Helpful Score: 5
This was a book about healing from a tramatic childhood. I really loved it, The characters were believable and very loveable. There was no bad language and had a great moral on many levels but not preachy...five stars for sure...
Helpful Score: 4
This book is sweet as honey and everything is sunshine. If you want a realistic portrayal of us Southerners, this isn't it. But, if you want a nice easy breezy light read with lots of feel good, this will fit the bill perfectly. Frankly, I like my fiction with a little more substance and reality. No one can be this sweet for this long.
Helpful Score: 3
One of the best stories I have read in a long time. When you pick up this book do not have plans for the rest of the day. Opens your heart and reels you in from the start.
Helpful Score: 3
Loved this book!
Helpful Score: 2
loved it!
Helpful Score: 2
This is a wonderful book and I loved it. It's heartbreaking at times, funny at times and enlightening as well. I really felt every character and it was beautifully written. They say "It's how we survive the hurts in life that give us our strength and beauty", and this book will leave you feeling that truth. It's about love, kindness and the strength of the female spirit.
Helpful Score: 2
Sweet, if slight, story of a 12-year-old girl who is rescued from her difficult childhood of tending to her mentally ill mother by a great-aunt from Savannah. Not in the same league as The Help or Secret Life of Bees, but will appeal to readers who like Southern fiction featuring strong and eccentric women a la Steel Magnolias.
Helpful Score: 2
I was so ready to read an uplifting book after some very dark and depressing ones. This book fit the bill. It starts out detailing the very tough circumstances a young girl is forced to deal with in a family with a mentally ill mother and absent dad. When CeeCee is sent to live with a wonderful relative and comes in contact with that woman's African-American cook, life improves dramatically. Insights into the tensions that still remain in Southern culture were interesting. The wisdom imparted by the new adults in CeeCee's life are heartwarming. And the ending is very satisfying. The author writes in an appealing style, with wit. I really hope I can get my almost 17-year old granddaughter to read this during the summer.
Helpful Score: 1
I was delighted by this book from start to finish. Beth created the most fascinating and full of life characters. Noticed some parallels to The Secret Life of Bees so try it if you loved that one. Beth is a gifted writer who created gorgeous lush metaphors that you just want to taste and touch. Her colorful writing style and storytelling was fantastic and so entertaining. The characters that surround CeeCee are vibrant, flawed, and wise from life experience. A wonderful, uplifting story. A new absolute favorite of mine.
Helpful Score: 1
Quick read - but I can never get enough of great women characters and stories set in the south always seem to have their share of excellent quirky ones. This is definitely a story that capitalizes on the redemptive power of love...CeeCee Honeycutt will crawl into your heart and you will wish you had your own Aunt Tootie!
Helpful Score: 1
Absolutely loved this book. Simple and heartwarming.
Helpful Score: 1
This was a wonderful book. It was a delightful story of a little girl finding her way in life and finding a love and acceptance that she was missing. It was a delight to have read such a well written story. I found myself laughing out loud at the zany woman in Cee Cee's life. I hope this author write a sequel.
Helpful Score: 1
I loved this little girl! I was rooting for her the whole time, you just want her life to get better. I read this in 2 sitting was hard to put down, and I even laughed out loud. Some of the characters are really funny. Im looking forward to more books by this author!
Helpful Score: 1
What a delightful book!
Not all is sweetness and light in the life of CeeCee Honeycutt. An absentee father and a bi-polar mother who refuses to take her meds. Things are tough being the daughter of the town whack-a-doodle.
When she loses her mother, CeeCee is taken in by a her great aunt. There she meets and becomes part of a cast of colorful and eccentric characters who envelope her in their extended family.
I loved the strong, loving women that become part of CeeCee's Life Book. At times heart rending but ultimately very uplifting.
Not all is sweetness and light in the life of CeeCee Honeycutt. An absentee father and a bi-polar mother who refuses to take her meds. Things are tough being the daughter of the town whack-a-doodle.
When she loses her mother, CeeCee is taken in by a her great aunt. There she meets and becomes part of a cast of colorful and eccentric characters who envelope her in their extended family.
I loved the strong, loving women that become part of CeeCee's Life Book. At times heart rending but ultimately very uplifting.
Helpful Score: 1
This is an excellent book. CEE CEE lives up north with an out of control mentally ill mother and an absentee dad. Her mother dies, and her dad gives custody to her mother's wealthy aunt who shows Cee CEE a new world where women have power and money in warm and beautiful Savannah Georgia. Cee CEE begins to be loved and valued by her aunt and friends. She also learns to forgive her parents.
