USA Today bestselling author Heather Webber’s South of the Buttonwood Tree is a captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, and small-town Southern charm. Blue Bishop has a knack for finding lost things. While growing up in charming small-town Buttonwood, Alabama, she’s happened across lost wallets, jewelry, pets, her wandering neighbor, and sometimes, trouble. No one is more … sometimes, trouble. No one is more surprised than Blue, however, when she comes across an abandoned newborn baby in the woods, just south of a very special buttonwood tree.
Sarah Grace Landreneau Fulton is at a crossroads. She has always tried so hard to do the right thing, but her own mother would disown her if she ever learned half of Sarah Grace’s secrets.
The unexpected discovery of the newborn baby girl will alter Blue’s and Sarah Grace’s lives forever. Both women must fight for what they truly want in life and for who they love. In doing so, they uncover long-held secrets that reveal exactly who they really are–and what they’re willing to sacrifice in the name of family.
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Outstanding! I love the magical aspects of this story and in another book by this author, Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe. No witches or demons, just whimsical magic.
3.5 stars.
I enjoyed the touch of magic that was sprinkled in this story from the Buttonwood tree dispensing advice to Blue with her ability to find lost things. The house that locked it’s door to keep Sarah Grace safe and the wind that has a mind of its own. When a 3-day old baby is found by the Buttonwood tree with a note to have Blue take care of her some of the town people object because of who her family was. The investigation opens up a pandora box of secrets that pulls in families that have been at odds in this small town for many years.
South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber marks a new high in the writing high of this author. Buttonwood Tree is a masterpiece in women’s fiction, detailing just how complicated a family can be…several families actually. Blue Bishop is an anomaly as a kind and true person in a family of seemingly “bad” people. Her mother drank herself to death; her father ran away from home and died under mysterious circumstance; her two brothers died while robbing a bank; and her third brother died in a bar fight. She and her little sister, Persy, seemed to be the ones in the family who didn’t do bad things. Persy didn’t even return library books late. The result was that Blue had no friends, no life outside of writing and illustrating her own series of children’s books. She wanted a family; a baby. She’d tried adoption but they didn’t really care for her solitary life. Then one day, when she was out on a walk, she found a newborn baby girl with a button that read: “Give her to Blue Bishop.”
South of the Buttonwood Tree is a family saga covering four generations and while reading, the reader gets to know all of them intimately. The plotting is so subtle and so intertwined that the reader almost forgets that these people are strangers. Personality traits and circumstances are uncover so slowly and masterfully that one almost forgets previous assumptions and moved forward continually with a new reality. For some of the characters, this reality is life changing. Webber did an amazing job crafting this wonderful book, a book that ended with me in tears for much of the last quarter of the book. Kudos! I highly recommend South of the Buttonwood Tree!
I was invited to read a free ARC of South of the Buttonwood Tree by Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions and interpretations are solely my own. #netgalley #southofthebuttonwoodtree
I loved Heather Webber’s Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, it was my favorite book of 2019, so as soon as I saw that she was writing a second book in a similar style, I knew that I had to read it, and I wasn’t disappointed. It was every bit as enchanting as I knew it would be, drawing me in on the very first page, first with the story then with the people, by the end I had laughed and cried and these characters felt like beloved friends, that I knew I would miss when I closed the back cover.
It was the perfect escape for all the crazy going right now.. if only we all had a Buttonwood tree to go to.
I would like to thank the author for giving ma an ARC of this book which I voluntarily reviewed. All opinions are my own.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest voluntary review. This was a wonderfully entertaining book! Full of twists and turns and a little fantasy. Blue is a finder of lost things and one day she finds a baby in the woods. She thinks all of her prayers have been answered but have they…….?? Great story with fantastic characters and the true meaning of friendship. Enjoy!
South of the Buttonwood Tree by author, Heather Webber
ARC
Buttonwood, Alabama~ the name of this charming little town alone, had drawn me in and left me wanting to know more about all its treasures just waiting to be discovered.
