In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning…

Feb 19, 2015 -

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In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning…

Because that, my friends, is exactly when I finished Sarah Addison Allen’s First Frost. After all, you’ve got to have SOMEthing to do when you’ve put the baby down and you’re waiting to see if it’s safe to go to bed yourself! I did doze off many times during the last few chapters, but that is in no way related to the quality of the book (and in EVERY way related to being in the newborn stage of life again). The important thing is that I thoroughly enjoyed First Frost; it’s a sequel to the author’s first book, Garden Spells, picking up 10 years later. (And yes, you really need to read Garden Spells first. It’s my favorite of hers, however, so it’s no hardship.) The theme of sisterhood is revisited, but it’s joined by an exploration of heritage and what it means to be family, as well as how our decisions (including the decision to decide for ourselves) create our future.

Okay, perhaps that makes it sound more philosophical in focus than it really is (this whole ‘writing reviews on Percocet’ thing is tough, I tell you what.) It’s also a story about a family whose members are all more or less going through a time of upheaval, and how they figure out what changes need to be made and how to make them to (more or less) everyone’s satisfaction. Mostly, it’s a lovely book with likable characters and a family streak of quirky magical traits. I would love to be friends with these women. And isn’t that what makes a book enjoyable?