Miss Julia Throws a Wedding
- Book Review,
by Ann B. Ross
Amazon.com
If you've ever lived in a small town or been active in a church, chances are you know a Miss Julia, the paragon of outdated correctness at the center of Ann B. Ross's series of comic novels. One-third busybody, one-third Southern relic, and one-third loving kindness, the elderly Miss Julia finds herself at a loss at the beginning of Miss Julia Throws a Wedding. Although her own marriage was about as uplifting as a burned pot roast, she is mortified to learn that Hazel Marie, her dead husband's mistress, proposes to move out of Miss Julia's house and into a life of sin with the perpetual bachelor J.D. Pickens. At least Deputy Sheriff Coleman Bates and attorney Binkie Enloe, longtime lovers, have finally decided to do the right thing. Now if only they would do it the right way. Intent on preserving the niceties, Miss Julia takes over the wedding for Coleman and Binkie, vetoing their plans for a quick courthouse union and struggling to pull together a tasteful formal event with one week's notice. To complicate matters, a neighborhood thief and troublemaker, Dixon Hightower, has escaped from police custody. With only her imperious nature and the force of her convictions, can Miss Julia create the wedding of her dreams for Binkie and Coleman? It's a thin but spirited romp, like a village cozy without the unpleasantness of a murder. --Regina Marler
From Publishers Weekly
The inimitable Miss Julia pushes an indecisive couple toward matrimony in this Southern comedy-of-manners series' latest installment, which begins with the protagonist frustrated at the inability of her friend, Miss Hazel, to get her beau to propose. But another opportunity surfaces when Sheriff Coleman Bates proposes to his lawyer girlfriend, Binkie Enloe. Miss Julia immediately plows into the wedding plans, which get derailed when a major fight causes Binkie to back out. After some clever detective work, Miss Julia discovers that the real reason for Binkie's hesitation is her pregnancy, which leaves her indecisive right up to the wedding day. Coleman's frustrations pale compared to the frenzied anguish plaguing Miss Julia as she tries to keep the wedding alive, until Binkie finally changes her mind. The couple still has to get past a series of calamities that include a no-show pastor, Binkie's bout with morning sickness and the sudden appearance of a "miraculous" religious image on the wall of the church construction site, bringing a TV crew and a throng of miracle seekers. Ross gets a bit carried away with wedding details, but her cheeky style works flawlessly once Miss Julia digs into the romantic intrigue and begins to ply her unique combination of common sense and old-fashioned, smalltown wisdom. The book should please followers of this series and perhaps draw new ones who enjoy throwback romantic comedies and don't mind wading through some silliness to get to the happy ending.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
She's back--septuagenarian Miss Julia Springer, that is, along with her late husband's paramour Hazel Marie, Hazel Marie's son Little Lloyd, housekeeper Lillian, courtly old friend Sam, Deputy Sheriff Coleman Bates, and other characters that we met in Ross' two previous Miss Julia books. This time out, Coleman and busy attorney Binkie Enloe's casual announcement that they plan to get married spurs Miss Julia, the only person in Abbotsville who knows or cares how things should be done, into action. She's determined to put together a proper and dignified wedding but faces many hurdles, people being what they are. For one thing, Pastor Ledbetter is visiting the Holy Land while work continues on his pet project, the unsightly Family Life Center, right across the street from Miss Julia's house. Little things start disappearing--Little Lloyd's Game Boy, the church's Communion grape juice--and everyone is jittery about a recent jailbreak. The Family Life Center construction site seems to be drawing a crowd that gets bigger every day. Worst of all, the bride gets cold feet. Will Miss Julia be able to pull this wedding off? No reader who is familiar with her will doubt it, although, as usual, things don't turn out quite as Miss Julia expects. Mary Ellen Quinn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
Readers love Miss Julia, the proper lady of a certain age with a backbone of iron and perfect Steel Magnolia poise, not to mention the sharpest tongue south of the Mason-Dixon Line. In Miss Julia Throws a Wedding, we find her feeling a little wistful when Hazel Marie, once her late husband's paramour and now her best friend, prepares to move out and live in sin with that marriage-shy Mr. Pickens. Suddenly, to Miss Julia's delight, a wedding is in the offing: Handsome Deputy Coleman Bates and attorney Binkie Enloe announce their plans to run down to the courthouse and tie the knot. But Miss Julia insists they have a real wedding ceremony and vows to make it happen. When a missing preacher, a crowd of uninvited guests, and a queasy bride threaten the happy event, Miss Julia is there to restore order, confirming her undying motto: if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself!
About the Author
Ann B. Ross, who has taught literature at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, is the author of Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, Miss Julia Takes Over and Miss Julia Hits the Road.
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