Helpful Score: 1
Enjoyable, but maybe a little too reminiscent of Steel Magnolias. The next door neighbor in this book seemed *just* like Ousier. I feel like this is a story that has been told a million times over with only a slight tweak in the characterization. Still, an excellent feel-good book for when you're having a lot of self doubt, full of quotable affirmations and "girl power".
I should also mention that I'm REALLY happy with the author's descriptions of Savannah. I can't tell you how many novels I have read where the author tries to capture the general idea of the city and just mucks it all up because they have an intimate knowledge. As a person who lived in the area for the better part of ten years, I can safely say that Hoffman hit the mark precisely when it came to painting an accurate picture of the appearance and geography of Savannah.
I should also mention that I'm REALLY happy with the author's descriptions of Savannah. I can't tell you how many novels I have read where the author tries to capture the general idea of the city and just mucks it all up because they have an intimate knowledge. As a person who lived in the area for the better part of ten years, I can safely say that Hoffman hit the mark precisely when it came to painting an accurate picture of the appearance and geography of Savannah.
Helpful Score: 1
2 Words that describe the book: Southern healing
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met:
1. Setting: 1967, Savannah, Georgia
2. CeeCee Honeycutta lonely 12-year-old girl who has had a difficult childhood coping with her mentally ill mother and absentee father
3. Tootie CaldwellCeeCee's great-aunt who swoops in to take care of CeeCee after her mother's death by moving CeeCee into her Gaston Street mansion and introducing her to her privileged, eccentric and women-centered Southern lifestyle.
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:
1. I liked the colorful characters that populate the book, from the exotic Buddhist Thelma Rae Goodpepper to the hateful Violene Hobbs to Tootie's stern but loving housekeeper Oletta Jones. (I so wanted be able to taste Oletta's cooking after reading about it!)
2. I like the feel good vibe of the book, which has every villain getting their comeuppance and the good people coming out on top.
3. I liked the glimpse into the Southern lifestyle and way of doing things. We could probably all benefit from learning how to practice Southern hospitality.
4. I disliked feeling like I've read books like this before. It is in a similar vein of books like The Secret Life of Bees, in which a girl from a bad family gets "saved" by loving Southern women.
5 Stars or less for your rating?
I'm giving the book 3 stars. This was a charming and easy read, but books of this type aren't my preferred cup of tea. However, if you like Southern fiction populated by eccentric women, I would highly recommend it. Although it wasn't my taste, I still enjoyed it.
3 Settings where it took place or characters you met:
1. Setting: 1967, Savannah, Georgia
2. CeeCee Honeycutta lonely 12-year-old girl who has had a difficult childhood coping with her mentally ill mother and absentee father
3. Tootie CaldwellCeeCee's great-aunt who swoops in to take care of CeeCee after her mother's death by moving CeeCee into her Gaston Street mansion and introducing her to her privileged, eccentric and women-centered Southern lifestyle.
4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:
1. I liked the colorful characters that populate the book, from the exotic Buddhist Thelma Rae Goodpepper to the hateful Violene Hobbs to Tootie's stern but loving housekeeper Oletta Jones. (I so wanted be able to taste Oletta's cooking after reading about it!)
2. I like the feel good vibe of the book, which has every villain getting their comeuppance and the good people coming out on top.
3. I liked the glimpse into the Southern lifestyle and way of doing things. We could probably all benefit from learning how to practice Southern hospitality.
4. I disliked feeling like I've read books like this before. It is in a similar vein of books like The Secret Life of Bees, in which a girl from a bad family gets "saved" by loving Southern women.
5 Stars or less for your rating?
I'm giving the book 3 stars. This was a charming and easy read, but books of this type aren't my preferred cup of tea. However, if you like Southern fiction populated by eccentric women, I would highly recommend it. Although it wasn't my taste, I still enjoyed it.
Helpful Score: 1
Fabulous book! Couldn't put it down, finished it in just 2 days!!
Where to start? The crazy mother, Camille, is one of the richest characters I've read in some time. From tiaras and prom dresses to gluing her husband's pants so he can't unzip his fly and cheat on her, this woman is very nearly the main character, even tho she's dead for most of the novel. She is fabulous!
Aunt Tootie is the quintessential southern belle. At first I thought, "great, another southern woman", but no, this woman is, in the 1960's, and a senior citizen, still way ahead of her time. She's independent, intelligent, outspoken, just perfect.
