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Cold Sassy Tree Audiobook
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(3.00) - 42,230 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Cold Sassy Tree is the undeniably entertaining and extraordinarily moving account of small-town Southern life in a bygone era. Brimming with characters who are wise and loony, unimpeachably pious and deliciously irreverent, Olive Ann Burns’s charming tale is a classic.
One thing you could depend on in Cold Sassy, Georgia, was that word got around—fast. If the preacher’s wife’s petticoat showed, the ladies would make the talk last a week. But on July 5, 1906, things took a scandalous turn. That was the day E. Rucker Blakeslee, proprietor of the general store and barely three weeks a widower, eloped with Miss Love Simpson—a woman half his age and, worse yet, a Yankee.
On that day, fourteen-year-old Will Tweedy’s adventures began, and an unimpeachably pious town came to life.
As the newlyweds’ chaperone, conspirator, and confidant, Will is privy to his renegade grandfather’s second adolescence. Meanwhile, Will does some growing up of his own. He gets run over by a train and lives to tell about it, and he kisses his first girl and survives that too.
Olive Ann Burns has given us a timeless, funny Southern romance.
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"This is one of my top 5 favorites of all time! A coming of age, family saga, told through the eyes of a 12 year old boy. Grandma has just passed away, and Grandpa announces "she is as dead as she is ever going to be!"....we are allowed to watch the extended family deal with all the ensuing issues in a most intimate way, through Will Tweedy's eyes, and the vision is priceless."
— Naomi (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A winner!..[Gardner’s] presentation…[is] a pleasure to hear.”
— Kliatt -
“[Grover Gardner’s] enlightened reading greatly enhances the emotive effect…Rich in characterization and dialogue, this novel is well-suited to the audio format; [Grover Gardner] superbly conveys this great wealth. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“Full of humor and Twainesque adventures, the story is replete with a wonderful mix of characters…Narrator [Grover Gardner] is perfectly cast.”
— Library Journal -
“Exuberant, funny, touching.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer -
“No less than brilliant!”
— Boston Globe -
“Rich with emotion, humor, and tenderness.”
— Washington Post Book World -
“One of the best portraits of small-town Southern life ever written.”
— Pat Conroy, New York Times bestselling author -
“One beautiful book. Better than To Kill a Mockingbird.”
— Shirley Abbott, award-winning author
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
Cold Sassy Tree Listener Reviews
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" I loved this book! Will Tweedy as narrator stole my heart. "
— Allyson, 2/9/2014 -
" The last 100 pages was where stuff finally started happening! Too bad I had to read the 300 before that. It was a nice story, but it was a little too long for me. "
— Kelly, 1/31/2014 -
" loved this book. my husband really liked it, too. (btw: this was an audiobk for me and the narrator was awesome). I first thought it was just a book of funny stories but it developed into many deeper subjects and left me thinking after the book ended. oh, and i adore the characters. "
— Alice-Anne, 1/28/2014 -
" This was a very well written story that kept me engaged throughout. I was surprised to find some religious content thought was quite thought provoking. I would definitely recommend this book! "
— Pam, 1/28/2014 -
" I loved this story and the way that it was written. It made me laugh and cry! "
— Kris, 1/16/2014 -
" I finally finished it! I enjoyed it, but boy did it take me a long time to finish! "
— Susie, 1/9/2014 -
" A heart warming story, set in 1904 after the civil war. Very southern. Loved the vernacular and the characters. A little sad at times and not as uplifting as I would have liked. The book has an overall message that is good for anyone who has ever lost a loved one. "
— April, 12/31/2013 -
" I give it 3 1/2 stars, almost a 4. For some reason I couldn't really get into it in the beginning. But it got better and I loved the end. "
— Heather, 12/28/2013 -
" If you want a nice novel about what it was like to live in the South during the early 1900s, this book is for you. The book really is about everday life, there is no other plot or purpose. Enjoy. "
