Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind: A Novel (Miss Julia). Ann B. Ross.  William Morrow and Company, Inc. New York, NY  1999.  273 pp  

Book review by Jane
Miss Julia loses her husband and becomes the object of attention from people she trusted who are suddenly interested in the money she inherited.  There are people looking out for her, though.  Then, she gets a big surprise which starts the town talking and sends her reeling.  Miss Julia thinks she cannot bare this new development.  The town seems to know all the right things for her to do, but Miss Julia manages with much more grace than they could muster. 

This book starts off seeming sad with the death of her husband, but grows more and more bizarre until finally the reader is laughing out loud at the circumstances of Miss Julia and how she handles them.  Any more of the story will have to be found out by the reader; to say much more would spoil the fun.

The book leaves the reader craving for more.  Fortunately, there are more Miss Julia books, which are equally entertaining: Miss Julia Takes Over and Miss Julia Throws a Wedding.  Current news about the series can be found at www.missjulia.com, where the reader can find lots of information about the author and her future plans for new additions to the Miss Julia collection.  The reader will feel the need to check this web site often for updates on the upcoming books.

Ann B. Ross is a Southern woman, full of grace, herself.  She lives in North Carolina like Miss Julia, and no doubt truly understands how Miss Julia would handle things.  At any rate, Miss Julia rings of truth and a certain kind of wisdom.

Jane.