Dahlias Book Giveaway!

We’re having a Book Giveaway to celebrate the upcoming publication of The Darling Dahlias and the Voodoo Lily–coming later this month. Win these four signed hardcovers for yourself or for gifting.

Quick-and-easy entry–simply comment below, telling us what you like best about the Dahlias. Continental U.S. only, please. One entry per person. Comments close on Thursday October 15th at midnight. The winner will be selected at random.

Thanks for being a reader!

Update 10/19. The winner: Vicki, in Providence, RI. Congratulations, Vicki, and thanks to all who entered!

 

 

152 comments on “Dahlias Book Giveaway!

  1. I am a Southern woman and absolutely love learning more about my historical culture. I adore the color of the ladies and how their friendships continue to change and grow; very much like life itself. Since it gets so hot in the summers, I love how things slow down in the heat of the day and how the rhythm of the seasons shape life itself in the South. Also, I love the flowers! I am now living in Alaska and miss the honeysuckle, the smell of the orange blossoms and lilies and just waking up to the wonderful scents and aromas from that time period! Keep up the wonderful work!

  2. The history, the charm, the horticultural references mingle with the characters and the charm of a small town life! Having lived in Texas for 18 years, we are now living back in Pennsylvania….I have known some ladies who could fit right in eith the Dahlias🦋🌿🍁

  3. I’m reading through the “Cottage Series” now. My next series will be the Dahlias. I know I’ll love them as much as I love the Cottage series.

  4. The Dahlias speak to me because my Husband grew up in Mobile Alabama! So it makes me feel closer to him! I also got my daughter’s name form the Dahlias! I was 8 months pregnant reading one and the name Violet spoke to me! So my daughter’s name is Violet Evangeline!

  5. I love that this series jogs our memories that there was a time when life was slower and we were all more important to each other and lived more involved with our neighbors, and communities. I am in my mid seventies and grew up at a time that was still on the fringes of the time that these stories took place . I have learned so much while reading about the Dahlias- much of it that has led me to do further research about what my grandparents life was like. I read them over and over until the next one comes out. Thank you for writing them. Love& Luck, Lucy Harrell

  6. I love these books! I’m always hooked by the fifth page and have a hard time putting a book down for meals and bedtime! The characters in the Dahlia books are like neighbors with the personalities, outlooks, and compassion our neighbors have. I particularly love this 20th century period, the 1930s, the books are set. Lots of history that just flows, informs, and entertains – historical fiction many times teaches history almost as well as the dry facts, making the Dahlias educational for all. These books hit on so many points, making them so much fun. I love sharing these books with family and friends – gives us lots to talk about by phone and Zoom!

  7. I love the stories of the Dahlias – their friendship, the flowers and the thinking that has to go into solving the mysteries they find themselves involved in. Keep them coming.

  8. I love the Dahlias – feel I know them personally. Interesting to see what life was like during the Great Depression. My mother grew up during that time, and I’ve heard stories similar to those in the Dahlias books. Also, I like the way different members are solving the mysteries – not the same ones every time.

  9. What a fun, comfortable neighborhood! I know several of these ladies, and I always learn something.

  10. I really enjoy the history lessons wrapped in each Darling Dahlia book. The way in which these characters exhibited positive attitudes in the face of challenging times is something for us all to take to heart in 2020.

  11. After reading most of these comments, I don’t know what I could say that’s different – reading these books (I have all of them but would gift if I won) is like going home to a place I’ve never been born. Visiting with former classmates, neighbors, my Mom’s friends and, or course, family. Visiting old haunts and finding new ones……just a wonderful cozy peaceful visit. I’m going to go get them off the shelf and re-read!! I need that feeling again.

  12. I love the fascinating glimpse back into history and the challenges of the era. I live in a city of one million plus so enjoy the details on small town living as imagined by the author. As always, SWA’s characters are well written and developed and her plots are unique.

  13. I love the friendship between these ladies. Shows a simpler time when friendships were actually like this. I love these books. It feels like you could actually live there. Beautiful well written stories with humor and a lot of love.

  14. I love the relationships of the ladies. I enjoy seeing how they help others with their gardens, their cooking, their love. I like that they are not perfect and they work on becoming better versions of themselves. The story is told through all of their voices.

