Miss Julia Weathers the Storm: A Novel

Miss Julia #19

by Ann B. Ross

In the latest installment of Ann B. Ross's New York Times bestselling series, Miss Julia takes a trip to the beach, only to confront a hurricane roiling off the coast--and all the trouble it washes ashore



Miss Julia's sweet and generous husband, Sam, has decided to take a big group trip to the beach, inviting family and friends. While Miss Julia prepares for the big trip, her longtime friend LuAnne comes to her with a horrifying discovery--her husband may be cheating on her. Julia invites LuAnne along to the beach to get away and clear her head--and to keep from doing anything rash.

Everyone settles into the rental house and six-year-old Latisha, their beloved housekeeper Lillian's great-grandaughter, is having a blast searching for seashells when she discovers some much more valuable treasures that have washed up from a strong storm off the coast. As the storm nears, the crew packs up to head back to Abbotsville, and it appears that the three strangers they met on the beach--who seemed a bit too interested in little Latisha's treasures--have followed them back to their sleepy town.

In Miss Julia Weathers the Storm, another highly entertaining and delightful installment in the series by Ann B. Ross, Miss Julia must rely on her quick wit and strong will to protect Latisha, get to the bottom of LuAnne's predicament, and once again save the day.Watch out for Ross's Miss Julia Raises the Roof , coming in April 2018!

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Humor, Cozy Mystery, Southern, Adult, Cozy

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Ann B. Ross, who taught literature at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, is the author of Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, one of the most popular Southern debut novels in years, Miss Julia Takes Over, Miss Julia Throws a Wedding, and Miss Julia Hits the Road. She lives in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This might be my favorite Miss Julia book yet! So good! Hate leaving these characters. They're like family! Sure hope this series goes on for a long time :)

[Susan Snodgrass · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her 19th 'Miss Julia' book, Ann B. Ross proves again that she never disappoints. Miss Julia is a particular favorite of mine and since the very first book, I have been an enormous fan. Miss Julia Springer Murdoch, although a very, very proper Presbyterian lady of means in a small NC mountain town, manages to get into some very odd circumstances. I just love her to pieces.

Ross's cast of characters never fail to bring joy to this reader's heart. There's Lillian, Latisha (oh my, that child!), Lloyd, Hazel Marie, Mr. JD Pickens, Etta Mae Wiggins and more. Every single one delightful.

I never fail to laugh out loud during my reading of a Miss Julia book! My husband has to listen to me read whole sections to him and he enjoys her, too, being known to ask me, "What's happening with Miss Julia now?"

I love Ann Ross's writing style, being a southerner as I am, she writes in the vernacular that I am very familiar with. She uses many turns of phrase that I grew up with and still use myself. I can't say enough good things about the Miss Julia books. They are destined to be on your keeper shelf and read again and again. Highly recommended.

[Kathleen Seaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Ann B. Ross. Her character, Miss Julia, is one of my all time favorite people. This feisty older woman has difficulty seeing her nose out of other people's business. Her adventures are entertaining, plausible, and often make me laugh out loud. This time Miss Julia and her extended friends and family head off for a two week shore vacation while her trusty housekeeper and sidekick, Lillian, has bunion surgery. Binky and Hazel Marie and their families sign on along with Etta Mae, Latisha (Lillian's granddaughter), and friend, LuAnn. No sooner do they arrive at the beach than chaos ensues. Between chasing treasure on the beach to evading a hurricane to tracking down the identity of a mistress, and taking on a trio of smugglers, Miss Julia does not really have time to rest and relax. Sounds a little like our trips to Cape May Point with family and friends. Excellent read to get away from everything and consider how much we all love being at the beach.

[Jayme · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm going to start off by stating upfront that the only reason I decided to read this book was that I needed a book that had a storm on the cover for a current challenge and the reviews were pretty good for this book. I was misled.
What irritated me the most about this book was how stereotypical the characters were. Miss Julia's African American cook/housekeeper Lillian and Lillian's granddaughter were the only characters in the book that used poor grammatically incorrect English in an attempt to create "southern black speak" in 2017 (when the book was written)!! It was cringe worthy.
"Miss Julia" has faithful followers since this is book 19 and maybe I missed something by not reading the first 18, but Miss Julia is a stereotypical arrogant, genteel white woman of the south and as someone who lives in the south, I am offended. I will pass on this series.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Julia is back at it.

