Julie G's Reviews > Cold Sassy Tree

Cold Sassy Tree was Olive Ann Burns's debut novel, published as she turned 60, and I can tell you, she does not disappoint the reader. She was a seasoned writer, but not a novelist, and clearly, she knew how to tell a story.

This book represents everything I love about reading and writing. There's an "old school" feel here, an indescribable quality that takes me back to sitting in trees as a child, my back supported by the trunk and my young mind supported by whatever precious book I held propped in my hand.

What joy, to think about those days, and that joy is somehow captured here in this coming-of-age novel. It was written in 1984 (as I was sitting in those trees reading Carson McCullers), but the story takes place much earlier in the century.

I can't say that I can find fault with anything in this story. The plot, the developed characters, the author's successful use of Voice, the likable narrator. . . are all exceptional. And, if all of that is too mechanical for you, you can also find adventure, history, romance and religious and philosophical insights.

It was an absolute privilege to read it, and I'm thankful I discovered it as I was sick in bed with a bad cold.