  15. I love the small town flavor where everyone may know your business, but are right there to help when you need it. I like the friendship among the characters, the quieter, slower pace of life, and the way the characters grow and develop over time. I love this series!

  16. They are funny, love flowers, and value friendship and hard work. And they stick together They care.

  17. I love the pace of daily life highlighted in each story. The connection to each other, the community and the events they help plan and participate in. The recipes are an added bonus!

  18. I am so excited that another Darling Dahlia book will soon be here! The ladies of Darling are each so strong and resilient. I love their “ can do, make do” attitude. I especially appreciate their garden sense. They garden for beauty’s sake and for sustenance AND they share with the community.True gardeners!

  19. While reading the Dahlias books, I’m transported to their world, and have the pleasure of living in small-town Darling! These ladies and their community are brought to vivid life, and keep me entertained for days (if I’m able to draw it out that long.) I’d love to win these autographed books!

  20. I love the relationships of these characters. I’m always entertained by the nostalgic feeling of the stories. I feel good when I read them!

  21. The Dahlias remind me of my grandmother and her best friend. My grandmother passed away 10 years ago and reading these books makes me think of her and brings such joy and laughter to my heart.

  22. I love the feel of the small town where everyone knows each other and supports each other.

  23. I love all of your books. This series is especially fun to read because it is a slice of life from long ago.

  24. I love the fact that they are always looking out for each other. I also love thier independence and fighting spirit. I also love that they want to keep thier town beautiful with flowers.

  25. I love the Dahlias because they remind me of the older women in the 1917 Club my mother belonged to and my sister and I would tag along. What powerful women.

  26. Love these quirky ladies! To have a good story with lots of good humor is a delight! Thanks, Susan!

  27. I love the downhome, folksy ladies that are the Dahlias. They are comfortable and comforting and make me smile. Thank you for bringing them to me.

  28. The Dahlia books make me laugh, and Lord knows we all need more laughter in our lives! Thank you for writing books that take readers to “happy places” with characters who quickly become our friends!

  29. The best thing about the Dahlias is how hey stick together to help their families and their neighbors during tough times.

  30. I really like the historical details and the characters best. I now care about what happens to them!

  31. One of the important parts of the Darling Dahlias stories, for me, is how the town of Darling changes – for good or bad – as the Depression continues. I like the way these changes are seen through the eyes of a great group of gardeners, and I like the recipes for using what they grow. I like this series!

  32. I love the seemingly simpler, kinder, sweeter time as depicted in the Dahlia series.
    I’ve mentioned before how I read some of them to my mom as she was dying. They helped calm me down during a very difficult time.
    They always transport me to a place and time I wish I had lived in. I’m looking forward to visiting the Dahlias again real soon! Thank you, Linda

  33. I have been enthralled with the Darling Dahlias especially the historical aspect, the changing roles women play during this time period, the stock market crash, the dust bowl, etc. and I love the recipes and the household hints at the end of the book. After reading the Poinsetta puzzle book I went out and bought a miniature muffin tin to bake the Pecan Tassies for the upcoming Holidays. I am so happy to hear that another episode is on the horizon.

  34. Reading The Darling Dahlias you are immersed into a time in our history to one of the most challenging for the people that lived it. Have enjoyed all the different women I been introduced to and have continued to see them evolve through their ups and downs concerning love,work,visitors,family. Like the fact of sharing what each has with each other…food,advice,money,courage and love. Women are always so full of life and passing on to one another. The mysteries they encounter show their strengths and weaknesses in helping solve the puzzle. Look forward to reading the next🍷🌹🌈

  35. This is a great series. I like the historical timeline. I love how the women all work together. Each character stands out and is memorable. The author does such a nice job.

  36. This is one of my favorite series! I like the time line historically. And seeing how these women work together. Very good storylines.

  37. I love Ms. Alberts writing. I feel part of the community when I read her books. I love that era and all the beautiful and fun things the Dahlias do. It gives me a warm feeling when reading about these heroic and gracious ladies. Please keep them coming.

  38. A mystery and plants and flowers and good, supportive friends. What could be better? And I love the history of the 30’s!

  39. I love how the DarlingDahlias stick together,take care of their families and support their communites all while solving a mystery or two. . the historical setting is great i admire the way SWA blends historical events with daily life.. And i love the recipes and suggestion 1930s homemakers.

