Laura, I hope you can finish "The Girl With No Shadow" soon. It is excellent! As a sequel to "Chocolat", I hope they make a movie from it. I would love to see Johnny Depp again as Roux.

I'm going to pick it up from the library this Saturday. I still haven't read Chocolat. *hangs head sheepishly* I was under the mistaken impression The Girl with No Shadow was a prequel or I would not have picked it up first. C'est la vie!

• Do you think that certain plants have special powers, if so, how would you use them?

I think that most plants have potential to heal or harm (or both, depending on use). I have several herbals that I refer to and have been happy with the results of herbal remedies. Some people swear by the therapy of flower essences, but I haven't really tried that. If I could unlock magic in a plant I would use it to help and heal.

• Which of the Waverley women did you identify most with?

Definitely Sydney! I have a dual nature always at cross purposes: taking off for wild adventure gal vs. devoted family gal. While raising my son I stayed in one spot, owned a house, focused on him. Before and after his childhood is a different story.

• How did you feel about the relationship between Sydney and Claire – could you understand how their upbringing shaped their personalities?

It stands to reason that Claire with her chaotic childhood would crave stability and routine and be afraid to rock the boat, while Sydney who was raised with small town security would feel stifled by it and want to see what else was out there.

If you had the chance of biting into a Waverley apple to reveal your future –would you, and what would you hope to reveal?

No way!

• What will you take away from this story?

A lot of good life lessons through the characters. Claire learned that happiness means taking a chance on that which is not a certainty and Sydney learned that happiness does not necessarily mean escaping from your roots. FRed learned that a gift will reveal itself and will not necessarity mean what you want it to mean. Henry learned that family traditions are made to be broken. Tyler learned to never give up.

I really enjoyed Gardens Spells and all the quirky characters. My most favorite one may have been the apple tree, which wanted to be needed and loved, too. I would most definitely not want to eat from it just the same. I can relate the most to Bay, who is of a practical mind and seeks to place everything in order. I adored Evanelle, who was always out wandering around with her "gifts," and anticpated everyone's needs. It was like finding missing pieces to a complex puzzle.

I do find some herbal remedies are quite effective, such as chamomile to calm ones nerves and bring on sleep, but I also think that in GS the power in Claire's cooking is born out of her special talent as a Waverly.

The relationship between Claire and Sydney was a sour one that was largely based on the misconceptions each had for the other. Unknowingly, their mother had placed them at odds, and they could not look beyond their selfish needs. Claire excluded Sydney from the garden and cooking with their grandmother, and Sydney was obsessed with her freedom and ridiculed Claire every chance she had. When we meet them in the present, these misguided sisters gradually begin to see the other's talents and learn to accept and love each other unconditionally. Together they find the strength to face their fears and find happiness. Now that is my kind of story!

At first I saw just the magic and supernatural, but as the story unwound, it was really about the lasting effects of our upbringing and experiences and how we choose to deal with it.

Claire, having felt unloved and ungrounded, finds a home and plants her feet in it just like the Apple Tree and won't let go. I'm glad that Lady Jayne brought up the Apple Tree because for me it was as much as a character in the story as Claire and Sydney, et al. The tree calls them all to shelter beneath it and it's love for their mother is as touching as any romance I've ever read.

Sydney, having a home and feeling loved, takes it all for granted and looks for the adventure that she's romanticized about regarding her mother. Instead, she lands in one abusive relationship after another and is continually victimized until she can come to terms with who she is. While Claire seeks to protect herself from the townspeople, Sydney yearns to be included by selling her soul. It was interesting to read the side story of Hunter John and Emma Clark. We see how they manipulated Sydney into fitting into their cliques, but ultimately betraying her. And I think that Hunter John was as much of a manipulator as Emma, but each of them were manipulated by their parents.

And, Bay, ever the loving child of a victim of domestic abuse. Serious beyond her years and determined to find a place to belong. Her innocence and love pulls everyone together including the tree.

But the tree was my favorite character of all. Throwing apples at people to get their attention, showing them their future when they eat it's fruit, and protecting all that gather under it. My teariest moment was when the tree took the photos and wouldn't give them back to anyone. It was as if it was weeping for their mother and holding on to her memory with every branch.

This story makes you think about how we treat our children, family, and friends and how our actions and motives can shape other lives beyond our own. It also would help someone think about forgiving someone who has hurt them because maybe they had something in their past that shaped their behavior. But it doesn't do it in a sermony way.

I loved the magical realism aspect of this book.
I loved Tyler and how the relationship with Claire developed. The kiss was wonderful to read.

Pauline, I loved that tree! What a hoot! The tree was sensitive though, to people whose futures would be less than happy. For instance, Claire and Sydney's mom had to climb a ladder and wrench an apple from the tree. The tree did not want to tell her what would happen.
On the other hand it made sure that the thug chasing Sydney had a bite. The tree seemed to enjoy it, actually.

I am so glad that I have been introduced to this author. I will want to read all her books.

If you liked this book, you might enjoy Like Water for Chocolate, by Laura Esquivel. It's one of my very favorites.

The Tree was so much part of the story - almost like an living entity, and so protective of the family..it reminded me of The Magic Farway Tree by Enid Blyton that I read as a child.

I can recommend Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen as another magical read...
Authors similar in style are ...Alice Hoffman, Kate Morton and Rachel Hore

Thanks so much, Sass. I will check if my library has them. But when I find books like GS I want to own them and review my favorite passages from time to time.