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Most Helpful Favorable Review
17 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
Brings tears to your soul and then the sunshine dries them right up
Got my hands on a pre-pub ARC and I must say, I feel very fortunate indeed to have this early sneak peak. The characters are so real, you close the book wanting more; in fact, I miss them - Aunt Tootie, Oletta, Mrs Odell - they were my friends too. CeeCee is a young gir...Read More
Got my hands on a pre-pub ARC and I must say, I feel very fortunate indeed to have this early sneak peak. The characters are so real, you close the book wanting more; in fact, I miss them - Aunt Tootie, Oletta, Mrs Odell - they were my friends too. CeeCee is a young girl we can all relate to, with her normal fears and blunders and her good-hearted soul. The writing is phenomenal - don't speed read or you might miss an important piece of the landscape of this delightful novel. For a first-time novelist, Beth Hoffman has hit a homerun right out of the park. She takes you from tears streaming down your face to nervous anticipation, relief and outright joy and then does it again, all in what seems to be the blink of an eye. Be sure to set aside enough time to read the entire book in one sitting - yes, it's that kind of feel-good read. I'll definitely be in line to get a signed hard copy in January and plan to re-read it several times.Show Less
posted by slosch on October 13, 2009
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4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
just o.k.
in the wake of reading "the help" this book lacked any kind of depth. it was pleasant enough to read, and very predictable. it is the type of book i would recommend for someone sitting in an airport, waiting for an appointment or when you just want something light to ...Read More
in the wake of reading "the help" this book lacked any kind of depth. it was pleasant enough to read, and very predictable. it is the type of book i would recommend for someone sitting in an airport, waiting for an appointment or when you just want something light to read.Show Less
posted by need-to-read on February 6, 2010
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slosch
Posted October 13, 2009
I Also Recommend:
Brings tears to your soul and then the sunshine dries them right up
Got my hands on a pre-pub ARC and I must say, I feel very fortunate indeed to have this early sneak peak. The characters are so real, you close the book wanting more; in fact, I miss them - Aunt Tootie, Oletta, Mrs Odell - they were my friends too. CeeCee is a young girl we can all relate to, with her normal fears and blunders and her good-hearted soul. The writing is phenomenal - don't speed read or you might miss an important piece of the landscape of this delightful novel. For a first-time novelist, Beth Hoffman has hit a homerun right out of the park. She takes you from tears streaming down your face to nervous anticipation, relief and outright joy and then does it again, all in what seems to be the blink of an eye. Be sure to set aside enough time to read the entire book in one sitting - yes, it's that kind of feel-good read. I'll definitely be in line to get a signed hard copy in January and plan to re-read it several times.
17 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
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M5
Posted January 30, 2010
lush, lovely, mischievous, and deep
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a joy.
With a history in literary criticism, I tend to be a tough reader--often digging into post-modern and modernist texts rooted in darkness and frustration (Ian McEwan, Philip Roth, and Virginia Woolf are favorites). Saving CeeCee Honeycutt was a beautiful departure.
Ms. Hoffman's novel is playful, insightful, wise, and thought-provoking. She raises issues of motherhood, parenting, mental illness, race, life experience, and true human connection within a truly pleasurable read. There is a well-tuned balance of readability and depth.
I am amused by the criticisms here [amazon] of characters who are not fully formed, as I think that is rather purposeful. This novel is not one written to explore the many nuances of the various female characters. Rather, it is about the ideas of influence, insight, and a community of women. Each of the singularly fabulous characters has a life to which we, as readers, are not privvy. We, like CeeCee, see only slivers of lives that have been steeped in a wide variety of influences. In many ways, this is what true human experience is--knowing the parts of people they choose to show us or that we peek at through the bushes without them knowing.
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a moving tale about female friendship and admiration--about finding new paths, moving beyond loss, and growing up at all ages. It is one of those books you read and then want to send to each of your best friends.
A truly enjoyable and lovely book.11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
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RoseMorris
Posted February 9, 2010
The best in southern fiction!
I've never written a review before, but I had to write one for this book! I stayed up half the night to finish it because I couldn't stop reading. The writing is beautiful and the characters are living/breathing people.
CeeCee is a very smart little girl living in Ohio with her mentally ill mom and her dad who is rarely home. In fact, she has never really known a true childhood because she's been taking care of her mom for a long time. In order to push away her painful life, CeeCee reads books constantly. The author painted a picture of CeeCee's life that was painful but was also very funny at times.
After something very sad happens, CeeCee is sent to live with her aunt in Savannah and that's when her life changes in the most wonderful way! There's a housekeeper/cook named Oletta and the friendship that happens between Oletta and CeeCee is the most touching friendship I've ever read about. And there are lots of women both black and white and young and old who help CeeCee heal and eventually forgive all he things that happened to her in Ohio.
