Let's Bust a Recap : Cold Sassy Tree

I read Cold Sassy Tree back in May, but it is still easily my favorite book of 2023 so far and let me ask you something: why is it so hard for me to review books that make it onto my personal five-star, All-Time Favorites list? Does anyone else have this problem? Even when I look back at old posts on this blog, I feel like the books I've loved the most have the cheesiest recaps. Like the vibe I give is teenage fangirl writing to her (not so)secret crush. It's not cute, yet here I sit, trying to convince you that you should read this book immediately while also having my own personal misgivings about sharing this book with you because what if you don't love it and then we can't be friends anymore? 

I know I'm being extra and I probably shouldn't attempt blogging in the middle of the night, but what's a book-loving insomniac to do? Let me try to give you the general gist of Cold Sassy Tree, and we'll call it a day.

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns was published in 1984 and is the coming-of-age story of our fourteen year old protagonist Will Tweedy set against the backdrop of rural small-town Georgia in 1906 and the shocking marriage of Will's grandpa a mere three weeks after the death of his beloved wife Mattie Lou. Rucker Blakeslee's elopement is made all the more scandalous given that he marries Miss Love Simpson, the pretty young milliner from his store who is barely any older than his two grown daughters and from Baltimore to boot, making her practically a Yankee. Never mind that it's a marriage of convenience because old Rucker can't be bothered to pay a housekeeper and Miss Love just wants a home of her own: what will the town think? 

I loved this book immediately (as evidenced by my small existential crisis documented above). Cold Sassy Tree made me laugh and broke my heart and basically accomplished everything a good book ought. The author, Olive Ann Burns, was born in Banks County, Georgia in 1924, and, starting in 1971, she began writing down all the family stories told to her by her parents. It was these stories that eventually became Cold Sassy Tree and the authenticity lent to the novel by the historical and autobiographical nature of Burns' family history made Cold Sassy Tree an absolute delight to read. It's such a searing portrait of small town Southern life. Reading this book was, for me, reminiscent of sprawling across my grandmother's bed during my own teenage years, and listening to her distinct Southern drawl as she related to me all our own family history and gossip. For that reason alone, Cold Sassy Tree will always have a special place in my heart.

Burns actually received so many fan letters pleading for a follow-up to Cold Sassy Tree that she began writing a sequel but died before she was able to complete it. The unfinished manuscript titled "Leaving Cold Sassy" was published a couple years after her death along with her notes, but based on the fact that she wasn't able to finish it and several reviews I've read, I don't plan to read it. 

I'll definitely read Cold Sassy Tree again though, and if you appreciate a good coming-of-age story or you enjoy Southern literature, you should too. 

Are you overprotective of the stories you love or is that just a me-problem?