Cold Sassy Tree
4 journalers for this copy...
Picked this up at the Book Thing of Baltimore.
Giving this to my friend for her birthday. I have a terrible feeling she may not have a copy.
Despite having recently received 35 copies of this book, KateKintail decided I still needed just one more, and included it in my birthday present. Thanks. ;)
Here's what I thought when I first read this book back in 2005:
Will Tweedy was 14 years old and living in Cold Sassy, Georgia, in the summer of 1906 when his grandpa came home one day to announce he was marrying a woman half his age, not three weeks after the death of his first wife, Will’s grandmother. The town, of course, is scandalized, and continues to be so as the story wears on. This is more of a “slice of life” depiction than much of a story – the author starts with a setting (the town of Cold Sassy) and a premise (Grandpa’s new bride), and meanders through clever little anecdotes and asides for a while until the author decides it’s time to end the story and starts killing off characters. This is not a bad story, just a fairly standard one. I don’t have very strong feelings about it either way. The constant backcountry dialect got kind of old, but I feel that way about all books narrated in dialect so that’s not exactly serious criticism. On the other hand, I could hear all the characters in my head with no problem. In the end, if you like this era of historical fiction, you’ll enjoy the feeling of living in Cold Sassy; if you prefer more plot-driven stories where everything happens for a reason, you might want to skip this one.
Here's what I thought when I first read this book back in 2005:
Will Tweedy was 14 years old and living in Cold Sassy, Georgia, in the summer of 1906 when his grandpa came home one day to announce he was marrying a woman half his age, not three weeks after the death of his first wife, Will’s grandmother. The town, of course, is scandalized, and continues to be so as the story wears on. This is more of a “slice of life” depiction than much of a story – the author starts with a setting (the town of Cold Sassy) and a premise (Grandpa’s new bride), and meanders through clever little anecdotes and asides for a while until the author decides it’s time to end the story and starts killing off characters. This is not a bad story, just a fairly standard one. I don’t have very strong feelings about it either way. The constant backcountry dialect got kind of old, but I feel that way about all books narrated in dialect so that’s not exactly serious criticism. On the other hand, I could hear all the characters in my head with no problem. In the end, if you like this era of historical fiction, you’ll enjoy the feeling of living in Cold Sassy; if you prefer more plot-driven stories where everything happens for a reason, you might want to skip this one.
Journal Entry 4 by 
Melydia
at George Washington's Birthplace National Monument in Colonial Beach, Virginia USA on Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Melydia at George Washington's Birthplace National Monument in Colonial Beach, Virginia USA on Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Released 9 yrs ago (11/11/2014 UTC) at George Washington's Birthplace National Monument in Colonial Beach, Virginia USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Left on a picnic table near the waterfront.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I wanted something that wasn't heavy, but light and entertaining. This fit the bill. In fact, I've ordered the sequel. Will be taking it with me to give to a friend in Georgia or in Florida.
Received book in hand from a Virginia friend. Enjoyed Ms. Burns kinder, gentler early 20th century rural GA read. Will release somewhere in FL.
Loved the book. Rucker was my favorite character. He was cantankerous, fun-loving, and loving toward his wives. He took good care of his family and extended family (even though he could also be very demanding). He was also a Christian who hated hypocrisy and wasn't afraid to point it out. I would say that the book very accurately depicted life in a small Southern town shortly after the turn of the century.
