The Silver Bough [Kindle Edition]

Lisa Tuttle (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. One bite of a magical golden apple holds the key to a Scottish town's renewal and may grant the heart's desire for three lucky American women, provided they take a leap of faith in this enchanting tale from Tuttle (The Mysteries). In the coastal village of Appleton, Ashley Kaldis, who's recently lost her parents, traces her grandmother's roots; Kathleen Mullaroy works as librarian of the local (haunted) library; and Eleanor "Nell" Westray, a grieving young widow, cultivates a rare Scarlet King apple tree that produces the once-in-a-lifetime Golden Queen apple. This is the same apple that the oddly ageless Roan Wall, the town's recently returned prodigal son, was supposed to share some 50 years earlier with the then Apple Queen, who instead ran away to America, insuring Appleton's decline. Full of delightful characters, engagingly fey imagery and well-researched Celtic lore, this superior fantasy provides a juicy denouement fit for a queen. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Small, quiet, coastal Appleton, Scotland, was famous for its apples. But the orchards were removed for crops, and the town lives on memories of past glory. Legend says Appleton's bad luck began with the crowning of the last Apple Queen in 1950. The would-have-been queen and her consort didn't eat the once-in-a-generation, magical golden apple, and didn't marry and live in Appleton. Nearly-queen Phemie simply disappeared. Now, three women converge on Appleton, each drawn for different reasons. And when a shabbily dressed but drop-dead-handsome young man appears, an earthquake causes a landslide that cuts Appleton off from the rest of the world. Odd things begin to happen. In a small, walled orchard, a single golden apple appears, of a variety thought to be extinct. It will give town and townspeople a second chance at prosperity. For a special few who believe, it offers a chance to realize their hearts' deepest desires. Tuttle's lovely story moves at Appleton's gentle pace and, like it, abounds with charm and magic. Readers will want to take their time with it, to savor its layers of nuance. Tuttle seamlessly blends times past and present and adds Celtic magic to the mix in an utterly believable way. Beautifully done! Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 373 KB
• Print Length: 368 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (April 25, 2006)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000GCFG92
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #458,128 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good fantasy read..., April 16, 2006

By 

Samatha Smith - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Silver Bough (Hardcover)

I have been getting into more fantasy like Gaimen's Neverwhere and thought I should try this book. I got it ahead of time in a reviewer copy format from my work. I thought the setting was great - a lonely peninsula in Scotland where time has nearly stopped. Tuttle writes pretty well and keeps you guessing so you want to know what is going to happen next.

I only have one criticism and that is Tuttle wrote about fantasy creatures and places but you never really visit it them in the novel. She touches around the edges of the fantasy realm and leaves you hanging a little bit.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling fantasy, August 9, 2006

By 

N. Bonner (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Silver Bough (Hardcover)

Lisa Tuttle is a great storyteller. I almost missed my train stop, I was so involved in this book. The book centers on three women, all American, Ashley, Kathleen and Nell. They happen to be in the Scottish village of Appleton just in time for an earthquake to cause a landslide that cuts the peninsula off from the mainland. The earthquake turns things around in Appleton, once famous for its orchards and cider. But in 1950, Ashely's grandmother did not fullfil her role as the Apple Queen, and by the time Ashley arrives, there are no more apple trees at all.

Tuttle brings the magic in gradually through a stranger called Ronan, who turns out to be her grandmother's former fiance--presumed jilted when granny disappeared from the village. Ronan touches the lives of Ashley and Nell as magical creatures descend on the village that becomes totally cut off from the rest of the world. In the end, he ends what seems like a curse on Appleton and restores Nell's life.

The story itself was fresh and original. But I only gave it four stars because Tuttle's language was often crude and flat, which tended to bring me out of the story and make me realize I was just reading a book. It also bothered me that she neatly wrapped up the lives of Kathleen and Nell, but left Ashley, the first character we meet and the catalyst for much of what happens, in limbo. She never really describes Nell, and I envisioned her as an elderly widow until the very end of the book, when it becomes clear she is young and beautiful. A physical description somewhere along the line would have helped.

Still, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, June 17, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Silver Bough (Hardcover)

The book starts off definetly with two feet firmly planted in the real world. Ashley is finding her roots and going back to Appleton, Scotland where her granny came from. However, a landslide isolates the dying town. Soon, people are seeing mermaids, kelpies, and ghosts. It might put the town back on the map again, but first someone must eat the golden apple...
A mixture of modern and myth, superbly blended together into a gripping plot.