Pages: 370
Release Date: March 14, 2012Buy From Amazon.ca / Buy From Chapters.ca /
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Goodreads Synopsis:
The author of the New York Times bestselling The Little Giant of Aberdeen County returns with a magic-tinged tale of dreams, family secrets, and betrayals on a New England salt farm.
In the isolated Cape Cod village of Prospect, the Gilly sisters are as different as can be. Jo, a fierce and quiet loner, is devoted to the mysteries of her family's salt farm, while Claire is popular, pretty, and yearns to flee the salt at any cost. But the Gilly land hides a dark legacy that proves impossible to escape. Although the community half-suspects the Gilly sisters might be witches, it doesn't stop Whit Turner, the town's wealthiest bachelor, from forcing his way into their lives. It's Jo who first steals Whit's heart, but it is Claire--heartbroken over her high school sweetheart--who marries him.
Years later, estranged from her family, Claire finds herself thrust back onto the farm with the last person she would have chosen: her husband's pregnant mistress. Suddenly, alliances change, old loves return, and new battle lines are drawn. What the Gilly sisters learn about each other, the land around them, and the power of the salt, will not only change each of their lives forever, it will also alter Gilly history for good.
My Review:
This book has been on my TBR list for awhile, so I'm glad that I finally found some down time to pick it up. I can gladly say that all my anticipation made this book worth the read, Baker did such a beautiful job with this story. I always love a family story with a great mystery behind it.
The town of Prospect is a small town where everybody knows you and it is hard to keep a secret (kind or reminds me of the town of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls). Little towns like that have always been my dream place of living, I want to be somewhere where everyone knows everyone else and you always run into someone you know wherever you go.
Early on in the book you learn there is a mystery behind the salt, it seems to harbour some sort of magic and no one knows how or why (there is a rumour that the Gilly women are witches). I felt like the salt was the main part of the story for some time, it affected everyone around, the townspeople even had a bonfire every year where salt is thrown into the fire to determine what will come in the future (good, bad, love?). But there is also this huge family mystery, I was thinking this story was going to take a different turn than it actually did.
I really wanted to know what this big thing between the Turner family and Gilly family was, why do the two most important families in town hate each other. This is the big mystery of the story, there are secrets that are not known in the town. As the story continued on I really wanted to know more about the Turners and Gillys history and I had a bit of a guess of what some of it was but at the same time I was still pleasantly surprised by the reveal.
Baker's writing is amazing and she really draws you into the story of the Gilly women. I enjoyed how the story is told from the perspectives of these three different women all with a heart for Whit. Everything changes with the arrival of Dee and her father and this is how we learn a lot about the past of Prospect.
This is an emotional read at times as we watch the characters grow and learn that life is not always perfect. This book is on my list of recommended reads for those who enjoy a little mystery with their family drama.
I gave this book a shot earlier this year and couldn't get into it. But I feel like it was just one of those "not in the mood for this right now" type things. This review has convinced me to give it another shot =). Love it!
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