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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
"boy howdy" this was a good read. Filled with humor and tenderness. I love stories that are written from the perspective of a young boy (or girl) and you can actually feel, see, and hear the wonder of childhood in their tale. This is such a story. The story mainly revolves around Will Tweedy and his grandfather. This is a story of growing up, small town scandal, faith, true love, and the strength of family. I will definitely read this one again!
I think the story was good but it was so difficult to read because of the languange. fittin' = fighting etc.
I had had a copy of Olive Ann Burns' Cold Sassy Tree on my to-read list for an awfully long time. Whilst I adore Southern novels, having held onto it for so long did not bode well for me; ordinarily, I would have read it within a month or two. I have tried to pick the novel up on numerous occasions, but always end up putting it down after a few pages, as it holds very little interest for me. Burns' plot and writing did not pull me in at all, and I found the dialect used incredibly overdone; it really put me off. After reading a few reviews, I expected that the ensuing story would be too saccharine for my tastes, and am thus carting it off to the local Oxfam Bookshop this weekend.
There are so many authors who have written marvellous novels and short stories about the South - Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers, Harper Lee, William Maxwell, William Faulkner, and Kathryn Stockett, to name but a few - and I will be sticking with largely grittier stories than Burns' in future. Oh, and it makes me a little cross that someone dared compare this to To Kill a Mockingbird on the novel's back cover; this is a line which I would not personally have drawn, as no book can stand up to Harper Lee's brilliance in my opinion.
There are so many authors who have written marvellous novels and short stories about the South - Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers, Harper Lee, William Maxwell, William Faulkner, and Kathryn Stockett, to name but a few - and I will be sticking with largely grittier stories than Burns' in future. Oh, and it makes me a little cross that someone dared compare this to To Kill a Mockingbird on the novel's back cover; this is a line which I would not personally have drawn, as no book can stand up to Harper Lee's brilliance in my opinion.
A sweet, warm story. This book is set in a small Georgia town in the early 20th century. The narrator is 14 year old Will Tweedy. The main character is his Grandpa Blakesly, the cantankerous, stingy owner of the town general store. Will tells the story of his family and the town in the year after the death of his grandmother.
Burns does a wonderful job of portraying the era when some homes had indoor plumbing and electric lights and others did not and of the appearance of the first automobiles in the area. She lets us see the class divisions of the relatively well-off established whites, the blacks and the poor mill worker families. With humor and through Will Tweedy's eyes, we see the rigid social structure reinforced by the various town churches. Through his eyes we also see the internal conflict that young people faced in small towns--the comfort and shelter of family and neighbors with the claustrophobia of having your every move watched and judged.
Burns does a wonderful job of portraying the era when some homes had indoor plumbing and electric lights and others did not and of the appearance of the first automobiles in the area. She lets us see the class divisions of the relatively well-off established whites, the blacks and the poor mill worker families. With humor and through Will Tweedy's eyes, we see the rigid social structure reinforced by the various town churches. Through his eyes we also see the internal conflict that young people faced in small towns--the comfort and shelter of family and neighbors with the claustrophobia of having your every move watched and judged.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I've read Cold Sassy Tree many times, but once I listened to Grover Gardner's narration of the story by Olive Ann Burns, I became an audiobook junkie. The novel is a fine read, but Gardner elevates the delicate prose, making the whole experience truly special.
I was 14 when I read this book, and I liked it a lot. Even though I was young, there was something about Will that was very sympathetic to me. I understood Will, even though his life was nothing like mine. I guess that's the point of novels, really.
(I was a little bit embarrassed by the "coming of age" bits, but looking back, they were very mild.)
(I was a little bit embarrassed by the "coming of age" bits, but looking back, they were very mild.)