Bay Singer knows that her life is a bit different, although
she has no idea just how different it truly is. Abandoned as
an infant on Nan's doorstep, Bay is used to the whispers and
rumors. The townspeople call Nan a witch, but residents
often leave her mismatched shoes for her quaint shoe garden.
A reunion between Nan and two of her childhood friends,
Mavis and Ruthie, brings back both memories and dark
secrets. Will their reunion help or destroy Bay?
THE MEMORY GARDEN offers readers a haunting, alluring
atmosphere where secrets lurk behind every corner. I love
the images of Nan's shoe garden and how Mary Rickert
incorporates the meanings and uses of each plant at the
beginning of every chapter. Mary Rickert does a marvelous
job at making Nan's garden spring to vivid life. I wanted to
walk in her garden and savor the smells and wild beauty.
THE MEMORY GARDEN focuses on the themes of remembrance,
forgiveness, and acceptance. While the pace is a bit
meandering, the conclusion is well worth the journey. Mary
Rickert allows the readers to get drawn into the beauty and
eccentricity of her characters while the haunting atmosphere
stays with the reader long past the last page. Fans of Sarah
Addison Allen will appreciate Mary Rickert's THE MEMORY
GARDEN for the way she weaves magical realism and long-
forgotten secrets into the storyline.
Not that she knows about them. Her mother, Nan, is sure that
the burden of those secrets would be too much, and that's
why she never told anyone the truth, not even Bay.
There's a lot that Nan's kept quiet over the years,
especially those times with Mavis and Ruthie—times that were
dark and full of guilt. But some secrets have a power all
their own, and Nan realizes she needs Mavis and Ruthie now
more than ever. When the three meet again in Nan's garden,
their reunion has spellbinding effects that none of them
could have imagined, least of all Bay...
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy