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I liked this book. Someone complained that it didn't delve deep enough into mental illness and other issues but it wasn't meant to be that kind of book. The story is told through the eyes of Cee Cee, a twelve year old girl, who is forced to take care of her mentally ill mother because the father has given up and stays away working most of the time.
The author did a really good, very believable job of writing from a child's perspective. The supporting characters were well drawn and believable exce ...more
The author did a really good, very believable job of writing from a child's perspective. The supporting characters were well drawn and believable exce ...more
After reading Still Alice, I was ready for something light, and this fit the bill. It was a sweet story, peopled with lovable characters, some of them offbeat and quirky, in fact, a couple of them just too quirky to be believed. The book reminded me in some ways of The Secret Life of Bees. A young girl, Ceecee Honeycutt, lives with her parents in Ohio. Her mother is increasingly losing her sanity and does outrageous things that embarrass the 12-year-old Ceecee. Her father is a traveling salesman
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I heard great things about this one before I started it, and was really looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately I think my expectations might have been a little too high with this, and the story didn't quite meet them.
Cecelia Rose (or CeeCee) Honeycutt grows up in Ohio in the 1960s. Except when her crazy mother and truck-driving father can no longer care for her, she goes to live with her great-aunt in South Carolina. CeeCee is scared that her future is set, and there's no way she or anyon ...more
Cecelia Rose (or CeeCee) Honeycutt grows up in Ohio in the 1960s. Except when her crazy mother and truck-driving father can no longer care for her, she goes to live with her great-aunt in South Carolina. CeeCee is scared that her future is set, and there's no way she or anyon ...more
Once in a while, it just seems to be a matter of reading the right book at the right time, and that was my experience with this book. I read some of the other reviews, and yes, it was sugary sweet. But the characters rang true for me, and CeeCee's experiences as the daughter of a woman with mental issues were handled delicately and in good taste. The author has a wonderful way of describing the beauties of Savannah by focusing on what CeeCee sees (oh my, that's a mouthful!), not on Savannah from
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Better than the comparison books offered, I thought.
Most of the time when a book is billed as "Southern," I think it's a bit creepy—including Flannery O'Connor, but some creepy is okay; hers is done to unsettle and doesn't seem trite or commercialized. (I'm thinking of Secret Life of Bees here.)
So I was a bit wary of this book, but it avoided that creepiness and was simply a delightful read.
Maybe I'm way off base, or the sleep deprivation with a new baby and a two-year-old running amok have dist ...more
Most of the time when a book is billed as "Southern," I think it's a bit creepy—including Flannery O'Connor, but some creepy is okay; hers is done to unsettle and doesn't seem trite or commercialized. (I'm thinking of Secret Life of Bees here.)
So I was a bit wary of this book, but it avoided that creepiness and was simply a delightful read.
Maybe I'm way off base, or the sleep deprivation with a new baby and a two-year-old running amok have dist ...more
I liked it, but as far as recently published Southern novels go - I prefer The Help.
A good story, the ending wrapped it up, but I'm still left with questions. CeeCee's story was very sad, but I would hope that someone would notice a crazy mother much sooner. How the family didn't step in sooner doesn't make a whole lot of sense and why Mrs. O'Dell didn't do something doesn't really sit well either. ...more
A good story, the ending wrapped it up, but I'm still left with questions. CeeCee's story was very sad, but I would hope that someone would notice a crazy mother much sooner. How the family didn't step in sooner doesn't make a whole lot of sense and why Mrs. O'Dell didn't do something doesn't really sit well either. ...more
This was really 3 stars, but the audio was awesome...same narrator as The Help, so that pushed it up a bit!
A harmless, cookie-cutter Southern charmer with the requisite eccentric Dixie women salving the soul of the requisite abandoned pre-teen girl. (See also: The Secret Life of Bees, The Help, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood....)
The quirky characters in this book reminded me of the similarly eccentric characters in FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AT THE WHISTLETOP CAFE. It was an enjoyable read with quite a few "laugh out loud" parts!
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Jan 06, 2011
Erin
marked it as to-read
Jan 13, 2013
Lisa
marked it as to-read
Oct 02, 2023
Lori
marked it as to-read
