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4-star re-review of Cold Sassy Tree

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started reading Cold Sassy Tree in the mid-1980s (it was first published in 1984). I enjoyed it so much that I didn't want it to end, so I stopped reading before the final chapter. I finally picked it up to re-read it entirely and see how it held up. To sum up my opinion, it was quite different from my first impression. In the meantime, I've read the works of Isabel Wilkerson and other historians of the Black experience in the early 20th century in the deep South. This time around, I saw that Cold Sassy Tree was a fairy tale. Nobody used the N-word, Black people had their place, but there seemed to be just as much prejudice against white mill-workers ["lint heads"]. I admit the writing is excellent, the dialogue clever, and the plot poignant. But I now know about that society's unseen racist background and it's difficult to reconcile the two.



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Sorry for one year gap in posts

I know, it’s been almost a year since my last blog post. The big gap has mainly been due to two reasons, one good and one bad. The bad was the disastrous attack in Israel on October 7, shortly after my family returned from our vacation there, which left me too devastated to write about reality. The good was that I finished writing my upcoming historical novel, The Midwives’ Escape: Egypt to Jericho, which will be coming out on March 4, 2025. In time for Women’s History Month and to prepare for Passover, Sat, April 12, 2025 – Sun, April 20, 2025.

Review of My Beloved Monster

My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me by Caleb Carr

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


From the very first paragraph, I was in awe of Caleb Carr's writing. I knew I could never write that beautifully. I admit I'm a cat-lover; I still remember being a toddler and peaking in the small area under the fireplace where my mother swept the ashes to see our cat's new kittens. Like the author, our family had only one cat at a time. Now it's our 2-year-old rescue cat, Mishka.

I was swept into the dual stories of the author and his cat. Some at the beginning were almost too painful to read, as both suffered neglect in their early years. But I couldn't put the book down. I had to see how their bond developed, how they came to love and depend on each other, and how they overcame so many trials and tribulations. It was indeed wonderful.



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