The Story of Sassy Sweetwater by Vera Jane Cook ~ Virtual Author Book Tour with review

• File Size: 818 KB
• Print Length: 320 pages
• Publisher: Musa Publishing (January 19, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00700F02Q

To purchase a copy of "The Story of Sassy Sweetwater" click here.

After thirteen years on the run Violet McLaughlin returns to Carter’s Crossing, South Carolina, in 1962, with her young daughter, Sassy. The Crossing is right outside of Beaufort and the turmoil of the Civil Rights movement will forever leave its scars on the young and impressionable girl. As Sassy stands before the imposing white farmhouse for the first time, with no knowledge of her history but that the McLaughlin's are her kin, Sassy begins a journey that will tear her apart before it heals her. Growing up among secrets that will forever damage her relationship with her mother, she attempts to make sense of her past. But will her passion for art and her love for Thomas Tierney be enough to sustain her future? Will the puzzles she must solve to discover who she is be worth the journey?

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My take on this book:

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 her 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.

About Vera Jane Cook:

Vera Jane Cook, writer of Award Winning Women’s Fiction, is the author of The Story of Sassy Sweetwater, Lies a River Deep, Where the Wildflowers Grow, Dancing Backward in Paradise and Annabel Horton, Lost Witch of Salem.

Jane, as she is known to family and friends, was born in New York City and grew up amid the eccentricity of her southern and glamorous mother on the Upper West and Upper East Side of Manhattan.

An only child, Jane turned to reading novels at an early age and was deeply influenced by an eclectic group of authors. Some of her favorite authors today are Nelson DeMille, Calib Carr, Wally Lamb, Anne Rice, Sue Monk Kidd, Anita Shreve, Jodi Picoult, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Her favorite novels are too long to list but include The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Cheri and The Last of Cheri, The Picture of Dorian Grey, Wuthering Heights, Look at Me, Dogs of Babel, The Bluest Eye, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Body Surfing, Lolita, The Brothers Karamazov, She’s Come Undone, Tale of Two Cities, etc., etc., etc.,

The Story of Sassy Sweetwater is a finalist for the ForeWord Book of the Year Awards for 2012. Her first novel, Dancing Backward in Paradise won the Eric Hoffer Award for publishing excellence and the Indie Excellence Award for notable new fiction, 2007. The Story of Sassy Sweetwater and Dancing Backward in Paradise received five stars from ForeWord Clarion Reviews. The Story of Annabel Horton, Lost Witch of Salem is her first paranormal novel.

The author works by day for an education publishing company as an account manager and lives on the Upper West side of Manhattan with her long term partner, her Pomeranian, Daisy, her Basenji/Chihuahua mix, Roxie, her Chihuahua, Peanut and her two pussy cats, Sassy and Sweetie Pie.

Vera Jane Cook’s Website: http://www.verajanecook.com/

Vera Jane Cook on Twitter: https://twitter.com/verajanecook
Vera Jane Cook on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vera.j.cook

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