Miss Julia Meets Her Match

Rating:
Summary: MISS JULIA MEETS MORE THAN HER MATCH
Review: Has Miss Julia Springer met her match? Well, if not her match evidently her mate. At long last she has agreed to marry persistent suitor, Sam Murdoch. Yes, she's willing to order new stationery and store her monogrammed linens. As chronicled in "Miss Julia Meets Her Match," fifth in a popular series by Ann B. Ross, the road to saying yes has not been smooth, but rather filled with a few shocks, and much laughter.

As many know, Miss Julia is a prim, extremely proper Presbyterian lady who has met many a challenge with spirit and determination. That's not always easy to do in the small town of Abbotsville where everyone knows everyone else's business. Nonetheless, in sensible shoes with head held high Miss Julia has overcome a great deal.

Wesley Lloyd, her late not great husband was a pillar of the church and an equal opportunity philanderer. He is now gone but surely not forgotten because he left a child. As Miss Julia puts it he dallied for more than a decade with Hazel Marie Puckett who produced a son. Then he left Miss Julia "to clean up the mess and end up with both mistress and son living under my roof. " Nonetheless, the two women have become fast friends and both dote on Little Lloyd.

There's scant time to dwell on the past as news from Velma's Beauty Shop is astonishing: the pastor's secretary, Norma Cantrell, otherwise known as "Miss High and Mighty," was seen leaving the Mountaintop Motel while the married Mayor's car was parked nearby. More startling news: pious and plain Emma Sue, the pastor's wife, has gone to Velma's for an after hours make over. Emma Sue who often says "there'll be no Avon or Mary Kay products in heaven" now bats "the longest eyelashes ever seen outside of a package in Eckerd's Drugstore." This transformation devastates the pastor who fears she will tempt Christians to sin, "stirring the loins of every man who sees her."

Religion plays a large part in Miss Julia's life, especially since the arrival of Dwayne Dooley. He's a man on a mission "to do the Lord's work in Abbotsville and environs." He plans to build a religious theme park on 20 acres of Miss Julia's land. It will be called "The Walk Where Jesus Walked Christian Theme Park," and boast a manger with live animals, "his earthly daddy's carpenter shop in a real-live village," a temple, Jerusalem, and the cave where Lazarus was buried.

Miss Julia's serenity is further interrupted by the arrival of her housekeeper's five-year-old great-granddaughter, Latisha. She's a tiny brown-skinned girl with large eyes and a head full of plaits and barrettes." "How you do, ma'am," the child says upon meeting Miss Julia. "You got a real nice house somewhere down here in North Car'lina, `cept I don't know where that is, but it's where I'm at now." Latisha is much more than anyone has bargained for, including Little Lloyd.

Both funny and endearing "Miss Julia Meets Her Match" is peopled with quirky Southerners who charm. Capricious and sometimes even a tad tetched this cast of characters leads readers on a merry romp that ends too soon.

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: A fun read
Review: I spent a wonderful raining Saturday afternoon curled up with Ann Ross' newest book. I just love Miss Julia. She fiesty, outspoken and a take charge woman. How I wish I could be more like her! She reminds me of Mrs. Norris in another series I adore, the Dorsetville series by Katherine Valentine. I hope both authors keep them coming...

Rating:
Summary: LIGHT, ENTERTAINING SERIES.
Review: Miss Julia is back and she has plenty to keep her busy. A mysterious gentleman appears wanting to lease her property. He wants to build a theme park for Jesus -- sort of a Holy Land type place. Miss Julia leases it to him without checking with her lawyer, which eventually leads to some problems. Miss Julia also contends with the resurfacing of the history of her late philandering husband.

Miss Julia also takes on another border. Her black housekeeper, Lillian, has to care for her great-granddaughter, Latisha, a five-year-old vocal whirlwind. She's crazy about Lloyd and follows him everywhere. Latisha calls 'em as she sees 'em. She adds humor to the storyline.

_Miss Julia Meets Her Match_ is read by Claudia Hughes. She also reads _Miss Julia Hits the Road_. Hughes' southern accent is perfect. She conveys Miss Julia's strength and determination as a community and family leader, and reveals Miss Julia's docile femininity as she seeks Sam's guidance. Karen White reads the other Miss Julia audios. Both do a fine job with Miss Julia, as well the other characters.

Rating:
Summary: Great light reading
Review: Miss Julia's household gets a new addition in this book -- the very spontaneous five year old granddaughter of her housekeeper (who is living with her temporarily). And Miss Julia is being urged to marry by Sam, her lawyer boyfriend, but Miss Julia's first marriage to a controlling philanderer has made her wary of a second marriage. She loves Sam and doesn't want to lose him, either -- he's a "catch." And if that weren't enough, Miss Julia has some spin control problems -- she's heard that another of her late husband's lover is back in town (she didn't know he had more than one) and she doesn't want her husband's son (by his lover -- this gets complicated) to hear about yet another lover (for reasons that are never very convincing). So she has to get the woman to leave town before the gossip begins in earnest. This woman is part of a group that's building a Jesus-based theme park just outside town. One of the pillars of this small southern town has a son return to visit -- only now he's a daughter... And then there's the pastor's secretary seen leaving a motel...and the pastor's wife has suddenly started wearing makeup...So this gossipy little town has plenty to talk about.

You get the idea. Lots of the little things that make up everyday life. I think this is probably a woman's book, and probably even an older woman's book (Miss JUlia is no spring chicken). It's about small town life in North Carolina, although I have no idea if it's acccurate. Miss Julia is a likeable, believable character, and this book is quite amusing.

Rating:
Summary: Boring and formulistic
Review: Reading this is kinda like eating a box of donuts...the first 2 or 3 (in this case books) were really good, the rest tend to lose their flavor and texture.

Rating:
Summary: A light and easy read..
Review: This book is perfect for enjoying a day in the sun. I personally enjoy the books without all the sex, profanity and violence, and all of these books have humor, friendships, mystery and more.

Hooray for Miss Julia, she isn't a Miss anymore!!!

Rating:
Summary: STERLING VOICE PERFORMANCE
Review: Voice performer Claudia Hughes gives a superb reading of this "Miss Julia" story, perfectly capturing the modulated, softly Southern tones of our protagonist. The cast of
characters gives Hughes ample opportunity to display her talents as she segues to the proclamations of housekeeper, Lillian, and her rambunctious five-year-old great-granddaughter.

Hearing Miss Julia is both fun and entertaining, thanks to Claudia Hughes.

- Gail Cooke