  40. I’m not sure my comment went through, but I love the immersion into the Dahlias’ world. Each Dahlia is different but so complementary. I’ve read them all (as well as all the China series) and can’t wait til the next is out. Susan expresses the period and its people in such exquisite detail, and it’s obvious that she has researched each tiny fragment that combines into these marvelous books. I admire the tremendous research as well as the great results. I love visiting my Darling Dahlia friends and hope their adventures continue to cross our paths!

  41. I love each of the Darling Dahlia’s in different ways, but I especially like Susan Wittig Albert’s ability to transport us back to Alabama at such an important point in our history. It’s a total immersion in that culture and, frankly, is appealing in so many ways (though not the lack of a/c in the summer!). The characters are each so different but so complementary. I really do love these books!

  42. I missed my time period. I love walking the streets of Darling, Alabama in the 1930s. I love the fried chicken at the cafe and Raylene’s pie and coffee. She’ll know which one I like. I want to buy a new hat, pick up a copy of the paper and get my hair done. Then I want to help the Darling Dahlias can at their club house and work in the garden. I love the care they show to each other – pretty much “one for all and all for one” attitude. It’s hard to choose a favorite friend but it’s pretty much Lizzie and her partner in crime Vera. I love being right in the middle of their adventures. The history and mystery of the books tickles my fancy. Thank you for writing about vintage times in a masterful way.

  43. I love every one of your books. I can’t even tell you which one I like the best because of this. I am into mystery’s and these keep me going until I get to the very end and see who did it. Thanks for writing all these books and I hope to see more.

  44. Being as old as dirt, I can relate to The Dahlias. Their work ethic and camaraderie is reminiscent of days gone by. I would love to be the recipient of your signed collection. Keep ’em coming1

  45. I love the Darling Dahlias Series. I love the history, mystery, and the closeness of a community looking out for each other. I love the quirky personalities and the strong women you write. My mother and grandmother were strong women and fantastic role models for education and for learning and serving others. I bought the first book on Kindle while I was waiting on an new China Bayles book and I got the rest then on Audible as they were so great. Then the Hard Covers as I liked reading the recipes and tidbits and sent them onto my sisters to read. I have read the series to my 86 year young mother and we have laughed and talked about many things she experienced growing up in a small farming community. I truly appreciate all the work that goes into the research for the plants and the history and love how you pull it all together. I cannot wait for this next book. My mom will be so excited. We have read them at least 3 times each.
    Thank you so much for writing this series it has been a joy.

  46. I love “cozy” mysteries and period fiction, so the Dahlias are a great mix. And the gardening theme is so fun to read about.

  47. I love your books, being 82 years young, I remember lots of these things, Good memories. Would love the new books.

  48. I really like the idea of escaping to a charming southern town filled with fascinating characters, lovely gardens and the always intriguing mystery!

  49. I love hearing about their evolving relationships with each other, their families and how together they overcome challenges – something we appreciate more and more today.

  50. Love the series, from a simpler time, people worked hard and made do with what they had.

  51. The Dahlias epitomize friendship and collaboration at their finest. The Dahlias exemplify working together intuitively and for the common good, a necessary and timely model for women today. The recipes and gardening tips are a bonus!

  52. I absolutely love the Dahlias books, and eagerly look forward to each new one. Reading them, I easily slip back to my childhood growing up in a small town in Arkansas. I am again that small child watching and listening as my parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, did many of the same things, and talked about many of the same things the Dahlias do. It’s like being home again… just for a little while.

  53. I love the Ladies ability to overcome and adapt in hard times and enjoy learning about how real people lived during the depression. It wasn’t all doom and gloom. I have been making all the recipes at the end of the books and have a couple new favorite dishes.

  54. I love both the China and Dahlias books, and have read them all. I am waiting for both the new books to read and add to my collection. I love the mysteries of them all. I like reading about how it was years ago in the south. Living in Maine and New Hampshire all my life makes it nice to know about other places and times. I feel like I’m sitting at the table at one of the Dahlia’s meetings. The education on the herbs and flowers is what started my love for the series. Keep up the great work, thank you for your stories. Elaine

  55. I love those books because the people seem real, they are humorous but touching at the same time. And the stories are like real life, not always fantasy and wonderfulness. Just love the characters in the books. Can’t wait for the new one!

