The Silver Bough (Hardcover)

by 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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (April 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553382977
• ISBN-13: 978-0553382976
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #852,985 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good fantasy read..., April 17, 2006

By	brbie ann "bookseller" (Grand Rapids, MI) - See all my reviews

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.

6 of 7 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)

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 spell binding Scottish Brigadoon like fantasy, April 25, 2006

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

On the coast of Scotland in the Highlands is the town of Appleton, a place that is connected to the mainland by one small road. When an earthquake hits, the townsfolk are cut off from the rest of civilization. Supplies will be brought in by a ferry and mail and medical supplies will be flown in.

Three American women are in Appleton. The town librarian Kathleen, the widow Nell who has bought Orchid House and one of her trees is a special golden apple that has not been seen for over fifty years. Visiting the town is Ashley whose grandmother was born there and left without telling anyone she was going. She refused to tell her family about that part of her life which makes Ashley all the more eager to get in touch with her roots. Another stranger in the town is Rhoan, a man in his twenties who looks exactly like the person in a photo that is over half century old. Much of the magic that lay hidden comes out in the cut off Appleton. It seems as if the place is moving into the Otherworld where the Apple Fairest that appeared in one of Nell's trees changes the reality of our world and gives those deserving them their heart's desire.

SILVER BOUGH is all about subtle magic that is part of Appleton, a place that many believe originated in another dimension. Readers gradually became aware of the power that is in the very land itself and that of Rhoan, who is part of that magic and wants to return to his father's home. The characters are three dimensional and have a role in the upcoming events as Lisa Tuttle has written a spell binding Scottish Brigadoon like fantasy.

Harriet Klausner