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Nov 02, 2011

Jeanette rated it:

This book would be perfect for twelve-year-old girls, but it's just too precious for grown-up readers. Had it been published and promoted as a book for youngsters, I would have rated it higher and reviewed it more gently. But it was marketed as an adult book, so I'll rate and review it as such.

The writing, plot, and characters aren't all that bad for light fiction. I was able to finish it without hating it, which is increasingly rare for me with fluff novels. THE PROBLEM: There More...

14 comments like (33 people liked it)

Sep 18, 2011

Karla rated it:

I adore this style of writing, dripping with deep southern charm set in the summer of 1967 Savannah, Georgia. What a sparkling gem of a debut for Hoffman. I'm gonna have to compare this book a little because of the age of the main character to Secret Life of Bee's with a 12 year old girl named CeeCee living in Ohio, with her tender heart in shambles after the passing of her mentally-ill mother and having an absent father with no parenting skills. This event changes her life as she moves to live More...

15 comments like (19 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Candy rated it:

I cried real tears at parts of this lovely story of young CeeCee Honeycutt, a little girl who suffers unimaginable loss at the hands of a mentally ill mother and unsympathetic father. But like the spider web-trapped hummingbird rescued in Chapt. 27 by pulling "the stickiest strings free of the bird's delicate wings," a community of concerned women carries out a similar attempt for CeeCee. In both cases, a wounded creature is allowed to enjoy the life it should. I loved this book that c More...

0 comments like (19 people liked it)

Jul 06, 2011

Cara rated it:

"The afternoon sun sent fireworks of light sparkling off the hood ornament- a miniature silver angel with open wings and her arms stretched out in front of her, palms forward, as if she were ready to push aside anything that dared get in her way."

First off I want that hood ornament! Sadly they don't put them on cars anymore. *sigh* This quote really jumped out at me because it describes the story as a whole. Ceecee will be protected by the brave, fierce, and beautiful wom More...

4 comments like (6 people liked it)

Apr 02, 2011

Karen rated it:

A book very reminiscent of "The secret life of Bees", "Midnight in the garden of Good and Evil" and a book that at times is so predictable it feels like it has plagiarized the dozens of other books that involve southern charm, race relations, mother daughter relations and young women who rise above disadvantage and ultimately triumph. At times the book would take a turn and I would think "but hasn't this plot line been in so many other books?" Even the names of the More...

0 comments like (14 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Kathleen rated it:

Beth Hoffman wrote an incredible first novel. This book to my breath away and I could not put it down. Cee Cee Honeycomb is growing up with a very troubled mother and a father that ignores his entire family.
Cee Cee is on an emotional roller coaster. She does SURVIVE....

This book is full of Southern charm and I coould just see myself sitting with her on the porch and the beautiful gardens of Savannah.
Cee Cee meets and is taken care of by some wonderful people that More...

4 comments like (8 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Jess rated it:

For some reason I was little hesitant to pick this book up. It's definitely not a book I would normally read, but it was one of my group's BOtM so I gave it a try. Despite my initial reluctance to try it, once I started reading I couldn't put it down.

CeeCee Honeycutt is a little girl who grew up in a house that was anything but normal. Her mother was constantly going through different moods, she had no friends to speak of, and her father was consistently leaving to go on business tri More...

8 comments like (8 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Brenda (Lansdowne) rated it:

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

1 comment like (6 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Susan rated it:

I am often a fan of Southern literature because it is frequently filled with colorful, eccentric characters, beautiful descriptions, and improbable situations. At its best, it is also infused with humor. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt lives up to the traditions and expectations.

Cecelia Rose (CeeCee) lives in 1960's Ohio with her increasingly unstable mother, who was the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen, and an increasingly absent father. Her mother, transplanted to the North, was never able to t More...

3 comments like (5 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Meg rated it:

Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, set in the 1960s, is Southern fiction at its best -- poignant, lush and enveloping like breakfast in a sunny nook. That's pretty much how I felt while reading this story: wrapped up in a comfortable world with colorful characters willing to share their secrets with me. CeeCee is a bright, introspective young woman who absorbs everything she sees and desperately hopes she'll find security with her aunt in Savannah. That's what she seems to crave, more than More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Gail rated it:

Cecelia Honeycutt's mother is the laughing stock of their small Ohio town, her antics causes Cece to retreat into herself and her books. Her mother is an unhappy woman, all but deserted by her husband, who is trapped in her long ago days as a beauty queen. Her mental illness deepens as she buys old prom dresses and parades around town in them. She is a figure of mirth and her daughter is mercilessly teased.