  56. Love to see them living the times makes it more real than just a history lesson. Enjoy the characters and the setting love the flower lore.

  57. I’ve read all the Dahlias mysteries…can’t wait for the new one! My Dad grew up in Liberty, MO…a typical mid-western town so i can relate to the Dahlias pretty much…I do remember as a child visiting (from NY) that my grandparents had a party line phone and they lived in a very rural area with a rural address…my cousins were very, very different from my sisters and me and they let me know it…very different from the more diversified town I lived in. Still, I do love reading about Alabama in the 30’s and how Roosevelt’s New Deal and his ABC programs IMPROVED life for these folks. The characters in the Dahlias series are written so clearly, warts and all.

  58. I would believe the ladies are real; they look and sound so much like the ladies I grew up, watching them canning peaches in a hot kitchen in the middle of summer and hearing their stories of how they “made do” and innovated with fool, flowers, fabrics and so many other parts of their world. The Southern flavor matches the conversation, gossip, and advice-giving on planting and preserving and getting by gracefully.

  59. Amazing that I like ALL the woman! Their unique personalities interact with generosity and caring believably well.
    Being drawn back into the simpler but challenging’30s, gives an appreciation for what exists today while realizing the cost of what has been lost.

    I love reading the Dahlias. Bittersweet and always fun.

  60. Different characteristics of different ladies remind me of my Grandmother and her life. I have read them from the beginning and am so glad you are continuing to write about that world.

  61. Reading this series reminds me of stories that my mom told me about her childhood. Learning more about life in the Depression era helps me understand Mom better.

  62. Oh dear, I haven’t read this series (yet!) so I hope that doesn’t disqualify me. I’m in love with the China Bayles series.

  63. I’ve really enjoyed all of Susan’s books. But I like the Dahlia books because they take place in a time that I haven’t been that familiar with. Also, I grew up in a very small town, and the warm feeling throughout the books takes me back to that time. Times are tough, but people persevere—we need that reassurance now that things do improve.

  64. I love the ’30’s and the resilient women in this series who defy the norms of the time period and take care of one another and their community in the midst of their crime solving.

  65. Hi, I just started re-reading one of the Darling Dahlia books, they are so appropriate to our times. I did not grow up during the depression, immigrated with my parents from Germany in 1956 and I was 12, but I am an avid gardener. All your books are very ‘soothing’, and the characters become real friends.

  66. I have enjoyed reading the Dahlias and the world they live in. Though I am not of their generation I was born in Alabama and lived there until I was 5 or 6 when my parents returned to the midwest. The south has always been special to me and these stories have reminded of me of why. Thank you for writing them.

  67. Thanks so much for these books, Susan! We’re about 10 years apart in age, and while I didn’t live in the 30’s, I was certainly surrounded by a lot of women who did. And I’ve always considered that a huge gift and blessing. The Dahlias with all their human-ness, foibles included, just walk right off the pages and reach out to the best qualities in us. Especially during these times, they’re on my list to read all over again.

  68. The Dahlias take us back to an earlier time that presented great challenges. The ladies banded together to get through economic hardship, sharing housing, sharing gardens, and sharing the kinds of conversations we in our busy world don’t often make time for. When I sink into a Darling Dahlias story I join them, and it comforts me. I greet old friends and catch up on the latest. I trim snap beans in a bowl in my lap. I set the table for dinner and wash up afterward. I feel at home.

  69. The dahlias are resourceful and take care of each other. I admire their community spirit as well. They are living in tough times and they make the best of it. We all would do well to emulate them! As Leslie Temmen mentioned, the books tackle difficult subjects that we are still dealing with today in a realistic and often uplifting way. Thanks for the opportunity to win a signed copy Susan!

  70. My Mother grew up in a small East Texas town and I think of her every time I read a Dahlia
    book…..and I’ve re-read them all during this pandemic. I can just see her and remember the
    people I knew who had lived through this time period. Thank you

  71. I’ve loved reading the Darling Dahlias series from the first book. From the depictions of the women’s friendships and their diverse personalities to the characters’ can-do attitudes and their resilience in difficult times, the books are great pleasure to read and escape from this increasingly challenging year. Thank you, Ms. Albert!

  72. The Darling Dahlias jump off the page and into my heart from the past, from my neighborhood, and in some ways from my current circle of friends. These ladies are endearing and although sculpted with words, seem every bit as real as characters we know from our lives today.

