Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, Ann B. Ross
Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, Ann B. Ross
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Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind

Author: Ann B. Ross

Narrator: Karen White

Unabridged: 9 hr 20 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/01/2001


Synopsis

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 start to end.

About The Author

Ann B. Ross is the mother of two daughters and one son, and the grandmother of four grandsons (including twin boys) and two granddaughters, both of whom are her namesakes. When her children were in college, she decided to complete her own education, enrolling in the University of North Carolina at Asheville where she earned a Bachelor's degree in Literature. Reluctant to return to an empty nest, she continued her education by enrolling in the English Department of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned both the Master's and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Afterwards, she taught Literature and the Humanities at the University of North Carolina at Asheville.Ann's writing career began in the early eighties when two mysteries were published as original paperbacks: THE MURDER CURE and THE MURDER STROKE. A few years later, her first hardcover book was published: THE PILGRIMAGE, an adventure story set in the nineteenth century. All three books are now out of print, but occasionally a used copy of THE PILGRIMAGE appears on Amazon.com for sale. The publication of the first Miss Julia book, MISS JULIA SPEAKS HER MIND in 1999, set Ann on a full-time writing career. This book went through six reprintings in less than a year, and was ranked #9 on the Independent Booksellers' seventy-six most highly recommended books for 1999. In addition, the book was named to the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers list. The paperback edition of the same book was listed in The Best Books of the First Five Years by BookSense, as one of the titles independent booksellers most enjoyed handselling. The book was also published by Readers Digest Condensed Books, appearing in twelve foreign languages.MISS JULIA TAKES OVER was one of seven nominees for the Book of the Year Award (2001) by the Southeastern Booksellers Association.All of the books in the series are available on audiotape and in large-print editions, and are also available through The Literary Guild/Doubleday Book Club. All of the books, except the newest one each year, can be found in paperback editions.MISS JULIA THROWS A WEDDING, MISS JULIA HITS THE ROAD, MISS JULIA MEETS HER MATCH, and MISS JULIA'S SCHOOL OF BEAUTY have all appeared on the New York Times Extended Bestseller List.All of the books in the series will be published in German, Japanese, and Croatian editions, as well as on audiotape (in English) and in large print editions.Inspiration for the escapades of Ann's much-loved character, Miss Julia, comes in all manner of ways -- a chance remark by a friend or family member, an incident she happens to see, in a dream, or by being reminded of something in her past experiences. It is always deeply satisfying to her when scenes in the book she is working on suddenly seem to fit together to make a good story. She does not outline or make detailed plans before starting a story. She does, however, have a general plot in mind before beginning to write, but this usually entails only the conflict and the final resolution, with few ideas of how they will be worked out. So, with just the beginning and the end of a book decided on, Ann relies on the characters themselves to fill in the middle with first one subplot after another. This, she says, is the joy of writing -- when a character suddenly does or says something unexpectedly, leading her to funny and surprising 'mini-scenes' that seem to delight readers. Ann was once asked by an interviewer how she knew when something she'd written was good. She replied, "I know it's good when I fall off my chair laughing." From that response, we can be sure that she enjoys writing about her characters as much as we enjoy reading about them.


Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by Deborah on 2007-09-05 16:24:15

Miss Julia is a respectable Southern woman who's husband of many years has recently died, leaving her with lots of money, a high social position, and an ethical dilemma: his illegitimate child. Ann Ross has created a distinctive and sympathetic character with a strong voice and an entertaining turn of phrase. This novel is a great way to spend the afternoon.

Goodreads review by Amy on January 04, 2013

Found this (and the 2nd in the series) for 50 cents at the used bookstore so I figured 'Why not?!' Now I know why they were so cheap. Miss Julia is presented as spunky, determined, having a backbone of steel, etc. All I saw was a slightly whiny and easily fooled martyr that had her head in the sand......more

Goodreads review by Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) on October 14, 2013

The writing style is spot on if you've ever been buttonholed by an older woman of Southern extraction who wants to tell ya all about it. The first third read very quickly, as we are presented with her situation (newly widowed, discovers how wealthy her husband really was, is presented with her husba......more

Goodreads review by Berit☀️✨ on April 19, 2017

This was a fun quirky start to a series.... Miss Julia has recently been widowed and now she is taking care of her Dead husband's illegitimate child.... but that's not all, she also befriends his mistress, and together all of them form an unusual family unit with some other characters thrown in... th......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on November 24, 2019

UPDATED: I’ve never got so worked up over a character before! Miss Julia just lost her husband and found she is now a widow with several million dollars. The church her husband supported across the street believed it was going to be the beneficiary of the will with a small allowance left for the wif......more

Goodreads review by Lisa on September 10, 2011

These days I have to give some special stars to anyone who can make me laugh and Ann B. Ross did just that in her second book about Miss Julia. This book which is part comedy, part mystery is sure to delight. I recomment it for good entertainment.......more