Oletta, the black housekeeper, somehow manages to become this girl's surrogate mom in a tender way, and show us, the reader, how terrifying it was to be black, in the south, in the 1960's.
CeeCee, the main character, is a child, a caretaker, an outsider, a girl with no friends, the child of a crazy woman, and just a delight.
Beth Hoffman somehow managed to pen an entire novel full of strong and independent women without a single attitude of entitlement or hostility or any of the other baggage that tends to come along with most strong female characters in books. Can't wait to read what she comes out with next, hope I don't have to wait too long.
Where to start? The crazy mother, Camille, is one of the richest characters I've read in some time. From tiaras and prom dresses to gluing her husband's pants so he can't unzip his fly and cheat on her, this woman is very nearly the main character, even tho she's dead for most of the novel. She is fabulous!
Aunt Tootie is the quintessential southern belle. At first I thought, "great, another southern woman", but no, this woman is, in the 1960's, and a senior citizen, still way ahead of her time. She's independent, intelligent, outspoken, just perfect.
Oletta, the black housekeeper, somehow manages to become this girl's surrogate mom in a tender way, and show us, the reader, how terrifying it was to be black, in the south, in the 1960's.
CeeCee, the main character, is a child, a caretaker, an outsider, a girl with no friends, the child of a crazy woman, and just a delight.
Beth Hoffman somehow managed to pen an entire novel full of strong and independent women without a single attitude of entitlement or hostility or any of the other baggage that tends to come along with most strong female characters in books. Can't wait to read what she comes out with next, hope I don't have to wait too long.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed this book. The author has a gift which enable the reader to be transported into the storyline. It seemed at times that I was at the places or scenarios in the story. The characters were real. I found myself adoring, detesting, and laughing hilariously at her characters. I did not read this book in one sitting but savored it over a period of days. Well worth the read!
I loved this book and thought it was well written. Most of the story takes place in Georgia, which is where I live, so I could really relate to locations and landmarks referenced in the book. It's a feel good book and I enjoyed it very much. I've already passed it on to 2 friends.
This was such a sweet book about a 12-year-old girl with all sorts of life issues. Though it was an easy read, it left me with an appreciation for extended family and Southern hospitality. This author has a real way with words and quotes and I will not forget this story anytime soon. I would totally recommend this book to anyone who likes sweet stories and happy endings.
Inspiring and touching.......an enjoyable read!
CeeCee is 12 when her mother passes away. Her mom was mentally ill and her dad was a traveling salesman who was never home much which left CeeCee taking care of her mother most of the time. There is a long lost great aunt Tootie who comes to Ohio to take CeeCee to Savannah. This was a wonderful southern story and I look forward to the next book by Beth Hoffman
Beth Hoffman has written a wonderful book about women and friendship. A very touching story of how CeeCee Honeycutt finds love & peace in her life after a very turbulent first 12 years of her life.
I found the book uninteresting, boring and irritating. It read like 100 others. I really tried very hard to keep going and give it a chance, but I finally had to close it after about 80 pages. I do NOT recommend it. I only ordered it because another member said she had read it and really enjoyed it. Two different opinions.
I'd give this book a ten star if it were available. Never has a book so touched me that I literally hated it to end. The story is both funny and sad at the same time and the love that oozes from the pages for a child in pain, touches every human who has an ounce of "mother" in their blood. A MUST-READ for anyone who has ever cared for a lost, alone and lonely child. This book will leave you wanting more. NOTE TO AUTHOR: So what are you waiting for....write us a sequel already!! I'm anxiously waiting.
Very Good book, it has been on my TBR for forever, so glad I final got around to it. Kind of like The Glass Castle meets Steel Magnolias meets The Help. This had some wonderful quotes and simple life truths. Simply a good story about strong women, and the wonderful ways of the women of the south.
This is a wonderful book. I Couldn't put it down. I loved every one of the characters.
I received this book from a relative who loved it, however I struggled through it. The plot is fine, however the author distracts us from the current moment but incessant flashbacks about random characters that really aren't that interesting. It was a jarring read from front to back, and I found it difficult to be interested in the plot because the author was always taking me out of the moment and telling me to pay attention to some random tidbit instead. This book has turned me off to all books with flashbacks.
If you enjoy slow plots with lots of stories that don't contribute to the main story, then you might like this book. Someone compared this to To Kill A Mockingbird? Well, they're both set in the south and told from the POV of a young girl, but other than that, the similarities end.
