I cried through the first 40 pages of this book, and smiled through the rest of it. It's rare to find a book that is so emotionally moving from the first page (don't get me wrong I often cry at the end of books just rarely do I find the characters so compelling that the emotions hit me that early on).

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is best described as a mix of The Secret Life of Bees and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

The novel opens with young CeeCee left to care for her increasingly mentally ill mother (her traveling salesman father has all but abandoned the family). After her mother's tragic death see is sent to live with her Great Aunt Tootie in Savannah. It is there she encounters a cast of characters so overdrawn they would be unlikely if they wouldn't have fit nicely into Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Although the ending was a litlle too "wrapped up in a big shiny bow" for my tast, and some of the plotting a bit to predictable and convenient , I enjoyed the novel very much. I highly recommend it ( )

Coming of age in the 60's in the south -- that's the task of twelve-year-old CeeCee, who is thrown from life with a mentally damaged mother in the north into the world of Savannah Georgia. CeeCee's life has been far from perfect: her mother spirals deeper and deeper into her own psychosis, and her father, unable to cope with the reality of his life at home, has left, visiting only on rare occasions. That CeeCee's mother loves her dearly is clear, but Hoffman has also been able to paint a portrait of a woman fighting her own demons of mental illness. CeeCee's beautiful, damaged mother remains locked in her memories of 1951 and winning a beauty pageant back home in Georgia. Though her home life is chaotic, CeeCee finds some stability in a deep friendship with a neighbor. When CeeCee's mom dies in an accident, the girl is uprooted from Ohio and sent to live with her great aunt Tallulah (aka Tootie) amidst the live oaks and magnolias of Savannah.

The world CeeCee finds herself in is one of women: Aunt Tootie, Oletta Jones who can cook like nobody's business and knows how to dole out words of wisdom, too. There are the eccentric neighbors, the Gardening Society, and friends of Oletta, for a different slice of life. The women around her shape her world, help her to learn and grow. These are women of different ages, races and social standing, but they all are fierce in protecting their independence, and about finding the passion in life, whatever it might be for each individual. She also has to face her fears that her mother's illness might be hereditary, and every twelve-year-old girl's worry: "Will I make friends at my new school?"

This was a debut novel for Beth Hoffman. I've come to expect certain things from novels of this genre and this met all of them: gentleness, a bit of conflict, a hint of danger, a wise woman of African American descent (this one had several) who can help the heroine move forward in her life, resolution and new beginnings. There were portions that rang true, portions that missed the mark with me, but on the whole, it was a gentle, affirming read. (One of my dearest friends had a mother who became prey to her own demons of bi-polar disorder and manic-depression, and because of my familiarity with this through her, I found Hoffman's descriptions of Camille pretty accurate.)

I'd like to say thank you to LibraryThing and Pamela Dorman Books for selecting me for this advanced reader copy. I'm always quite happy to read about my beloved South, where, despite all our flaws, we do have a certain way of grace and charm when we approach life. This book arrived yesterday and I read it today while home with the flu. Saving bookczuk, it seems, too. ( )

In this heartwarming Southern tale, CeeCee Honeycutt searches for a safe-haven from her troubled life with an absentee father and mentally-ill mother. When CeeCee's mother is killed, her father sends her to live with her mother's Aunt Tootie in Savannah. There she finds love and acceptance even as she faces racism, violence, and a series of crazy neighbors.

Though the story is fairly predictable and cliches of Southern literature abound, this book is still an enjoyable read. CeeCee is a well-fleshed character, one whose reactions and dialogue ring true. Aunt Tootie and her cook Oletta are also well-written and help ground the story. Even though there is little narrative tension and everyone is ready to live happily-ever-after by the last page, there are some elements of the novel that hint at bigger and better offerings from Beth Hoffman in the future.

This book makes for a light and pleasant read; 3.5 stars. ( )

This is Southern story telling at its best. Beth Hoffman has created characters you know immediately: CeeCee’s mother, the former beauty queen, who is slipping into madness, CeeCee’s father who seems unable to cope with his wife and is therefore mostly absent, and CeeCee herself, a delightful twelve-year-old, who has found ways to cope with the troubles around her belying her young age. All CeeCee wants is a friend, but with her mother’s odd behavior she has become an object of scorn and ridicule in her small Ohio town.

When CeeCee’s mother is struck and killed by a truck while on her way to Goodwill to buy more pageant dresses, her great aunt shows up to take CeeCee to her home in Savannah, Georgia. Aunt Tootie is a pure delight, a kind and 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. Oletta, Aunt Tootie’s maid, becomes CeeCee’s friend and confidant.

This is an easy, absorbing read. I found the characters real and fully developed. The descriptions of Savannah are a delight and so easy to visualize. I really was disappointed when I finished this book and CeeCee and her new family will stay with me for a long time. ( )

This is a touching, funny, and completely enjoyable story about a young girl, her crazy mother, strong women, and the events that happen in the summer of 1967 that transform her life. The writing is lovely and the humor can’t be beat. This is a terrific Southern yarn and in some ways Beth Hoffman’s writing reminds me of Fannie Flagg. ( )