Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Saving CeeCee Honeycutt was a bad book b/c it wasn't; it just wasn't a great book. It wasn't The Help, where there are fun southern women with depth themselves as well as depth in the story. Honestly though, if you want a light read that you can finish at the beach then pick this one up. I didn't mind reading every day, but I wasn't anxious to pick it up either. My biggest conflict with the story was the overall lack of depth in the characters (they had potential and I don't think it was executed well enough) as well as the storyline it self. The lack of depth in the story really was disappointing b/c there were some deep concepts/topics that could've been explored a bit more.
While reading the book I kept waiting for something to happen; I was waiting for a bigger conflict that never seemed to arise. It seemed that the more pages I turned the more I continued to read about CeeCee's summer in Savannah; it wasn't a bad summer, it was actually a very good summer. However, it wasn't written in a way to make an unforgettable summer and story.
The following book review came 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."
However, I do want to share a few of those one-liner advice tidbits with you.
- "Find your fire. It's what makes life fulfilled and a heart full." pg 101-102
- While talking about friendship, "Cherish the good, and pretend not to notice the harmless rest." pg181
- "Don't grow up too fast, darling. Age is inevitable, but if you nurture a childlike hear, you'll never ever grow old." pg 221
- "It's what we believe about ourselves that determines how others see us." pg 249
- "It's how we survive the hurts in life that brings us strength and gives us beauty." pg 302
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