If you enjoy slow plots with lots of stories that don't contribute to the main story, then you might like this book. Someone compared this to To Kill A Mockingbird? Well, they're both set in the south and told from the POV of a young girl, but other than that, the similarities end.
A touching and lovely story that had a little bit of The Help and The Glass Castle mixed in. Sweet, funny, and at times sad. Definite must read. Intersting and unique characters. I loved it.
i enjoyed this book.
This is more than just a coming of age book. This book shows the power of love and just how lovely it can be coming from the least of all expected places. CeeCee has a lot of mess on her plate for only a 12-year-old girl and I was drawn in by her immediately. Her quickly formed relationship with her great-aunt was perfectly timed, but it wasnt as deeply connected as the love CeeCee shares with her great-aunts housekeeper, Oletta. Placed in the early 60s, there lies a line of racial tension throughout the book but I feel the author handled it beautifully. Great-Aunt Tootie is big on explaining that each of us have a Life Book. People come in and out, things happen, but pages keep turning in our Life Books. There was beautiful symmetry in this book. I was quite surprised this was a debut book by a new author. I just hated to say good-bye.
I will leave you with two of my favorite passages from the book.
I know this is the same sky that hangs over Ohio, but the sun seems bigger here. Everything seems bigger.
She pursed her lips and thought about that for a moment. Maybe your eyes is just more open.
There were times when Oletta would say something, and the sheer profoundness of it would stun me.
___________
My aunts face was so serious I couldnt imagine what she was going to say. She took hold of my hand and looked into my eyes. Its what we believe about ourselves that determines how others see us.
I will leave you with two of my favorite passages from the book.
I know this is the same sky that hangs over Ohio, but the sun seems bigger here. Everything seems bigger.
She pursed her lips and thought about that for a moment. Maybe your eyes is just more open.
There were times when Oletta would say something, and the sheer profoundness of it would stun me.
___________
My aunts face was so serious I couldnt imagine what she was going to say. She took hold of my hand and looked into my eyes. Its what we believe about ourselves that determines how others see us.
I laughed out loud several times reading this one. It has its tragic/serious moments also. Writing style reminded me of Fannie Flagg's books.
Wonderful story about a young girl who has to deal with the antics of a mentally ill mother when the dad basically abandons them. She goes to live with an aunt in Savannah and how this completely changes her life. Loved how they talked about "writing chapters in your life book" and closing one chapter to start another. Yes, some of it is feel-good but not totally as the author paints a vivid picture of this little girl giving up her childhood to be the caretaker of her psychotic mother. Through her aunt and her friends, a group of strong and independent women, CeeCee moves on to the next chapter and gets a fresh start. Love the interactions of CeeCee with her aunt and her neighbors as well as her cook and her group of friends as well. Excellent book!
Loved, loved it! 5 stars from me. Would love to see a movie from this. Great characters & good development. A real can't put down book. This one stays in my library. Don't pass this novel up.
SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT is adorable and uplifting as CeeCee's narration transcends generations.
The best part about this book is CeeCee's voice. It's strong, age-appropriate but not too young for most readers to connect with. CeeCee does not constantly try to judge her own actions or interpret events in her past: instead, the novel unfolds as if we're living in the moment with CeeCee herself. At times childishly cute and funny, at others sweet in her experienced-beyond-her-years-ness, CeeCee was a delight to get to know from the very first page.
The other characters are also wonderful and thoroughly developed. They're not as easily distinguishable from one another as the characters from Kathryn Stockett's THE HELP, to which this book is often compared, but I definitely found myself wishing I had my very own Aunt Tootie and Oletta growing up.
My one major beef with this book was its apparent lack of tension and conflict. Compared to THE HELP, this book had very little going on. The driving conflict seemed to be CeeCee's struggle to come to terms with her mother's mental illness, but the storyline bounced back and forth between this and other potentially fiery issues so erratically that none of the conflicts in this book ended up feeling entirely convincing for me. SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT presented us with incidents and characters that never entirely lived up to their potential: a racist encounter that was prettily resolved, a crazy neighbor with a penchant for vengeance. I kept on waiting for something to happen, and being thwarted in my waiting.
Overall, however, I'm still very glad I had the chance to read SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT. This book is, in a sense, a love letter for the South: join the endearing CeeCee on her journey of healing and self-discovery in a heartwarming world!