‘Bishop’~ The family name tied to trouble. No matter the generations before her with their questionable family behavior, choices and bad decisions, a sordid past if you will…the label has stuck to Blue Bishop like molasses…
In being the black sheep of Buttonwood, she continues to deal with the town’s petty judgements and grudges thrust upon her by escaping to, and sheltering within a world that only she can create. Her private world~ one filled with the fictional characters and places through her artistic creations of writing and illustrating children’s picture books.
“The wind always led me to the lost.”
With the ability of discovering what needs to be found, Blue is led to her most incredible find yet – an abandoned newborn baby nestled near a tree. But this isn’t your average tree in the forest. It’s something not of this world, with its mystical, magical properties, and its ability to counsel those who seek guidance. The Buttonwood Tree~ a legend in its own right.
Sarah Grace Landreneau Fulton… A woman who is responsible for upholding her high-place within the community, at least by her mothers standards, holds many secrets of her own.
Blue and Sarah’s lives become intertwined in a way they never expected by the life altering discoveries that now surround them and come to the realization, things will never again be the same.
South of the Buttonwood Tree, with its wonderful characters and unique storyline, add depth, and meaning to this lovely story, one that has led me on an delightful yet mysterious journey with its heartache, unconditional love, and true Southern Charm. A captivating tale that has intrigued and entertained me throughout…
4 Stars
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Wild Sage Book Blog
“In the book of life, everyone has chapters they don’t like reading out loud.”
–Henry
South of the Buttonwood Tree is a quixotic blend of mystical and down t0 earth rolled up into one delightful story. Filled with both serious and insightful characters as well as an ample cast of quirky ones, the story draws us straight in with the finding of a mysterious baby girl by a young woman named Blue Bishop.
The picturesque small town of Buttonwood is well known for its namesake, the buttonwood tree, a tree that offers cryptic guidance to the citizens of the town. When Blue discovers the baby, guidance from the tree indicates that the baby should belong to her. The story follows Blue’s journey after finding baby Flora and working to solve the mystery of her birth.
Full of southern charm with tidbits of wisdom sprinkled through, the story reads like a modern fairytale. Explore the importance of family and friends in a person’s life as Blue comes to understand what family really is and the role they play in her life. I thoroughly enjoyed this magical book. Readers of Sarah Allen Addison will absolutely love this book as will readers of women’s fiction.
This ARC copy was received from Forge Book and Netgalley. The above thoughts and opinions are wholly my own.
Set in a small town in Alabama, Blue Bishop has fought all her life against her family’s reputation. She has urges to follow the wind and finds lost things. At the center of her walks is the buttonwood tree which answers one question per person per year. However, today’s walk to the buttonwood tree leads Blue to find a lost baby.
This is the story of the dynamics of a small town. Sarah Grace and Blue are finding a way to work together. But they never expected what life would bring them. I loved this story and the characters.
Heather Webber’s Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe was a highlight of my reading last year. So of course I was thrilled to have the chance to read an advance copy of her latest, South of the Buttonwood Tree. The bar was set high, though. Could it live up to Blackbird Cafe? Oh, yes. It could, and did.
South of the Buttonwood Tree is set in the small town of Buttonwood, Alabama. Legend has it that folks can ask the buttonwood tree for guidance once a year, and failure to follow the tree’s advice (which comes on a button) is said to subject one to a curse.
Blue Bishop longs to escape the place where she grew up, to get out from under the tainted shadow of her family’s history. Sarah Grace Landreneau Fulton is stuck in a failing marriage, burdened by her mother’s constant exhortation to “do better, be better” and trying to keep up appearances for the sake of her father’s political career. They both find themselves in the midst of the mystery when Blue finds a baby under the buttonwood tree with a button that says, “Give the baby to Blue Bishop.”
This book is, at the risk of sounding horribly cliched, magical. Heather Webber doesn’t just tell a story with her words. She creates an atmosphere, a world that the reader feels drawn to move into. The characters feel like friends, like people I could live next door to or down the street from. I want to visit The Rabbit Hole and see the blanket fort that Henry puts in. I want to see Blue’s studio and read the books she writes.
