Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Jun 02, 2008

Ebookwormy rated it:

I had the first sentence of this review written before I read this book. It was "life was pretty good in the south after the Civil War as long as you weren't black or poor." Quite frankly I was in no mood to appreciate cultural racism.

But then I started reading, and I was captivated. The humor of the story and the joy of life of the characters gave the book a clean feel of a simpler time - and the enjoying feel of a great, grand ole yarn. Yet at the same time, running like More...

0 comments like (15 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Emily rated it:

I actually really liked this book, but I think I enjoyed the cultural and historical aspects of it more than the story, to be frank. Burns paints a wonderful picture of life in a small and changing southern town in the early 20th century. The depiction of the social tensions between the "lintheads" who work in the cotton mills and the rest of the town hit the nail on the head, in terms of the southern industrial mill era. We also see the coming of the automobile and the way that the More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Dec 17, 2009

Irishcoda rated it:

There is so much to love about this book. The characters are vibrant, the language is rich and there are good life's lessons throughout--but it's not preachy. This is a story told with lots of humor although it does have it's tear-jerker moments. Young Will Tweedy is 14 at the turn of the century and is living in the town of Cold Sassy, Georgia. His grandfather causes an uproar in this sleepy little town by eloping with the beautiful young employee in his store. That's bad enough but what r More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Nov 14, 2007

Kimber rated it:

I liked this book for a couple of reasons but first - I gave it only 4 stars because I had a hard time with the southern writing (trying to do the accent), it was a little distracting for me.

What I did like was some of the religious views taught - what might Jesus mean by 'ask and ye shall receive', the view of death and mourning. It made me look a little more at myself and see which character I fit - the gossips of the town, the drama queen mother, the one willing to press forward More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 23, 2008

Tiffany rated it:

I can't believe Janette only gave this book 3 stars! I love this book, it's so delightful, the characters are so human with their fears, and pettiness and prejudices and lusts. It had a lot of humor in it as well, like when the grandpa decided eloped with the millner (hat maker) 2 weeks after the grandma died, and his excuse was, "she's as dead as she's ever gonna be!" But we didn't doubt his devotion to the grandma, because he completely lined her grave with cut roses from her rose More...

3 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 24, 2008

Cathy rated it:

Maybe I should have given this more than three stars, because I truly enjoyed reading it and wanted to know what happened next to young Will, his cantakerous grandfather, and Love Simpson, the scandalous "Yankee" bride. It just seemed a trifle "Southern lit by the numbers" to me, with the town gossips and the coming of age and the quirky characters. A lot of the secondary characters are pretty stock, and I had a hard time with the super-thick dialect given to the black charac More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 10, 2009

Megan rated it:

My grandmother's favorite book of all time, so I have always wanted to read it. This is such a great book. It nearly ripped my heart out for making me think of my Grandmother. It is about a 14 year old boy in 1906 Cold Sassy, Georgia. The book centers on Will Tweedy's relationship with his grandfather and the small town scandal that begins when his grandfather remarries a young woman two weeks after his wife's passing. The narrative is so witty and touching and it is written in such a stron More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 13, 2008

Kelsey rated it:

I read this one a few weeks ago and I loved the characters in this story because I could see a little bit of myself in each one of them. It is a simple story about a boy named Will Tweedy in a small Georgia town in the early 1900s whose Grandpa remarries the young and very attractive milliner only three weeks after losing his wife.

The plot was so easy going and I really felt like I was watching a movie. Burns did a great job with the southern accent - it must have taken her for More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Sep 27, 2010

Sara rated it:

This book is set in a town called Cold Sassy in Georgia during the 1900’s. Will’s grandmother has just died and his grandfather doesn’t seem to be in remorse as much as the town thinks he should be. Then the scandal begins! He announces he has married a woman much younger than he, not 3 weeks after he buried his wife. Grandpa claims he hired her so that he would have a free housekeeper but you later find out that that is not true. Grandpa was actually in love with Ms. Love. The drama continues a More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Mar 05, 2009

Karli rated it:

This book takes you to the South like no other. The story is simple and funny as it follows a boy's confusion over his grandfather marrying a young bride right after his grandmother dies. But the setting will transport you to a lazier, simpler time of dusty railroad tracks, porch swings and the corner store. I loved it!

