I loved the combination of sweetness and magic in this book. And I especially loved the nuggets of insight about human nature that the author embeds in her dazzling prose. I read it on a plane from San Francisco to Maine--the hours disappeared.

What a beautiful novel! I found it remniscent of Isabelle Allende and Barbara Kingsolver in its slightly mystical tone and its strong, likable female characters. The main two, Julia and Aunt Simone, are both quirky, intelligent, and very real; they are people that I would like to know and hang out with. The book is filled with incredibly creative and vivid imagery, and the prose is absolutely lyrical in parts. I had to ration the book to myself, night by night, to put off its ending. I highly recommend this book, and hope that Ms. Slater has more stories to tell us, and soon.

This is the most beautiful piece of fiction that I have read since Toni Morrison's Beloved. The changing poing of view, poetic passages and flowing narration all work to make this piece a polished gem that deserves the highest accolades. I was dissapointed when it ended and surprised to find that this is Slater's first work. The Wishing Box is expertly crafted, engaging and tends more toward poetry than it does towards prose.