Saving Ceecee Honeycutt

A Novel

By: Beth Hoffman

Narrated by: Jenna Lamia

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

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, 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.

©2010 Beth Hoffman (P)2010 Penguin Audiobooks

Best of southern fiction!

Best of southern feminine fiction comes alive in this story of a twelve year old girl blossoming in Savannah, Georgia. Cee Cee was in a sad state while living in Ohio. Her out if place, mentally ill, Southern Bell mother was run over by an ice cream, and her father was barely at home anymore. So her Great-Aunt Tootie drive up in her luxury car to take Cee Cee home with her to Savannah.

Cee Cee's life suddenly went from loneliness and neglect to a whirlwind of new friends and an exuberant life with Oletta---Tootie's black housekeeper, and all of Tootie's numerous flamboyant neighbors. Cee Cee's "life book" became filled with many new found experiences, including racism, elaborate southern traditions, and great new friends. She learned to forgive others and accept the "perfectness" of who she could be.

Characters were well developed and wonderfully interesting. Messages were deep, but couched in loads of charm and humor. Difficult situations were eluded to, but we're not dealt with in a heavy handed manner. Terrific read!!

Very Cute and Entertaining

This book was a fairly easy read. It had kooky characters, and although it certainly involved difficult issues such as mental illness and parental neglect/absence as well as racism, it never got into it so deeply that it had me reflecting as much as I would hope. Still, the story was nice and I am happy to have read it.

Insightful and delightful

Powerful insight into how mental illness affects lives on so many levels. Very well written - very early in the story I questioned whether or nor I would be able to listen to some of the painful momens in the story. The author then gives you hope that perhaps there could be a silver lining in the story - however, there were so many times one would guess the shoe would drop - it became a cat and mouse game. The characters were well developed and you will look forward to hopefully another appearace of many of the characters. Excellent narration!

Ceecee Honeycutt is down home beautiful

At the beginning I wondered why it started out on such a down note, but when Ceecee went from the depths of despair to the comfort and love of her new Southern family, I was cheering for her and all of them. Someday soon when I need to feel homey, I will relisten to this poetic book. And the sweet, young-sounding voice actor did a superb job!

Nice sweet book

If you have ever listened to anything narrated by Jenna Lamia, you already know how good she is. This is just a nice book, good story, and an easy listen.

Great Story!!!!

Would you listen to Saving Ceecee Honeycutt again? Why?

I truly enjoyed this book. I loved the story, characters and the narration. It is one of my favorite audio books.

wish every book was this awesome

this is made me cry and laugh out loud and I didnt want it to end

Great Change of Pace

After having read two books in a row about WWII and the death camps I was in need of something lighter and this fit the bill perfectly. The story is enjoyable and you can't help but love all the characters. The narrator did an excellent job with all the voices, giving each one its own distinct personality making it easy to keep up with who was who.

If you're looking for something deep and thought provoking, this isn't for you but, if you just want to be entertained, don't pass up this little gem.

Love can get you through anything

Where does Saving Ceecee Honeycutt rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Ceecee Honeycutt would be near the top of my audiobooks, with a slight downturn for
predictability after she moved to her great aunt's home.

What did you like best about this story?

The way Ceecee cared for her mother in spite of her mental illness...and the women who
came to her aid. From her wonderful neighbor to the bevy of women who lived in Savannah, she was able to come to grips with her situation and realize that she was loved.

Have you listened to any of Jenna Lamia’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Have not listened to her before, but would definitelly enjoy her again.
She did such a good job on the different accents/voices and her voice was smooth
and realistic for a young girl.

If you could take any character from Saving Ceecee Honeycutt out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Loved Ceecee but it would be the cook, Oletta. Loved her direct talk seasoned by love.

Any additional comments?

Very enjoyable listen!

Charming!

A delightful listen with a variety of rich, interesting female characters. Above all, another fantastic read by Jenna Lamia. I became a huge fan of Jenna Lamia after The Help. Another job superbly done! My next book will be another read by Jenna Lamia. (Jenna, if you're reading this --- you are a wonderful talent!! Please narrate more books!)