Buster Midnight's Cafe

by Sandra Dallas

Paperback, 1998

Status

Available

Collection

Literary Fiction

Genres

Publication

St. Martin's Griffin (1998), Edition: First Edition, 277 pages

Description

Fiction. Historical Fiction. HTML: May Anna Kovacks was discovered on the dustry streets of Butte, Montana and went on to become a Hollywood star. War, fame, marriage, love, and heartbreak came and went. What never changed was the bond she shared with her two best friends, Effa Commander and Whippy Bird. When scandal, murder, and betrayal made a legend of May Anna, only Effa and Whippy Bird could set the record straight..

User reviews

LibraryThing member kpolhuis

I love this book! Like the great classics I own this is one that I have come back to on occasion...it is like having your best friend come to visit. There is warmth and sincerity and an unconditional friendship between these three women which has endured the times, and survived hardship. The

definition of true friendship in novel form.

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LibraryThing member tjsjohanna

First off, where does Ms. Dallas come up with the names for her characters?? Very fun! This book was a curious mixture of tears and laughter and hard living and love. Beginning during the Prohibition and ending sometime after World War II, this novel follows the lives of three friends. But don't

think this is some sappy friendship novel. This story is all about loyalty and choices and there isn't anything all 'warm and fuzzy' about this story - it is too real and gritty, but without being gratuitous just to make you want to read. Ms. Dallas has a real gift for telling stories that have a twist, that are populated with people you really want to know, and that deal with real emotion. Great book.

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LibraryThing member justablondemoment

Story of 3 girls growing up in a small town. One finds fame and the other two experience her fame second hand thru knowing her. The story is of there friendship and the stories of the sorrows and joys of their lives they shared.

This is my second book by this author and I gotta say I'm glad I didn't

read this one 1st. If I had I'm not sure I would have read the other one which was put into my favorites (Prayers for Sale). I try to cut slack for debut novels but this one just was to boring for me. Towards the very end it got my attention but never enough for me to change my mind as a whole. The story line was just to choppy for me. Where I wanted more I got less and was just stumbling thru trying to find my way to the end.

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LibraryThing member bremmd

This is my second Sandra Dallas novel, this first being Prayers for Sale, and I have to say I’m really loving her. It took my a chapter or two to get the hang of the voice of each book but once I did, I was hooked.

Set in a place and time I really don’t know much about I really got a feel of the

hard scrabble life these girls lead and how it bonded them to one and other and the men in their lives. I love what this story had to say about friendship and loving your friends not matter how unlovable, at times, they may be. About being there to answer a call for help no matter how much time a slipped away from you.

Effie Commander and Whippy Bird are two women you want to have as your friend because you know they have your back. And Effie tells May Anna’s story the way a no brass tacks, true friend would, warts and all. There are people who saw the hard side of life but still lived a good life filled with love and caring.

I love when an author can tell a wonderful story filled with great characters, depth of feeling, and all the adventures of ordinary and extraordinary lives without a lot of bells and whistles, without a ton of fanfare but when your done you really feel like you’ve experienced something rather grand.

I was very lucky in 2011 to discover a whole slew of authors new to me who have a whole, big, back catalog for me to discover. Sandra Dallas is high on that list. Right now I have The Bride’s House and Whiter than Snow waiting for me to read and I honestly can’t wait to dive in.

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LibraryThing member beckyhaase

BUSTER MIDNIGHT’S CAFÉ by Sandra Dallas
I just finished reading this very early book written by a very good author. If Dallas were writing it today, it would be a better book. This one drags in places, gives us information we don’t need and glosses over information we do need. The ending is a

bit ambiguous also.
On the other hand this is a good book with interesting, believable characters. The story is true to the time setting, including some of the brands and slang words used. She uses humor to enliven what could be a very dreary story. There are enough twists and turns to keep you reading through the “draggy” parts. As she does in THE PERSIAN PICKLE CLUB, the “plot” doesn’t become obvious until near the end of the book. That device works better five years later in PERSIAN PICKLE. It is interesting to see her try it out here.
3 of 5 stars

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LibraryThing member BookConcierge

This is Dallas's first novel, and already I see her gift for creating characters that leap off the page and into your heart. Effa Commander, Whippy Bird and May Anna (a/k/a/ Marion Strut) are vividly drawn. And, of course, there is a murder, and conflicting confessions for the reader to sort

through.

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LibraryThing member LyndaInOregon

This leisurely novel takes a look at a childhood friendship that ends up spanning decades and reaching halfway across the continent as a group of youngsters from Butte, Montana grow up in the 1930s and maintain that friendship for the rest of their lives.

Dallas, as usual, finds the magic in the

everyday lives of her characters as she follows them through childhood squabbles, growing up too fast, finding love and heartbreak, and always being able to depend on their interwoven relationships for comfort and support. Ultimately, the story is about love and loyalty and betrayal as unexpected fame and the sacrifices of World War II change their lives forever.

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