The Silver Bough

Starred review from February 27, 2006
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.

April 15, 2006
When three American women, each with her own personal tragedy, arrive in the Scottish city of Appleton, renowned for its apples, each hopes to recuperate in the quiet, natural cycles of Scottish rural life. Then a landslide severs Appleton's connection with the outside world and opens it up to a different reality. The author of The Mysteries brings together odd pieces of Scottish folklore, Celtic myth, and international mythology in a tale that explores what people do for what they believe in. Tuttle's fluid style and storytelling talent make this a good addition to most fantasy collections.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 1, 2006
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!(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)