Then at the age of twelve, her mother is killed in a freakish accident, lea More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Nov 27, 2010

Maria rated it:

3.5 stars.

This book started well and up until page 200 or so, I thought it would be one of my favourite books ever. That's saying something as I read a lot of books. I loved the part of the story about CeeCee's aunt Lucille and her best friend, and the purple sofa; and I loved what Miz Goodpepper said about her bird cage. I also liked Mrs Odell's description of the Life Book. Those were very memorable and almost magical scenes and I would have liked to have seen more of that type of More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Valerie rated it:

Another Debut novel that I enjoyed immensely. And it's based in the South again -1960s. As a whole, the story isn't as funny as I had first presumed it would be but that didn't take away from the story and there are some clearly funny parts. The beginning is mostly Cecilia with her insane (literally) mother but once her mother dies, Ceecee is in Savannah with her great aunt. The plot is basically how she comes into her own getting past the hurt. It's very character driven, the character being Ce More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

LemonLinda rated it:

This book tells the story of a young girl who largely due to the love and guidance of three wonderfully wise and charming women begins to recover and flourish after a lifelong burden of living with a severely mentally ill mother and a largely absent father. These ladies help to speed along the healing process as they enter Ceecee's life and together slide into the role of surrogate "moms".

After her mom's death, her father signs custody over to a spunky and vivacious great More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Dawn rated it:

I wanted to give this book 2 stars, but that felt a little unfair. There’s nothing wrong with the book per se, but it definitely didn’t live up to my expectations. The story is about CeeCee, a young girl from Ohio whose mother just died. CeeCee goes to live with an aunt in Savannah, Georgia where she meets several eccentric Southern ladies. The story itself was fine, but I didn’t find a lot of substance there. The characters were all interesting enough, but pretty one-dimensional, and the s More...

5 comments like (18 people liked it)

Aug 12, 2010

Riley rated it:

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a beautiful story about self-discovery, family, and the quirkiness of human nature. It is touching and wise with a laugh-out-loud sense of humor. CeeCee is a wonderful narrator with an engaging voice and her perspectives are simultaneously moving, fascinating, and funny as she observes her eccentric Southern neighbors. Beth Hoffman deftly weaves CeeCee's story as she copes with grief and growing up while learning what it means to have real family. The descriptions are More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Apr 10, 2011

Cassi aka Snow White rated it:

This book started out with an interesting premise. I love a mom who has gone crazy-train and thinks she's a beauty queen 24/7. But then it didn't go anywhere. Following her mother's death CeeCee moves to Savannah where apparently everyone is wonderful and everything perfect (Except Mrs. Hobbs who really isn't that bad. I didn't like Mrs. Goodpepper that much to be honest). It has a couple of false-starts where I think there will be action and plot starting but almost as soon as it's there t More...

6 comments like (5 people liked it)

Mar 31, 2011

Deborah rated it:

I'm probably the only person in the U.S. of A. who didn't like this book. I just don't get what everyone sees in it. It was so sugary sweet I thought it was going to put me in a diabetic coma. And the characters were such steriotypes. Like the wise Oletta who says "Child, child, you've got a whole lot of healin' to do. But the Good Lord sent you to the right place. Ain't nobody walkin' this green earth got a bigger heart than Miz Tootie". Argh!! The author was constantly barra More...

3 comments like (12 people liked it)

Mar 29, 2010

Jamaie rated it:

I'm about to say something startling, not to say that is out of the norm for me. This book was better than "The Help". There it is and yes, you read that correctly, so you don't need to check it again...LOL. I would seriously listen to this one on audio CD, though....excellently done! I have to be honest and say this book was a bit reminicent of 'The Help' in some ways...but I'm not willing to share what those things are, you would have to read it. I currently live in Savannah, GA More...

