Reviews

South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber

dannycakez8808's review

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4.0

4.5 Stars

I really loved this book! The writing was intriguing as well as the story line and large cast of characters. I love the Southern themes, magic in the air/Buttonwood tree, and of course all the family drama. This generational story of family secrets and lies made for excellent story telling.

karaklos's review

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3.0

2.5 stars rounded up.

South of the Buttonwood Tree was an odd book for me. I’m not a magical realism fan unless it is very subtle and this was a bit much for me. A tree that dispenses wisdom/fortunes through wooden buttons? A woman that finds lost things by listening to the wind? Another woman that heals people by collecting and dispersing moonlight (with some kind of dancing involved)? A crow with golden eyes? Houses that speak and rebel? None of these were developed very well to make them feel natural or real.

The story takes place in a small town in Alabama where everyone knows everyone’s business. I had a difficult picturing the town and where the tree was vs. where the stores and homes were.

The story alternates between two young women: Blue Bishop (bad family) and Sarah Grace (good family). Blue finds a baby at the buttonwood tree and the mystery of where she comes from uncovers many more mysteries.

The characters were interesting and likeable. I liked how the author used the townspeople’s conversations with the local judge to reveal details about the Bishop family.

The twists at the end of the story were surprising but a bit convoluted. There were a lot of lessons about forgiveness told to us. I felt like the author wrote this to be a movie. A very light (and sometimes corny read) but a nice reprieve from some of the darker themes I’ve been reading lately.

rose_herczeg's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

buttercup23's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

papilooonglegs's review

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emotional inspiring mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

kmcw24's review

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emotional inspiring mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

oh_em_gee's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

brulereads's review

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slow-paced

3.25

ginkgogirl's review

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hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

iheartya311's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious relaxing sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This isn't usually the type of book I read but I loved it! The story flowed nicely and was consistently interesting. I liked the writing and the characters. Adding this author's other work to my TBR!

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