Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. A Novel. By Beth Hoffman. Women’s Fiction. 2010.
(I listened to the audio version read by Jenna Lamia)
The synopsis from Beth Hoffman’s website:
“Twelve-year-old CeeCee is in trouble. For years she’s been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille— the crown-wearing, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town. Though it’s 1967 and they live in Ohio, Camille believes it’s
1951 and she’s just been crowned the Vidalia Onion Queen of Georgia.
The day CeeCee discovers Camille in the front yard wearing a tattered prom dress and tiara as she blows kisses to passing motorists, she knows her mother has completely flipped. When tragedy strikes, Tootie Caldwell, a previously unknown great-aunt comes to CeeCee’s rescue and whisks her away to Savannah. Within hours of her arrival, CeeCee is catapulted into a perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricities—a world that appears to be run entirely by women.
While Tootie is busy saving Savannah’s endangered historic homes from the wrecking ball, CeeCee encounters a cast of unforgettable, eccentric characters. From the mysterious Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in an outdoor tub under the watchful eyes of a voyeuristic peacock, to Oletta Jones, the all-knowing household cook, to Violene Hobbs, the loud-mouthed widow who entertains a local police officer in her yellow see-through peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.
But CeeCee’s view of the world is challenged in ways she could have never imagined: there are secrets to keep, injustices to face, and loyalties to uphold. Just as she begins to find her ballast and experiences a sense of belonging, her newfound joy collides with the long-held fear that her mother’s legacy has left her destined for destruction.
Laugh-out-loud funny, at times heartbreaking, and written in a pitch-perfect voice, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a spirited Southern tale that explores the intricate frailties and strengths of female relationships while illuminating the journey of a young girl who loses her mother but finds many others.”
My Take (taken from a review I did for The Writing Show’s Summer Reading club):
This was so good! It deserves that exclamation mark.
Beth Hoffman weaves a tale about a young girl coming-of-age in the late 60's, without overlooking the major political issues of the day. I won't summarize the story, since Beth does it so well above, but I also found it to be the story of how other women mother us when our own mother’s fail. It’s about finding your passion. It’s about not letting the past define you, and not putting the past in the closet and forgetting about it, either. This story isn’t just a “Woo-hoo! Girls rule!” kind of story- it’s deeper, it’s more tragic, and in the end it really is about the gift of women.
The only negative for me was that the ending seemed a bit anticlimactic. At the end I think we’re left staring up at the sky and we’re expected to feel all resolved because CeeCee can see her mom has been there all along. It just didn’t work for me, or maybe I just wasn’t ready to put the book down. You’ll have to decide for yourself.
The voice, the characters, and the setting (wow, oh, wow the setting) were perfection for me. I was caught up in a heartbeat and hung out with these women, and Savannah, until the wee hours of the morning a few nights.
This was an accidental find for me and I’m so glad I found it. And, if you happen to listen to this as an audio book you’ll be sent over the moon. BEST audio book I think I’ve ever heard. Jenna Lamia does a superb job of capturing the different voices without it getting overly melodramatic. You will not be disappointed. So go get it, and enjoy.
This was so good! It deserves that exclamation mark.
Beth Hoffman weaves a tale about a young girl coming-of-age in the late 60's, without overlooking the major political issues of the day. I won't summarize the story, since Beth does it so well above, but I also found it to be the story of how other women mother us when our own mother’s fail. It’s about finding your passion. It’s about not letting the past define you, and not putting the past in the closet and forgetting about it, either. This story isn’t just a “Woo-hoo! Girls rule!” kind of story- it’s deeper, it’s more tragic, and in the end it really is about the gift of women.
The only negative for me was that the ending seemed a bit anticlimactic. At the end I think we’re left staring up at the sky and we’re expected to feel all resolved because CeeCee can see her mom has been there all along. It just didn’t work for me, or maybe I just wasn’t ready to put the book down. You’ll have to decide for yourself.
The voice, the characters, and the setting (wow, oh, wow the setting) were perfection for me. I was caught up in a heartbeat and hung out with these women, and Savannah, until the wee hours of the morning a few nights.
This was an accidental find for me and I’m so glad I found it. And, if you happen to listen to this as an audio book you’ll be sent over the moon. BEST audio book I think I’ve ever heard. Jenna Lamia does a superb job of capturing the different voices without it getting overly melodramatic. You will not be disappointed. So go get it, and enjoy.
1 comment:
Oooh, sounds good!
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