Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe: A Novel

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“ Nestled in the mountain shadows of Alabama lies the little town of Wicklow. It is here that Anna Kate has returned to bury her beloved Granny Zee, owner of the Blackbird Café.It was supposed to be a quick trip to close the café and settle her grandmother’s estate, but despite her best intentions to avoid forming ties or even getting to know her father’s side of the family, Anna Kate finds herself inexplicably drawn to the quirky Southern town her mother ran away from so many years ago, and the mysterious blackbird pie everybody can’t stop talking about.”This book is magical! The writing is awesome. You will not want to put this one down. The characters are well written and you can feel like you are each character. This is by far in my top 5 if not my favorite book ever.

EXCERPT: 'Why don't you start at the beginning?''The beginning? Well, I reckon that was the funeral. The funeral turned into a damned circus when the blackbirds showed up.' Blackberry sweet tea sloshed over the rims of two mason jars as Faylene Wiggins abruptly slapped her hand on the tabletop. 'Wait! Wait! You can't print that. My mama would wash out my mouth with her homemade lemon verbena soap if she knew I cursed for the good Lord and all the world to see in your article.'The reporter flipped the pages of his yellow steno pad. 'I thought you said that your mother was dead?''You're not from these parts, so you're excused for not understanding. Wicklow, Alabama, isn't any old ordinary town, young man. Goodness, I wouldn't put it past my mama to rise straight out of the ground and hunt me down, bar of soap clutched in her bony hand.' With a firm nod, she jammed a finger in the air and added, 'Now, that you can print.'ABOUT 'MIDNIGHT AT THE BLACKBIRD CAFÉ': Nestled in the mountain shadows of Alabama lies the little town of Wicklow. It is here that Anna Kate has returned to bury her beloved Granny Zee, owner of the Blackbird Café.It was supposed to be a quick trip to close the café and settle her grandmother’s estate, but despite her best intentions to avoid forming ties or even getting to know her father’s side of the family, Anna Kate finds herself inexplicably drawn to the quirky Southern town her mother ran away from so many years ago, and the mysterious blackbird pie everybody can’t stop talking about.As the truth about her past slowly becomes clear, Anna Kate will need to decide if this lone blackbird will finally be able to take her broken wings and fly.MY THOUGHTS: A beautiful story about family ties, secrets, grief, old grudges, love and forgiveness.Heather Webber never fails to draw me in with her marvellous characters and whimsical storylines. She conjures up just the right mix of family drama, mystery, romance and magical realism.I could hear her characters speaking and was hungry for both Anna-Kate's pies and Gabriel's fried chicken.The only thing stopping this from being a five star read was my confusion about the roles of Jenna and Bow. If anyone can enlighten me, I'd be grateful.⭐⭐⭐⭐THE AUTHOR: Heather Webber, aka Heather Blake, is the author of more than twenty-five novels. She loves to read, drink too much coffee and tea, birdwatch, crochet, and bake. She currently lives near Cincinnati, Ohio, and is hard at work on her next book.I own my copy of Midnight at the Blackbird Café by Heather Webber

This novel is a delightful story of forgiveness and discovery. Protagonist Anna Kate Callow must return to her mother's hometown according to the terms of her grandmother's will. Anna Kate is obligated to spend two months operating her grandmother Zee's Blackbird Café before she heads off to medical school. But this isn't just any little café. Zee has served special pies called "Blackbird" Pies for years. Although the pies are actually fruit pies (no birds in the recipe), they have a special ingredient and magical power that, according to local legend in the small Alabama town, will cause anyone who eats a piece of the pie to receive special messages from their deceased loved ones in the form of dreams on the nights they have consumed the pies. Supposedly, blackbirds will arrive at midnight to sing the songs that are translated into dreams. Not everyone in the town believes in the messages, but others swear by them. What makes the homecoming hard for Anna Kate is that her father, AJ, died in a car wreck before she was born. Her grandmother on her father's side blames Anna Kate's mother Eden for AJ's death, even claiming that Eden had the wreck on purpose because AJ was going to break up with her at his mother's request. Eden was so mad about these accusations that she left town without even telling AJ's parents that she was pregnant, so they have never even seen their granddaughter until the action picks up in this book. With that bit of the initial conflicts shared, I'll say what I enjoyed reading the most were Anna Kate's interactions, connections, and growing attachment to the town, its inhabitants, the blackbirds and the pies. There is even a big surprise about the long-ago fatal wreck. Author Heather Webber did an outstanding job of making the characters jump off the pages. It's a fun read, whether you believe in the magical blackbirds or not.

If you want something different try this book. Not a love story, exactly. Not a coming of age story, exactly

Mystical magic with a beautifully written story. The author has a knack for bringing side characters in and making them interesting. Once again magic is an important part but it accents the characters and the storyline. I would of liked a bit more of an introduction with her mom, her grandmothers and then the will.

A sweet and entertaining story about family, forgiveness and acceptance in a small town. Mix in a little legend and blackbirds and you get an enjoyable charming book. A lovely read.

Absolutely loved this novel. Made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Such a feel good story.

A lovely magical book of sadness, loss and family, love and redemption. Very like Sarah Addison Allen's book and even The Sparrow Sisters books in it has that added ingredient of magic. 24 year old Anna Kate Callow has returned to the little American town of Wicklow in order to settle her late grandmother's affairs and undertake the terms of her will which left Anna Kate her grandmother's Blackbird Café. Anna Kate has never been to Wicklow before as her mother Eden refused to return to the small town because of the Linden family who accused her of the murder of their son AJ who was the love of Eden's life. In Wicklow Anna Kate has to deal with the animosity of Seelie Linden, the curiosity and friendship offered by regulars of the Blackbird Café, and meets Natalie Linden Walker and her adorable daughter Ollie. Also, there is the legend of the famous blackbird pies and the mysterious flock of blackbirds who only sing at night. Lovely book, I hope this author writes others.

I pushed through 60% of this novel due to the good reviews. I thought I must have been missing something - but no.The tempo is so unbelievably slow- multiple characters , most of whom I cared little about.I felt this book went round and round in circles - no progression or development of plot or characters. I couldn’t face the last 40% and quit while I was ahead