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Cold Sassy Tree

  • Writer: Kathy Miller
    Kathy Miller
  • Dec 23, 2023
  • 1 min read

Updated: Aug 30, 2025

Olive Ann Burns, 1984

Date Read: 12/23/23




As we would say in fanfiction, this novel has some period appropriate racism and sexism which of course I don't enjoy reading, but one character does call out the racism so there is that.


There is a lot of dying in this novel. The main character has reached that age when grandparents start passing away. For me, I was like 17-21 and lost all but one of them.


I think this is supposed to be about growing up in a small town. I grew up in a small town, but this is the kind where everybody knows each other's businesses and is involved in each other's lives. Thankfully the one I grew up in wasn't like that lol


Overall, it was a good novel. I would say it is up there with other small town novels like To Kill a Mockingbird.


I will likely read this again and then read the sequel, in a decade when I am done with the List.

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