Customer Reviews

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind: A Novel

5 star:		(94)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This rip-snorter of a novel revolves around the mess Miss Julia inherited from her late husband, Wesley Lloyd -- bank president and pillar of the community. It seems that, unbeknownst to Miss Julia, Wesley Lloyd had fathered a child, a child who is subsequently left on her front porch by his mother who then disappeared. Miss Julia is bombarded by gossipmongering fellow parishioners from the Presbyterian Church, a pastor who is long on greed and ambition and short on sympathy and comfort, a televangelist with dollar signs in his eyes, and, well, Heavens, what is a woman to do? As Miss Julia reminds us readers many times over, she didn't ask for any of this! This knee-slapper is actually fairly accurate in its presentation of women "sheltered" by men, women who are "taken care of" and not allowed to "worry" about anything. The story is well paced and plotted and offers surprises and excitement. My book club was unanimous in its opinion -- this is a winner!

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind represents the best of Southern humor--it's quirky, candid and offers keen observations on the social rules that govern life in a small town. While some have likened it to Jan Karon's Mitford books, I find it closer in tone to Michael Malone's Handling Sin or John Kennedy Toole's Confederacy of Dunces. Miss Julia has much more pepper than any of the Mitford residents I've come across, and her unveiling of hypocrisy spares no-one. Still, the novel is good-natured at its heart and the narrator's warmth and vitatility are what ultimately triumph.

For a fast-paced, hilarious and thoroughly fun summer read, this is the book to pick.

"MISS JULIA SPEAKS HER MIND," pokes fun at every institution in the Old South from city officials, the clergy, and even the home and marriage. At the same time that the novel is poking fun, it is the funniest novel I have read in many a moon. Miss Julia is a terrific character who faces life head on and comes out on top of every situation. The church (Presbyterian) is pictured as a meddling money grabbing institution that uses modern medical knowledge along with the legal system to better its self. I especially liked the way Miss Julia handled her nymphomania! Some of the words I would use to describe this book are delightful, extremely humorous, tender, and a must read.

I just finished this one and it was an absolute delight from start to finish. If you like Southern novels, you won't want to miss this one. Miss Julia absolutely seemed real, quirky, obstinate but also...at the beginning of the novel, at least... more than a bit naive. Married to a "pillar" of the community, a man with an impeccable reputation, Miss Julia has lived quite a contented, if somewhat restricted life, enjoying the luster of her husband's reputation and place in the community. This life came with a cost, however, as her husband controlled nearly every aspect of their life. When he suddenly dies, she is looking forward to some freedom, when she suddenly is faced with a major crisis. It seems that the man she thought she knew so well had a secret life and a child with another woman. Even worse, the child is deposited on her doorstep by his destitute mother, leaving Miss Juila not only in shock but with a nine year old child to deal with. From this beginning, the writer creates a funny, heartwarming and very engaging story of a woman who has to deal with the unexpected and with advice from her "friends" and even her minister (who is more than a bit self-interested) about how to handle her finances and her life. But what is most appealing about this book (besides the wonderful character, Miss Julia) is the very unique voice and writing style of the author.

Entertaining and light, this is a fast moving fun book to read. It tells the story of a sheltered southern lady who finds herself abruptly confronted with the harsh reality of her just deceased husband's mistress and son ,neither of whose existence had she ever suspected. Suddenly she must face the fallacy of her happy marriage of convenience and cope with the events that ensue. Her feisty nature and kindness win our hearts . Liberated by her new station in life, she discovers her hidden inner strength and her self reliance grows by leaps and bounds. A heavy subject for anyone, Ross makes the incredible believable in this imaginative plot with an interesting assortment of characters. Reminiscent of the final act of some plays, the complete cast of characters are brought together in the same room to interact in a grande finale scene. The outcome will surprise you. It is highly recommended you join Miss Julia and her new found friends on some wild adventures resulting from a very seriously soul wrenching life situation. I personally look forward to reading the sequel.