11 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jan 01, 2012

Sarah rated it:

It wasn't the worst book I've ever read, but it was pretty flat, and I was disappointed after all the good reviews I read about it. And I had a lot of issues with the book that stopped me from really enjoying it:

The characters were pretty flat and stereotypical. The benevolent old Southern white society lady who saves her little grand-niece. Her grumpy-but-oh-so-loveable black maid. The smart but troubled young girl. The crazy mother. I was very aware that these were characters, made More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Jennifer rated it:

When I first began reading, I thought "Hooray! I've found a 5 star book." I felt that way for the first half of the book. I loved the narrator, 12 year old Cee Cee, and I loved the details and descriptions of her crazy mother, even though they were at times quite sad. I also loved the descriptions of Savannah, Aunt Tootie, and Oletta. Things started going downhill when the conflict at Tybee beach was quickly and neatly wrapped up in a page! This really could have added depth to the sto More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Hillary rated it:

I finally had the opportunity to read this debut novel of one of our biggest fans and friends here at Year of the Bookwormz2010. Beth Hoffman, author of this New York Time’s best selling novel is sweet, kind, insightful and just a peach. She is so busy yet still finds the time to read our blog reviews and send us sweet messages. Fabookulous discovered this book and developed a rapport with Beth immediately. We look so forward to taking Beth to a girly afternoon tea or sharing some sweet tea when More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Jess rated it:

CeeCee Honeycutt has easily become my favorite book of the summer, thus far. It is packed full of my favorite things--a charming southern atmosphere, a coming-of-age narrator, strong female characters, sweet summertime, hilarious and eccentric adventures, and wisdom for all ages.

I wish my words could do this book the justice it more than deserves. However, my few meager words here will have to suffice. This book is a prime example of southern fiction and goes to show just why I love More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Feb 14, 2012

Susie rated it:

CeeCee Honeycutt has had a tough life in her 12 years she had a father who travels alot and leaves her home alone with her mentally ill mother. Her mother doesn't beat her or anything however she thinks she's back in 1951 when she was the Vidalia Onion Queen she parades around town in prom dresses and her tiara and can't be pulled back into the present no matter how hard CeeCee tries.
As events unfold CeeCee ends up living with her Great Aunt Tootie in Savannah, which is where she begins to More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Cindy rated it:

This is just a fantastic and delightful book! It is definitely going right on my list of favorites! I'm ranking it right up there with "The Help" and will even go so far as to say I liked it better!
This book transported me to the world of CeeCee. I could feel her pain, her confusion, and then I could feel her happiness! I was introduced to Savannah, a Savannah I would truly love to visit. I fell in love with Mrs. Odell, Aunt Tootie, Oletta, and the entire cast of eccentric More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Bobbi rated it:

I was surprised that I did not like this book since it's had such good reviews. As you may know, it's the story of 12 year old Ceecee Honeycutt from Ohio who has been dealing with her mentally ill mother for years. Her father is mostly absent from their lives. After her mother's death, a wealthy great aunt takes her to live in Savannah where Ceecee meets lots of her aunt's friends most of them slightly eccentric.

Hoffman's characters are either very very good or very very bad. Her More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Leslie rated it:

Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a funny, warm and wonderful little southern novel. You'll love the quirky characters, southern charm and dramatic living. Color, as well as the surroundings, play a large role in CeeCee's story and affect her life.

Twelve-year-old Cecelia Rose Honeycutt has been living with her mother, the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen. Mrs. Honeycutt loves to wear prom dresses, a tiara, smeared lipstick and red high-heeled satin shoes. Tragedy strikes and CeeCee i More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Kathy rated it:

I first heard of this book via Twitter. After reading a few reviews I knew this book was one I definitely had to read! Amazon compared it to “Steel Magnolias meets The Help!” That comment sold me as well. The author, Beth Hoffman, shares a CeeCee Honeycutt’s young life story with us and it’s one you won’t easily forget! You will laugh, cry, and be awestruck by what CeeCee has to endure as young girl of twelve.
CeeCee is caring for her mother, Camille, who is mentally unstable and the laugh More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 09, 2011

June rated it:

If like me, you love stories about them Southern gals, then you'll enjoy this book very much. The story begins with Cecilia (Ceecee) Honeycutt trying to help her mother Camille Sugarbaker Honeycutt. Camille was the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen and when the story begins, is slowly and steadily declining into mental illness. She no longer can cope with life and actually hasn't for years. Cee cee is nearing 12 yrs and feeling the pain of her mother's odd behavior more and more. She is isolated from More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Oct 16, 2010

Diane rated it:

Twelve year old Cecelia Rose (CeeCee) Honeycutt is the sympathetic narrator of this marvelous coming of age story set in the early 1960's. CeeCee's life was anything but normal. Her mother Camille is mentally ill, and often lives in the past (1951) the time when she was crowned, Vadalia Onion Beauty Queen. Her father Carl is a traveling salesman, unable to cope with his wife's behavior, he is gone for long periods of time, leaving Cee Cee to watch over her mother. Camille's favorite pass time i More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)