Miss Julia, a recently bereaved and newly wealthy widow, is only slightly bemused when one Hazel Marie Puckett appears at her door with a youngster in tow and unceremoniously announces that the child is the bastard son of Miss Julia’s late husband. Suddenly, this longtime church member and pillar of her small Southern community finds herself in the center of an unseemly scandal-and the guardian … the guardian of a wan nine-year-old whose mere presence turns her life upside down.
With razor-sharp wit and perfect “Steel Magnolia” poise, Miss Julia speaks her mind indeed-about a robbery, a kidnapping, and the other disgraceful events precipitated by her husband’s death. Fast-paced and charming, with a sure sense of comic drama, a cast of crazy characters, and a strong Southern cadence, Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind will delight readers from first page to last.
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This book was hilarious to me. Definitely a change of pace from my usual fare, but I laughed out loud several times at/with this spunky widow protagonist. Next time I want a short novel that will make me smile and won’t require a whole lot of thinking, I’ll go for the next in this series.
Are you a Southerner? That will likely determine whether this book grabs you. In this opener, as in the rest of the series of Miss Julia novels, the narrative voice of the steel magnolia lady, and the honest depiction of her housekeeper Lillian especially, recreate the South I grew up in during the 60s. Gentle humor, with a wild situation in each novel to hang the characters on.
I liked the book but the author has her being a twit and then taking charge. There were times when I said “come on that makes no sense”. I have the next one in my library but needed to read a better author before I tackle another “Miss Julie”.
I loved it clean good story
Love this series. The characters are wonderful. Good clean series.
Wonderful. Couldn’t put it down. Fell in love with Miss Julia and all the characters and have read seven in a row of this series, if that tells you anything.
I didn’t think much of this book, I did not finish it………not even funny.
I had never read this author, .and I can be picky about what I read and like. The book has to pull me in and keep me there. It has to be well written, with few if any grammatical errors, and I have to like the character development, the setting, the plot and dialogue. Fortunately, I was not disappointed. In fact, I liked it so well, I ordered book #2 before I’d complete book 1. If you like endearing characters, witty in places dialogue, and a book you look forward to getting back to, try this series. If the rest of the books that follows hang together as well, this should be on everyone’s summer reading list.
It was a fun read. I liked Julia and the supporting characters.
Miss Julia books are the best! Great writing. Always entertaining!
I love the characters in the series and enjoy visiting with them in every book.
I am definitely a fan of Miss Julia books and this one does not disappoint. I was fully entertained.
Love Miss Julia books
Anything that Ann B. Ross writes, I want it.
Love all the miss Julia books.
Love the whole series !
Love Miss Julia!
I love and totally recommend the Miss Julia series – and to begin with this one, the first of the series. From Miss Julia sitting and reminiscing at the beginning to the fateful, life-altering knock on the door, this book was one that just kept me reading and wanting to cry for its storyline. You won’t regret reading this book!
All of the “Miss Julia” series are well worth the read!
Miss Julia’s life is turned upside down and inside out, but she’s a take-charge kind of gal. Some parts are laugh-out-loud funny. Left me wanting more.