Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
by Beth Hoffman
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Read Beth Hoffman's blogs and other content on the Penguin Community.Steel Magnolias meets The Help in this Southern debut novel sparkling with humor, heart, and feminine wisdom
Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt is in trouble. For years, she has been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille-the tiara-toting, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town-a woman trapped in her long-ago moment of glory as the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen. But when Camille is hit by a truck and killed, show more CeeCee is left to fend for herself. To the rescue comes her previously unknown great-aunt, Tootie Caldwell.
In her vintage Packard convertible, Tootie whisks CeeCee away to Savannah's perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricity, a world that seems to be run entirely by 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.
Laugh-out-loud funny and deeply touching, Beth Hoffman's sparkling debut is, as Kristin Hannah says, "packed full of Southern charm, strong women, wacky humor, and good old-fashioned heart." It is a novel that explores the indomitable strengths of female friendship and gives us the story of a young girl who loses one mother and finds many others.
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lahochstetler Books about girls who have lost their mothers and who find new lives in somewhat Gothic southern towns.
susiesharp both enjoyable southern fiction with great characters
dara85 Both novels take place in south, both girls from dysfunctional families and are rescued to better situations.
Member Reviews
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. 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 show more 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
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. 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 show more 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 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 show more humor in the dark and unhappy early years of little CeCe's life. show less
The author created imagery that was vivid and emotions that were so real I got totally absorbed in the book on 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 show more 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 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 show more recommend highly! show less
A book I'm glad to show more 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 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 show more 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
When 12-year-old Cecelia Rose Honeycutt arrives at her great-aunt’s house, she is a hurt, lost, and secretly grieving girl due to her mother’s psychosis and her father’s neglect. But in the magical world of Savannah, Georgia, CeeCee encounters an endless array of interesting and beloved people, including Aunt Tootie, her driven, independent, yet big-hearted great-aunt, to Oletta, Aunt Tootie’s longtime cook and companion. Savannah just might be the place where CeeCee can learn how to heal through love and be her age again.
All too often for me, adult fiction can be stagnant, apathetic, and distant. Even a young protagonist can actually be his/her future self, recalling a time long ago. However, SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT is adorable show more and uplifting as CeeCee’s narration transcends generations.
The best part about this book is CeeCee’s voice. It’s strong, age-appropriate but not too young for most readers to connect with. CeeCee does not constantly try to judge her own actions or interpret events in her past: instead, the novel unfolds as if we’re living in the moment with CeeCee herself. At times childishly cute and funny, at others sweet in her experienced-beyond-her-years-ness, CeeCee was a delight to get to know from the very first page.
The other characters are also wonderful and thoroughly developed. They’re not as easily distinguishable from one another as the characters from Kathryn Stockett’s THE HELP, to which this book is often compared, but I definitely found myself wishing I had my very own Aunt Tootie and Oletta growing up.
My one major beef with this book was its apparent lack of tension and conflict. Compared to THE HELP, this book had very little going on. The driving conflict seemed to be CeeCee’s struggle to come to terms with her mother’s mental illness, but the storyline bounced back and forth between this and other potentially fiery issues so erratically that none of the conflicts in this book ended up feeling entirely convincing for me. SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT presented us with incidents and characters that never entirely lived up to their potential: a racist encounter that was prettily resolved, a crazy neighbor with a penchant for vengeance. I kept on waiting for something to happen, and being thwarted in my waiting.
Overall, however, I’m still very glad I had the chance to read SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT. Its subject matter, time and location setting, and genre all made it something I wouldn’t normally have read, but I would have missed out on CeeCee’s wonderful voice otherwise. SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT is, in a sense, a love letter for the South: join the endearing CeeCee on her journey of healing and self-discovery in a heartwarming world! show less
All too often for me, adult fiction can be stagnant, apathetic, and distant. Even a young protagonist can actually be his/her future self, recalling a time long ago. However, SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT is adorable show more and uplifting as CeeCee’s narration transcends generations.
The best part about this book is CeeCee’s voice. It’s strong, age-appropriate but not too young for most readers to connect with. CeeCee does not constantly try to judge her own actions or interpret events in her past: instead, the novel unfolds as if we’re living in the moment with CeeCee herself. At times childishly cute and funny, at others sweet in her experienced-beyond-her-years-ness, CeeCee was a delight to get to know from the very first page.
The other characters are also wonderful and thoroughly developed. They’re not as easily distinguishable from one another as the characters from Kathryn Stockett’s THE HELP, to which this book is often compared, but I definitely found myself wishing I had my very own Aunt Tootie and Oletta growing up.
