Cold Sassy Tree

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Summary: Cold Sassy Tree
Review: Cold Sassy Tree is the story of Will Tweedy and his life in Cold Sassy, Georgia, in 1906. Shortly after the death of his grandmother, Miss Mattie Lou, Will's grandpa Mr. Blakeslee got married to a Yankee woman named Love Simpson, who was young enough to be his daughter. Will's mother, his young Aunt Loma, and the entire town were all scandalized by his actions. The newly married couple claimed that Miss Love is only acting as a housekeeper for Mr. Blakeslee and that they had separate rooms. When their brothers and sisters at church shunned them, they held services in their own home and sang songs like 'Ta Ra-Ra Boom De-Ay.' Eventually, everyone got fed up with the Blakeslees. They were also angry that while the deceased Mrs. Blakeslee never had anything nice, Will's grandpa bought his new wife presents all the time. When Will's dad bought his mother a car to make her feel better, everyone was excited at the marvelous new automobile. Soon, however, the stingy Mr. Blakeslee bought Miss Love a new car as well. Sadly, Mr. Blakeslee developed pneumonia and died. Miss Love, who had become friends with Will, confided with him her secret: that she was going to have a baby.

This book relates to the question of what is the truth and how do you know. Almost everyone in the book thought badly of Mr. Blakeslee and his new wife because they thought it was scandalous to get married so soon after the death of a spouse. Many believed that the truth was that they had been planning this for a long time and were actually happy about the death of the Miss Mattie Lou. This proves that what is widely regarded as the truth can actually be false. Mr. Blakeslee did like Love before the death of his wife, but Miss Love knew nothing about it and had treated him only with respect. When Miss Mattie Lou died, Mr. Blakeslee was truly heartbroken because he had really loved her. After they got married, Miss Love actually was just a housekeeper, for a while. Will Tweedy believed this to be the truth because that was what they told him, and he trusted them. However, as the relationship between Miss Love and Mr. Blakeslee developed, this truth became a lie. This book shows that the only way you can know the real and complete truth is if you are part of it. Otherwise, the `truth' will become influenced by others' opinions and may change.


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Summary: Why Bother?
Review: Cold Sassy Tree is absolutely the most tedious and utterly obsolete book I have ever read, or heard of, or imagined. The caracters are unrelatable. I've read the other reviews for this book and wonder whether most of the writers were conscious when they worte them, or indeed read the book. I had to read this book as a requirement for school. I would have rather just dropped out. I wasted prime hours of my life on this literary abomination, and have emerged from it mentally scarred. I am convinced that reading this book has been detrimantal both to my health, and my grammar.

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Summary: Cold Sassy Tree Review
Review: Cold Sassy Tree Review

Cold Sassy Tree is a well written piece of literature that Olive Ann Burns wrote. Her characters all well described by the main character, Will Tweedy. Will was a fourteen year old boy who was not mature at all. At the end of every chapter, Burns leaves you hanging and you want to keep reading. Will Tweedy was an excellent choice for the point of view. You see the small town, Cold Sassy, Georgia, in a teenage boy's eye who craves for adventure. However, the story and descriptions of people would be told differently if someone else told the story. For example, in Will's eye, Rucker Blakeslee, Will's grandfather, was a very kind, generous man but in the eyes of another he would be a horrible old man that married a young girl that was young enough to be his daughter. Will tells the story in a way his grandfather does not look bad, but if you read the book, Rucker is not as great as Will sees him as. Burns wrote the book in the "Southern language." It is hard at times to figure out what the character is trying to say, but, the book would not be the same is Burns did not use the type of language that she used. Cold Sassy Tree really makes you think about the time period then, 1900s, and the time period now. I recommend this book to anyone above thirteen and anyone who has lost somebody close to them.

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Summary: Cold Sassy Tree
Review: Cold Sassy Tree would not be considered a great work on literature, but more of a fun read. Each chapter leaves the reader hanging, yearning for details of what will occur next. It is heartwarming and entertaining but fails to sufficiently challenge and enlighten becuase it is more of an opinion rather than fact.

Cold Sassy Tree takes place in the cramped, southern town of Cold Sassy, Georgia. The gossip, excitement, and drama are structured to force the reader to keep reading. Will Tweedy, the narrarator of the story, keeps his family on their feet as he matured from a boy to a young man. The stroy is told through his point of view: therefore, more is gained about Will than any other character in the novel. He is nearly killed by a train, falls in love with Lightfoot McClendon, an outcast of his society, and has ambitious goals to become a farmer. Rucker, who elopes and marries young Miss Love Simpson, only three weeks after his former wife had died, set the town into a frenzy. Rucker Blakeslee owns a general store and hope Will, his grandson, will take over, although Will dreams of becoming a farmer. Rucker is insensative to care what people think of him. Every monring ion his way to work, he goes by the Tweedy's house where he keeps his whiskey, and takes one shot. Miss Love Simpson, nearly thrity-two years younger than Ruckerm is a miliner in the general store. She had a rough childhood, and after being raper by her father, she ends up in Cold Sassy. She has earned the title of the"pretties thing in Cold Sassy, and also the most fashinable" (25). If Burns would have used third person point of view, the insight of character would have been changed compeletely. The reader would have lost more about Will, but gained more about RUcker, Miss Love, and other character in the novel. Although there are few needless, dull details about Rucker and Miss Love towards the beginning, things pick up as they go on and the drama grows.

Olive Ann Burns' style rads smoothly. Her words choice aids interest and comprehension becuase of hte southern dialext used to put more emphasis on the background of character and the town. The book depicts a typical small, southern town's drama and chaos. It's views and values are similar to our own. In towns. such as Cold Sassy, there is still an enormous amount of gossip, the same concepts are still looked down upon,and are always the few outcasts.

