Published October 2010 by Penguin Group
Source: bought this one myself
What would it be like to grow up the daughter of the laughingstock of town? For Cecelia Honeycutt, her reality is that her father is rarely home and she is left to care for a mother who is slowly losing her battle with bipolar disease. CeeCee is only saved from this friendless life by the tragic death of her mother. When CeeCee's father agrees to let her great-aunt Tootie take CeeCee away to live with her in Savannah, she is angry with her father and sad to be leaving her next-door neighbor, Mrs. Odell. CeeCee has no idea that it will turn out to be the blessing she's been waiting all of her life for.
In Savannah CeeCee will find the love, laughter, and happiness that she's been longing for all of her life. Surrounded by strong, colorful, and distinctly Southern women, CeeCee will face for the first time racism and come to terms with her mother's legacy.
Hoffman brings the reader the South in the way that Karen Allen and Sarah Addison Allen do - she brings the South she clearly loves alive. As someone who loves history and strongly believes in saving our past, I wanted to hop in my car and drive back in time to help Aunt Tootie in her work to save the old homes of Savannah. And oh, those flowers - I swear I could smell them as Hoffman described the gardens that Mrs. Odell and Aunt Tootie so love. For those who love reading about the softer side of the South, those who love reading about strong women, and those who love a book that tugs at your heart strings, this one's for you.
What a terrific surprise! Thank you so much for reading my novel and writing such a fantastic review.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I loved this book- glad to see you liked it too.
ReplyDeleteI also bought this book at a book sale and am looking forward to read ii and reading about Savannah.
ReplyDeleteWell now I guess I'm officially The Only Blogger In The Universe who has not read this! And I have yet to see a negative review!
ReplyDeleteI really liked this book too. I loved reading about all of those strong southern women.
ReplyDeleteI have had this book on my shelf for the longest time, and need to make time for it. I have read so many great things about it, and Hoffman seems like such a great person that I am a little embarrassed that I haven't read this one by now! It deals with a lot of issues that I find fascinating, and recently, I have been reading a lot of books set in the South, so it seems like this is one that I really need to get to very soon. Wonderful review today!
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see you enjoyed it. I absolutely loved this book!
ReplyDeleteThere is something very appealing to me about books set in the south--maybe because Texas is borderline south? I've heard a lot about this one but haven't yet run across a copy to pick up. One day... Seems to be a favorite amongst bloggers.
ReplyDeleteThere have been many good reviews for this one. I love southern fiction.
ReplyDeleteI read this book awhile ago, and it was just one of my favorites for its sweetness and hope. Beth Hoffmann is also a peach. I wrote her an email and she answered it and was gracious and grateful!
ReplyDeleteI loved this book to pieces...loved it, loved it, loved it!!! And Beth is a gracious and wonderful person to boot!!
ReplyDeleteI am among the minority that didn't enjoy Secret Life of Bees, but I loved CeeCee!
ReplyDeleteLike Zibilee, I have had this book sitting on my shelves for forever! Need to actually get around to reading it!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this book. It's a difficult subject to address without getting preachy, I think, and she did it with great honesty and skill.
ReplyDeleteI liked this book a lot; glad u did as well.
ReplyDeleteI read this in 2010 and enjoyed very much. Here is my review: http://wordsandpeace.com/2010/12/22/saving-ceecee-honeycutt/
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to her next book, should be coming very soon