Rating: 
Summary: What is this???
Review: You want to know what this book is about? Let's see. A Grandfather loses his wife, marries a younger woman, rapes his granddaughter and we see all this through the eyes of a 14 year old boy. What else happens in this incredible representation of late 20th Century/Early 21st century fiction? A friend of the 14 year old boy rapes his 5 year old sister saying she so young she won't know what is happening.
A fine example of a book for our kids to read in school! It is this kind of literature that shows the absolute commitment and concern for todays youth that our schools have.
Rating:
Summary: Piece of Junk
Review: I have always made a point to read whatever my kids bring home from school. When my 12 year old son brought home Cold Sassy Tree I read it. It start out okay but I can't for the life of me understand why Olive Ann Burns felt the need to put in the part about the woman who breatfeeds a pig.
Rating: 
Summary: Humorous and Touching
Review: This is a great depiction of the South by Olive Ann Burns. It is written in the tradition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, with a young Will Tweedy narrating his adventures and family life. I love the humor within this book, as Will Tweedy is always looking towards his grandpa for advice and how to live. He experiences many of the hardships, both sorrow and loss of love ones, in finding himself.
This book does have elements of racism and deals with the death of family members. I think that Burns was making a statement about how people felt about levels of society in the South and how this is an unnecessary and unjustified way to think. Much of this novel is about finding oneself in youth, and understanding how and why family must stick together. It has a good balance of both humor and sadness.
Rating: 
Summary: Contemporary classic
Review: I feel about this book as someone once said of Mark Twain's HUCKLEBERRY FINN: "I envy the reader who hasn't read it, the experience of reading it for the first time."14-year-old Will's best friend, Blu, has died as has his cherished Grandma Tweedy. Will is still grieving when his Grandpa Tweedy announces his plan to marry pretty Miss Love Simpson. Will's family and the town are scandalized -- poor Granny has been gone only three weeks! With the loving acceptance of innocent youth, Will approves of his new grandmother. He likes her and he certainly likes the affect she has on his dear grandpa. He becomes their friend, confidant and defender. Will's youthful adventures are woven before the background of this May/December romance. Will learns to drive a car. He is trapped on a trestle by and onrushing train. When the pressure is on, Will is resourceful. Olive Ann Burns's first book is destined to become a contemporary classic. The story of Will Tweedy is Burns's own father's story, gleaned from family reminiscences and local newspaper stories. It's light, refreshing and entertaining reading. It is definitely on my to-read-again list.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: I won't resort to plot summary for this review, because the plot has such interesting twists that I don't want to give away. I really was on the edge of my seat for so much of it. The characters are deep, complicated, and I can imagine myself back in that small southern town in the early 1900's that had such a stratified, yet caring, society. Often I had to go back and read the early parts of the book again in order to keep up with who this character and that character were. It was very realistic. The best thing about this book is the plot, where unexpected things keep happening and I found myself drawn in to this culture. The dialect was kind of neat too--I bet it would be hard to understand if I were suddenly transported back there. One thing I was thinking, when the townspeople made a big deal about an automobile coming to town and then wanted more, they didn't know what they were in for as far as the change of landscape was concerned...sigh. If you want a good book to read on the bus or in the office on a slow day, this is the one!
Rating:
Summary: You're never too old
Review: Regarding the books COLD SASSY TREE written by Olive Ann Burns, and LEAVING COLD SASSY begun by Olive Ann Burns: Her first book was published in 1984 and her second in 1992, two years after the author's death. I wasn't terribly impressed with the TV version of Cold Sassy Tree. The books, however, from a memoir writer's POV are fascinating. Olive was 60 years old when her first book was published, and she died before finishing the second one. Because Olive made it clear before her death that it was her wish, and because there was a demand for it, her unfinished notes and the first 15 chapters of her second book were published after her death. Included in the second book is the true story, told by her editor, that Olive was a housewife who decided to write a book as a way of coping with cancer! This part of her story can inspire memoir writers in particular because that's how Olive began writing in the first place. Before her own mother died, when Olive was still a young woman, Olive became intensely interested in recording the history of her family and later on based many of her wonderful characters on her own parents and other family members. Besides the fact that I enjoyed her books, the reason I recommended this work is because of the last third of the second book. The author's personal history and how she collected family history stories many years before writing her novel is intreaguing. I enjoyed learning about how much she drew from those stories to create her works of fiction.
Rating:
Summary: my review
Review: I was positively surprised with this book. I enjoyed the story and specially the way it is told, written the way it should be told, with idioms and "southern" language. The characters are very alive and easy to like. The story is also very interesting and does seem like life in this Southern town. Being true to life, it never gets boring and keeps us readers hooked until the end. Good book and very enjoyable reading.
Rating: 
Summary: An Average Book
Review: Yes, this is just an average book. It's not a page turner, but it's written decently enough to hold your attention. But I have an aversion to any book where a child tells his parents the truth, they don't believe him, the father gives him a whippin' (I'm using the book's word ), and the child still thinks they're great folks. Frankly, I have an aversion to any book where a child gets a whippin', whether he lies or not, because I find that HORRIFYING.
Rating:
Summary: The Cold Sassy Tree
Review: The Cold Sassy Tree takes place in a small Southern state and town named Cold Sassy, Georgia. This book was probably one of the best books I have ever read because it kept me interested all the way through, it was one of those books you never wanted to put down. If you liked To Kill A Mockingbird you would love this.
It all started July 5, 1906 three weeks after a beloved woman Grandma Mattie Lou Blakeslee died when Mr.E.Blakeslee remarried a woman half his age, Miss Love Simpson.
Will Tweedy was a 14 yr.old boy who was caught in between his grandpa and his mom and aunt. His mom and Aunt Loma were very angered at their father for remarrying a woman half his age. Will Tweedy decided to take his dog T.R. on a walk when he was suppossed to be gardening. While Will and T.R. were walking they went behind a railroad big mistake because something went wrong with the train and hot pieces flew off of Will and nearly killed him. A young girl who liked Will decided to stop picking wild berries to go get him help. She was a milliner and well people would make fun of him if he was seen with a milliner.
It took along time for mom and Aunt Loma to finally accept the fact that their father was remarried to a young woman and to forgive him. Miss Love Simpson was Aunt Loma's age and described as very beautiful. Will hated Aunt Loma because she always acted like an older sister to him rather than an aunt because she was only 6yrs. older than him. Miss Love Simpson Blakeslee made hats and worked for Mr.Blakeslee in his shop.
Mr.Blakeslee and Miss Love Simpson had married for the wrong reason. He married her so that she would be a house keeper meaning she would cook, clean, wash clothes/dishes, and take care of the house. She married him so that when he died the house and money would be willed to her.
This book was very good, I learned a very good lesson through reading this book and it is that you can not judge a book by its cover.
Rating:
Summary: A True Southern Novel
Review: Cold Sassy Tree is about a boy, his family, and a town growing out of the narrow-mindedness prevolent in society in the early 1900's. The talent of this writer to describe characters and their feelings is unparalleled. You can picture Grandpa's ranting and raving, as well as Will's mischevious face. I would not recommend this book to everyone. If you have never lost someone close to you, don't read it. You just won't understand. There is racism in this book, but it serves a purpose. The people of that time period felt that way. It was necessary for Burns to portray people in that manner to present a believable story. The odd thing is small towns today still have the same basic hierarchy and people's reactions to scandal aren't different from those of people who lived century ago. For Southerners who have strong family ties, or wish they did, this book is a must read. It is filled with tragedy, love, wisdom, and acceptance. Don't miss out.
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