A charming book that's hard to say goodbye to
I need either a sequel to, or a Hallmark movie-esque adaptation of Heather Webber's Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, like, YESTERDAY.
...OK, the above urgency might be an exaggeration, but my emotional response to the book is real, honest. Despite engaging with themes of loss and grief, Blackbird Cafe serves readers A LOT of charm and comfort. Turning the pages of this book is like sitting down to share a favorite home-cooked meal with loved ones.
Webber achieves this uplifting affect through a number of writer's moves, including a flavor of magical realism and a recipe that combines setting and character in the best ways.
In fact, I'd argue that setting and character as a unit - these plot elements interacting with and building on one another - is the novel's standout feature. For example, Anna Kate and Natalie - the novel's two central characters (and narrative voices) - not only heal, but claim the space to be their truest selves while living in Wicklow, while inhabiting this strange and wonderful small-town community.
I do have a couple questions or concerns about the book. First, while I love the conceit of a journalist researching and reporting on the Wicklow blackbird phenomenon, I think it's an underused piece; it has untapped potential for enriching the storytelling and the structure of the book. Second, some of the most heartwarming parts are predictable, are familiar story patterns.
If predictable at times, Blackbird Cafe is first and foremost a heart-healing read. It just made me happy, as a reader. I didn't want to close the book, to walk away from the charming and hopeful community of Wicklow. (It bears repeating... Sequel?)
As several of the characters observe, Wicklow has a way of taking hold of you.
Thank you to the publisher, Forge, and Bookish First for my advance reading copy!
...OK, the above urgency might be an exaggeration, but my emotional response to the book is real, honest. Despite engaging with themes of loss and grief, Blackbird Cafe serves readers A LOT of charm and comfort. Turning the pages of this book is like sitting down to share a favorite home-cooked meal with loved ones.
Webber achieves this uplifting affect through a number of writer's moves, including a flavor of magical realism and a recipe that combines setting and character in the best ways.
In fact, I'd argue that setting and character as a unit - these plot elements interacting with and building on one another - is the novel's standout feature. For example, Anna Kate and Natalie - the novel's two central characters (and narrative voices) - not only heal, but claim the space to be their truest selves while living in Wicklow, while inhabiting this strange and wonderful small-town community.
I do have a couple questions or concerns about the book. First, while I love the conceit of a journalist researching and reporting on the Wicklow blackbird phenomenon, I think it's an underused piece; it has untapped potential for enriching the storytelling and the structure of the book. Second, some of the most heartwarming parts are predictable, are familiar story patterns.
If predictable at times, Blackbird Cafe is first and foremost a heart-healing read. It just made me happy, as a reader. I didn't want to close the book, to walk away from the charming and hopeful community of Wicklow. (It bears repeating... Sequel?)
As several of the characters observe, Wicklow has a way of taking hold of you.
Thank you to the publisher, Forge, and Bookish First for my advance reading copy!