If you haven't read it yet, this review will be spoiler-free and all of the spoilers will take place in the comments.
I'm so excited for this discussion! Everyone who read this book has told me they absolutely loved it.
I'm so excited for this discussion! Everyone who read this book has told me they absolutely loved it.
First, let's add some stars to our map.
The book started out in Willoughby, Ohio and quickly moved to Savannah, Georgia
A fellow travel blogger, C'est Christine, recently blogged about her visit to Savannah and it was pretty much exactly how I pictured it. I found it so fun to see this post while reading the book!
If you missed it, our October book is What Alice Forgot.
What Alice Forgot: hardcover, paperback, Kindle, audiobook
And now, PhoBookClubbers, let's begin! All of my questions will be written using the name PhoBookClub Question. You can answer any/all of those you like, and feel free to add your own. You can still participate if you don't have a Blogger account by commenting anonymously... but if you choose to do that, please leave a name or initial, something so we don't get confused on who is who!
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt!
(Those are my two pairs of gender neutral newborn jammies and a gender neutral sleep sack. Ryan says they aren't gender neutral because "When is the last time you saw me, a man, wearing a yellow duck shirt?" I quickly informed him that I've also never seen him wearing baby blue overalls with monkeys [I want to punch the word monkeys in the face because it should obviously be monkies] on them or a camouflage tank-top jumpsuit that says MUSCLE MAN on it. His reply? "Touche.")
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt!
(Those are my two pairs of gender neutral newborn jammies and a gender neutral sleep sack. Ryan says they aren't gender neutral because "When is the last time you saw me, a man, wearing a yellow duck shirt?" I quickly informed him that I've also never seen him wearing baby blue overalls with monkeys [I want to punch the word monkeys in the face because it should obviously be monkies] on them or a camouflage tank-top jumpsuit that says MUSCLE MAN on it. His reply? "Touche.")
Have you of you ever been to Willoughby, Savannah, or surrounding areas? If so, did you agree with the imagery?
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Tennessee so I was familiar with the climate and alot of the lifestyle things mentioned about the south. Plus the book starts in 1962 the year I was born so I could relate to that time period. So yes I agree with the imagery of what was in the book.
DeleteOops... I was the anonymous in the previous post. Forgot to put my name.
DeleteHow did you feel about Cecelia's father's choice to send her away with her aunt in Georgia?
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with his decision. Some people just aren't meant to be parents. I'm sure if he wanted to put more effort into the relationship it could be a great one, but some parents just don't care. If he wasn't going to put effort into it, it was a much better solution to send her to someone who would actually care for her and love her. And honestly, after all he put her through by leaving her with her mother like that, I don't know if she would ever be willing to try to have a relationship with him, no matter how much she wanted it. It's a lot to forgive!
DeleteI think that was the best decision letting her go with her great-aunt, I believe she was. It was especially good since she had such a close relationship with Mrs. Odell so she felt safer with an older woman. She wasn't close to her father and I think there would have always been animosity between them because he bailed on her and her mother and left her to take care of her mom all alone most of the time.
DeleteI kinda wanted him to at least PRETEND to want to have her around, but I'm glad he sent her where she would be cared for and loved.
DeleteWhat did you think about this book's almost exclusively female cast? What did you think about the few men who were mentioned being "bad guys?"
ReplyDeleteIt makes me wonder if that's how things are in the south, at least at that time. It seems like women and men were very secluded from each other. Women were with other women and men were away from the home. By having the few men who were in the book all be bad men makes it seem like they were all bad in that time. I'm glad they talked about the aunts husband and how great a man he was!
DeleteMaybe the author didn't have any good male relationships in her past and so wrote from that perspective. As I said I grew up in the South and I did witness the separation of the men and women at that time. I think in this day and age they would have divorced but back in the 70's when I was there they just stayed together and were miserable. My boyfriend's family was like that. His dad was gone alot and when he came home he slept in a recliner in the living room. My best friend's mom and dad was similiar. We hardly ever saw him. He owned a bar or something and was always there. We certainly cant lump everyone in the south that way but that is what I witnessed and could relate to this book.
DeleteI thought that too Renee, that maybe the author didn't have many good male relationships... but maybe she just has really strong female relationships and wanted to showcase those instead, hard to say!
DeleteAnd Steffani, I was glad Aunt Tootie's husband was cast as a good man too. Oletta and Miss Goodpepper's husbands were bad husbands so it was nice to have a little contrast there.
Did you have a favorite/least favorite character? Why?
ReplyDeleteI didn't have a favorite or least favorite, oddly! Usually there is a character I hate or love, but not in this book. They all had very good places in the book.
DeleteMy favorite character was Oletta. She grew to love Cee Cee and I think she had so many profound things to say. She made me feel so relieved that Cee Cee was going to be okay and be loved and taken care of. I was also really moved by this passage from the time they went to visit Sapphire who was in an old folks home for that time: "Sapphire knew full well what Miz Obee was doing but she always looked at her friend with tenderness in her eyes and pretended not to notice. As I watched this silent exchange between Sapphire and Miz Obee, it occurred to me that thats what friends should do: Cherish the good and pretend not to notice the harmless rest".
DeleteI really liked Oletta too. Although CeeCee was staying with Tootie, Tootie was often gone or busy so Oletta seemed to take on the mothering role... but I didn't really have a least favorite character, at least out of the main and supporting characters.
DeleteI liked that passage too Renee. =]
Overall, did you like this book? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteOverall I loved this book! It hit close to home because I also had a 'crazy' mother growing up, though fortunately there were other family members in my life to help with that. It was interesting to hear about another perspective and to think how my life could have been more like that.
DeleteI really liked the story. It was heartbreaking in the beginning. Feeling her embarrasment with the way her mother acted in public, having to take care of her at home. But then it all changed for her and made us feel happy for her. I also had a great-aunt Tootie believe it or not.
DeleteI really liked this one too. It was a very different take on a typical coming-of-age story, and I really liked that about it.
DeleteHave you read any other books that reminded you of this one? Any you might recommend to someone who loved this one?
ReplyDeleteI don't, but would love to hear suggestions!
DeleteThe Help, maybe? I guess because it was set in the south with a young girl/woman and maids who knew discrimination but also had alot of special relationships with the other women.
DeleteFried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and The Help both came to mind while reading this one. Strong, quirky, southern female characters. =]
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