Miss Julia Takes Over by Ann B. Ross
4.5 stars
Reasons for reading: I loved, loved the first Miss Julia book last year; Southern book for Triple 8 Challenge
First line: "I declare, if it's not one thing, it's two more."
My thoughts: Miss Julia's second adventure didn't disappoint! It gets 1/2 a star off because I didn't think we really needed another plot by Brother Vern to get Little Lloyd's money on top of the mystery of missing Hazel Marie. And I was a bit put off at first by the NASCAR setting (of all the un-Miss Julia-like things!!), but it turned out okay. But Miss Julia still provides a hilarious, Southern read with a very distinct voice.
Miss Julia has an opinion on everything, from church to other people's romances to home decor to private investigation to the greeters at Wal-Mart, and she's not afraid to share it! It would be very annoying to be the victim of her machinations, but they make for entertaining story. Her asides about having to do everything herself, when that's exactly what she wants to do, are a hoot and she really does get things done, even if it involves high-speed chases or avoiding the police.
But there's also some vulnerability to her and that comes out in this volume of the series - part of her does want to look after everything, but she'd also really like to have someone to take care of her sometimes, too. Happily, that might just happen - her relationship with retired lawyer Sam continues to grow, although it might get sidetracked by a busty nurse. Her love for Hazel Marie and Little Lloyd also develop in this book, they've truly become her family and she'll do anything to look after them.
Lately I've been finding I'm not interested in continuing with too many series after the first book, but I'm definitely along for the entire Miss Julia ride and I recommend her very highly!
4 comments:
I thought this 2nd book really set the series and was funny.
They are a great little read and best of all, my library has them all.
I thought it was funny, too - the car chase around the racetrack was a hoot, as was the scene in the church in the blackout. My library is a bit paltry on them, just a few oldie copies, so I've broken my no-buying tendency and bought the first two so far.
a friend gave me the first Miss Julia book for my birthday last month. i'm eager to get to it!
Alison - You and I often seem to be on the same reading track, so I'm going to predict that you'll love it! :) Enjoy!
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