As the mother of a very smart 13 year old girl, I really appreciated and admired the author's way of developing CeeCee's character. I laughed and I cried while reading this wonderful book and I slowed down reading when I got to the last three chapters because I didn't want the story to end!!!
This is a book that has so much depth and it made me think about all the women I've known from childhood to the present.
I wish I could give this book 10 stars!
Thank you,
Rose Morris7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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sweetpeaSP
Posted April 19, 2010
I Also Recommend:
WONDERFUL!
Cecelia Rose Honeycutt is a darling 12 year old girl struggling to find her place in a small town in Ohio. CeeCee's mother, the former beauty queen, is slipping into madness, severe mental illness. Her father is never around because he can't cope with his wife's illness. All CeeCee wants is a friend, and to be accepted by her peers but with her mother's peculiar behavior she has become an object of scorn and ridicule. When CeeCee's mother is struck and killed by a truck her great aunt takes CeeCee to her home in Savannah, Georgia. Aunt Tootie is a pure delight, a kind, warm Southern lady, who has only CeeCee's best interests at heart. Thus begins the story of CeeCee's new life in Savannah, surrounded by people who care about her and want only what is best for her. I loved this book. This is tragic at times but heartwarming and insightful, even funny and filled with hope. Wonderful!
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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need-to-read
Posted February 6, 2010
just o.k.
in the wake of reading "the help" this book lacked any kind of depth. it was pleasant enough to read, and very predictable. it is the type of book i would recommend for someone sitting in an airport, waiting for an appointment or when you just want something light to read.
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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debbi-at-the-beach
Posted June 24, 2011
Fantastic!
I read this book aloud to my eighty year old mother who can no longer see to read. We laughed, we cryed, we thoroughly enjoyed this book. Each character was described so well, we could picture each one. Loved this book, waiting for more from this author.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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A sweet Southern story of growing up and coming home.
In "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt," Beth Hoffman paints an amazing portrait of life in 1960s Georgia, capturing a certain unusual gentleness of the time, with the social and political upheaval of the world a long way from the beautiful bubble CeeCee inhabited. You can almost smell the sweet magnolia blossoms and the fresh peach preserves in every word. She has also captured the rarified glory of sweet female friendship that is so indicative of women raised in the South. (That's not to say Northern gals don't have close friendships, it just different below the Mason-Dixon line, sugar!) This is gorgeous and glorious novel that celebrates the indomitable strengths of those female friendships and how very much those friendships are cherished.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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1005715
Posted June 24, 2011
Awesome read
A book you wish you could read for the first time again
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted March 11, 2012
Loved the details
I found myself wishing I lived in Savannah, Georgia on Gaston St. The characters were lovable, vibrant and so colorful! The cover of the book attracted me and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved this book. When you miss the characters at the end of the book, then you know it was a great read.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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CMBurns
Posted September 12, 2010
Saving CeeCee
"Saving CeeCee Honeycutt" by Beth Hoffman, is a story about a twelve year old girl whose mother becomes metally ill; stuck in her past, believing she is still the 1951 Vidalia Onion queen pageant winner. When CeeCee discovers her mother has been killed, she has no where to go, until her mysterious great Aunt Tootie Caldwell comes into the picture. She take's CeeCee to her home in Savannah, where she meets all sorts of interesting people, and seems to be in a world completely run by women. From her new neighbors, to the local police officer, there are laughs that go along with every character you come across. While CeeCee makes new friends and has all sorts of adventures, she is still haunted by her mother's death. Along with Aunt Tootie and her friends, they help to clear up CeeCee's past and give her a brand new present. They are the only ones who can save sweet little Cecelia Rose Honeycutt from her fears. With every page you turn, you will either be laughing or crying the entire time. This is a heartwarming story, mostly based around the theme of "girl power." I highly recommend it. Once you start, you will not be able to put it down!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Darling!
Hoffman's debut novel is chock-full of interesting ladies and will leave you wanting more! The interactions between the sweet (and not-so-sweet) old (?) ladies in this novel is on the "truth is stranger than fiction" level of characterization - the characters would be corny if it weren't for the fact that you know somebody JUST LIKE THAT somewhere in your life. The whirl of genteel southern ladies and their garden club socials is an alien world for most of us, as it is for the title character. Her assimilation to this new world and the life lessons she learns from the ladies she meets along the way are an entertaining and uplifting read. I wish it were longer!!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Night_Reader78
Posted June 10, 2010
I Also Recommend:
Fantastic
The characters in this book are fantastic and so real I felt like I knew them. CeeCee, a little girl of 12 who had a rough life until her mother died, was so perfectly developed that I could hear her voice in my head. Oletta, who was the cook and became a friend to CeeCee, is the best character in any book I've ever read. EVER! The setting was perfect and I loved how the author described Savannah, it made me want to get in my car and drive there right away. Also, the writing style is beautiful and very tight and clean. I can't say enough good things about this book, it is the best I've read in a long time.
