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Cold Sassy Tree

By: Olive Ann Burns
Narrated by: Richard Thomas
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Publisher's summary

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, 14-year-old Will Tweedy's adventures began, and an unimpeachably pious, deliciously irreverent town came to life.

Not since To Kill a Mockingbird has a novel so deftly captured the subtle crosscurrents of small-town Southern life. Olive Ann Burns' classic best seller brings to vivid life an era that will never exist again, exploring timeless issues of love, death, coming of age, and the ties that bind families and generations.

©1989 Olive Ann Burns and Dell Publishing (P)1989 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.
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Critic reviews

"One of the best portraits of small-town Southern life ever." (Pat Conroy)

"A story...about death and love, both funny and deeply touching." (San Francisco Chronicle)

What listeners say about Cold Sassy Tree

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Solid narration of a wonderful story

This story is a wonderful piece of literature, and the narration is tops. Both author and narrator expertly draw the audience into a sentimental story while avoiding the pitfall of schmaltz.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Very Good Book!

What a pleasure to listen to. Olive Ann Burns has written a wonderful story. I didn't want it to end. I truly enjoyed this book.
Richard Thomas as narrator, has a clear and pleasant voice.
I highly recommend this book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

my favorite book!

The narration is perfection! Richard Thomas is fabulous. The book is a story of undying love, family, unconditional love and devotion. I revisit it about once a year. It feels like going home every time. The sequel is a terrible, pitiful excuse for a book but Cold Sassy Tree is perfection.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

coming of age between the great wars

This is the story of a boy, coming of age in the twenties in the south. The great war was not the conflict overseas, but rather, the conflict between the states. Generally, I found the book good; it suffered from some editing problems -- at various points throughout the book, sentences would repeat as if the editor hadn't made the right cuts. On the whole, however, I thought it was a good book, and makes you realize that grandparents went through the same stuff as we did.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

so amazing

I had to read this book for school and at first I was a little bit Sketchy. After I finished I fell in love with the book and im glad that I picked this one rather than the book thief.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

The abridged version is very disappointing

I tried downloading the full version but audibles wouldn't let me unless I was a prime member. Unfortunately I went for this version and was very disappointed. Had we not read the book years ago I would not think CST is a classic southern novel.

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