Cold Sassy Tree is an universal book becuase it is the impulsive thought when spoken of a small, southern town. Readers who appreciate dramatic, love stories in high school all the way to late ages will enjoy reading this novel.

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Summary: Cold Sassy Tree: A Warm, Heart-felt Story
Review: For anyone who read books like To Kill a Mockingbird, or The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and enjoyed them, I would suggest reading the national bestseller Cold Sassy Tree. This novel takes place in Cold Sassy, Goergia, in 1906. The town is slow-moving, and prejudice like Maycomb County in To Kill a Mockingbird. The story unfolds as Will Tweedy's, the main character,beloved grandmother dies. Scandal errupts when, only three weeks later, Will's granfather elopes with Miss love Simpson. The town cannot believe that he has married a "yankee" just after his wife's death. The major conflict of the story is between Miss Simpson and Will's family and town as to whether or not they can accept her taking grandma's place. But the important, underlying conflict of this book is if granpa can move on with his life, find love again, and find someway to convince the people of the town that Miss Love Simpson isn't the cold-hearted person they think she is. This book is seen through the eyes of Will Tweedy, a 14 year old boy growing up in a southern town, so, although the words are simple, there is a deeper message about love, death, feelings, and morals. I also learned a lot about southern life through this book. All in all, Cold Sassy Tree was a great book that I would reccommend to anyone. It discussed how much death can change a life forever. Read it! I guarantee you'll enjoy it.

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Summary: Lame, slow, boring, tedious...
Review: How can people write good reviews about this book? I had to read all 400+ pages of this for a summer reading project. Since I had to read it, I decided to give it a chance. By the end I had to will myself to read just a few more pages. It really is a miracle I finished the book at all. Plot? Nonexistent. In fact, I can barely remember what the book is about. Southern kind of books with annoying accents just aren't the best reading material. Do yourself a favor and never touch this excuse for a story, and if you already have it, chuck in the garbage where it belongs.

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Summary: Bodacious
Review: I had a hard time getting into this book the first time I picked it up but when I picked it up (quite a while) later I couldn't put it down. I found myself hungry for more when I was done.

I liked Cold Sassy Tree so much I'm avoiding "Leaving Cold Sassy" (the author's last book before she died). I don't want to leave Cold Sassy!

This is a warm, humorous, southern-charm story about growing up and sticking to your guns despite what the people of a small southern town might think, with interesting, unexpected twists among characters you become very fond of.

An older man wanting to marry a young, beautiful woman three weeks after his wife dies is pretty scandalous for a small "proper" southern town.

I entered the story with certain preconcieved notions about the characters and motives and was pleasantly entertained while the characters and plot developed into unexpected places.

A good, quick, warm read.

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Summary: Warm sassy surprise....
Review: I had been on a terrible dry spell for about a year in my book choices. Everything I opened was crap. This book was recommended to me by a family memeber. Considering the luck I was having, I didn't have any real high expectations. So, what a pleasant surprise when it turned out I LOVED this story!

This is a story about a 14 year-old boy living in small-town south at the turn of the century. Though I know she wasn't old enough, I'd swear Burns lived this story; she was that descriptive. I really got the feel of the small town southern town and living. The boy had very strict, deeply religious, well-intentioned parents. The boy got plenty of comic relief from other family members, friends,busy-body neighbors, and most of all, a goofy Grandfather.

Grandpa gets married three weeks after Grandma dies to a young "northerner," and becomes the scandle of the town. You think the motives for this whirlwind marriage are clear until the very end, and it's a fun journey getting there. I even had a tough time trying to decide if I liked this couple all of the way through this story, which made it a page turner for me.

The family interactions are a little over the top. I wondered more than once who really talked this way? And there were a couple of narratives by the boy done while he was spying on Grandpa and his wife that I thought were down-right creepy.

But all-and-all, it was an enjoyable, fun read. And possibly the best part of all of this is, my dry spell is over. Along with this one, I've been reading some darn good books lately!

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Summary: A wonderful novel!!!
Review: I read this book for school over the summer. Now that I've finished, I am so happy it was assigned. This was one of those books that you miss when your done reading.
It takes place in the small town of Cold Sassy, Georgia in the early 1900s. The story is told by a 14 year old boy who has recently lost his best friend and his grandmother. Three weeks after his grandma's death his Grandfather announces that he is going to marry a young woman who is half his age. The family is embarrassed and the town is shocked. After almost a year the town and family starts to accept her the way she accepted them.
I wrote this review as a response to other reviews that I read on the site. Frankly, I was outraged by what some people had to say about this book. Someone claimed that the Grandfather raped his granddaughter and one of the boys friends raped his own sister. I don't know what version he read but that was not at all a part of the story!!! The woman the grandfather married tells that she was raped as a child but that was the only raping that went on in the book, and it was needed to explain why she was so afraid of marring and men. Another person said that a child getting whipped is "HORRIFYING" but that was part of the culture back then. People do not agree with it now but back then it happened all the time. There was also a touch of racism in the plot but again it was needed so that Olive Burns could accurately portray southern life in the early 20th. century.
This book was a joy to read and I cannot wait to get the 2nd. part Leaving Cold Sassy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Rating:
Summary: Bodacious
Review: I simply loved this little book---it's full of humor, warmth, and great characters. Olive Ann Burn's use of dialogue and dialect are perfect and lend an air of southern atmosphere to the entire novel. I was reminded at times of Jackson McCrae's "The Bark of the Dogwood" with its use of humor and darkening tales. Simply wonderful!