Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind

By: Ann B. Ross

Narrated by: Karen White

Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

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 listeners from first minute to the last.

©2001 Ann B Ross (P)2001 Random House Audio

A delightful introduction to Miss Julia

In Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross, Miss Julia has finally gotten her late husband’s affairs in order and is astonished at the millions of dollars left by her husband when one day a strange woman rings her doorbell with a scrawny little boy at her side and demands that Miss Julia take care of her son because he is the illegitimate son of Miss Julia’s husband. In shock, Miss Julia lets the 10-year-old boy into her house, and the mother, Hazel Marie Puckett, tells Miss Julia she is going to a cosmetology class in Raleigh, NC and will return for “Junior” in six weeks. Then, Miss Puckett takes off. Miss Julia’s instinct is to call out the cavalry, but a calmer head in the form of Lillian, Julia’s maid, prevails in pointing out that news of her husband’s infidelities will get spread all over town and that they both know that it is always the wife who gets blamed for her husband’s straying, no matter how wickedly adulterous the husband. However, after further time to contemplate, Miss Julia decides that the Christian thing to do is to invite her late husband’s illegitimate son into her home and publicly introduce him about town to make a clear, public statement.

It doesn’t take long before Miss Julia sees responses to her public actions. As she, the police officer who lodges with her, and “Little Lloyd” explore the homes left to her by her late husband, “Little Lloyd spots his home, only to discover it has been stripped of every sick of furniture, and the police officer finds blood in the garage. Then, when Miss Julia and Little Lloyd get home, they find Lillian on the front porch in terror. She has just returned from a trip to the market only to find that someone has ransacked and destroyed the house but not taken anything. Further, the pastor of her church, who is a chauvinist pig who misrepresents Scripture to suit his twisted needs, has formed a conspiracy to get Miss Julia declared mentally incompetent in order to get his hands on her money.

This book is fascinating and well worth reading. I purchased it from Audible, thinking it was a mystery, but while there are mystery components, the book deals more with life and rebuilding life after the passing of a dominating spouse. It examines types of manipulation, from the more subtle to the. blatant threats of Miss Julia’s pastor. The first-person narration of Miss Julia comes across as lively and clever.

Karen White does an excellent job of narrating this book. She puts on a believable accent as well as voices for the characters. She really brings this book to life.

I strongly enjoyed listening to Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind and recommend the book for everyone else. I give it five stars.

A fun read

This isn't a literary treasure, and it took a few chapters for the story to find it's pace. But once it got going, the story developed into an intriguing one with several humorous touches. The characters are a tad predictable and the conclusion isn't a surprise, but the path taken to get there is fun and easy.

Fun Reading--Thoroughly Enjoyed

I loved this book! It was so easy to listen to and very enjoyable.

Loads of laughs plus interesting thoughts

Enjoyed the book. It was hard to put down. I enjoyed the laughs and many interesting truths of life and people.

Fun

Laughed and enjoyed all the way through! Wonderful book to listen to while working on a table puzzle, especially on a cold day!

I loved the title character, Miss Julia

Are used to live in North Carolina. I am a woman of some years, and, although I still have my darling husband with me, I could identify with Miss Julia! Are used to live in a small town somewhat like Abbotsville.  I found the entire story, charming, and I’m so excited that there are so many more books to listen to! I’ve listen to them all once through already!  I am enjoying them even more the second time! I only regret that there are only 23 volumes!

Silly, but sweet

Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind grasped my attention and charmed me in the first chapter! The narrator's sweet southern accent and quick speech pattern remained consistent throughout the book. The characters' personalities were all fleshed out quickly and each easy to imagine. On the other hand, some of the scenes droned on and on and were a little farfetched. Still, the book made me laugh out loud a couple times and I just put up with the ridiculousness of some of the plot pieces. The religious characters certainly could be compared to some of the silly, self-righteous, brainwashed, hypocritical people in my life!

Great story!

Love the evolution of Miss Julia from a slave to her place and time. To a lady who find her voice and uses it to her advantage.

Hilarious and masterfully read

I loved the book. It was funny and heartwarming. Karen White's performance was perfect.

The Best Book Ever!

The characters and story line are so entertaining! Ms Julia is a hoot! The narration is the best I've heard in a long time! Brava! Brava!