  73. I am just reading the last of the China Bayles series, all of them were fabulous! Now I am ready to start the Darling Dahlias series. CAN’T WAIT!

  74. Love the Dahlia gals because they remind me of my mother who was of their era. I can identify with them!

  75. The darlings reflect the timeless bond of women interacting in a world not so far removed from our own. They have all the foibles and humanity of women today and interact generationally in fun and suspense. Susan, you make your characters so memorable and so human. You write as a woman who understands women. Thank you!

  76. Your books bring me such happiness. I think of my grandmother, born in 1900, whenever I read them. She was a Northerner but oh-so-many similarities to the pictures you paint. My mom and I would wait avidly for your books. I had to read the last couple to her but she loved them just the same. She was 93 when she died.

  77. Hi Susan,
    I love all your books, so getting some signed books would be amazing. I love this series because of the way the women work together to solve problems. However I really enjoy the way they respect each other and work together even though they are different ages and have varying thoughts and opinions. Thank you for many hours of great reading.
    Barb M.

  78. I have enjoyed your books for years, especially the ones featuring herbs. This series also features a group of warm characters that I enjoy so much. Thank you.

  79. Dahlias are one of my favorite flowers! I love the series because the women are beautiful, strong and steadfast, like the flower. I also love historical settings. Challenging times brings out the best in your characters . Thanks for hours of reading pleasure!

  80. Can’t wait for the new installment of the Darling Dahlias and the Voodoo Lily! Like other loyal readers of the series, I like the many courageous women of the town and how they interact with each other and solve the dilemmas of the 1930’s.

  81. It’s great to go back to a simpler place in time. You can imagine yourself living there and participating in all the events. I love all of your books.

  82. The ladies in the Dahlia book are so strong.They know just how to put on their big girl panties.
    Can’t wait to read the latest.🌺

  83. I love the gentle town that you have created, and people I recognize the folks who live in town. They chat about each other behind their backs, but always defend them to outsiders. And, always always love them, Susan, you have provided so much detail, that I feel this town actually exists! Thank for creating the darling Dahlias.

  84. The Dahlias represent all of the real women who “made do” during the Depression to keep their families and communities functioning. There aren’t many books out there about this time period in general and none that I know of that deal with ordinary women slogging along day by day but also keeping their sanity and spirits up by gardening and supporting each other. I love their toughness and their compassion.

  85. I really like the camaraderie among the women and how they care for each other. We certainly need more of that in this world!

  86. What I enjoy most about the Dahlias series is these women’s strength of character. It reminds me of my grandmother – who I suspect was very much like these women. She worked outside the home as a book keeper in an era when women didn’t. She helped found both a book club and a gardening club in this same era; her book club was named “The Rose Garden.”

  87. Just read the first book and I am HOOKED. Love the era and the friendships and the gardening info.
    Have read all the China Bayles series so already a fan of Susan Albert.
    Laurel Bohler

  88. I look forward to every book, and the possibility of learning something new about the 1930’s. When I’m reading them I already have a picture in my mind of the Town Square and everything around it. Their lives sound simpler then it must have been, but so much simpler than ours.

  89. This series is a gentle storytelling of life in the 1920-30’s in a small southern town. But the series tackles many major topics such as women’s financial independence, lack of opportunity, domestic abuse, continuation of a African American service class, inequities in the laws and policing, guarded lives of LGBTQ people and it tells the stories with a sense of surviving (& thriving) as the theme. Uplifting but also gives an opportunity to reflect on how far we’ve come and how far we need to go. Let’s not forget the past and it’s lessons. If something doesn’t feel right, in some small individual way everyone must work towards change.

  90. I love books that portray women as the amazing creatures we are !!!!! The Dahlias are women who stand out in a crowd and follow their own special path solving mysteries !!!!!

  91. The Dahlias series is fun. While, yes, there is mysteries to solve, the importance is the relationships of the people. I love the history and information learned in each. The perfect way spend an afternoon.

  92. I also love how the Ladies look out for each other. I love the attention to detail that brings the 1930’s to life. The ending of the mystery is always a surprise to me, which I love because I’m usually pretty good at figuring them out. But not the Dahlias books!