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 22, 2007

Emily rated it:

My favorite book of all time. It hits on all cylinders -- it's hilariously funny, it's poignant, it's sad, it's witty, it's a historical snapshot, it's quintessentially southern -- and perhaps those with a similar background will understand it best. Maybe you can hear your relatives saying similar things.

I read it in 9th grade b/c it was required reading, and I was never the same...I have read it multiple times. I "made" my husband read it when we were dating. The author a More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 07, 2008

Camilla rated it:

This is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITES! It is written from the perspective of a young boy at the turn of the century. He lives in a small southern town and his grandmother has just died. Contrary to prescribed and accepted mourning practices, his grandfather quickly remarries a young, beautiful, and outgoing woman who works in his store. The town is in upheaval!!

This book explores the young boys perspective on his late grandmother, his relationship with his granfather and new STEP-gra More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2011

Adele rated it:

I absolutely loved this book. It took me a while to read it as it isn't a book that "you just can't put down." It is pretty slow moving, but I think it is purposely written that way. It is all about a slow moving southern town in Georgia. I feel like it picks up at the end, just as the town itself is becoming more "modern" and becoming a faster paced town. I really enjoyed the story and the beautiful way she portrays an old man growing young, a young boy growing up into adult More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Apr 20, 2009

Kw rated it:

One of the best novels I have ever read. Beautifully written.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 05, 2009

Maggie rated it:

I was instantly entranced; and terribly sad when the book ended.

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Aug 03, 2011

Britt added it

I was lent this book by an English co-worker, and at first I thought the dialect-rich Georgia-speak was irritating and its main appeal stemmed from it being novel and exotic. But the story did grow on me. And I did something that I have never done before: I put a book down 200-some pages into it and picked it up again months later and finished it. The journal premise for the detail of description is reedy in moments, but the characters and the voice of the narrator up for it. I realised that More...

0 comments like

Nov 08, 2011

Harmonybites rated it:

Blurbs for the book claimed it was "better than To Kill a Mockingbird and reminiscent of Alice Walker. I can't agree with either remark, although I did love this book and rated it a five. But not all fives are created equal. I recently reread To Kill a Mockingbird and that one is a classic on a whole other level. The only Alice Walker novel I've read is The Color Purple. Some aspects of how Burns conveyed the Southern American dialect was reminiscent, as was the iconoclastic spirituality, a More...

0 comments like

Oct 27, 2011

Joy rated it:

The book jacket says this novel is one of the favorites of Barbara Bush. It is a great coming-of-age story of a young teen boy in a small town in Georgia in 1906. It's a great picture of Southern life with it's caring AND busy-bodyness. There's lots of wisdom from Grandpa Blakeslee, especially:
"Will, faith ain't no magic wand or money-back gar'ntee either one. Hit's just a way a-livin'. Hit means you don't worry th'ew the days. Hit means you go on holdin' on to God in good or bad time More...

0 comments like

Oct 19, 2011

Lillie rated it:

This was really good...there was so much that I liked about it. I liked the story, I liked Miss Love and Grandpa, I liked Will and his point of view, and how as a 14 year old boy his story telling is mostly unbiased and innocent. I really liked some of the main themes. The ones that I particularly picked up on was the contrast between true faith and Sunday religion. I liked hearing Grandpa's view on God and faith especially since he was more honest in recognizing hypocrisy. It was very interesti More...

0 comments like

Jul 26, 2011

Steven rated it:

Fantastic characters and a good plot. I loved the setting, the old South, the gossipy small town and the funny, quircky, but very believable people. This is an excellent picture of life at the turn of the century, including the advent of the automobile, electric lights and indoor plumbing. It's also an interesting coming-of-age tale told by a 14-year-old boy.

This book is excellent. I was just a little surprised by the dark turn it takes toward the end. Primarily because my kid More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Mar 28, 2011

Marie rated it:

When I don't have a strong reaction to a book, I have little to say about it. And Cold Sassy Tree is one of those books.

