Magic and Acceptance

As I've said before, Sarah Addison Allen is one of my favorite authors. In fact, every time she comes out with a new book, that new one becomes my new favorite :-) I haven't read the recent one she has out, The Peach Keeper, but I'm sure I'll love it when I do.

One of the reasons I truly love this book is because of the magic in it. Un-explainable magic that is accepted on faith. Emily's wallpaper changing to match her moods is, well, awesome. Really, can you imagine what the wallpapers would look like in your house if they changed to meet your moods? I also love the magic of Julia's baking and Sawyer's response to his mother's baking. I think it's fantastic because it's a calling for him. Julia's reasons for continuing to bake are both heartbreaking and heartwarming. It's heartbreaking because of what she's given up, and heartwarming because of the therapy it provided her.

The reaction Emily receives from a lot of the town is so confusing when looking at it from her perspective. The woman she knew as her mother is completely separate from the child she was when she lived in Mullaby. Win accepting her and seeing her as someone not like her mother is awesome, and in a lot of ways, progressive. I think Julia had the best line of all when she said to Emily, "You're not who your mother was. In fact, I'm beginning to think you are who your mother became."

For me this shows how big of a person Julia is, by not holding Emily accountable for Dulcie's actions while the rest of the town does just the opposite. I'm not going to say too much more right now, since I might inadvertently give something away in regards to the town and Duclie.

I have to say, I love Vance. He's such a soft giant and my heart breaks for all the tragedy he's had throughout his life. The story of his wife and how she brought him out of his shell to find that the town accepted him as is was so sweet. He feels responsible for keeping Emily protected by honoring Dulcie's promise, but I think he's realized that it won't work like that this time.

There are some pretty awesome parts coming up and I look forward to seeing what y'all think!