— Sydney, 12/27/2013 -
" I tried reading this book 15 years ago and couldn't finish it. I just finished it this week and really enjoyed it a lot. A great look at the south in 1906... some of the stories are quite entertaining. "
— Sally, 12/10/2013 -
" I enjoyed reading this book and found myself laughing quite a bit. It took a while for the brain to read the Southern style of writing, but was necessary to give the book its authenticity. "
— Cynthia, 12/3/2013 -
" I read this for the first time over 20 years ago and I have read it multiple times since then. It is still one of my favorite books. "
— Misti, 9/22/2013 -
" A unique novel and story. "
— Meredith, 2/26/2013 -
" Enjoyed the homespun stories ~ lesisurely read during summer. "
— Cyndee, 8/8/2012 -
" I kept waiting for the plot to start... "
— Amy, 7/31/2012 -
" A wonderful book on many levels. Enjoyable story, interesting characters, and a portrait of small town Southern life before Civil Rights. I highly recommend reading it. "
— Pat, 7/21/2012 -
" This book is about a family were people get married at a bad time I think the book was okay. It is not in my top ten list of favorite books. It is hard to understand because it is written in old southern language. "
— Noelle, 5/1/2012 -
" Loved this one. I even cried a little at the end...I'm excited to read the sequel, I hope it's as good as this one was. "
— Kathleen, 3/1/2012 -
" I read this years ago and loved it. It made me laugh. "
— Christine, 12/5/2011 -
" This was a simple, Southern story recommended to me by my mother-in-law and I quite enjoyed it. Good character development. "
— Natalie, 8/9/2011 -
" I love books like this about the south! I loved the characters and their relationships. The author was 60 when she wrote this and it was her first novel; pretty amazing! "
— Sarah, 6/24/2011 -
" Loved this when I read it five years ago. I am listening to the audio version right now and am loving it even more! Classic. "
— Eciroli, 6/3/2011 -
" This was about a dysfunctional family in a small Georgia town in 1906. Pride and social etiquette try to dictate the norm but grandpa will have none of it. Charming and fun. Liked it. "
— Andrea, 5/27/2011 -
" My Dad bought me this book because it's his favorite... I wanted to like it for my father's sake but did not care for it. The narrator was annoying and seemed dim for his age. "
— Kim, 5/22/2011 -
" Cute, humorous and a fun read. "
— Kerry, 5/18/2011 -
" It was a sweet story and had some good values, but was a little slow. "
— Andrea, 5/12/2011 -
" will tweedy love simpson loma grandpa blakeslee lightfoot "
— Mike, 5/9/2011 -
" Very fun, very good read. This is full of rich characters with multi-layered development. It's a definite must-read! "
— Amy, 5/2/2011 -
" Just couldn't get into this one. The whole small southern town this just doesn't do it for me. "
— Suzy, 4/27/2011 -
" I kept waiting for the plot to start... "
— Amy, 4/26/2011 -
" I don't know how this book escaped me before. It's wonderful. Will Tweedy may be the best fictional character ever, made only more better by the fact that Neil Patrick Harris played him in the movie version. "
— Eliza, 4/25/2011 -
" Awesome book - a story that seems frozen in time. Highligh recommend. "
— Diane, 4/24/2011 -
" The last 100 pages was where stuff finally started happening! Too bad I had to read the 300 before that. It was a nice story, but it was a little too long for me. "
— Kelly, 4/23/2011 -
" Easy read. It's hard not to like this book. "
— Kara, 4/22/2011 -
" I loved this book. I can't believe that I waited so long enjoy it! "
— Julie, 4/20/2011 -
" The ending definitely leaves you hanging and wanting more of the rest of the story. It's a great page turner though! "
— Liz, 4/19/2011 -
" The book was written very well. There were a few points where I stopped reading to ponder something I'd read. However, I didn't really see the point of it. Excellent characters, but no plot. "
— Lindsay, 4/16/2011 -
" Excellent book! Felt like I was reading a mark twain novel. Lively characters and humorous adventures. "
— Gina, 4/15/2011
About Olive Ann Burns
Olive Ann Burns (1924–1990) was born on a farm in Banks County, Georgia, and went to school in nearby Commerce, which was the model for Cold Sassy. She received a degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and for ten years was on the Sunday magazine staff of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
About Grover Gardner
Grover Gardner (a.k.a. Tom Parker) is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.