Garden Spells

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was your favorite storyline or character in the book? What appealed to you about this situation or character?

2. What did you think of the novel’s use of fantastical elements? What did that add, or detract from, your reading experience?

3. Discuss what this book shares in terms of theme, setting, or character with other books by Sarah Addison Allen, like Other Birds (2022). You might also discuss the similarity in themes between this book and others with fantastical elements that illustrate how magical gifts can bind or strengthen a community, as in The Spellshop (2024) by Sarah Beth Durst.

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Each of the Waverley women has a distinct talent, or gift. What is a talent that you possess that sets you apart? Which character’s talent did you most identify with?

2. Have you had or observed an experience of family estrangement or reconciliation? What about Claire and Sydney’s reconciliation felt most authentic to you?

3. What did you think of the rivalry between the Clark and Waverley families? Do you have experience with, or have you observed, similar kinds of competition in your own life?

4. What did you think of the theory that Lorelei behaved as she did because she foresaw her death when she ate an apple? Do you think this explains or excuses her behavior? Why or why not?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. What influence do you think the small-town setting has on the action and relationships in this novel? What might Addison Allen be saying about the nature of small towns (for instance, in the established identities for certain families in Bascom)?

2. Discuss the novel’s exploration of the relationship between food and emotion. You could compare this novel to other novels where food takes on special qualities, for instance, Like Water for Chocolate (1989) by Laura Esquivel, Chocolat (1999) by Joanne Harris, or The Mistress of Spices (1997) by Chitra Divakaruni.

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. Discuss what you think the omniscient narrator adds to the story. How might this novel be different if the author had used a different point of view?

2. Explore the complementary character arcs of Claire and Sydney and how the new relationship they establish is made possible by discovering more about themselves and one another.

3. What do you think the character of Emma Clark adds to the novel? In what way does she become a foil for the Waverley sisters, and how does she help illustrate the novel’s larger themes?

4. Analyze what the novel has to say about healing intergenerational wounds through the history of the Waverley family and, if you wish, the Hopkins family.

5. What role does the apple tree play in the story? What did it come to symbolize? Did you see the meaning changing over the course of events?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Be the apple tree and write predictions about the most important events in someone’s life. Distribute these randomly among the group and have people swap, share, and discuss.

2. Write a short, comic story or scene about an incident where Evanelle gifts someone a gift and it goes horribly wrong.

3. Imagine a dinner party where you prepare and serve dishes incorporating the plants from the Waverley Kitchen Journal. Share your menu and explain your intentions with your group.