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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I listened to the audio version of this book on a long car trip. Initially, the book's tone was hard to swallow. The small-town, church-going characters were uptight, gossipy, and sickeningly judgmental. They determined right from wrong only by what the rest of the townsfolk might think or say. In spite of anticipating a degree of comeuppance at some point, I might have closed the book and moved on if I were reading a paper copy. But the road was long and I kept listening, having few alternatives. I'm glad I did. Tom Parker's narration unwound the story in an entertaining and appropriate southern drawl. Antics, adventures, and Grandpa's wisdom not only saved the book but made it a good one at that.
I struggled through the beginning of this book. I couldn't understand why this was recommended. But the characters (especially Will Twead, the narrator) sneak in and as things start happening, I got totally emotional. I hated Aunt Loma and Hosie as much as Will, loved Miss Love and Grandpa as much as Will, and felt deep pity for others). This is a great character-driven book and once I got sucked in, I had a hard time putting it down.
Recommended by Judy Watts
Recommended by Judy Watts
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns is an delightful yarn, set in the deep south of 1906. While the overall tone of the book has the light hearted voice of a 14 year old's daily life. The story illuminates some very real situations and intricacies of bygone social customs. A very fun read.
Read this in high school, but didn't remember much. Perhaps I never finished it? Still, it was a good novel, and I wouldn't mind reading the sequel. I probably liked it about a 3.5, but gave it a 4.
There are few books that can evoke such a deep sense of time and place and such an intimate portrayal of the characters. This is one such. We encounter the tiny town of Cold Sassy and its inhabitants through the eyes of fourteen year old Will Tweedy. The absolute art of this is how Will gradually comes to see the adults in his world as complex individuals rather than the constructs of his childhood. Olive Burns does a masterful job of taking us back to that bittersweet time of life when we leave the safe predictability of childhood for the more precarious promise of the future. It’s a book about change—the grieving for what was and the excitement of what will come.
Well written, but with some disturbing content. Not really interesting.
Probably my favorite book from High School that I was required to read.
I loved the way this book was written. The narrator is a 14 year old boy and he tells from his perspective the story of his family and the small southern town he's raised in. Many of the characters are endearing and it's very hard to put down. I switched from hardback to audiobook halfway through because it was begging to be read aloud. The Audible narrator was exactly the voice I'd had reading aloud in my head.
There were some triggering issues in the storyline (a rape and a suicide) that were unpleasant but were told in such a way that I understand their significance to the plot. These unpleasant events are told succinctly within 2 chapters.
Although the story is told from a teenager's perspective, I do not think this book was written for a teen, but rather for adults who would appreciate the story better if they've had more life experience. I wouldn't recommend this for my teen. I'm glad I read it in my mid-thirties.
While I enjoyed hearing about this kind of southern experience post civil war, I don't think I'll be keeping the audiobook to re-read and I wouldn't necessarily buy the book for my home library. I am glad it's in my public library because I think it's good to have many southern voices tell about this period of American history.
There were some triggering issues in the storyline (a rape and a suicide) that were unpleasant but were told in such a way that I understand their significance to the plot. These unpleasant events are told succinctly within 2 chapters.
Although the story is told from a teenager's perspective, I do not think this book was written for a teen, but rather for adults who would appreciate the story better if they've had more life experience. I wouldn't recommend this for my teen. I'm glad I read it in my mid-thirties.
While I enjoyed hearing about this kind of southern experience post civil war, I don't think I'll be keeping the audiobook to re-read and I wouldn't necessarily buy the book for my home library. I am glad it's in my public library because I think it's good to have many southern voices tell about this period of American history.