Now I will say this book wasn't what I was expecting as I was expecting most of it to take place at the beach. Spoiler-it doesn't. It was , however, just as much fun as the usual Miss Julia books and heavier on the mystery aspect which I love anyway.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.” (Proverbs 11:12-13)
If it’s not your story to tell, keep your big fat trap shut!

Miss Julia and her hubby, Sam take a whole crew to the beach, where mayhem disrupts their vacation.

Miss Julia had to pop a squat to pee. As Lillian would say, “They Lord!”

Such fun characters and a great story.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful Summer read—has a little bit of everything including a bit of danger, suspense and supporting character development!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Miss Julia Inherits a Mess, I was one of those who wrote that it was time for author Ann B. Ross to retire the series. A year ago it seemed to me that she’d lost her creative zing, but luckily that conclusion was premature. In Miss Julia Weathers the Storm, Ross reinvigorates not only the zing, but also her funny bone. (Julia’s tirades against TV commercials for pharmaceuticals—not just the tirades, but her reason for launching them—are a hoot)

I couldn’t help but wonder if Ross had taken to heart readers’ comments that, in Miss Julia Inherits a Mess, they missed seeing the usual cast of characters. The good news is that they’re all back in this book. The disappointing news is that most of their roles are not very meaty. One fortunate exception is Latisha: Lillian’s great-grandchild gets a starring role.

My main beef with this book is that, in letting the readers feel smart, Ross ends up making us think that the characters are really kind of stupid. What supposedly intelligent adults would fail to bring water with them in the car on a 5+ -hour road trip, with small children, in August heat in the Carolinas? (With peanut butter as a snack, no less.) Or, knowing a hurricane is tracking dangerously close to their vacation spot, how could three couples, all with tots, neglect to make sure their cars had full gas tanks? Silly stuff.

Some of Ross’s best writing is in the subplot about LuAnn Conover’s discovery that her husband Leonard is seeing another woman. Ross explores both LuAnn’s and Julia’s reactions (particularly given Julia’s history with her philandering late husband Wesley Lloyd), as well as LuAnn’s process of deciding whether or not to try to save her marriage.

See more details (no significant plot spoilers) in my Wordpress blog, The Miss Julia Diaries.

I picked up this book with frankly lowered expectations, given my disappointment over the previous book in the Miss Julia series. But I was pleasantly surprised by this entertaining page-turner.

[NancyL Luckey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love all the Miss Julia books! This one was no exception. I read them for a relaxing fix when I've finished other books that I feel obligated to read.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Miss Julia books. The mystery kept me guessing and there were several "laugh out loud" scenes. The characters are great!

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Ann B. Ross. Her character, Miss Julia, is one of my all time favorite people. This feisty older woman has difficulty seeing her nose out of other people's business. Her adventures are entertaining, plausible, and often make me laugh out loud. This time Miss Julia and her extended friends and family head off for a two week shore vacation while her trusty housekeeper and sidekick, Lillian, has bunion surgery. Binky and Hazel Marie and their families sign on along with Etta Mae, Latisha (Lillian's granddaughter), and friend, LuAnn. No sooner do they arrive at the beach than chaos ensues. Between chasing treasure on the beach to evading a hurricane to tracking down the identity of a mistress, and taking on a trio of smugglers, Miss Julia does not really have time to rest and relax. Thurlough is going to have Helen come in take care of him. Much scuttle butt has been going on.

I really enjoyed this book. Was one of the better ones, and had a fairly serious plots that kept my interest. Between tropical storms, affairs and surgeries, there were many mini plots that that kept things really fun to read/listen. Highly recommend.

[Gigi Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just found this book at a bookstore near my home, and not knowing what to expect since I don't remember reading any of the Miss Julia books, therefore, I took a chance and bought it. Well, I found it a delight to read. It was just what I needed these last couple of days with rain and gloomy weather, leaving me cuddled up in my easy chair reading away. And since she was experiencing stormy weather also, it felt like I was there with her in all her rainy weather too. I enjoyed it so much I went to the bookstore and bought 3 more of the Miss Julia books to read. I liked this book so much I decided to award it 5 Stormy Stars*****

I own this book and it is part of my personal library.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Julia, her husband Sam, and all of her closest friends and family head to the beach for a vacation. While they're there, $100 bills wash up on shore. Then a hurricane takes a turn to head their way. Upon arrival back home, they begin to notice a black SUV following them and attacks begin.

