Miss Julia speaks her mind by Ann B. Ross

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 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.

Fun and light reading , the main character changes so quickly it might have been split personality story, and I still can't figure out whether its the 1980s, but a fun read nethertheless

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11379905

Miss Julia is a fun protagonist, realizing her new identity when her husband unexpectedly dies. She's just getting used to the idea, when her late husband's mistress and their love child appear on her doorstep. Hijinks and intrigue ensue. I found her pastor's money-grubbing a little too extreme to be believable — that entire storyline was a bit offputting and an odd fit for the character, so I give the story 3 stars. It's a fun light read. I'll be adding Ann B. Ross to my list of authors to pick up when I need a break from heavier things.

The first Miss Julia installment was a disappointment; more 1959 than 1999. “How dare you?!” shout Miss Julia's fans!

Let me explain. I lived in a small town west of Spartanburg, SC in the late '90s very similar to the fictional town of Abbottsville. I worked for a local CPA firm and was acquainted with many pillars of the community, local business owners, farmers, average Joe's, etc. A handful of elements, such as going to church multiple times a week, rang true.

But, generally, the book was anachronistic. By 1999, even very decorous, older (even repressed!) Southern ladies would wear nice slacks with a charming cardigan. Certainly, clothing is and was more conservative than in Northern climes.

The lawks-a-mercy dialogue was from several decades ago and seemed like something that the author expected Northerners to like.

And the only black character was a housemaid straight out of 1940s movies! I'm not suggesting that every book must have some quotient of every race, but can we stop with this trope in modern fiction?

What also bothered me is that many folks in that area would be Baptist, or maybe Methodist, but probably not Presbyterian. Sure, fictional characters can have freedom of religion, but if you set the book in a certain place, you should follow along with its customs and practices.

The plot was, frankly, a mess. There were some good ideas, such as the evil televangelist Uncle and the conniving pastor, but they weren't handled well. Also, the characters and romance “development” were flat and rushed. One character that stood out was Little Lloyd-you begin to see glimmers of how this shy 9-year old may become a well-rounded character in future books.

I did enjoy that no murders occurred in this cozy mystery, though. And, there were points at which the writing had something special to it. So, despite a 2-star rating, I plan to check out the next book in the series to see if it improves.