17 Jun 2012

Book Review - The Gilly Salt Sisters by Tiffany Baker

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.

Goodreads page here
Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing
Release Date:  14th March 2012
Purchase it at:  Amazon UKAmazon USA

My Review:   10/10

The Gilly Salt family are outsiders in the town running a salt farm, salt which seems to have a magical quality to them which seems to be casting a spell on the town.  Each year the town holds a bonfire where a member of the Gilly family throws salt into and it predicts the future for the town for the following year.  Blue means the town is going to prosper.  Yellow means change is in the air.  Black means something horrible is on the horizon. 

Jo Gilly is the oldest sister who is very responsible and takes care of the family and the business.  Claire, on the other hand, really does not want to be there and does everything in her power to leave her family and the farm behind, despite whose feelings she hurts.  This story is very much about the interaction between the Gilly Salt Sisters and unearthing family secrets that could either tear them further apart or bring them closer together.

This is such a great family drama I have to admit that I found it very hard to put down.  I just had to find out what was going to happen next and what family secrets would be unearthed.  What made the story more enjoyable was the flash backs to the past that gives a bigger picture of what the Gilly sisters have to face.  If you like a good family drama, I would highly recommend this one.

Best wishes

Debs

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