While Olivia deBelle Byrd was repeating one of her many Southern stories for the umpteenth time, her long-suffering husband looked at her with glazed over eyes and said,“Why don’t you write this stuff down?” Thus was born Miss Hildreth Wore Brown—Anecdotes of a Southern Belle. If the genesis for a book is to shut your wife up, I guess that’s as good as any. On top of that, Olivia’s mother had burdened her with one of those Southern middle names kids love to make fun. To see “deBelle” printed on the front of a book seemed vindication for all the childhood teasing. With storytelling written in the finest Southern tradition from the soap operas of Chandler Street in the quaint town of Gainesville, Georgia, to a country store on the Alabama state line, Oliviade Belle Byrd delves with wit and amusement into the world of the Deep South with all its unique idiosyncrasies and colloquialisms. The characters who dance across the pages range from Great-Aunt LottieMae, who is as “old-fashioned and opinionated as the day is long,” to Mrs. Brewton, who calls everyone “dahling” whether they are darling or not, to Isabella with her penchant for mint juleps and drama. Humorous anecdotes from a Christmas coffee, where one can converse with a lady who has Christmas trees with blinking lights dangling from her ears, to Sunday church,where a mink coat is mistaken for possum, will delight Southerners and baffle many a non-Southerner. There is the proverbial Southern beauty pageant, where even a six-month-old can win a tiara, to a funeral faux pas of the iron clad Southern rule—one never wears white after Labor Day and, dear gussy, most certainly not to a funeral. Miss Hildreth Wore Brown—Anecdotes of a Southern Belle is guaranteed to provide an afternoon of laugh-out-loud reading and hilarious enjoyment.
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“With Miss Hildreth Wore Brown, Olivia deBelle Byrd proves that she is the real thing—an authentic Southern Belle with stories galore. I can’t wait to give this hilarious and heartwarming book to all my sweet friends.” —CASSANDRA KING, author of The Same Sweet Girls
“As a fifth generation Southerner, I thought I knew all there was to know about Southern culture. However, Olivia deBelle Byrd has taught me a thing or two. Miss Hildreth Wore Brown covers everything from Sunday church, beauty pageants and Northern exposure with humorous insight. This is one that you’ll want to savor with a mint julep!” —MICHAEL MORRIS, author of A Place Called Wiregrass
“Olivia deBelle Byrd is a wonderful writer if you happen to enjoy wit, talent, charm, and good looks. Anyone who has ever cracked a grin at the works of Nora Ephron or Fannie Flagg owes it to herself to read Miss Hildreth Wore Brown, which is the warmest, wisest, funniest book I’ve read in a month of Sundays. It’s like lunch with your wittiest friends—full of heart, love, and juicy gossip!” —ROBERT LELEUX, author of The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy
Book Description
With storytelling written in the finest Southern tradition from the soap operas of Chandler Street in the quaint town of Gainesville, Georgia, to a country store on the Alabama state line, Olivia deBelle Byrd delves with wit and amusement into the world of the Deep South with all its unique idiosyncrasies and colloquialisms.
It began as a mundane task of cleaning out my filing cabinet. I happened upon a humorous anecdote I had written when my son was sixteen years old. He had asked me a question pertaining to sex that had struck me as funny. Since we Southerners have a penchant for turning ordinary happenings into entertainment, I had written an anecdote about it. My husband and daughter were sitting in the room so I read this anecdote to them and they looked at me with their mouths agape and said, "Honey/Mom, that is really funny!" The truth is they were amazed I could write something other than thank you notes. A few days later, I was telling one of my oft repeated stories and my husband said to me in exasperation, "Why don't you write this stuff down?" The Scarlett O'Hara in me, who loves nothing more than a good challenge, surfaced and these two occurrences spurred me to action. Why not write some of these tales down for my children as a Christmas gift? I had a quest. Since I had been raised by a Southern father and grandmother of uncommon wit, the fabric of my childhood was laced with humor. When I finally put pen to paper, the stories flowed as freely as water drops on a rainy day. The tales would surface in the quiet of church, where it seems much of my book was written on the back of offering envelopes. It would probably be best if my preacher never discovered this little fact. One day I was thirty minutes late picking my daughter up from the airport, where she was perched on her suitcase, hands in face. I had pulled over to the side of the road to write. When I surfaced from this rain storm of writing, I realized I had actually written a book! With the encouragement and mentoring of two wonderful Southern authors, I began the arduous journey into the world of manuscripts and rejection letters. I had armed myself by reading everything I could on publishing and growing a thick skin, but the rejection letters were growing faster than my skin. Then, miraculously, thirty-one months and fourteen rejection letters later, Miss Hildreth Wore Brown-Anecdotes of a Southern Belle was published by an independent New York publisher. Lives have many forks in the road, but this was a U-turn in mine. The world of marketing a book has taken me down many new paths. My readers have made the lost sleep, uncertainty, and long hours worth it all. I have made new friends and renewed old friendships. I have found family I never knew existed. Every time a reader tells me they laughed at my words, my soul smiles. I have been in love with the written word as long as I can remember and to use it to bring pleasure to others is the greatest pleasure of all.
