Book Review - Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Product Description from Amazon.com:

Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt is in trouble. For years, she has been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille-the tiara-toting, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town-a woman trapped in her long-ago moment of glory as the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen. But when Camille is hit by a truck and killed, CeeCee is left to fend for herself. To the rescue comes her previously unknown great-aunt, Tootie Caldwell.

In her vintage Packard convertible, Tootie whisks CeeCee away to Savannah's perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricity, a world that seems to be run entirely by women. From the exotic Miz Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in her backyard bathtub and uses garden slugs as her secret weapons, to Tootie's all-knowing housekeeper, Oletta Jones, to Violene Hobbs, who entertains a local police officer in her canary-yellow peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.

Laugh-out-loud funny and deeply touching, Beth Hoffman's sparkling debut is, as Kristin Hannah says, "packed full of Southern charm, strong women, wacky humor, and good old-fashioned heart." It is a novel that explores the indomitable strengths of female friendship and gives us the story of a young girl who loses one mother and finds many others.

My Thoughts: I feel so fortunate to have read this story! I was a little hesitant because everyone has been raving about it, which usually means that I probably won't like it. Was I ever wrong. I found this to be a refreshing change from what I have been reading lately....a dose of Southern Hospitality, if you will. It's as if the characters from the story wrapped their arms around me, and held me close while I read about CeeCee, and the mother that she wanted, but didn't have. Aunt Tootie is so comforting, in her ways and her words....she can make the absolute best out of any situation. Oletta is someone that CeeCee can open her heart to...tell her things about her past that she wouldn't tell anyone else. Never judgemental, Oletta always gives CeeCee exactly what she needs....an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, and many valuable life lessons. Miz Goodpepper, with her mysterious midnight baths and exotic outfits opens CeeCee's eyes to many new things, including the meaning of Karma.

With a contented sigh I finished this book but also with a bit of sadness, as I didn't want the story to end. I am hoping that Ms. Hoffman writes many more books, because she is a truly gifted author who knows Southern Charm and has a big heart.

My favorite excerpt from the book:

~"People is wise 'cause they get out in the world and live. Wisdom comes from experience - from knowin' each day is a gift and accepting it with gladness. You read a whole lot of books, and readin' sure has made you smart, but ain't no book in the world gonna make you wise."~ Oletta to CeeCee, page 290.~


OUTSTANDING!


About the author:

Beth Hoffman was the president and owner of a major interior design studio in Cincinnati, Ohio, before turning to writing full time. She lives with her husband and two cats in a quaint historic district in Newport, Kentucky. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is her first novel. Visit her website at http://bethhoffman.net.

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books (January 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670021393
• ISBN-13: 978-0670021390