Barb H's Reviews > Cold Sassy Tree

This is the portrayal of the town of Cold Sassy, named for the huge Sassafras tree in its midst, which the inhabitants had frequently debated on renaming. The time period is set in the early 1900's in the South. Initially I was annoyed by the use of the local vernacular and associated grammatical errors, but I gradually adjusted to it and accepted that it was an effective and necessary factor to the telling of the tale.

The nub of the story is the coming of age of 14 year old Will. The plot developed slowly, but I became invested in the characters of Will and his family, especially his grandfather and his grandfather's second wife. Burns has also drawn a clear picture of his neighbors and friends. Typical of small town southern life there was the gossip, the exaggerated sense of morality and certainly the lack of privacy in actions and thoughts. It was impressive to view the development of historical events- first cars, first bathrooms, first running water, clothing and early motor cars. It was a simpler time in some respects, but a more difficult time because people had to do so much physical labor just to live and the lacked materials which are so prevalent in modern life..

Burns has blended much humor with periods of suspense and principals of wisdom. It is a lengthy book, but it contains much to draw in the reader. Members of my local book club enjoyed this with few exceptions and we had an extensive discussion period. Also of interest, was the fact that Olive Burns wrote this, her first book, at the age of 60!