Our book club reviewed “Saving CeeCee Honeycutt” by Beth
Hoffman for our June 2018 meeting. This was a beautifully written and engaging
story of a young girl facing some difficult challenges in 1967. CeeCee has a
mostly unsympathetic, distant and out-of-the-picture father, and a mother who
is mentally ill. CeeCee faces these challenges as a twelve year old and finds
solace in her only friend, an elderly woman next door, Mrs. Odell.
When her mother unexpectedly dies in a tragic accident,
CeeCee taken in by her great aunt Tootie who lives in Savannah, Georgia. The new setting
and new characters bring both healing, joy and surprises to CeeCee, who learns
to begin living anew in an environment of eccentric and strong women. The
setting in Savannah is beautifully described and the adventures of the young
girl become quite hilarious, such as photographing a neighbor’s brassiere in various
locations about the town.
The story is sweet and the relationships were at times quite
tender and real for a girl in turmoil. The book had a nice mix of some serious
problems, lighthearted antics, challenges that felt genuine for a twelve year
old, and issues that were a part of the fabric of southern society in the late
60’s. It was a choice that our group all quite enjoyed and were able to discuss
at length.
“Life is full of change, honey. That's how we learn and
grow. When we're born, the Good Lord gives each of us a Life Book. Chapter by
chapter, we live and learn.”
— Beth Hoffman, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
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