The best part about this book is CeeCee's voice. It's strong, age-appropriate but not too young for most readers to connect with. CeeCee does not constantly try to judge her own actions or interpret events in her past: instead, the novel unfolds as if we're living in the moment with CeeCee herself. At times childishly cute and funny, at others sweet in her experienced-beyond-her-years-ness, CeeCee was a delight to get to know from the very first page.
The other characters are also wonderful and thoroughly developed. They're not as easily distinguishable from one another as the characters from Kathryn Stockett's THE HELP, to which this book is often compared, but I definitely found myself wishing I had my very own Aunt Tootie and Oletta growing up.
My one major beef with this book was its apparent lack of tension and conflict. Compared to THE HELP, this book had very little going on. The driving conflict seemed to be CeeCee's struggle to come to terms with her mother's mental illness, but the storyline bounced back and forth between this and other potentially fiery issues so erratically that none of the conflicts in this book ended up feeling entirely convincing for me. SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT presented us with incidents and characters that never entirely lived up to their potential: a racist encounter that was prettily resolved, a crazy neighbor with a penchant for vengeance. I kept on waiting for something to happen, and being thwarted in my waiting.
Overall, however, I'm still very glad I had the chance to read SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT. This book is, in a sense, a love letter for the South: join the endearing CeeCee on her journey of healing and self-discovery in a heartwarming world!
What a gem of a book. I originally thought I was not going to like this book. Another book set in the South, another little girl from a broken home rescued by a distant relative, but it was written so very well and with such emotion and I fell in love with the quirky characters and the story. It is a bit predictable but oh so heartwarming and sprinkled with lots of love. A favorite quote: "It's how we survive the hurts in life that brings us strength and gives us our beauty"
Such a refreshing book. I found myself smiling throughout much of it. The start of the book is heartbreaking and it goes up from there.
This was the first book by this author and a great read about a young girl whose mother is killed by a milk wagon. It tells the story of a young girl trying to make sense of her mother's mental illness and a father who no longer wanted her.
This has got to be one of the most endearing books to read. It kept my attention from the first page to the last page. Such a wonderful story about a little girl names CeeCee. From a sad childhood in the North to the most happiest ending in the South living with her Great Aunt, her Aunts cook and a dear dear friend from CeeCee's past. It's a book you will not be able to put down.
this book was GREAT... i read this in 1 sitting. To every woman who has the oppurtunity to be a mom biological and or adopted (including children that you just open your heart to) you can make a difference agood book to keep or pass along, i am keeping mine!
This is Southern fiction at its very, very best. It reminded me a little of "Tomato Girl" by Jayne Pupek, another really terrific book. The story of 12 year old Cecelia Honeycutt, her sad mentally ill mother, and a great-aunt with a pure and generous heart and a large circle of eccentric friends.I fell in love with all of the characters and stayed up late night after night to read. I was very sorry when the story came to an end. Ms. Hoffman's debut novel is beautifully written. There were so many sentences and paragraphs that I went back to read again and again. The book is sometimes sad, often humorous, and for me, cathartic. When CeeCee was finally able to mourn the death of her mother, I broke down and mourned the loss of my own mother in a way that I haven't in the past. I can't say enough good things about this book, it was such a joy to read and I can't wait for her next effort.
I really enjoyed this book. A story of the South. A story of a child wanting to be loved. The characters and the story both drew me in. Parts of it reminded me of The Secret Life of Bees. Some characters reminded me of Steel Magnolias. This book was a quick and enjoyable read.
This is an excellent book in every way. I highly recommend it.
Well written. Full of life, from a life of sadness to healing and joy.
Well written. Full of life, from a life of sadness to healing and joy.
I do not know where to begin because I cannot say enough good things about this book! I loved the fact that the main character is 12 and the story is through her eyes. It was fun to live the story through a childs eyes. The innocence, the humor, the confusion. I completely lost myself in this book as I remembered how I viewed the world at such a young age.
CeeCee is an extremely lovable main character and very relatable. I found myself wishing I could give her a hug and encourage her. Call me crazy for getting so involved, but this book ran like a movie through my mind the entire time. Yes, I realize thats what happens when you read, but I mean I was ON the streets of Georgia with them, I was at the roadside lunch outside the jewelry shop, I was next door watching Miz Goodpepper with CeeCee and I sat down at the kitchen table with Oletta and CeeCee during breakfast. I loved everything about this book and will recommend it to whoever needs suggestions!
