Well, I said that I was going to read more of Sarah Addison Allen's novel, so I did! I love any novel that involves baking!
Seventeen-year-old Emily Benedict comes to live with her grandfather, the Giant of Mullaby, after the death of her mother, Dulcie. Shocked to discover that her mother lived a life that she never shared with her daughter, Emily sets out to discover who her mother really was and why her past, including the existence of her grandfather, was kept a secret from her only child. Emily knew Dulcie, as a advocate for justice, a defender of the poor and downtrodden, a woman whose purpose in life was to create a better world. Apparently the citizens of Mullaby remember Dulcie differently, as the popular girl who could make or break anyone in town with a glance, the woman who destroyed a life and a family for her own pleasure. As Emily begins her journey of discovery of where she came from, she also has to come to terms with changing wallpaper, ghostly lights, and secrets involving her new friend Win Coffey and his disapproving family.
Addison fills this novel with the smell of cakes, baked by Julia Winterson, who is desperately trying to earn enough money to pay off her late father's debts by running his barbecue restaurant and selling bakes good. Her two year plan is settle the debts and return to Baltimore, where she plans to open her own bakery. She is kind to Emily and welcomes her to Mullaby, but is distracted by relationship problems related to her own past.
Some people have suggested that this novel is best suited to teens, but I disagree. I think that it has a little bit of something for every age and enough magic to attract anyone who believes, even just a little bit.
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