Miss Julia is a good-hearted busybody and I like reading this chaste cozy series. I like the entire cast of characters the author has introduced over the years, although LuAnne got on my nerves this time with her indecision over her husband. Not very much mystery in this one but I particularly liked that they rented a big house on the beach, perhaps because that's what I like to do each year.

[Charla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series! The county library system only has two more of the audiobooks available. After that I'll have to either switch to hardcover or try to get the rest of the audio books through ILL.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of fun..Miss Julia always makes me laugh

[Kate McMurry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing addition to a comedic series that started out with a bang and has been petering off in quality over the years.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very fond of this series, but this wasn't one of my favorite titles. I didn't care for the three strangers that were following Sam and Miss Julia around. It didn't fit well into the story.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love that there is more about Sam in this book. He is such a good balance to Miss Julia.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still love some Miss Julia but I wanted more info at the mystery resolution--I felt like I was left hanging on this one.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great bounce back from the last heavy handed tome. In this episode Sam gets an idea. He rents a house at the beach. He and Julia invite their nearest and dearest to join them except Lillian opts to have some outpatient surgery leaving her great granddaughter's care to Miss Julia and all the other beachgoers.
Their trip is cut short by a hurricane. They also have an encounter with smugglers tht follows them home and involves Latisha. Much more satisfying.

[Jill Talbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Miss Julia books to date. You would think a series with 19 books and counting would start to get stale and boring, but no! Another hit out of the park for Ann B. Ross! Can't wait until April 2018!

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a fair number of the Miss Julia stories over the years and always enjoyed them. This one is no exception. I really love this character. I feel like I am with a good friend when I read about her adventures. The other characters in the books are equally unique and interesting. And, like always, there is plenty to smile about as well as a good light mystery. I really recommend this series.
I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway in return for an honest review.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This far into the series, the mystery aspect is a little thin on the ground and it's mostly a check-in with all the characters and what's going on with them. I don't mind that too much as the characters are fun and quirky. Miss Julia's husband, Sam, has the great idea to rent a huge beach house and take all their "family" to the beach for a two week vacation. That's the plot, plus a hurricane is coming and money mysteriously washes up on the beach. However, the plot idea perfectly encapsulates what I love most about this series. It began with a lone woman, Miss Julia, who becomes a widow and then has her life turned upside down when she discovers that her fine, upstanding husband has a long-time mistress and an almost teenage son who is to share her inheritance. Throughout this long series, she has gradually collected around her a large group of people who she loves and who love each other and they have become the family she has never had. She has created her family and I really love that.

[Cassie Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

After executing Miss Maddie’s will, Miss Julia is in need of a vacation. Luckily, her husband Sam comes up with the perfect idea. A beach trip, not just for the two of them, but for the Bates family and the Pickens family, plus a few others too. So the crew packs up and goes to the beach, during prime hurricane season. The holidays go well until a hurricane heads straight for them and they have to head home. But somebody seems to be following them, but what could they possibly want from Miss Julia and crew?

This Miss Julia book is a delightful mystery with plenty of thrills. From the mysterious black SUV that keeps popping up to the strange people who followed them back home, this book had me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t put it down and I didn’t have to. One of the best Miss Julia books, in my opinion, definitely pick up this book and give it a try. Even if you don’t know the characters, this book will quickly get you acquainted with them. I cannot recommend this one enough.

[Sheila Fuhrmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't usually do reviews unless something is either really good or really not so good. I read most of the Miss Julia books and they are cute , easy reads about a slightly old fashioned woman who has funny unplanned adventures. Something I pick up if I just want to relax and not think so much.. And I usually enjoy them. I just picked this one up in the library. It's a good thing it wasn't the first one I read because I wouldn't have bothered with the rest if it had been. It was lackluster in my opinion. I had to force myself to finish it. I don't exactly know what it was just there wasn't anything to make me Want to keep reading . I just make myself finish every book I start. Well except one. I won't be pulling out any more of the books to read.

[Shelia Pulliam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Miss Julia

I've enjoyed all the Miss Julia books. The southern humor gives me many smiles and giggles. Very relaxing and entertaining.

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have read any of these miss Julia books and enjoyed them, you won’t be disappointed. This is cute and a quick read. Enjoy!

