Review: First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen

Title: First Frost

Author: Sarah Addison Allen

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/Magical Realism
Series: Waverley Family #2

Publication Date: 20th January 2015

Pages: 304

Book Source: St Martin's Press & NetGalley

Synopsis: It's October in Bascom, North Carolina, and autumn will not go quietly. As temperatures drop and leaves begin to turn, the Waverley women are made restless by the whims of their mischievous apple tree... and all the magic that swirls around it. But this year, first frost has much more in store.

Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley’s Candies. Though her handcrafted confections—rose to recall lost love, lavender to promote happiness and lemon verbena to soothe throats and minds—are singularly effective, the business of selling them is costing her the everyday joys of her family, and her belief in her own precious gifts.

Sydney Waverley, too, is losing her balance. With each passing day she longs more for a baby— a namesake for her wonderful Henry. Yet the longer she tries, the more her desire becomes an unquenchable thirst, stealing the pleasure out of the life she already has.

Sydney’s daughter, Bay, has lost her heart to the boy she knows it belongs to…if only he could see it, too. But how can he, when he is so far outside her grasp that he appears to her as little more than a puff of smoke?

When a mysterious stranger shows up and challenges the very heart of their family, each of them must make choices they have never confronted before. And through it all, the Waverley sisters must search for a way to hold their family together through their troublesome season of change, waiting for that extraordinary event that is First Frost.

My Thoughts:

First Frost started slowly. I panicked a little ... where's the magic, where's the magic? But before I knew it I'd been swept away. 

I read Garden Spells 6 years ago but 10 years on revisiting the Waverley family ... sisters Claire & Sydney, Sydney's husband Henry and now 15 year old daughter Bay, Claire and Tyler's daughter Mariah, and quirky Aunt Evanelle and Fred, was like having a cup of tea with dear old friends you haven't seen for years but you pick up right where you left off ... comfortable, familiar and just plain good. 

Each member of the Waverley family has a special gift, gifts that tie them to their family name. Bay knows where things belong, Sydney understands the language of hair, Claire uses her catering turned candy business to share the magic of flowers and herbs and Mariah ... well you'll just have to read First Frost to see if she has a gift. And who'd dare forget the mischievous Queen Anne home or the feisty apple tree. 

In First Frost the Waverleys' are feeling a little out of sorts; unsettled and anxious ... it's that period of unrest before first frost when the apple tree blossoms signalling new beginnings.

It looked like the world was covered in a cobbler crust of brown sugar and cinnamon.

Autumn felt like the whole world was browned and roasted until it was so tender it was about to fall away from the bone.

Sarah Addison Allen has a beautiful way with words and there's just something about her writing that takes me back to childhood ... looks of wonder, fairy dust and magical wonderful things.

First Frost is the type of read that makes me believe anything's possible ... like waking in the garden to fairies kissing your nose xx

Recommend: everyone needs a little magic in their life :)

Food is just something you grow and recipes are just words written in notebooks. They are nothing until the right person comes along. 
And that's when the real magic happens.

on that note here's two recipes from First Frost I'd love to try. 

Fig and Pepper Bread

2 cups wholegrain spelt flour

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (plain flour)

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped figs

2 tsp coarse black pepper

2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp olive oil

1 dry yeast packet

1 1/2 cups of warm water

Whisk flour, salt, pepper and yeast until blended, by hand or with whisk attachment of mixer. 

Add Olive oil and warm water. Knead for 10 minutes or use dough hook attachment of mixer for 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and springy. 

Oil a large bowl, place dough inside and cover bowl with a damp hand towel. Let sit in a warm place for approx 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.

Softly knead in the chopped figs and evenly distribute throughout the dough, (lightly flouring your hands can make handling the dough easier) shape into an oval then place on a baking sheet. 

Snip three shallow lines into top of the dough with scissors, then lightly dust the dough with flour.

Let rise, uncovered, until dough swells a little more, 10 - 15 mins, or longer if the kitchen isn't warm.

Place tray in 350 (180 C) oven for 40-45 mins until crust is slight brown and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the underside. 

Cool on wire wrack. 

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

2 jars (15-1/2 ounces) roasted sweet red peppers, drained
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add garlic and mix well. Stir in red peppers, chicken broth, basil and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Cool slightly. In a blender, cover and process soup in batches until smooth. Remove 1 cup to a small bowl; stir in cream. Return remaining puree to pan. Stir in the cream mixture; heat thoroughly (do not boil).

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