Customer Reviews

Miss Julia Renews Her Vows

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If it's spring, it usually time for another "Miss Julia" book and I look forward to it every year. Eleventh in the series, "Miss Julia Renews Her Vows" has us catching up with all our old friends from previous books and getting to find out what Miss Julia is up to this year.

Carrying over from the last book, Hazel Marie is pregnant with twins and Mr. Pickens is finally making an honest woman of her in the opening scenes as they head off to a quick marriage ceremony. As with everything in these funny books, it may be quick but it isn't easy ! Multiple story lines diverge from there as Etta Mae takes a front and center role this time out and our usual cast of characters including Sam, LuAnne and others get caught up in the mystery that runs throughout the novel.

As with all the Miss Julia books, they are not action-packed and fast moving, but boy are they fun ! This one is no exception and for fans of the series, I don't think you will be disappointed. To truly appreciate these, it would be helpful to go back and start at the beginning, working your way through the series. While it could stand alone, this book is at its best with the background knowledge of the others. One thing I really would like to complement the author for - Miss Julia has actually grown as a character over the years and while retaining her wonderful quirkiness, she has actually changed fairly considerably from the stiff, unbending character we met in "Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind". It would have been so easy to take what worked and keep it the same, but Ms. Ross has done an excellent job with this character and I am so grateful as it has helped to keep my interest over the years.

Overall - a fun, enjoyable read that is a great way to spend a quiet afternoon.

Ann Ross has done it again. Lots of writers who continue with a series lose their touch after the fifth or sixth book, but Ann Ross just keeps getting better and better.
This book finds Miss Julia happy that J.D. Pickens has finally made an honest woman out of Hazel Marie and Miss Julia is ready to relax for a change. But no, no, that's not about to happy. Sam informs her that Pastor Ledbetter has scheduled a series of classes on marriage enrichment and he wants him and Julia to attend as sort of mentors. Julia gets it into her head that Sam is unhappy and is looking for way to enrich their own marriage. She then starts trying to figure out what she is doing wrong. She and Sam go to church on Sunday and the pastor introduces the man who is going to conduct the seminar, Dr. Fred Fowler. Oh no, he's the one who got Miss Julia in the bridal parlor all those years ago and she forgot herself. So, Miss Julia starts trying to figure out a way to get out of those classes and that's when the fun begins.
Then, another problem turns up: Etta Mae Wiggins gets accused of assault and robbery and of course, Miss Julia has to investigate and prove Etta Mae innocent.
This book is so uproariously funny, you will laugh out loud. I'm in my fifties and I don't have the energy she does to keep on doing the things she does.
Do not miss this book. Miss Julia is a trip of the best kind.

This latest entry opens with Miss Julia breathing a sigh of relief over the hurried nuptials of Hazel Marie and J. D. Pickens. But there's no rest for the weary and in typical Miss Julia fashion she finds herself coming to the defense of Etta Mae Wiggins when the hard working home health aide is accused of assaulting and stealing from a client. As if that wasn't enough, some unpleasant memories are resurrected in the form of one "Doctor" Fred Fowler, who slithers in to Abbotsville hawking his own brand of marriage counseling.

The author clearly has a deep fondness for these characters and as a reader I'm touched by that. Miss Julia's narrative is brimming with her sharp wit and her uncanny ability to spot the ridiculous in situations (as well as people) is often very, very funny.

I may be a big fan, but I'm not totally blind to some of the book's shortcomings. There was way too much time spent fretting over whether or not people will put two and two together and come up with the fact that Hazel Marie was already pregnant when she got married. Unless they've slept through Health class (and Math!) people aren't going to be fooled no matter what convoluted story is concocted. As for the whole debacle surrounding Julia's "past" with Fred Fowler...tsk, tsk, Julia - give Sam more credit than that!

Despite a few hiccups in the plot this was a warm, humorous and entertaining read. I enjoyed the familiar feel of these characters and the world they inhabit.

This is the eleventh entry in a series that is best read in order. I'd recommend starting with the first book, "Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind".

There is no sexual content or swearing; Miss Julia simply wouldn't hear of it!

Another great book! I stretched it out so that it lasted three days. As with all the other Miss Julia books, I hated for it to end. I just wish the author could write them faster. My book is now making the rounds in my office. We all just love Miss Julia, her family, and friends.

Now that she has FINALLY gotten Hazel Marie to walk down the aisle (such as it was) with Mr. J.D. Pickens, maybe Julia Springer Murdoch will actually have a chance to take it easy for a while. But no, that's not the way her life goes. Most senior citizens wouldn't be able to keep up with the pace this woman sets. Heaven knows what kind of calamities would descend upon the residents of Abbotsville, North Carolina, if Miss Julia didn't intervene.

As usual, Julia immediately finds herself dealing with various predicaments. Some of them are real; and some are imagined, but are nevertheless very real to her. The Presbyterian church across the street is sponsoring "marriage enrichment" counseling sessions, designed to put the passion back into stale relationships. And Julia's husband Sam wants them both to attend! Is something wrong with their marriage that he's not revealing? How can she get out of going to these silly (not to mention inappropriate) sessions? And can she ever confess to him the real reason she doesn't want to go?

At the same time, Julia's friend Etta Mae Wiggins finds herself wanted by the police. She's a suspect in a somewhat dubious assault case. Can Julia rescue Etta Mae and find out who REALLY bopped Francie Pitts Delacorte on the noggin? It seems the local police force is always in need of assistance in these matters.

It's fun to once again connect with Miss Julia and her extended family, including Lillian and little Lloyd. This time Julia finds out that a person can only pretend to be sick so long, before other people start treating her as if she's an invalid. And lurking in the background is her very real worry that Hazel Mae and J.D. may not have what it takes to make their own marriage work. And they've got baby twins on the way!

New readers to the series will find some enjoyment in this episode. But devoted fans will be the ones to most appreciate the trip back to Abbotsville, where it's always Miss Julia who has to straighten everything out.

The Miss Julia books take us to a place where the pace is slower, the people actually spend time face to face (instead of hooked up to an electronic device) and where manners and morals are clear (at least as far as Miss Julia is concered!). Miss Julia is the kind of woman who does things the right way. But most of the time she has the most outrageous adventures just trying to "make things right." You have to love a woman who still uses calling cards and informals and who had the sense to marry Sam Murdoch!

Miss Julia is a matchmaker extraordinaire But she has a few secrets she wants to keep hidden from her new husband. Things that happened when she was a widow, before she met Sam. Etta Mae is being gossiped about by a client that many have bad memories of from her past. Hazel Marie and J.D. Pickens are off honeymooning while they wait for their twins to be born. then Dr. Fred Fowler blows into town to offer advice on "flaming the fires" of a happy marriage. Although he himself has never been married, he has lots of advice for others. He also has a secret that Julia is terrified he will spill, and she begins to think that her husband Sam is less than happy with their marital "fires". Lots of small town antics and suspicions ensue on the way to the final revelations.
I love the small town atmosphere and thoroughly enjoyed this trip into Abbotsville!

This is an extraordinary set of books. I have purchased them since they first came out. I am
always thrilled when another one cames out and have to pre-order it as soon as I know they are
ready. Thanks

Ann Ross does it again. Love that Miss Julia and all of her cohorts and their hilarious antics through Abbottsville.

This is the second newest book in the Miss Julia series. I have them all and have enjoyed each one. Miss Julia carries through with or says things we would all like to do or say and does it with such humorous humility. This is a fun series and will definitely make you smile and at times, just laugh out loud.