April Book Group & Book Review -- Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind



Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross
My enjoyment rating: 3 of 5 stars
Book source: Library copy
Genre: Fiction -- Southern
Objectionable material: None
April Book Club choice

Julia Springer’s life has been turned upside down – she’s a recent widow who has been left a sizeable estate, thanks to the financial planning by her late husband. However, when a young boy is dropped off on her doorstep and she is told, “This here is Wesley Lloyd Jr…I got to leave him with you,” by one Hazel Marie Puckett, the boy’s mother, Miss Julia has no idea how topsy turvy it will all end up.

Miss Julia was a delightful, whimsical novel, full of over the top characters and plot lines: newly discovered mistress, crazy televangelist, selfish pastor, loyal maid, and a misplaced little boy. Who all end up in Miss Julia’s living room, much like a Mel Brooks movie.

This was our book club selection for April. The group, overall, thought it was a hilarious book. However, it lacked significantly on discussion merit – to the point that I questioned why our local library has this designated as one of their “book club kits.” Our only real discussion centered on questions like, “what did you think was the funniest antic?” Luckily, there was a lot of good food to enjoy.

This was a nice change of pace…but I doubt I will continue on with the series (and there are A LOT of them!)

Our May selection:

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield (AR author, and recent attendee at the Arkansas Literary Festival)

Summary:  Every first Sunday in June, members of the Moses clan gather for an annual reunion at a sprawling hundred-acre farm in Arkansas. And every year, Samuel Lake, a vibrant and committed young preacher, brings his beloved wife, Willadee Moses, and their three children back for the festivities. In the midst of it all, Samuel and Willadee’s outspoken eleven-year-old daughter, Swan, is a bright light. Her high spirits and fearlessness have alternately seduced and bedeviled three generations of the family. But just as the reunion is getting under way, tragedy strikes, jolting the family to their core and setting the stage for a summer of crisis and profound change. 

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