This book reminded me a lot of the movie Steel Magnolias and I loved the sweet southern belles and all their hospitable endeavors. I laughed out loud at the tales of friendship and I enjoyed all the surprises throughout the book. For a 306 page book, I feel I spent every part of that summer with them. Beth Hoffman did a superb job in her storytelling and I love that this was her debut novel as now I will follow her career!
You know how sometimes you see a movie and you really like it, and then its announced that a sequel will be made? And you know how it makes you wonder if it will be as good as the original? In the same way, I thought this book was so entertaining and enjoyable that I wonder if Beth Hoffman could even top herself! Thats not in any way to doubt her creativity or capabilities as an author, but rather to say how refreshing and wonderful this debut novel was! Its been a long time since Ive related to characters so well and Beth is a marvel at creating characters you will wish were your friends and neighbors. CeeCees aunt Tootie makes you feel right at home among her house and her friends. They are one big happy Georgia family!
I couldnt put this one down from the minute I got it at the library. And now I can say I have proudly purchased my very own copy, not only to lend to friends but to get signed if/when I meet Beth on her book tour! I highly recommend for anyone looking for a good read. Women will especially enjoy this as it develops the beautiful friendships between women where we can talk and laugh and fight and cry and make up and still love each other in this crazy thing called life. Please, grab some sweet tea and find a spot outside and step into the southern world of Savannah with CeeCee!
CeeCee is an extremely lovable main character and very relatable. I found myself wishing I could give her a hug and encourage her. Call me crazy for getting so involved, but this book ran like a movie through my mind the entire time. Yes, I realize thats what happens when you read, but I mean I was ON the streets of Georgia with them, I was at the roadside lunch outside the jewelry shop, I was next door watching Miz Goodpepper with CeeCee and I sat down at the kitchen table with Oletta and CeeCee during breakfast. I loved everything about this book and will recommend it to whoever needs suggestions!
This book reminded me a lot of the movie Steel Magnolias and I loved the sweet southern belles and all their hospitable endeavors. I laughed out loud at the tales of friendship and I enjoyed all the surprises throughout the book. For a 306 page book, I feel I spent every part of that summer with them. Beth Hoffman did a superb job in her storytelling and I love that this was her debut novel as now I will follow her career!
You know how sometimes you see a movie and you really like it, and then its announced that a sequel will be made? And you know how it makes you wonder if it will be as good as the original? In the same way, I thought this book was so entertaining and enjoyable that I wonder if Beth Hoffman could even top herself! Thats not in any way to doubt her creativity or capabilities as an author, but rather to say how refreshing and wonderful this debut novel was! Its been a long time since Ive related to characters so well and Beth is a marvel at creating characters you will wish were your friends and neighbors. CeeCees aunt Tootie makes you feel right at home among her house and her friends. They are one big happy Georgia family!
I couldnt put this one down from the minute I got it at the library. And now I can say I have proudly purchased my very own copy, not only to lend to friends but to get signed if/when I meet Beth on her book tour! I highly recommend for anyone looking for a good read. Women will especially enjoy this as it develops the beautiful friendships between women where we can talk and laugh and fight and cry and make up and still love each other in this crazy thing called life. Please, grab some sweet tea and find a spot outside and step into the southern world of Savannah with CeeCee!
A heart warming novel. It brings to light the impact of mental illness and the ability to be compassionate.
This is easily the best book I've read in a long time. I couldn't put it down, and I finished reading it in one day. The story is heartwarming, and it touched me in a way that is hard to explain.
I highly recommend this book; you won't be disappointed!
I highly recommend this book; you won't be disappointed!
This book is a fresh breath of air straight from the elegant, laid-back, charming South. Cecelia Rose (CeeCee) Honeycutt lives in Ohio with a mentally ill mother and a traveling salesman father whos never home. At the age of 12, she carries the weight of the family on her tiny shoulders. But, when an accident takes her mother and her father lets her move to Savannah, Ga., to live with her Great Aunt Tootie Caldwell, CeeCee will meet a covey of strong, southern women and blossom into a confident young girl who discovers her place in the world. Its a cute book and the story is told with humor and empathy.
This is a story about a woman whose tragic childhood haunts her even as an adult. At the age of 12 she was caring for a bipolar mother. She must deal with crisis situations because her traveling father is rarely there. She has no friends who can help, only an elderly neighbor. During one of these times
great Aunt Tootie appears and takes her to her Savannah home.