But the story. This is a tale of the grudges a small town can hold against people they assume they know, whether the grudges are warranted or not. A tale of secrets kept that should have been shared, of things that are most definitely not what they seem, of the ridiculous standards we hold ourselves to just to look good in front of others. There is mystery, suspense, deep love of family, even a little romance. This book brought me to tears more than once. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to hug characters and smack them. It felt like I said farewell to friends when I turned the last page.
Heather Webber has joined the short list of authors whose new books I’ll pick up without even reading the blurb. If you enjoy stories set in small Southern towns, where there’s magic in the air, and where the characters may be people you know, you need to read this book. You won’t be disappointed, and Ms. Webber may find her way onto your short list, too.
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy of this book. All opinions here are my own, and I don’t say nice things about books I don’t like.
Ten years ago, Heather Webber introduced her first magical realism series, featuring Lucy Valentine. Not long after, she gave us the Magical Potion series, and then the wondrous, joyful, fascinating Wishcraft series. Now she has moved into stand-alone novels; first Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, and now South of the Buttonwood Tree, and I am one of many who eagerly look forward to everything she writes. The people of Buttonwood, Alabama are very real; their interactions are painful, warm, confusing, a bit frightening–just like real life. They struggle through crises and misunderstandings to find their way to peace and love, and they do it using the full range of human strengths–but they have the help of some magic, and it’s this magic that makes Heather’s books really sparkle. It’s hard to read South of the Buttonwood Tree without beginning to look for the magic in our own lives. I don’t quite know why or how Heather understands this magic so well, but I want to continue to see it at work. Once again, I can’t wait for her next book, whatever it might be.
I didn’t want this to end. It’s been a long time since I put everything off to finish a book; but this just kept pulling me in. I just loved the characters and the mystery of the baby and the Buttonwood Tree. The love of Marla and Moe. The magic in the air. There are so many wonderful things in this one. If you like Sarah Addison Allen, you’ll love this author, too. Her previous one, Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, is one of my favorites. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC
This book had a lot of secrets going on. At times I wanted to laugh out loud and other times I wanted to cry. It had some romance, mystery and a mystical feel to it.
It was so good! I loved it!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy
Magical Realism at its very best!!! Blue Bishop has always been able to find lost things. But when she finds a baby by the Buttonwood Tree, the baby changes a lot of lives!!! The baby comes with a button from the Buttonwood Tree that says “Give the baby to Blue” but some people aren’t happy about that as Blue’s family tree is full of trouble makers. Sarah Grace is an loveless marriage. She wants out but is scared to disappoint her parents. Blue and Sarah Grace have been friends since school. Their lives are intertwined in many ways and I love their friendship. The characters in this book are simply amazing and you wish you could be their neighbor! Who does baby Flora belong to? Does Blue get to foster/adopt Flora? This book has so many secrets, wonderful friends, family dramas, and of course magical realism it made it the perfect book and I didn’t want it to end! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.
“This is the South after all, where there’s always a touch of magic in the air.”
A story that will capture your heart.
Blue Bishop has always wanted a baby. When she finds a baby by the Buttonwood tree her life is about to forever change. Family secrets will be revealed.
Sarah Grace is a house whisper. Houses talk to her.
Magic is the word I thought of as i was reading this book.
Small town Alabama where appearances are important as well as everyone is quick to judge one another.
I was drawn in to the story from the start.
I loved this book!
Thank you NetGalley and Forge for the opportunity to read this book.
I wish I had the words to express how much I loved this book. The one word I would use to describe this book is MAGIC!
There is the magic of the characters and how they relate to each other. There is the magic of the town, and of course the real magic of the Buttonwood Tree.
I honestly didn’t see how Heather Webber could top Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, but with this book she did.
I absolutely loved Blue, and as I read the book my heart broke for the blows life had dealt her, but I was also cheered by the strength of her character and her never say die attitude.
Ms. Webber’s writing is very reminiscent of Sarah Addison Allen’s lyrical prose, so be prepared to enjoy.