Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns is somewhat of a cautionary tale about gossip. 14-year-old Will lives in Cold Sassy, Georgia, an itty bitty town where every knows everybody else's business. When his grandpa Rucker marries a yankee -- Ms. Love -- three weeks after his first wife's death, he raises the suspicion of the entire town. Turns out, they got married out of convenience and don't have a romantic relationship at all. Over time, however, they do fall in love and turn their pseudo-marriage into a real one. Will is their only confidant throughout this process because of the judgement of the rest of the townspeople. One day the elderly Rucker is robbed and beaten up pretty badly. He recovers but dies of pneumonia just afterwards. Ms. Love tells Will that she's pregnant and intends to raise Rucker's child in Cold Sassy, despite how much the town hates her.
The citizens of Cold Sassy are basically trapped there. News travels slowly in these parts of the country, so they look to one another for entertainment. Out of their sheer boredom they've developed a culture of judgement. They involve themselves in one another's business to the point of making everyone miserable. On the other hand, Ms. Love is from Baltimore. She knows how difficult friendships are to maintain amidst a busy life, so she moves to Cold Sassy for a more peaceful life. As a Yankee, she's an outsider. The townsfolk miss out on a beautiful friendship because of their judgement. She's a really sweet person who genuinely cares about the people around her. All she wants is a chance to be accepted.
For his part, Rucker acts impulsively. He doesn't consider how his decision to remarry so quickly will affect other people, especially his children. Both of his daughters are broken up over their mother's death. When Rucker remarries without even talking to them, three weeks after the funeral, they don't understand. In fact they're outraged. He continues to set back Mary's healing process when he takes the New York tickets back for he and Love. Although he should be allowed to marry whomever he chooses -- it's his life after all, -- he could have gone about the marriage in a better way which doesn't drive his children away from him.
