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A review by lingfish7
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up. This book is so hard to describe. It was written in 1984, so a decade before I born, about a time over 100 years ago, in a place far away from my upbringing. At first I hated it: I thought it was glorifying "the olden days" where white supremacy and misogyny reigned (I still think parts of it do). But then the story grew on me, as Mr. Blakeslee, the patriarchy of this wealthy family in small town Georgia, was revealed to be the only truly sane and loving adult in his family. He was not as he first appeared (though I still find it despicable that men in the early 1900's were incapable of doing housework and cooking) and he had such a gentle and authentic side to him.
The story itself takes place in 1906 in southern Georgia and it was inspired by the author's father who was 14 years old in 1906. The book centers around a 14 year old boy wrestling with death (a very present reality back then), love, family, and faith. He gets most of his advice and affirmation from his grandfather but finds himself in a pickle when his grandma dies and his grandpa marries a woman 30 years his junior, just 3 weeks after his wife passed. As you can imagine, the entire town, filled with pious church going "Christians," is enraged at the "disgrace" and ends up protesting in both large and small ways, overt and passive-aggressive. The main character Will is so endearing and tries to remain the peacemaking force in his family while his mother and aunt are hysterical over the drama their father brought upon the family.
This story made me laugh, cry, and ponder - everything from faith and love to life and death. It was beautifully written and enjoyable, especially the last third. It was very slow halfway through when there was a long and meandering camping trip but after that trip was over, the plot picked up again.
The story itself takes place in 1906 in southern Georgia and it was inspired by the author's father who was 14 years old in 1906. The book centers around a 14 year old boy wrestling with death (a very present reality back then), love, family, and faith. He gets most of his advice and affirmation from his grandfather but finds himself in a pickle when his grandma dies and his grandpa marries a woman 30 years his junior, just 3 weeks after his wife passed. As you can imagine, the entire town, filled with pious church going "Christians," is enraged at the "disgrace" and ends up protesting in both large and small ways, overt and passive-aggressive. The main character Will is so endearing and tries to remain the peacemaking force in his family while his mother and aunt are hysterical over the drama their father brought upon the family.
This story made me laugh, cry, and ponder - everything from faith and love to life and death. It was beautifully written and enjoyable, especially the last third. It was very slow halfway through when there was a long and meandering camping trip but after that trip was over, the plot picked up again.