Review: Sassy Sweetwater
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 29, 2013
The year is 1949 when Sassy Sweetwater is born to her unwed seventeen year old mother Violet McLaughlin. Sassy's first name came from an attitude because her mamma said that girls should be sassy, because it gave them sex appeal and her last name came from a stream that she was born near. For the next thirteen years Sassy's mother worked waiting tables first in Baton Rouge and then after a breakup with her boyfriend bouncing to Glenmora where she stayed until the next benefactor/boyfriend passes away and Violet finds herself without a job and the only option left is to return home to Carter's Crossing the home that she had left when she had Sassy. Thing is Sassy has always had questions about her family and especially who her father was. What awaits at Carter's Crossing though is an interesting, if odd family that has more than a few skeletons in their closets. Sassy is determined to learn who she is, but will learning who she is help her figure out who she will become, or should she just leave the past alone?I love southern fiction and the easy style of storytelling that Vera Jane Cook uses in "The Story of Sassy Sweetwater" made this a page turner for me. A richly woven tale where Ms. Cook makes the characters seem so real, that they literally step off of the pages and make you feel as if you're viewing the goings on in their lives! Sassy was such a unique voice, at the age of thirteen she is more than a bit feisty,and well Sassy! She sees the world in such a down to earth way. Really wise beyond her years, but not always doing the right thing, she was totally understandable and really likeable.The author does a wonderful job of allowing Sassy to grow and change as the story progresses. The  way that she clashed with her Grandma Edna was sometimes funny, it seemed often to be a test of will,but as the story progresses we see that relationship change, and truthfully Edna and Sassy were a lot alike. With more than a few twists, I was actually surprised at what sort of family that Violet actually came from.There were several secondary characters that propelled the plot right along and added interesting layers to the overall telling of the story. Overall a story that easily pulled me right in making me care about what happened to the characters. Fans of southern fiction that pull you back in time and revolve around family drama will certainly enjoy this read, I know that I did!A complimentary copy of this book was provided for review.