Savannah provide life where she meets strong, loving and sometimes eccentric women.
Intelligent, strong and courageous, she endures guilt and anger while harboring fears of abandonment. The most prominent issue is probably whether or not she will inherit mental illness like her mother. A girl who seeks solace in the books she reads, she gradually leaves behind all that happened as she begins her new life. This is a gentle uplifting story about a father who eventually recognizes what is happening to his daughter and an aunt who understands and provides what a damaged child needs to move beyond a tragic life.
great Aunt Tootie appears and takes her to her Savannah home.
Savannah provide life where she meets strong, loving and sometimes eccentric women.
Intelligent, strong and courageous, she endures guilt and anger while harboring fears of abandonment. The most prominent issue is probably whether or not she will inherit mental illness like her mother. A girl who seeks solace in the books she reads, she gradually leaves behind all that happened as she begins her new life. This is a gentle uplifting story about a father who eventually recognizes what is happening to his daughter and an aunt who understands and provides what a damaged child needs to move beyond a tragic life.
One of my all time favorites!
Very lovely story. It was a pleasure to read.
This was a beautifuly written book that made my heart ache for CeeCee. I had such joy at the end of this book! It's the perfect weekend read book that will make you giggle and tear up at the same time.
This book is filled with so many flashbacks about characters I'm not invested in. I'm not really sure what the author was going for plot-wise. To me, this book seemed like a glimpse into many people's lives that were unrelated to the central plot. I felt as though I was being constantly tugged back and forth through time and then reminded I was reading a book full of pointless flashbacks. I'm not into books full of drama, but this was the opposite. Besides the central storyline of a little girl getting out of a bad situation and moving elsehwere, nothing much actually happened. There were so many side-tracks that I couldn't stay invested in the main character's plight, and by the end of the book didn't even care.
This was one of the sweetest books I've read in a while. I cried aloud. I laughed aloud. The characters made a place in my heart. A very good read.
Totally loved this book! I so wanted to rescue CeeCee too! A mixture of laughter and crying. Very enjoyable!
Best book of the year for me. Recommend to everyone. My book club is discussing this weekend. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I did.
This is a fine gift book. At age 12, CeeCee realizes her mother, flouncing around Willoughby, OH, in prom dresses and matching shoes, is crazy and the town's laughingstock. Her father is never home, and nothing is going to change so CeeCee buries herself in books as an escape. But her true liberation comes after her mother's tragic death when great-aunt Tootie sweeps CeeCee off to Savannah. There, a group of powerful, independent women offer the young girl love, laughter and a new chance at life. This is a great story when a young girl is taken from a crazy, unloved home to a world where women are empowered and special.
Sometimes you can choose books by its cover.
What drew me originally to this book was the beautiful cover art, it was just appealing from the start, so when I opened to the first page to get a feel for what Beth Hoffman was offering I was surprised to realize that I didn't stop reading until the first chapter was finished.
Ms. Hoffman draws very memorable characters and has a way with putting you right in the middle of a family drama before you even realize that you are several pages in. The feeling and the tempo stay consistent throughout and the characters will stay with you as you cheer them on or want to throw a shoe at them from across the room.
Being named the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen was the defining moment in Camille's life so when the fall into mental illness took hold it was up to her daughter, twelve year old CeeCee, to hold things together since her father Carl had decided that it would be best to be a traveling salesman instead of the father and husband he was supposed to be.
Things quickly barrel out of control and while leaving the thrift store in yet another prom gown, tiara, and red high heels, Camille is killed leaving CeeCee in a state of relieved shock.
Since Carl has no idea on how to be a father, in swoops great-aunt Tootie Caldwell and soon CeeCee is swooped out of Willowby, Ohio into Savannah, Georgia with all the shock and awe of the south.
With the help of some very strong woman, CeeCee soon finds her place in the world, people who love her and the one thing that she has always wanted. A best friend.
If you enjoyed Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird or Stockett's The Help, you will truly find another book that gives you a feel of strength and warmth.
What drew me originally to this book was the beautiful cover art, it was just appealing from the start, so when I opened to the first page to get a feel for what Beth Hoffman was offering I was surprised to realize that I didn't stop reading until the first chapter was finished.
Ms. Hoffman draws very memorable characters and has a way with putting you right in the middle of a family drama before you even realize that you are several pages in. The feeling and the tempo stay consistent throughout and the characters will stay with you as you cheer them on or want to throw a shoe at them from across the room.
