Saving CeeCee Honeycutt: A Novel

Beth Hoffman

Jan 2010 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

Steel Magnolias meets The Help in this New York Times Bestselling 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 mother, Camille, the town’s tiara-wearing, lipstick-smeared laughingstock, a woman who is trapped in her long-ago moment of glory as the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen of Georgia. When tragedy strikes, Tootie Caldwell, CeeCee’s long-lost great-aunt, comes to the rescue and whisks her away to Savannah. There, CeeCee is catapulted into a perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricity—one that appears to be run entirely by strong, wacky 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.

A timeless coming of age novel set in the 1960s, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt explores the indomitable strengths of female friendship, and charts the journey of an unforgettable girl who loses one mother, but finds many others in the storybook city of Savannah. As Kristin Hannah, author of Fly Away, says, Beth Hoffman's sparkling debut is “packed full of Southern charm, strong women, wacky humor, and good old-fashioned heart."

Ratings and reviews

One of the best books I have read. Laugh out loud funny amd cry big tears. Pulled every heart string. I wanted to be a part of this family. Strong southern women, building each other up. Color blind innocence. Truly a story that will stay with me forever. I almost want to re-read the book, just to make sure that I didn't miss anything.

I loved the emotion of the characters, the wisdom expressed, the description was like watching the story unfold live from above. My favorite book this year.

This story of a young girl taken in by her aunt after the loss of her mother is so good! Set in the South with colorful characters, this story will warm your heart, make you smile, and generally just make you feel good. I fell in love with the characters and did not want the story to end. Defiantly recommend this book. Now one of my favorite authors!

About the author

Beth Hoffman was the president and co-owner of an interior design studio in Cincinnati before becoming a full-time writer. She is the author of two New York Times bestsellers: Looking for Me and her debut, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. She lives with her husband and two cats in northern Kentucky.