I really enjoyed this book. I think it wasn't quite as good as Hoofman's Practical Magic (nor Garden Spells, by Allen) but it was close. I loved the level of "magic" in the book. Enough to be noticed and appreacited but not enough to overwhlem. The intergenerational story of the Sparrow women was touching and real and I truly think the love stories were written well also. I noticed a few times that the dialogue seemed slightly off, not quite what someone would actually say. And a few times descriptions seemed odd too. But overall, the themes and story were well done and well written and I reallly enjoyed the book.