Being named the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen was the defining moment in Camille's life so when the fall into mental illness took hold it was up to her daughter, twelve year old CeeCee, to hold things together since her father Carl had decided that it would be best to be a traveling salesman instead of the father and husband he was supposed to be.
Things quickly barrel out of control and while leaving the thrift store in yet another prom gown, tiara, and red high heels, Camille is killed leaving CeeCee in a state of relieved shock.
Since Carl has no idea on how to be a father, in swoops great-aunt Tootie Caldwell and soon CeeCee is swooped out of Willowby, Ohio into Savannah, Georgia with all the shock and awe of the south.
With the help of some very strong woman, CeeCee soon finds her place in the world, people who love her and the one thing that she has always wanted. A best friend.
If you enjoyed Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird or Stockett's The Help, you will truly find another book that gives you a feel of strength and warmth.
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman is a delightfully fun and easy, feel-good book about a twelve-year-old girl who, after her mother passes away, moves in with her great-aunt in Savannah, Georgia. There she settles in her new and unfamiliar surroundings and gets to know her long-lost aunt as well as a quirky set of Southern characters.
Tallulah Caldwell is CeeCee's great-aunt "Tootie." A kind widow who was never blessed with kids of her own, she makes room in her heart and home for CeeCee. CeeCee can't help but care for Aunt Tootie, and it isn't long before she also forms special bond with the maid, Oletta. Then there's the glamorous and sometimes mischievous neighbor, Thelma Goodpepper, who has a real live peacock and a claw-footed bathtub in her backyard. She likes to relax in the tub and watch the stars. Miss Hobbs is another neighbor, but she is not so congenial. She puts on airs and CeeCee has a bit of fun at her expense. For a girl who's just lost her mother emotional healing is long and hard road. But living with Aunt Tootie and her new friends is a wonderful cushion to fall back on. In the end we see that CeeCee's "...life had begun to blossom as sweetly as a Georgia peach."
(Beth Hoffman, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt (London: Pamela Dorman/Penguin Book, 2010), 259.)
I recommend this book for any age bracket. It's heart-breaking, heart-warming, and funny. Beth Hoffman has such a great writing style you won't want to put it down. Read other reviews at readinginthegarden.blogspot.com
Tallulah Caldwell is CeeCee's great-aunt "Tootie." A kind widow who was never blessed with kids of her own, she makes room in her heart and home for CeeCee. CeeCee can't help but care for Aunt Tootie, and it isn't long before she also forms special bond with the maid, Oletta. Then there's the glamorous and sometimes mischievous neighbor, Thelma Goodpepper, who has a real live peacock and a claw-footed bathtub in her backyard. She likes to relax in the tub and watch the stars. Miss Hobbs is another neighbor, but she is not so congenial. She puts on airs and CeeCee has a bit of fun at her expense. For a girl who's just lost her mother emotional healing is long and hard road. But living with Aunt Tootie and her new friends is a wonderful cushion to fall back on. In the end we see that CeeCee's "...life had begun to blossom as sweetly as a Georgia peach."
(Beth Hoffman, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt (London: Pamela Dorman/Penguin Book, 2010), 259.)
I recommend this book for any age bracket. It's heart-breaking, heart-warming, and funny. Beth Hoffman has such a great writing style you won't want to put it down. Read other reviews at readinginthegarden.blogspot.com
What a charming book! A lovely book on the power of female friendships. A little girl, lost and alone, is taken in by her aunt in Savannah GA. I chuckled over the eccentric characters that is oh-so-typical of Savannah. The book is truly heart-warming.
I really liked this book and so did my bookclub. I would recommend it to anyone inseach of building a family
Loved it. Suspense up to the last page.
Very heart-breaking story with a great turn of events.
Good Story. Nice Read
I was taken in by this story. It has a good storyline, set in the south, orphan reared by an aunt and her quirky friends. Very engrossing.
My most favorite book in awhile. A child is broken being left with a Southern mother who doesn't fit in the Midwest. The mother doesn't fit in either. The father deserts them. The mother meets with a accident and the child goes off to live with a great aunt and gets healed. To me it is a magical book with lots of life lessons about forgiveness and loving your self.
A very sweet story. An easy and quick read.
A good read.
This book is available now at walmart for like 4 dollars.
i truly, irrevocably in love with paperbackswap, but get it at walmart, it's way cheaper there.
i truly, irrevocably in love with paperbackswap, but get it at walmart, it's way cheaper there.
gave to a friend
