Cold Sassy Tree

By Olive Anne Burns

This book is told through the eyes of 14 year old Will Tweedy, who lives in Cold Sassy, Georgia in 1906. It is an old town full of old traditions and old gossipy people.
As this drama unfolds, you will find that he is a boy longing for love and adventure, for something different, something that the town would not expect him to do. His Grandfather, who owns the general store in Cold Sassy, expects Will to someday take over the store. Will's aunt Loma desires him to be a writer, but through all of these people that try to plan his future, he finds out that his life is not in their hands, but his very own.

Will's world gets turned upside down when his beloved grandmother suddenly becomes very ill and dies. His family is left in state of shock and sadness, dividing them further. Yet, just three weeks after her death, Grandfather marries the young, not so respected milliner, Miss Love Simpson. Questions go through Will's head as well as the heads of others in Cold Sassy. Did he love Grandmother? Why did Miss Love Simpson marry him? What is going on that we don't know about? Secrets will unfold that no one expected…

The author of Cold Sassy Tree, Olive Anne Burns, has an amazing way of explaining details, emotions, and habits, of her characters, creating a full picture of who they are, while adding a feeling of reality to the settings, and surroundings.

This book has a unique theme, it shows that there is life after death, a theme that is not often found in books of this genre. It is a sad story of death and rebirthing, and shows a universal truth, that there is life after death. Lots of death takes place in this book, the death of Will's Grandfather, Grandmother, and best friend. However, this novel lacked a lightness of topic, and omitted an overall sense of grief and sadness, not always desired in a book of this genre.

Rating: * *