Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe

Author: Heather Webber

Genre: Magical Realism, Fiction

Format: Physical

Publish Date: July 2019

Read: May 2024

Favorite Quote: “Grief can change a person to the point where they become someone they don’t know, or even like very much. I don’t want that to happen to you.”

Story Synopsis: Anna Kate Callow finds herself in Wicklow, Alabama, after the death of her beloved grandmother, Zee. Running Zee’s cafe for two months was a stipulation of her will, and Anna Kate plans to sell and return to New England for medical school as soon as possible. Natalie Linden finds herself back in Wicklow, living at her parents’s home after her husband’s untimely death. When these two women meet, they both realize they can help heal the generational trauma and long-standing feud in their families while also finding themselves and experiencing their own kind of healing.

Why does this book beguile? Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe is everything you want in magical realism! The characters are relatable, and the story is grounded while having that dose of the otherworldly through the blackbirds and the cafe. There were many one-liners and cheeky comments throughout the story that made me laugh. There were also several touching scenes as these characters helped one another heal from the events of their pasts. Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe is a great book for anyone looking for a little bit of magic and a whole lot of heart.

Rating: 5/5

Link*: Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber

If you’re interested in this, read*: In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker