Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman | Review

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Published: October 26, 2010

Publisher: Penguin Books

Pages: 304

Received: purhcased from thrift store

Find Online: Goodreads 

Steel Magnolias meets The Help in Beth Hoffman’s New York Times bestselling Southern debut novel, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt is in trouble. For years, she has been the caretaker of her mother, Camille, the town’s tiara-wearing, lipstick-smeared laughingstock, a woman who is trapped in her long-ago moment of glory as the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen of Georgia. When tragedy strikes, Tootie Caldwell, CeeCee’s long-lost great-aunt, comes to the rescue and whisks her away to Savannah. There, CeeCee is catapulted into a perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricity—one that appears to be run entirely by strong, wacky women. From the exotic Miz Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in her backyard bathtub and uses garden slugs as her secret weapons; to Tootie's all-knowing housekeeper, Oletta Jones; to Violene Hobbs, who entertains a local police officer in her canary-yellow peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.

A timeless coming of age novel set in the 1960s, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt explores the indomitable strengths of female friendship, and charts the journey of an unforgettable girl who loses one mother, but finds many others in the storybook city of Savannah. As Kristin Hannah, author of Fly Away, says, Beth Hoffman's sparkling debut is “packed full of Southern charm, strong women, wacky humor, and good old-fashioned heart."

I picked this up on a whim from the local thrift store and it looked like a nice quick read. I was right! It was quick, but it was also so wonderful and impactful. These women, CeeCee, Aunt Tootie, Oletta, and Mrs. Odell, all coming together to help raise a young girl is so heartwarming.

I really enjoyed the setting and all of it's Southern charm. The story follows a young girl who is sent to live with her great aunt after her father can no longer take care of her. Along the way she learns that being different is wonderful and complicated. She learns so many lessons from each of the women in her life from dealing with racism to believing in yourself. 

Besides CeeCee, my favourite character is Aunt Tootie. She's such an eccentric character, but full of Southern charm, wit and determination. She is a great role model for her great niece.

There is a lot of humour in this book and so many hilarious events unfold in such a short book. It's also filled with so much love and kindness. I'd recommend this book for a bookclub or just a few friends needing a good summer book.

I've been seeing it compared to a cross between Steel Magnolias and The Help. Now, I've watched Steel Magnolias but I have yet to read The Help, so I think if it's any indication I should make sure to get to the sooner than later.

Have you read Saving CeeCee Honeycutt? What are your thoughts - tell me who your favourites character is or what was your favourite scene?