Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

by Olive Ann Burns

A classic bestseller, Cold Sassy Tree is the timeless story of Will Tweedy, a fourteen-year-old boy coming of age at the turn of the century in rural Georgia. His grandfather, a recent widower, inspires a whirlwind of gossip in their small town when he marries a woman half his age. The unfinished sequel, Leaving Cold Sassy, follows Will Tweedy into adulthood. Together here for the first time, this hardcover edition will be cherished by Olive Ann Burns’s fans.

Genres: Fiction, Book Club, Historical Fiction, Classics

Paperback

First published September 4, 2007

About the author

FROM GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA WEBSITE:
Olive Ann Burns was a professional writer, journalist, and columnist for most of her life. She published two novels, one posthumously, and for many years was a staff writer for Atlanta newspapers and the Atlanta Journal Magazine. Her most notable achievement was "Cold Sassy Tree", a novel that describes rural southern life and a young boy's coming-of-age at the turn of the century.

Reviews

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Acclaimed novel. I loved most of it

It was a great pleasure to read this book.
Well, at least most of the time.

Will Tweedy is a fourteen year old boy that tells us his story.
There is a lot to enjoy here, laugh at and be revolted by.

Will escapes from a close encounter with a train that might be the most terrifying moment of the novel.
Except for the horrific story of the incest and rape that is inflicted upon another main personage of Cold Sassy Tree.

Rucker Blakeslee is the other lead male character and the grandfather of Will Tweedy.
He is also intriguing, complex and toward the end annoying for this reader.

Rucker has a good sense of humor-some of the time-determination, wit, courage and strength of character.

But he is overdoing it in some instances.
And it does him a lot of harm when he exaggerates.

The fact that he marries only a few weeks after his first wife is dead is inconsiderate, to say the least.

Yes, he is right when he says that the woman is dead and will stay that way for ever, no matter what he does.

There is a further explanation, that he was afraid someone else would take away Love...

Love Simpson that is.

She used to work at the shop that Rucker Blakeslee owns.
They come to an arrangement whereby Love will be his housemaid, even if in theory they will be married.
She will get the house when he dies.
From one point, things get complicated.
I resented the rapprochement between Love and Rucker.

I would have preferred that Will becomes a man really quick...it is possible in the fictional world, isn't it?

He liked, if not loved Love.

It would have made a better love story in my imagination.

But then that's why my efforts would never get further than this, while Olive Ann Burns is an acclaimed author.

I was not keen on the manner of speaking of the natives of Cold Sassy Tree...

Hit for it
Aftermobile for automobile


Funny for some time, but then I sort of lost the initial enthusiasm.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very disappointed that the sequel to Cold Sassy Tree is an incomplete novel. When I purchased Leaving Cold Sassy, I understood that the author had passed away while writing the book but had thought it was completed by someone else based upon the author's notes. This was not the case. About 150 pages in, the book just stops and the remainder of the book are author and editor notes. The initial 150 pages were disjointed. The story line was sad and disappointing. The likable characters were now bitter and morose.

Lesson learned - enjoy Cold Sassy Tree and stop there!

[Susie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this on the book shelf at the local library... was so disappointed that Olive Ann Burns died before she finished her 2nd novel. You get a taste of what she was going to write and you get the back drop to the weaving of her parents story and Will Tweedy's story. That part is interesting and tells of a remarkable Olive Ann as she's dealing with cancer - so bright and positive in her attitude. Always looking on the bright side.
I LOVED Cold Sassy Tree --- 5 stars without hesitation. This - worthwhile but not great.

[Jacquie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cold Sassy Tree was great but this sequel probably should not have been published esp since it was not finished.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leaving Cold Sassy is a thoroughly odd book. It continues the story of Will Tweedy and his family from Cold Sassy Tree, but since the author never lived to finish the story, it was left somewhat incomplete, so by Olive Ann Burns notes, the story was "completed," and then the book concludes with the very interesting tale of Olive Ann, herself, her courage and her own strength of character. I would never have picked up the book if I hadn't read Cold Sassy Tree, but am very glad that I did.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This truly is an incomplete novel. It was interesting to read Burns ideas of where ther characters were going. I'm sure if she'd had time they would have developed and grown with the multiple drafts and edits she would have done.