Olivia deBelle Byrd is a self-proclaimed Southern Belle who resides in Panama City, Florida, with her husband, Tommy. She is the author of Miss Hildreth Wore Brown--Anecdotes of a Southern Belle, which is her first collection of humorous essays. www.oliviadebellebyrd.com
Miss Hildreth Wore Brown: Anecdotes of a Southern Belle by Olivia deBelle Byrd is an absolutely amazing book. At just over 150 pages it is an incredibly fast and funny read. The anecdotes remind my of Erma Bombeck and Lewis Grizzard all rolled into one delightfully hilarious book of Southern comfort. The image of her husband leaping out of the car to have a showdown with their son only to have his pants fall around his knees..."I'm here to tell you, your sense of authority is greatly compromised when you are standing on the side of the road with your pants in a pile around your ankles." All the way to Olivia threatening to go bonkers and embarrass her son at every opportunity that presents itself. ("'Well, all I can say,' he answered, 'is that you're well on your way.'") These are stories that I'll remember long after I've passed this book on.
But as much humor as there is--and the book is chock full--there is wisdom embedded as well. I particularly liked her explanation of self-esteem:
"You can tell children they are intelligent or beautiful or talented all you want, but that doesn't give them self-esteem. Self-esteem comes from trying and failing and finally succeeding. It comes from your own efforts and not those of your parents."
Southern humor sprinkled with Southern wisdom makes for an enticing combination that is impossible to resist. Combine that with a wonderfully accessible writing style and you have a real winner! I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the South, witty anecdotes, family humor and just plain excellent writing. Four and a half stars out of five. (Amazon would only let me go with a straight four or five)
Olivia Byrd tells essays of old time Southern life that most novels glimps over. Southerns have their own view of the world, the author recants these anecdoes with a pinch of Sunday dinner and a mountain of true Southern charm. Her storytelling ability is amazing. She takes her readership to the real South.
This is the other side of Jeff Foxworthy-land. You may find a redneck here and there, but Miss Byrd puts them in their southern places. Her inner Southern Belle is real, hip and truly witty. She is a straight Shooter and gets to the heart of the matter.
When I got tp reading the chapter called "The Art of Bargaining", I counted the remaining pages. I really wondered if I should slow down since I was enjoying myself too much. As I was reading the chapter on Bargaining, I also wanted to ask the author when is her next book.
She and Bailey White tread in similar circles...But I find Miss Byrd a lot funnier,,and so will you. She is a prize that you must savor and relish over after Sunday Dinner
MISS HILDRETH WORE BROWN: Anecdotes of a Southern Belle is a relic - and a welcome one at that! Author Olivia deBelle Byrd charmingly details moments in Southern etiquette that span memory of childhood and the manners taught for generations and then compares those with incidents she encounters today - incidents that simply do not fall under the good upbringing of Southern belles - or their children...... Her writing style is smart, to the point, and oh so intimidating as when observes behaviors or modern customs that 'won't do' or do not fit into the pattern of the gentility of the South.
This is by no means a scolding book: Bryd makes fun of her own ideas and upbringing and shares many stories that are laugh out loud funny. And she knows how to use that snide wit in more subtle ways, too. But the overall feeling after reading this short book of anecdotes is how far we have slipped in our consideration of common courtesy and proper manners - not only in the South but also across the country. Topics like not writing thank you notes will sting the readers who not only have ceased this bit of civility but also make them reflect on the training they have passed on to their own children. Byrd entertains us, yes, but she also is a fine watchdog for reminding us (in her own gentle Southern fashion) just what well-bred folks are forgetting. Emily Post would approve - and probably chuckle, too! Grady Harp, August 10
