The Peach Keeper
Published by: Bantam
Published on: March 2011
Page Count: 288
Genre: Women’s Fiction
My Reading Format: Audiobook rented from my local library
Audiobook Published by: Random House Audio
Narrator: Karen White
Audiobook Length: 7 hours 43 minutes
Available Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
My Review
There are times in my life when a good, whimsical book fits perfectly. This was true of The Peach Keeper. I picked it up at the local library on a whim. I didn’t feel up to starting anything heavy at the time because I was preparing to go on vacation. The cover was beautiful and it practically screamed, “This is the book you’re looking for, Jennifer!” Seeing it on the shelf was like a stroke of luck. I got about half way into the novel before I left. I had read just enough to miss the characters and wonder about them from time to time while I was away. When I got in my car to drive home from the airport, I was more than ready to continue. The storyline wasn’t complicated enough for me to have lost my place nor was it simplistic enough to have lost my interest. I loved the touch of the supernatural that swept through from the beginning with the envelopes through to the end with the bell.
I did have one issue with a story line. I won’t go into detail here as it would be a spoiler, but this particular twist didn’t work for me at all. The outcome was obvious and therefore the tension surrounding it was superfluous. While it didn’t prevent me from enjoying the story for what it was, the ending wasn’t as celebratory for me as it would otherwise might have been.
This was my first Karen White listen. I found her voice and her reading style to be perfect for The Peach Keeper. She made it that much easier to walk into that small North Carolina town and feel at home. Even in the midst of their struggles, her narration made apparent the hope that was ever present within Paxton, Willa, Colin and Sebastian.
The Peach Keeper was a nice, easy going story with just a touch of whimsy to make it special. When I next need a comfort read, I wouldn’t hesitate to select another book from Sarah Addison Allen. Since Karen White narrated The Sugar Queen as well, it will be very easy to decide which novels to pick up next.
Thanks for the lovely and thoughtful (as always) review Jennifer. I’ve linked to it from my blog: http://karenwhiteaudiobooks.com/2011/06/30/the-peach-keeper-by-sarah-addison-allen/.
I had this on my summer reading list and never got to it. Still hope to at some point. Good review!
I’ve got a couple of Allen’s books and really want to give one a try. I have a feeling I’ll love the Southern setting.
SAA was my great discovery of 2011. I’ve read them all, except this one. Was waiting for the paperback to be released, but the Bookdepository sent me a mail yesterday – hurray!
If you liked this one, then I would think that you will LOVE her other books! This is my least favourite of her books even though I still liked this one.
I read Garden Spells a year or so ago and really liked it. I read this and another one by SAA and didn’t like them as well as Garden Spells. They are good books when you don’t want something heavy, though!
I enjoyed this one when I read it, but it hasn’t “aged” very well with me. I’ve preferred her other books, and I agree, the twist was pretty freakin’ obvious.
I didn’t particularly care for this one. Garden Spells was better but still seem like a not so good version of Alice Hoffman’s work
[...] Books, Alison’s Book Marks, Books Distilled, Always with a Book, Good Books & Good Wine, Literate Housewife, Book Addiction, Fizzy Thoughts, Page After Page, write meg!, Jenn’s Bookshelves, [...]
[...] have personally enjoyed her work on Sarah Addison Allen’s The Peach Keeper and Everything that Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’Connor. She transports the reader [...]
[...] was essential for a novel like Those We Love Most. As much as I enjoyed her work on the whimsical The Peach Keeper, I felt this particular title highlighted how well suited Karen White’s narration is to heavier [...]
[...] was essential for a novel like Those We Love Most. As much as I enjoyed her work on the whimsical The Peach Keeper, I felt this particular title highlighted how well suited Karen White’s narration is to heavier [...]