I loved how it made me laugh and think, and I cried a few times too. I don't want to reveal too much and ruin it for anybody else, but the wisdom that is shared with CeeCee is really unique and special. I underlined so many sentences, and that rarely happens when I read a book! I hope Ms. Hoffmann writes more.1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted May 6, 2010
Rave a must Read
I am truly surprise that this was Beth Hoffman's first novel. The book is an amazing read. It has an amazing story line, her writing style she has brings the characters alive, and makes you feel like you know them personally. You will find yourself, shocked, laughing, and maybe a tear or two, while reading this great story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Golden7
Posted May 6, 2010
I absolutely loved this book
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt had me captivated. I loved everything about this book. I felt as though I was right there along with them. Everytime I had to put the book down I could not wait to get back to them. I did not want the book to have and ending. I want to know more about CeeCee and her life. Thank you Beth Hoffman for writng such a heart warming captivating story. I absolutely loved it :-)
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Anonymous
Posted May 2, 2010
Amazing book
This book was so heartwarming. It has joined my list of my all time favorite books!! A must read.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Momto4Monkeys
Posted April 28, 2010
A book that warms the soul....
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is such a heartwarming story. While reading this charming book, I found myself pulled in through the pages and smack dab in the middle of Savannah, Georgia. This story had me giggling so hard at times, but then lost in thought pondering over a small life lesson that the author Beth Hoffman was able to slip in every now and again, that made you say to yourself, oh my goodness, I never thought of things that way. When I finished the book I held it to my chest and just hugged it. (Never before have I found myself hugging a book!)
Thank you Beth Hoffman, for writing such a lovely story, that warmed my heart the way this book did. This is a book that I will find myself visiting time and time again. It has been placed into my personal "Life Book".1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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This is the best book ever!
What a wonderfully delightful book . . . such a fun read! I am usually a bit cautious about a first time author, but I thouroughly enjoyed this book - laughing loudly at some passages and with tears running down my cheeks at others. I anxiously await futher offerings from Ms. Hoffman.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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mariposaMM
Posted April 9, 2010
I Also Recommend:
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman was the first download to my new Nook. What a good book to initiate my e-reading! My heart broke for CeeCee as she tried to save her mother. She didn't even know that she needed saving herself. When she arrived in Savannah, I could empathize with how those first few days might have felt for her.
In our lives, it is rare to have someone love us as our mothers do. CeeCee missed out on the love of her own mother, yet had three wonderful women love her as a daughter.
Set mainly in Savannah, some attention to local details was included in the story. I wanted to travel to Savannah just to experience the hospitality and culture there.1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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CiiCii
Posted March 23, 2010
This book made me fall in love with fiction all over again...
For years now I have stayed away from fiction after reading too many books with flat characters and uninteresting plots. This book reminded me of why I fell in love with fiction in the first place- For me, it's the romantic ride of settling into your comfortable clothes, finding that most comfortable place to sit with your favorite drink in hand, and your beloved book in your lap; and waiting, just waiting to delve into a world of colorful characters while experiencing emotions ranging from sheer hate and despair to soaring hope, optimism and love. Tears, laughing out loud and soft little girl like giggles accompanying you along the way.
This book brought it all back for me and was such a joy to read. It is one I'll likely read again and again. Thank you Beth Hoffman, for helping me to find my love of fiction once again.1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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AdrienneElizabeth
Posted March 7, 2010
Heartwarming Southern Novel
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt was a refreshingly, sweet novel about a little twelve year little girl who has goes through many hardships to finally feel like she fits in and to feel loved. Cecilia "CeeCee" has to overcome the death of her crazy, mentally unstable mother and leave her father who was never been there to take care of her or her mother. She goes to live with her great-aunt where she meets several strong-minded women who she grows to love and cherish, and finally she starts to feel like she finally has a real family.
The characters of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt were mainly women but were so strong they overpowered the men from their past. I loved reading about CeeCee's new live as she moves to Savanna, Georgia with her generous, loving aunt. The story was nicely written and very enjoyable to read. It was pretty hard to stop reading, and at times I could picture the scenes in my head while I was reading. At one part, I even became hungry for peaches because I could just picture the scene so perfectly.
It is set in the past in a time where African Americans weren't truly excepted yet, so there is some racial discrimination which was just horrible. I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed the book because when I first received it from LibraryThing after winning an ARC to review, I kept putting it off to read because I thought it would be unrelatable and boring. I was really wrong to delay from reading it because it is truly a great book.
I loved the main characters so much! CeeCee along with her loving Aunt Tootie, and Oletta were amazing people and characters. The ending was just so good, and it left off at the perfect time leaving me very pleased. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is Beth Hoffman's first book, and I'm very impressed by how it's very well-written and everything was well-developed. Altogether, it was a wonderful novel filled with Southern charm, lovable characters, and a great setting/plot. I can't wait to see how Beth's future books stack up against such a great first one.1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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