Cold Sassy TreeOlive Burns

Olive Ann Burns Born in Banks County,

Georgia on July17, 1924

Youngest of four children

Grew up in Commerce, which is the setting for Cold Sassy Tree

She graduated with a journalism degree from the University of North Carolina in 1946

Writer for the Journal and Constitution Magazine

There she met fellow journalist Andrew Sparks

Married him in 1956 They had two children together, a daughter

and a son

Olive Ann Burns

Her preparations for the writing of the novel actually began when her mother was diagnosed with cancer in 1971.

This diagnosis prompted Burns to begin a family history After her mother died in 1972, Burns relied on her father's

recollections to help her write the history. One of his favorite family stories was about Grandpa Power,

a practical man who remarried three weeks after the death of his first wife, in part because he needed a housekeeper.

Although Burns thought that the story of Grandpa Power's quick marriage and its scandalous impact in a small town like Commerce would make an excellent premise for a book, she had never anticipated writing a novel until her own cancer diagnosis.

On writing a novel

Burns worked on Cold Sassy Tree for eight-and-a-half years. Drawing from her family history, she continued to gather

material about people and events at the turn of the century from relatives and friends, books, and newspapers.

She transformed their vivid memories into the coming-of-age story of Will Tweedy, the novel's main character and narrator, and his life in fictional Cold Sassy, Georgia, in 1906.

The fourteen-year-old Tweedy was inspired by Burns's father; his "adolescent" counterpart, the newly married Grandpa Blakeslee, was a reincarnated Grandpa Power.

Inhabited by irreverent characters, the idyllic town of Cold Sassy provides the setting for a poignant and funny story about southern life at the turn of the century.

On writing the novel

Will Tweedy –◦ 14 years old◦ Lives in Cold Sassy, Georgia at the beginning of

the 20th century◦ Though he comes from a conventional family, he

is a free-spirit who is compelled to defy the rules governing his life.

◦ Throughout the novel, Will grapples with the issues of love and death

Character of Cold Sassy Tree

Rucker Blakeslee◦ Will’s maternal grandfather. ◦ Rucker is a brash, humorous, and domineering

man who owns the general store in Cold Sassy. ◦ Rucker is passionately Southern, but he has no

use for the gossip and hypocrisy of Cold Sassy’s small-town ways, and he acts according to his own code of decent conduct, not the town’s.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Miss Love Simpson◦ A pretty, affectionate, and strong-willed woman.◦ Miss Love has succeeded despite a troubled

childhood. ◦ In addition to charm and a sense of humor, she

possesses a business acumen that wins her an important role in running Rucker’s store.

◦ She lives her life cheerfully and bravely, ignoring or defying the expectations of the close-minded and suspicious inhabitants of Cold Sassy.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Mattie Lou Blakeslee ◦ Will’s grandmother and Rucker’s first wife. ◦ Mattie Lou dies three weeks before the novel

begins. ◦ Mattie Lou was an excellent gardener and a

devoted caretaker for the sick. ◦ The people of Cold Sassy speak reverently of her,

and Rucker never forgets her companionship and goodwill.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Hoyt Tweedy ◦ Will’s father. ◦ Hoyt is a stern, pious man who loves his family

and has a weak spot for modern technology. ◦ Although Hoyt is Rucker’s son-in-law and a

devoted employee, he proves himself capable of standing up to his boss and defending his wife, Mary Willis, when the occasion calls for it.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Mary Willis ◦ Mattie Lou and Rucker’s older daughter.◦ Mary Willis is conventional and nervous, but kind.◦ The death of her mother deeply affects Mary

Willis.◦ She mourns for a long time and finds it difficult to

forgive her father for remarrying so quickly, which she sees as a betrayal of her mother’s memory.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Loma Williams◦ Mary Willis’s younger sister.◦ A few years older than her nephew, Will, Loma is

a bossy, jealous, and often petulant young woman.

◦ She dreams of being a writer or an actress and chafes against her dead-end marriage to the useless Campbell Williams.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Lightfoot McLendon ◦ A pretty and studious young girl from the

impoverished Mill Town. ◦ Lightfoot is the object of Will’s affections. ◦ Although she marries Hosie Roach, Lightfoot feels

affection for Will and parts from him with difficulty.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Campbell Williams◦ Loma’s husband. ◦ Campbell, called Camp, fails at home and at work. ◦ He wants to please but finds himself hampered by

his own incompetence.◦ Loma and Rucker criticize him constantly and

drive him to despair.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Hosie Roach◦ A twenty-one-year-old boy from Mill Town who

attends Will’s school despite his advanced age.◦ Although Will considers Hosie his enemy, Hosie

shows great promise and the townspeople of Cold Sassy see big things in his future.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Loomis◦ A black man in Cold Sassy. ◦ Loomis is an employee at the general store and

the husband of the Tweedys’ cook, Queenie. ◦ Loomis is a kind and loving man and an excellent

preacher.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Miss Effie Belle Tate ◦ Rucker’s next-door neighbor. ◦ Miss Effie Belle Tate loves snooping and gossiping. ◦ She embodies the narrow-mindedness, spite, and

rumor-mongering that characterize Cold Sassy.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Clayton McAllister ◦ A brash, charming, and wealthy rancher from

Texas. ◦ Clayton’s shabby treatment of Miss Love makes

her fear love and marriage.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Aunt Carrie ◦ An eccentric woman called “aunt” because of her

friendship with the Tweedy family.◦ Aunt Carrie’s odd mannerisms and theories make

her the object of ridicule, but in fact she is a woman of education and poise.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Campbell Junior  ◦ The baby son of Loma and Camp Williams.◦ Campbell Junior is remarkable because of his

plumpness.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Queenie ◦ The Tweedys’ cook and Loomis’s wife. ◦ Queenie seems a jovial figure, but in fact she

suffers because of the prejudices of white Southerners.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

T.R. ◦ Will’s dog, named after Theodore Roosevelt.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Mary Toy Tweedy◦ Will’s younger sister.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree

Bluford Jackson◦ Will’s deceased friend. ◦ Bluford makes a ghostly appearance early in the

novel.

Characters of Cold Sassy Tree