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Book Review: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

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It’s a good read!

Yes, I’m going to do it. I’m going to offer you my review of “Saving CeeCee Honeycutt”, the New York Times bestseller, by Beth Hoffman.

A BRIEF WORD TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN’T READ THIS BOOK:

Normally, I shy away from reading book reviews of books I haven’t read, because I have spoilerphobia (a little known condition that affects those of us who REALLY DON’T WANT TO KNOW how this thing’s going to end, on the outside chance that we MIGHT read it someday. Which we probably won’t. But that’s immaterial: don’t be spoilin’ the dang book for me.)

So, for those of you who ARE spoilerphobic: BREATHE. Inhale. Good. Now, let it out, exhale, Good. Deep cleansing breath in? Good. And exhale. Good.

(Now, wasn’t that nice? And, you’re welcome, for that moment of centering meditation.)

I promise not to spoil this book for you. So read on, fellow spoilerphobes. (And yes, I just made that word up: it’s Boonese.)

“Saving CeeCee Honeycutt” is a book for women, about women. Yes, there were moments  for me that were Steel Magnoliaesque. Was I reminded a time or two of the book “The Help”? Yes. But those are both really fine stories, so if a little bit of female character development doesn’t scare you off, then you just might find yourself really enjoying this book.

CeeCee is the daughter of a mentally ill woman, Camille. CeeCee ends up not only practically raising herself, but being the primary care giver of her mother as well. When circumstances change dramatically in her life, CeeCee finds herself uprooted from her dire straits, and transplanted into the privileged society of the upper crust of Savannah, Georgia. CeeCee moves in with her Great-Aunt Tootie, a woman who has the vision to not only restore crumbling historic homes, but who also sees the potential inside the wrecked soul of her sweet great-niece. She saves what was once dearly loved from destruction.

If nothing else, this book made me want to take a trip to Savannah to see that graceful city!

But there was so much more to this book: really interesting, intriguing characters, and really entertaining plot development. I swallowed the book whole, in one day, which is not my usual M.O., when it comes to reading fiction.

Another aspect I loved to were the nuggets of wisdom that the adult characters pass along to young CeeCee. (I’ll throw this one in for free, as an example: “It’s what we believe about ourselves that determines how others see us.” That one alone might be worth the price of the book.) This book was all about growing up, and the lessons we learn along the way. Since I’m in the process of raising a couple of teenagers, it’s my goal to equip them before they leave the nest. So this book had me really thinking about the tools my own kids will have access to as they process whatever circumstances Life hands them.

If I had one minor criticism for Beth Hoffman, I’d like to see her antagonists be drawn a bit more multi-dimensionally. There was one female character who was clearly thrown in to stir up some trouble, and while she did that, in an enjoyable way, I would have preferred to have been able to find a little something to like in her. (Thinking of villains I have known and loved/hated: for example, the character “Ben” on “Lost”. Just when you think he couldn’t get any more despicable, you find out a bit of his back story, and before you know it, you find yourself almost rooting for him.) I’d like to see Beth develop her villains a bit more in her next novel.

The holidays are coming up, and you don’t REALLY want to spend ALL your time reading blogs or working on your blog, do you? You want a “Calgon: take me away!” kind of read to settle down with, with a nice cup of hot chocolate and some Christmas cookies, right?  This is a fun one! I think you’ll enjoy “Saving CeeCee Honeycutt” by Beth Hoffman.

(Disclosure: while I won this book in a blog giveaway, that Twitter party is ancient history. I’m getting NOTHING for writing this review. All opinions are strictly my own.)