This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Alle Wells for Readers' Favorite
In The Story of Sassy Sweetwater, Vera Jane Cook presents a powerful family saga that follows the passion, pain and quest for happiness of a brilliant young woman over a 50-year lifespan. The daughter of an unwed, teenage mother, Sassy’s life began in secrecy near a stream called Sweetwater in rural South Carolina. We catch up with thirteen-year-old Sassy when Vi, her beautiful yet sad and haunted mother, moves back to her South Carolina home at Carter’s Crossing. Grandma Edna, the matriarch of the McLaughlin family, admires her granddaughter’s high-spirited ways. Grandma Edna takes Sassy under her wing while Vi sorts out the trouble she left behind at the time of Sassy’s birth. Wise beyond her years, young Sassy is what Southerners call an old soul. She reacts with hard-nosed frankness when confronted with the crime and deception that go on in the wealthy, ruthless and eclectic McLaughlin family. Confronted by violence, lies and indifference from the people she trusts most, Sassy learns at a young age that “happiness is fickle as a whim.” Young Sassy’s heartbreak and sorrow lead to a series of events that paint the picture of an unforgettable life filled with tragedy.
Narrated in first person, The Story of Sassy Sweetwater by Vera Jane Cook is a magnificent depiction of life in the rural South during the mid-20th century. The on-point Southern characterization played out in this powerful family drama had me hooked from the very first page. As in all great family sagas, this story has its victims, villains and heroes. The Story of Sassy Sweetwater is clearly the best book I’ve read this year, engaging and well written. I absolutely loved reading The Story of Sassy Sweetwater. These memorable characters will remain in my heart for a long time.
