Beth Hoffman

Twelve-year-old CeeCee is in trouble. For years she’s been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille— the crown-wearing, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town. Though it’s 1967 and they live in Ohio, Camille believes it’s 1951 and she’s just been crowned the Vidalia Onion Queen of Georgia.
The day CeeCee discovers Camille in the front yard wearing a tattered prom dress and tiara as she blows kisses to passing motorists, she knows her mother has completely flipped. show more When tragedy strikes, Tootie Caldwell, a previously unknown great-aunt comes to CeeCee’s rescue and whisks her away to Savannah. Within hours of her arrival, CeeCee is catapulted into a perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricities—a world that appears to be run entirely by women.
While Tootie is busy saving Savannah’s endangered historic homes from the wrecking ball, CeeCee encounters a cast of unforgettable, eccentric characters. From the mysterious Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in an outdoor tub under the watchful eyes of a voyeuristic peacock, to Oletta Jones, the all-knowing household cook, to Violene Hobbs, the loud-mouthed widow who entertains a local police officer in her yellow see-through peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.
But CeeCee’s view of the world is challenged in ways she could have never imagined: there are secrets to keep, injustices to face, and loyalties to uphold. Just as she begins to find her ballast and experiences a sense of belonging, her newfound joy collides with the long-held fear that her mother’s legacy has left her destined for destruction.
Laugh-out-loud funny, at times heartbreaking, and written in a pitch-perfect voice, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a spirited Southern tale that explores the intricate frailties and strengths of female relationships while illuminating the journey of a young girl who loses her mother but finds many others. show less

What a rare treat! Having grown up in Savannah I was worried this book might not depict my home city correctly, but I was so wrong. What a SPLENDID book this is. The writing is wonderful and the characters were so real and multi-dimensional that they just about walked right off the pages! I favor southern novels and I have to say that this one is the best I've read in many years.

The author created imagery that was vivid and emotions that were so real I got totally absorbed in the book on show more the first page, and I loved how she nuanced our southern dialect. There is so much to really love about this book, and I know I will read it again.

I also loved how the author showed respect for the mentally ill mother while still keeping a sense of humor in the dark and unhappy early years of little CeCe's life. show less

I loved this book, every page of it. It was one of those books that I didn't want to end. I hope there will be a sequel! The writing is beautiful and the characters are so alive. The story made me stop and remember all the women who helped mold me as a child - aunts, my grandma and most of all my mom who died when I was 19. It's not very often that a book can make me cry and then laugh out loud, but this one sure did. There was a depth to this book that I really enjoyed, and the way racial show more issues were nuanced was wonderful and how the author handled Cee-Cee's emotions was perfect. I even felt a little sorry for her dad even though he wasn't much of a dad to speak of. I already know that I will read this book again.

A book I'm glad to recommend highly! show less

Having lived 60 miles out of Savannah for 5 long years, it was a little hard to read this book with an open mind. When the author would say things like, "The air was warm and sweet with the scent of freshly cut grass." all I could think of was the horrible smell of the paper mills in Savannah. When she would describe the characters peacefully rocking on the porch, I would remember the sand gnats that bite as they crawl in your eyes and up your nose. When she mentioned "dried bug carcasses show more crunched beneath our feet", I pictured a house I visited once that had a layer of dead roaches on the floor. It made me wonder if the author had ever been to Savannah? It sounds romantic on paper and looks romantic in pictures, but you couldn't pay me enough to live there again. That being said, I enjoyed the book. CeeCee weaved her way into my heart and I sympathized with her sorrows and rejoiced in her happiness. I do wish there would have been one positive male character in her life, though. show less