I particularly enjoyed the memoir about Olive Ann Burns though. How she wrote and why she wrote a novel.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Olive Ann Burns has such a sad and sweet story and she sounds like a hell of a person! Really enjoyed reading this and doing the accents in my head and even though it’s a setting that’s abt as far from my reality as can be, it’s gripping and relatable and everything you hope for in a coming of age novel!

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the original Cold Sassy Tree was great. This is the follow up novel. The author dies before finishing the book. There was great potential in the part that was written.

[Ms · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is great to see how Will continued as he matured. Family didnt change much with age. And small towns stay the same, their lives have very little curious in learning or associating with anything new.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this lighthearted romance.

[Cheryldalahotmail.Com · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting story about life in the early 1900's. I wanted the story to keep going.

[Gabrielle]

Just as an aside of sorts - just so interesting - and difficult - when an author passes before a book is complete... Such as with Suite Français and the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian, to name just a few. Not only terribly sad - of course - but what a conundrum for the publisher/editor/et al. I don't envy their decision as to whether to try to finish & wrap up the story (depending, I assume& hope, on how many notes and directions were left behind, which is hopefully a larger factor in such a decision than just financials and so on) or to end it abruptly - especially as with a tragic and unexpected death - where the frustration as a reader is outweighed and amplified by the gravity of such a loss (as with authors being killed during the Holocaust etc, where the author's death is and probably should be just as shocking and abrupt as it truly was - to humanize what can often just become faceless statistics - and for readers to actually FEEL this stark and sudden end of someone so human and with so much beauty to offer...). How to handle an author's death from, say, suicide, or old age, or cancer - and how to handle their unfinished work is just an amazingly complicated thing. I cannot even fathom how many deeply-felt yet differing opinions must exist each and every time - and how very many variations of the "right" thing to do must jockey for position. And any outcome decided upon will be inevitably met with SUCH deep-seeded criticism - no matter how it is handled more ppl will be furious than will accept it - for example, even if everyone AGREES that a work shd be finished (which an entire family, publishers, editors etc etc etc wd NEVER truly all agree on) - what are the chances that everyone wd agree on the writer, or approve of the finished product, it is just no-win situation for everyone, readers and the original author included. Everyone included! People will be outraged and disappointed regardless of what and how any unfinished work is handled.
Just an interesting aside to me - so MANY ways to mess it up,
So few ways to make it work, and no matter what - the people will be let down as wd be the author. Not a situation I ever hope to face!!!

[Jillana · Rating 3 out of 5]

so i got used to the dialect...and i liked the characters and the story but I hate sad endings so...really destroyed the book for me. I understand that life happens but I read to enjoy myself not have a bad ending. I really liked the narrator Will Tweedy.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the follow up to cold sassy and liked where Mrs Burns was going with this story, I was very sorry that she passed but I felt that they stayed true to the story. I liked the back story of the author as well.

[Kay Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was not impressed with this sequel. I know the author was dying but the book was really sad. I enjoyed finding out about the characters and what happened to them but I just could not get into the book.

[Rosie Mcclurg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book and loved the characters so much. Loved their closeness and caring for one another and how they all pulled together. It had that comfy feeling when you think back in time of your family and the loving memories it brings up. Think you will enjoy this.

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

disjointed

[Becky S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at a boys life in the early 1900's. There were some very funny stories he had to tell.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great characters. Definitely cried at parts...but i am 9 months pregnant.

[Lynn Rohling landre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful yard reminiscent of Fannie Flagg or Richard Peck

[Kathi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Cold Sassy Tree a lot better the Leaving Cold Sassy ~ took a while to get into reading it since it has a strong southern writing to it

[Mutte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed these very much.