Audiobook Review – The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen, Narrated by Karen White (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Magical Realism
Length: 7 hours and 38 minutes
Publisher:‎ Random House Audio
Release Date: March 22, 2011
ASIN: B004T7CRUG
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Borrowed audiobook from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

“It’s the dubious distinction of 30-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather during Walls of Water’s heyday, and once the town’s grandest home—has stood for years as a lonely monument to misfortune and scandal. And Willa herself has long strived to build a life beyond the brooding Jackson family shadow—no easy task in a town shaped by years of tradition and the well-marked boundaries of the haves and have-nots.

But Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite do-gooder Paxton Osgood—of the very prominent Osgood family has restored the Blue Ridge Madam to her former glory, with plans to open a top-flight inn. Maybe, at last, the troubled past can be laid to rest while something new and wonderful rises from its ashes.

But what rises instead is a skeleton, found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, and certain to drag up dire consequences along with it. For the bones—those of charismatic traveling salesman Tucker Devlin, who worked his dark charms on Walls of Water 75 years ago—are not all that lay hidden out of sight and mind. Long-kept secrets surrounding the troubling remains have also come to light, seemingly heralded by a spate of sudden strange occurrences throughout the town.

Now, thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the dangerous passions and tragic betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover truths of the long-dead that have transcended time and defied the grave to touch the hearts and souls of the living.”

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I borrowed this on audiobook from the library.

Thoughts: This was a sweet little read about a small town with a mysterious past and a couple of women there, who not only uncover some secrets from their past and find peace, but also find love along the way. I didn’t enjoy this as much as the Waverly Family books, but it was still a fun read.

The story goes mainly between Willa and Paxton; two women with links back to The Blue Ridge Madam, a historical house that is being restored. We do hear some from their love interests as well. The story focuses on these women healing, finding friendship, and love. However, interwoven with that is a mystery involving The Blue Ridge Madam, a traveling salesman named Tucker Devlin, and Willa and Paxton’s grandmothers.

This was a cozy, small town mystery and I enjoyed it. There is some subtle magical realism throughout as well. The story can feel a bit fractured because you are jumping back and forth between a number of people but it worked okay. I listened to this on audiobook and sometimes it took me a couple minutes to figure out whether we were hearing from Paxton or Willa…while their internal character voices are different, the voices the narrator used were incredibly similar.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and am happy I read it. Allen’s books always have a peaceful, happy quality to them which leaves you feeling upbeat. I did not enjoy this as much as the Waverly Family books, mainly because it wandered between too many points of view. There was a good mystery here and I enjoyed watching these women find some peace and happiness.