For all of those who fell in love with Sue Monk Kidd's "The Secret Life of Bees," Beth Hoffman's new novel offers another mesmerizing glimpse into the richness and complexity of life in the deep South. 

 

After the death of her eccentric and mentally ill mother, Cecelia Honeycutt is forced to relocate from Ohio to Savannah,Georgia to live with her great aunt Tootie. As she acclimates to a life of southern privilege, and attempts to come to terms with both her childhood and her mother's tragic death, Ceecee is also required to confront racism, and general human failing, head-on. But she is supported by a host of strong women who help her acquire the wisdom it takes to accept the hardships of life, and move beyond them.    
 

"In Hoffman's charming debut, Cecelia Rose (CeeCee) Honeycutt tells the story of her tragic life and the strong women who stepped in to save her. At age 12, CeeCee realizes her mother, flouncing around Willoughby, OH, in prom dresses and matching shoes, is crazy and the town's laughingstock. Her father is never home, and nothing is going to change so CeeCee buries herself in books as an escape. But her true liberation comes after her mother's tragic death when great-aunt Tootie sweeps CeeCee off to Savannah. There, a group of powerful, independent women offer the young girl love, laughter and a new chance at life. Readers who enjoy strong female characters will appreciate CeeCee, a survivor despite her heartbreaking childhood, and Aunt Tootie and her friends, all of them steel magnolias. VERDICT: Exemplifying Southern storytelling at its best, this coming-of-age novel is sure to be a hit with the book clubs that adopted Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees. Interestingly enough, both novels share the same editor."

-Library Journal 

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