan Group discussion

Garden Spells Discussion Questions

1. Could you be persuaded that certain plants have powers, as Claire describes and uses them? If you believed you possessed the magical powers that Claire has inherited, how would you use them? What's the first thing you would do?

2. Which of the sisters resonates with you personally? Claire believes everything and everyone is temporary. She clings to home and makes herself content. Sydney's philosophy is "you can't hold on to everything," and so has a history of very temporary, noncommittal relationships. Are their outlooks two sides of the same coin? What is the nature of the shift that occurs for each of them?

3. Sydney does what she feels she has to do in running with her daughter. What is your reaction to her dilemma, and her choice?

4. Sydney uses her birth name, Waverley, when she returns to her hometown, after hating the name all her life; she even gives her own daughter the Waverley surname. Why do you think she does this?

5. Do you relate to Emma's passion for Hunter John? Is it possible for someone else to manipulate personal circumstances as Emma and her mother do?

6. How do you explain Claire's attraction-repulsion to Tyler? Why do you think Claire sees violet sparks hovering around him the first time she meets him? What makes her eventually realize they are destined to be together?

7. Do you think a child can have the kind of insight and sensitivity that Bay demonstrates? If not, why?

8. The four Waverley women in this novel (Claire, Sydney, Bay, Evanelle) have special gifts. Which of the four gifts would you like to have yourself? Why?

9. Fred observes, "You are who you are, whether you like it or not, so why not like it?" How does this statement relate to the different characters in the book?

10. Claire thinks, "When you tell a secret to someone, embarrassing or not, it forms a connection. That person means something to you simply by virtue of what he knows." Do you agree with this? Can a secret be a positive thing? A negative thing?

11. Which character changes the most over the course of the book? What does he or she learn? What had to take place in order for this to happen?

12. Do you consider this to be a "southern" novel? Besides its setting, which characteristics make it so?

13. If you knew that biting into a Waverley apple would reveal your future... would you bite? Why or why not?

Here's a response to question number one: As i read Sarah Allen Addison's books, i absolutely believe in the magic as it's written. Fully and with all my heart. Somehow, when i turn that last page and close the cover, which i do very slowly, for at least a moment, i believe that same magic is present in the world we populate.

If i thought for one second that i could replicate Claire's recipes or magic, i believe i would. And i'd do my best to create a dish that would allow people to feel deeply loved. And another to feed to those unfortunate souls who suffer from depression.

i LOVE Claire, but more than Claire, i love Evanelle and her gift of giving gifts. To me, that is the most priceless ability.

I definitely believe plants have power...both medicinal and magical. It is hard to say what I would do with such a gift as Claire. So powerful and so simple at the same time.