About book Leaving Cold Sassy: The Unfinished Sequel To Cold Sassy Tree (1992)
Book: Leaving Cold Sassy: The Unfinished Sequel to Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann BurnsRating: 3/5Why did you include it to your Book Bucket List?: Having read the first book, Cold Sassy Tree by the author, I, like many of its other readers, was interested in finding out what happened to the characters in the story. I like continuing sagas, and was hoping the sequel would be just as good, if not better, than the first book. Was it worth it?: Yes and No ~ as it turns out, the author died during the writing of this book and she had requested that it be published, although unfinished, so that the readers and fans of the Cold Sassy characters could know what happened to them, or at least what she had intended. The book became a bit of a gathering of notes and ideas of different directions the author had considered taking the book in. It also included pictures and somewhat of a biography of the author's life, especially while she was was writing the two books.Brief Thoughts?: Although I may not agree with, or like very much, the direction she had intended to take (she wanted the story to be about the difficult times experienced by the main characters), but believe that since the first book took 8 years to write, it is possible that the sequel would have spent much time in constant revision (as the author was wont to do), and may have ended differently anyhow. Would you recommend it?: Yes and No ~ If the reader had read the first book and was interested in reading the second, I would recommend it. However, for new readers, I may only recommend the first book. Also, I would only recommend the book to those interested in Southern literature, such as people like myself who are interested in reading about the place they call home, The South.Now that I've finished the book, I would recommend it as a good read about love and triumph. Olive Ann Burns spent many years battling cancer and never once felt sorry for herself (or if she did, no one who provided input contributed evidence otherwise). To all she met, she was a model of life and love, and loving life, no matter what. I learned a lot from her story (both Cold Sassy and of her personal life), despite my earlier discontent regarding the structure of this particular book. She encouraged everyone to write a book, and showed that that even at 60+ and through chemotherapy and bloating and her husband's battle with cancer, she could still persevere in her mission to finish her story of Cold Sassy. And although she didn't finish it, she left enough of herself and her story behind so that others could. And what they share with us is their admiration of such a woman of character as Olive Ann Burns, providing us with a lesson in character and living life one day at a time, following our dreams and enjoying each and every moment we have and sharing those moments with the people we love.
While I didn't feel like this book was as good as Cold Sassy Tree, I did enjoy it. It just wasn't the same, but that's ok. I believe that if Olive Ann had lived longer, it would be an undoubtedly better story since she'd have had time to fine tune everything. I wasn't too thrilled with how Will turned out-or his father. That made me a little sad. I also had hoped Love would be in the story more. But, it IS an unfinished work, so who knows what it would have been had she lived longer. I love that so many of the people in the book-specifically, her parents-were what influenced the characters in both books. I think the reason people love Cold Sassy so much is because the characters are real. They are genuine people who don't live lives that are far-fetched and out of touch with reality. Olive Ann was also, I think, one of those people who has that way with words. I don't think all writers really have this, at least not in the way she did. She was a person who really understood people and paid attention to who they were, therefore I think it gave her this insight which allowed her to create these believable characters. Sanna is a character I can understand and sympathize with, in a way. Honestly, I think many mothers and wives are a lot like Sanna. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy the last half of the book, but I really enjoyed learning more about Olive Ann. She was an extraordinary person, and I think it would have been wonderful to know her. I found the relationship between Olive Ann and her husband very touching-the way they took care of each other and never gave up on living. It was interesting how she tirelessly edited and worked on the stories, and even, at one point, lacked confidence and didn't think she could write a novel. Cold Sassy Tree was a favorite book of mine since I read it at age 14, and I know it always will be. Leaving Cold Sassy will always hold a place in my heart as well. Both books are displayed on book shelf, and one day when my children are older, I hope they will read them and find in them the gifts that I did.Oh, and one of the best parts of the book was when she'd said that most worriers tend to worry about time, dirt, and money. She really hit the nail on the head with that one. I think the book should have been titled that, instead of Leaving Cold Sassy.
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The biggest failing of this book was that it remained unfinished. Though I think the 4 stars rating would have remained even if it had been. The prequel (is that the right word if the other book was written first?) to this book, Cold Sassy Tree, was charming and lovely, not only because of its writing quality but because the characters were lovable and flawed, with a culturally-questionable, yet still-somehow-sound morality. It sounds from the reading (notes section) that possibly the characters would have become less lovable and more flawed as time went on (though, as it remained unwritten, who's to say?) and my heart would have broken at the loss, as the people in these books are as real to me as family. Still, it would be better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, and I do wish Olive Ann Burns had lived to finish the story. I wonder if (and hope) that some time in the future another writer will arise and complete the work Burns started, in the same flavor and using the same sources for inspiration (Burns' own parents' lives).The second half of the book was a fascinating peek into the process and personality behind the literature, a good padding to make the book long enough to be marketable. [I did notice that this whole work was printed in a significantly larger font than Cold Sassy Tree so as to appear similar in length. Sneaky, sneaky.] Most interesting to me was the way Burns wove the previously existing elements she hoped to use together to make and tell a wonderful story. It appeals to me as an artist and ...appropriate that a book left unfinished should also have a review left unfinished, so...
—Oriyah Nitkin
At first I was disappointed with this book. I didn't like where the author took some of the characters from Cold Sassy Tree and was discontented with the fact that there was no ending. However, reading the second half of the book- a reminiscence from the author's editor- was delightful. She explains the theme that the author had planned to instill in the book and how the characters would end up. She also shares the family history of the author and the real-life people who the characters were patterned after. She also details much of the author's life. Reading about Olive Ann Burns' strong marriage and her wonderfully positive outlook on life was enough alone to make this book worth the read.
—Amanda
This is a first for me. I've never read an unfinished book before. Burns worked on the sequel while she suffered a relapse from cancer (she wrote Cold Sassy Tree when she was laid up in bed with cancer), and she desired her work to be published even if it were not completed. She wrote 15 chapters before she died. She wanted this novel to be titled Time, Dirt, and Money, but I think her editor's choice works better. Will Tweedy as an adult interested me more than he did as a 14-year-old kid. The working chapters left off with Will struggling to make money for his family after he lost his farm and Loma escaping from her rich husband in New York. The rest of the novel was going to show marriage struggles between Will and Sanna and family struggles between Loma and Sanna. I thought the ideas she fleshed out were excellent, and it's a shame she wasn't able to finish it. If she had, I'm sure I would have loved it. At least Burns wrote one great novel and envisioned characters who will live on in her readers' memories.
—Angela