Now, the setting was well-drawn: Burns seemed to capture the time and culture, or at least convinced me, so uneducated on the era, that she did. Will Tweedy read as a reasonable facsimile of a teenage boy, though never having been one myself, I'll never be able to tell for sure. I found the various depictions of various griefs genuine and moving and insightful.
More...

0 comments like

Mar 13, 2011

Debik rated it:

This is one of my ALL TIME favorite books! Right up there with To Kill a Mockingbird. My husband, and then 14 year old daughter and I listened to the audiobook of it while on vacation, and have ever since been trying to find a "vacation book" that would even come close. 12 year Will Tweedy delightfully takes us through the ups and downs of his family and friends in 1906, Cold Sassy, Georgia. We share death, birth' marriage, old age and coming of age. I am not a person to read a book More...

0 comments like

Jan 23, 2011

Judy rated it:

I loved this book about life in Cold Sassy, Georgia in 1906. Will Tweedy is fourteen year old and the favorite of his grandfather. E. Rucker Blakeslee is an eccentric man who owns the local store and lives life on his own terms. Barely three weeks after the death of his wife, Grandpa Blakeslee scandalizes the town of Cold Sassy by marrying Miss Love Simpson, who had moved to Cold Sassy to make hats in his store. Not only does Grandpa Blakeslee completely disregard social mores and the wishes More...

0 comments like

Sep 18, 2010

Leslie rated it:

This is one of those amazing books that captures many aspects of Southern life, especially during the changing times and attitudes of the early 20th century. Young Will Tweedy, just 14 years old, begins to discover just what the people around him are really like, as he explores his budding talents as a writer and records the strange events that take place after the death of his grandmother. Small town life and the upper middle class concern for appearances are explored with sympathy and amusemen More...

0 comments like

Aug 20, 2010

AnnaMay rated it:

What a great 'southern story.'

Grandpa is such an entertaining character. He does what we wish we all had the gumption to do. I love how he is so deep-thinking and how his religious convictions are so logical, despite what the cultural norm was at the time.

Miss Love -- I'm so glad that authors deliberately choose characters' names to coincide with their part in the story. Her name is so fitting. I was wrapped up in her story for sure. Hoorah for her.

The More...

0 comments like

Mar 11, 2010

Kris rated it:

I've been meaning to read this since I was in college. I took a young adult lit class in preparation for teaching English and several students read it and loved it. While I do not think it is appropriate to call it a YA book, I have to say I LOVED it. It is one of my all-time favorite reads. I should admit that I listened to it, which really added to the experience for me. It is full of old Georgia dialect and to hear it read by someone with the appropriate dialect was beautiful. I also had More...

0 comments like

Nov 05, 2009

Brian rated it:

Overall, this is a very good story. I have only one complaint which is why it did not receive 5 stars, but after I explain that, I will praise the many outstanding qualities of the story.

The story does tend to lag in places especially with Will Tweedy's mother and aunt. In the story, the two act as the background setting for the time period. Everyone in the story does set the time period for the reader, but these two are especially the radical end of the spectrum with the aunt foremo More...

0 comments like

Jul 09, 2009

Yasmin added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Jun 08, 2009

Bobbi rated it:

This was a slow starter for me, but it did pick up some momentum towards the end.

It was set in a small town in Georgia at the turn of the century. Life in this small town took on a leisurely pace, but did have little bursts of excitement every once in a while.

The characters were completely lovable. The town proprietor and gentleman, Rucker Blakesley, also grandfather of the main character had many memorable thoughts on religion. This is one that I think is especially More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 09, 2008

Selina rated it:

For any who have not read this book... READ IT NOW! This was one of my grandmother's favorite books and I know why. She lived in a small town where everything was evryone's business. Grandma always had an eleventh commandment "Thou shalt mind thy own business!!" And this book is a testament to that! It is a good and humorous reminder to us all to quit worry about what other people are doing and keep your lips sealed when nothing but heedless gossip is spouting out of them.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

reviews