My one major beef with this book was its apparent lack of tension and conflict. Compared to THE HELP, this book had very little going on. The driving conflict seemed to be CeeCee’s struggle to come to terms with her mother’s mental illness, but the storyline bounced back and forth between this and other potentially fiery issues so erratically that none of the conflicts in this book ended up feeling entirely convincing for me. SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT presented us with incidents and characters that never entirely lived up to their potential: a racist encounter that was prettily resolved, a crazy neighbor with a penchant for vengeance. I kept on waiting for something to happen, and being thwarted in my waiting.
Overall, however, I’m still very glad I had the chance to read SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT. Its subject matter, time and location setting, and genre all made it something I wouldn’t normally have read, but I would have missed out on CeeCee’s wonderful voice otherwise. SAVING CEECEE HONEYCUTT is, in a sense, a love letter for the South: join the endearing CeeCee on her journey of healing and self-discovery in a heartwarming world! show less
For 12-year-old Cecelia Rose "CeeCee" Honeycutt, life has become a haze of keeping her head down and staying out of the way of cruel neighborhood kids. With her father nowhere in sight, CeeCee plunges into the world of books to avoid the embarrassing antics of her mentally-ill mother, Camille, a former beauty queen who has sunk deep into psychosis. When Camille isn't traipsing about town in tattered sashes and faded ball gowns, she's nearly burning down their small kitchen with her attempts at cooking. And CeeCee doesn't know what to do about it.
After an accident claims her mother's life, CeeCee's father briefly reappears to help sort things out -- and part of that process is, in fact, to move his only daughter elsewhere. Tallulah show more Caldwell breezes into CeeCee's life like a warm summer breeze, bringing with her the promise of a different life . . . of a better life. With barely any notice, CeeCee is swept up in her great aunt's loving embrace and brought to Savannah, Georgia, where she will meet a great many new friends and maybe -- finally -- come to terms with her mother's death . . . and, more importantly, her life.
Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, set in the 1960s, is Southern fiction at its best -- poignant, lush and enveloping like breakfast in a sunny nook. That's pretty much how I felt while reading this story: wrapped up in a comfortable world with colorful characters willing to share their secrets with me. CeeCee is a bright, introspective young lady who absorbs everything she sees and desperately hopes she'll find security in Savannah. That's what she seems to crave, more than anything: friendship. Love. Support. Things most of us probably take for granted -- myself included -- but which she has never experienced after caring for her ailing mother for so long.
A minor quibble of mine involves CeeCee's ability to think philosophically and well beyond her years one moment, but still say something adolescent and sweetly oblivious the next. Maybe that's the jaded cynic in me bursting forward, but I felt a little annoyed with CeeCee's naiveté a few times in the story. CeeCee as a narrator seems much older than CeeCee the character, and that may have been part of my unease. Still, it wasn't a major issue -- and certainly didn't dampen my enjoyment of the story.
Lovers of Southern fiction and coming-of-age tales will fall in love with CeeCee Honeycutt and the friends she makes in Georgia, and those of us with a sweet tooth will savor every recipe and dish Oletta lovingly prepares in Aunt Tootie's kitchen. My stomach grumbled so loudly at the mention of Oletta's famous cinnamon buns that I almost had to shove the book aside and make a bakery run. I can taste that sweet icing from here! Hoffman's ability to make my stomach gurgle -- and tug at those old heartstrings -- is quite a feat. A heart-warming read I'll be passing on to friends. show less
After an accident claims her mother's life, CeeCee's father briefly reappears to help sort things out -- and part of that process is, in fact, to move his only daughter elsewhere. Tallulah show more Caldwell breezes into CeeCee's life like a warm summer breeze, bringing with her the promise of a different life . . . of a better life. With barely any notice, CeeCee is swept up in her great aunt's loving embrace and brought to Savannah, Georgia, where she will meet a great many new friends and maybe -- finally -- come to terms with her mother's death . . . and, more importantly, her life.
Beth Hoffman's Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, set in the 1960s, is Southern fiction at its best -- poignant, lush and enveloping like breakfast in a sunny nook. That's pretty much how I felt while reading this story: wrapped up in a comfortable world with colorful characters willing to share their secrets with me. CeeCee is a bright, introspective young lady who absorbs everything she sees and desperately hopes she'll find security in Savannah. That's what she seems to crave, more than anything: friendship. Love. Support. Things most of us probably take for granted -- myself included -- but which she has never experienced after caring for her ailing mother for so long.
A minor quibble of mine involves CeeCee's ability to think philosophically and well beyond her years one moment, but still say something adolescent and sweetly oblivious the next. Maybe that's the jaded cynic in me bursting forward, but I felt a little annoyed with CeeCee's naiveté a few times in the story. CeeCee as a narrator seems much older than CeeCee the character, and that may have been part of my unease. Still, it wasn't a major issue -- and certainly didn't dampen my enjoyment of the story.