  93. The Dahlias take me to a slower pace of life, which is needed right now. Story lines are interesting and insightful. I read all of Albert’s books as soon as they come out.

  94. Oh, P.S.: as a Master Gardener and member of the local Garden Club, I appreciate the accurate and fascinating botanical aspects thoroughly.

  95. This is a group of intelligent women working together to solve problems and support one another. Being set in the time period, women were often consigned to meek roles, not these ladies! I can’t wait for it to come out. Thank you!

  96. The sense of time and place, clearly based in solid research, allows the reader to be immersed in a time that Americans struggled but persevered. Extraordinarily relevant now! But also good stories of interesting people and situations.

  97. I haven’t started this series yet, but love the other series you’ve written, especially China Bayles. I went to college in San Marcos and when you describe the town it feels so reminiscent.

  98. I enjoy this series so much. The books are so well-written that I can imagine myself back in time. These characters have become my friends.

  99. It’s the 1930s that’s my favorite part. Of course the ladies and their friendships are terrific. And the great writing is a given coming from Susan. But the 1930s are ‘my’ era. It must be all the stories I heard from Grandma about her younger years that’s etched that decade in my mind. (well, and an young love of Grapes of Wrath that never left me – that probably helped too.)

  100. I grew up in Oklahoma and these stories remind me of my grandma and my great aunts and the Daisy Club they were a part of. I wonder if they solved mysteries too? With all the talking they did, I bet so!

  101. The characters in the stories touch on the time period that my mother lived through. I can connect the women in the stories with those I actually knew as a child.

  102. I like the time frame the book is set in and the small town setting. I learn something from every book of yours that I read. The characters from the Darling Dahlias keep me amused. I’ve read all the books you’ve written I just started the Robin Page series.

  103. I love the Dahlias characters and their friendships as well as all the historical information of that era. I didn’t know that I could like any books other than China Bayles, but I do . Thank you.

  104. In anticipation of the new book, I have gone back and re-read all the past books. I am so anxious to find out the latest on Liz and Grady!

  105. I love, love ‘ALL’ of your books from Robin Paige to the books about the Dahlias! I was also thrilled to learn that you wrote Carolyn Keene books as well!!! Thank you for entertaining me for ‘years’ ! Please continue writing!!

  106. Visiting with the Dahlia’s has been a wonderful escape from today’s problems and a chance to enjoy a simpler time.They’re re-readable, shareable and comforting. Thank you!

  107. I love how the different personalities accept each other’s quirks and work together for a common good. A marvelous testimony to friendship!

  108. I really enjoy the historical context and learning about the time in which the books are set. My recall of American history is sketchy (and wasn’t extensive in school), so I particularly enjoy learning more about that period. The cast of characters are engaging, and I find that I actually care about them. I’m looking forward to the next adventure!

  109. I have loved all of you books, even when you were Robin Paige. I love China. But the Dahlia series brings me to a different world. Thank you.

  110. I like the connectedness of small town characters, and they have faults, but are allowed to grow past them.

  111. I love that it’s set in the past—I love feeling myself in a different time and place. I also love the friendships of the women—how involved they are in each others lives.

  112. I love everything Susan writes. Or at least so far. I have purchased all of her series and can’t wait until the new Dahlias comes out. I do not do kindle as I like to hold the book on my hands so sometimes I have to wait to get one. Hope not this time !

  113. I derive enjoyment in the setting and people of the Dahlias. The slower pace of life, the hot summers, and life around the courthouse square brings a few hours of contentment while reading. The mystery solving is fun too. Thank you for this series.

  114. Right now, we’re all experiencing tough times and don’t know if it will get tougher still or if we will prosper in the future. The Darling Dahlias experienced the same dynamics, and like most of us, remained hopeful, as exemplified by their overall words and deeds. Very comforting and, yes, inspiring!

  115. Timeless story-telling at its finest. One learns so much while being riotously entertained!

  116. Love the easy read mystery of the Dahlias. I’ve read all the China Bayles mystery’s and the naked ladies of this series so would love to have the whole group in my library.

  117. Hi Susan!! I love the Dahlias because my Mom grew up in the 30s in a small town and the books help me to remember her and the stories she would tell me. Thank you for this chance.

  118. Thank you for the giveaway.

    I enjoy the Dahlias series because it represents my parents’ era and typifies values of that age.

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