Ann B. Ross writes in a soothing Southern cadence that has you undeniably falling in love with Miss Julia, her maid Lillian, and all the quirky characters that inhabit this small Southern town.

Miss Julia gets the shock of her life when not only the mistress of her late husband but also their illegitimate offspring suddenly appear at her door. Just when Miss Julia was getting on with her life and actually enjoying being free of the overbearing, pompous, and hypocritcal Wesley Lloyd Springer, his bleached blonde mistress and pathetic little son show up and change Miss Julia's life in ways she never expected. As she often reminds the reader, she never asked for any of this. But what she gets is heart-warming, fast-paced, and hysterically funny.

The story may be slightly far-fetched, but the characters are so typically Southern---from the unscrupulous and conniving pastor to the slick televangelist and the down-home lawyer--- that you'll fall in love with this unlikely mix of characters and delight in the ways they touch each other's lives.

I can't wait to read the sequel "Miss Julia Takes Over" cause I'm sure she will. She is forever telling us that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself and I'm sure, like all Southern women, Miss Julia will do it just perfectly. So pour yourself a tall glass of lemonade, settle down on the front veranda, and listen to Miss Julia tell her story.

I absolutely loved this book! I wasn't sure I would like this book but after reading some the reviews I thought I'd give it a try and I'm sure glad I did! This is a wonderful, warm, witty, humorous, suspensful story and Miss Julia is a prize. I highly recommend this book, I couldn't put it down and can't wait to read more on Miss Julia's life. She finds her husband dead in his car and from then on things keep happening to disrupt her life! I actually found myself laughing out loud at this character and at others feeling sad for her. This is the first book I've read by this author but it will not be the last, a must read!

Oh, you've just got to read this book! Miss Julia will inspire you. She is a firecracker, full of spunk, and witty to boot. You feel sorry for her for the life she led as wife (or second-class citizen--same thing in her eyes), but root for her for the life she now leads as widow and step-momma. And she definitely speaks her mind, which makes this novel so wonderful and fun to read. The language is so vivid and fresh, the cast of characters are as loopy as all get out, and even Miss Julia shows a bit of naivete at times. An absolute winner for southern fiction fans. Just wish I knew more people like Miss Julia.

I've just finished reading "Miss Julia speaks her mind" at a time when I needed something light to read to keep my mind off other things.Not only did this story succeed in keeping my mind occupied but I was entertained and charmed by this delightful little book.Miss Julia,a recent widow,is just starting to come to grips with her new life when her husbands mistress arrives on her doorstep with a boy that she claims is his illegitimate son.Her husband,like some I've known in real life (not me!) kept her emotionally and financially in thrall to him so that,only now is she able to have her own opinions for the first time in her life and not have to be totally dedicated to doing things his way. For a woman of her generation who has been "guided" byher husband and his church's view on the subjugation of wives and women in general,this is very heady stuff !! The story is pacy,almost rollicking,and told in a Southern style of speech that I found charming,and I will now wait eagerly fot the sequel to come out in paperback. If Southern ladies are anything at all like Miss Julia,I can't wait to meet them !

I adored this book! I picked it up because of the title---lame, I know. But I also discovered Lorna Landvik that way, and Jennifer Chiaverrini, so I trust my instincts. (Sometimes a book's cover does speak volumes. Thank God I'm not one of those fools who can't seem to hear the call of a fabulous story.) Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind is exactly the type of book I crave. Real, quirky, endearing characters running around in a plot that keeps my attention and entertains me with every word. Characters who *overcome*--wow! It's a rarity on most of today's pop-culture book lists. Don't give me a depressing, disturbing tale in which the characters are continually beat down by life until they eventually succumb. So-called literary merit be damned. I'd rather read about characters who overcome their problems any day, and Miss Julia does this beautifully and with panache. I can't wait for Ross's next release. Her writing is seamless and her voice is strong--as stong as Miss Julia herself! Ross just became an auto-buy author on my quite sizeable reading list.