Lovers of Southern fiction and coming-of-age tales will fall in love with CeeCee Honeycutt and the friends she makes in Georgia, and those of us with a sweet tooth will savor every recipe and dish Oletta lovingly prepares in Aunt Tootie's kitchen. My stomach grumbled so loudly at the mention of Oletta's famous cinnamon buns that I almost had to shove the book aside and make a bakery run. I can taste that sweet icing from here! Hoffman's ability to make my stomach gurgle -- and tug at those old heartstrings -- is quite a feat. A heart-warming read I'll be passing on to friends. show less
CeeCee's life starts out pretty rough - an absent father and a mentally ill mother with only the love of a nearby neighbor to bring a little light into her life. When tragedy strikes, CeeCee can only feel abandoned and betrayed. But this novel is filled with women who are ready and willing to love CeeCee and fill up all those empty places that she has lived with for so long. I especially loved this aspect of the novel - all the wonderful and diverse women who each provide something important to CeeCee.
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Saving CeeCee Honeycut ((Beth Hoffman)
Set in the 60's Cecilia (CeeCee) Honeycut just wants to be an ordinary girl. Living in Ohio with her mother and father, she is not sure what normal is. Her mother is mentally unstable, while her traveling salesman father is never home. CeeCee seems to be the mother as she watches over and takes care of her "crazy" mother. Then one day, unexpectedly her show more mother dies. Soon CeeCee finds herself in another world when her great Aunt Tootie, comes to take her to Georgia, to live with her.
Saving CeeCee Honeycut, was a wonderful (emotional) read. Well written Ms. Hoffman grabs the readers attention and won't let go until the perfect ending. Colorful unforgettable characters, laugh out loud, moments, a perfect coming of age story. I look forward to more work from Beth Hoffman. show less
Set in the 60's Cecilia (CeeCee) Honeycut just wants to be an ordinary girl. Living in Ohio with her mother and father, she is not sure what normal is. Her mother is mentally unstable, while her traveling salesman father is never home. CeeCee seems to be the mother as she watches over and takes care of her "crazy" mother. Then one day, unexpectedly her show more mother dies. Soon CeeCee finds herself in another world when her great Aunt Tootie, comes to take her to Georgia, to live with her.
Saving CeeCee Honeycut, was a wonderful (emotional) read. Well written Ms. Hoffman grabs the readers attention and won't let go until the perfect ending. Colorful unforgettable characters, laugh out loud, moments, a perfect coming of age story. I look forward to more work from Beth Hoffman. show less
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Author Information
4+ Works 3,001 Members
Beth Hoffman is a New York Times bestselling author. Her books have been published in Italy, Germany, France, Poland, Norway, Hungary, Indonesia, Korea, Israel, and the United Kingdom. Before beginning her writing career, Beth was president and co-owner of an interior design studio. An artist as well as an award-winning designer, her paintings are show more displayed in private and corporate collections in the United States, Canada, and the UK. Beth is the author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and Looking for Me. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards and Honors
Awards
Great Lakes Great Reads Award (2010-01 – 2010)
Distinctions
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
- Original title
- Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
- Original publication date
- 2010-01-12
- People/Characters
- Cecelia "CeeCee" Rose Honeycutt; Camille Honeycutt; Tallulah "Tootie" Caldwell; Oletta Jones; Gertrude Odell; Thelma Rae Goodpepper (show all 17); Violene Hobbs; Dixie McAllister; Sapphire; Miz Obee; Faustina "Flossy" Woodlow; Nadine; Chessie; Lucas Slade; Late Taylor Caldwell; Carl Dwayne Honeycutt; Earl Jenkins
- Important places
- Savannah, Georgia, USA; Willoughby, Ohio, USA
- Dedication
- This book is dedicated to Marlane Vaicius, the best friend a girl could ever hope to find, Marlane, you are my Dixie. And: In loving memory of my great-aunt, Mildred Williams Caldwell of Danville, Kentucky, the remarkably g... (show all)enerous and wise little woman who ignited the flame that inspired this book.
- First words
- Momma left her red satin shoes in the middle of the road.
- Quotations
- I made a mental note that if I ever needed help from a man I would make him a pie. I wondered if that's why my dad didn't come home much anymore. As far as I knew, Momma never once had baked him a pie.
The truth fell on me like a piano. Though I had no idea what lay ahead, there was one thing I knew for sure: wherever I was going, it had to be better than where I was. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Loving me.
- Blurbers
- Edwards, Kim; Hannah, Kristin; Rice, Luanne; Andrews, Mary Kay; Fowler, Connie May; Dallas, Sandra
- Disambiguation notice
- ISBN 1401322476 is for Annie's Ghost
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- Reviews
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- Rating
- (3.96)
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- 6 — English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian (Bokmål)
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 36
- ASINs
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