[Nd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before synopsizing, let me just say that the one brief passage referring to Rush Limbaugh could have been omitted or made more understandable. It was a little unclear to me whether JD habitually listened to Limbaugh on the radio or whether the fact that he was "talking back to him" meant that he was arguing with what he had been saying. I just don't think Limbaugh deserves credit or mention anytime, anywhere. Instead of using his name, I would have preferred "conservative talk show host."
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Somehow I had gotten the impression that this was the last book in the Miss Julia series. Thanks goodness I was wrong!! Thank-you Ann B. Ross for Miss Julia, her hilarious yet frequently reasonable approach to life and things going on in the Abbottsville, NC, universe. In Miss Julia Weathers the Storm, she, somewhat reluctantly, agreed that she and Sam should take a beach vacation because it would get all of their "family" together in one place for two weeks. Miss Julia, of course, had no intention of donning a bathing suit or shorts while they were on Isle of Palms, and neither did she intend to immerse herself into the ocean. At the last minute, they invited her friend LuAnne, who had discovered that her dull and seemingly innocuous husband Leonard had been seeing another woman for years for "solace" (which was never actually defined).

Long-time cook, housekeeper, and friend Lilllian did not go on the trip, but instead stayed at home in Abbottsville to have foot surgery that she had been needing for a long time but had not wanted to bother them by taking time to have it done or even mentioning that it was so serious. They did take Lillian's energetic young granddaughter Latisha along so that Lillian would be able to rest and mend in peace and quiet. At the beach, Latisha became occupied with collecting shells to bring home. She also discovered sand dollars and put several perfect and near-perfect ones into her new red purse for safekeeping. One day they saw people down the beach scrambling to grab $100 bills that had been thrown from a boat, along with who knows what else, when the Coast Guard had approached it. Then much later in the day, after it had rained, Lloyd, Latisha, and Miss Julia ran into three oddly well-dressed people in street clothes scouring the beach for something. In conversation, they explained that, no, they had not picked up any $100 bills earlier that day, just Latisha's shells and sand dollars.

Fast forward to being evacuated from Isle of Palms when Hurricane Marty took an unexpected turn in their direction. Stuck on the interstate and not moving, Lloyd got out of the car and walked back to see how far his mom and her group were behind them. As he walked beside a black SUV with blacked-out windows just a few cars behind, the woman of yesterday's beach trio looked him right in the face and then quickly rolled up the window in the sweltering humidity. Escaping the hurricane and life back in Abbottsville were each ordeals because of the weather, and especially because a short while after returning home, a black SUV with blacked-out windows appeared to be stalking the vacationers.

Going to the beach with Miss Julia and family was a lovely relief from the anxiety-ridden and fruitless election night 2020 television coverage. Hurricane or no hurricane, what fun!

[Russell Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of Ann B. Ross’s Miss Julia novels involve a crime that threads heavily throughout the novel and requires the indomitable Southern matron Miss Julia to get very involved indeed. Miss Julia Weathers the Storm, however, is a bit different. Yes, there is a crime, but it almost takes a backseat to other goings on involving Miss Julia’s motor mouth friend Luanne Conover, Miss Julia’s best friend and housekeeper Lillian, and town curmudgeon Thurlow Jones. The plot does indeed involve a physical storm but the storms these three characters create are more the storm that Miss Julia weathers than the actual one. I enjoyed this novel almost more than the others with the greater crimes. Ross is always funny, and Miss Julia is incredibly charming with her mature-Southern-woman ways. Because this tale begins with a trip to the beach and the whole “family” is invited, Miss Julia Weathers the Storm features many characters that have been absent or peripheral in other novels. I rejoiced to not only see Sam, Lillian, and Lloyd, but also Hazel Marie, J.D. Pickens, Binkie and Coleman, Etta Mae, and, especially, the precocious, hilarious second-grader Latisha. And I have to say, they was almost no mention of the Miss Julia’s preacher, a character I have grown tired of. I reveled in every page of this book. I read the books sparingly, often just a couple a year, drawing out the series, which I understand Ross is bringing (or has brought) to a close. I shall miss Miss Julia.

[RC Prentice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well. If you really, really, like cozy, and you’re indifferent about mystery, this is your book. It takes more than half the narrative for the storm to materialize, unless a septuagenarian’s errant husband and her shrill anxiety threading through the book is meant to be the metaphorical storm. When the storm does materialize, it’s hardly more than a persistent drenching downpour. For more than the first half of the narrative, literally nothing happens except a traffic jam and the stalling of a yacht (which is never quite explained), with its passengers throwing, we are told, drugs and dollars overboard. This minimized event does generate he appearance of a threatening threesome in a black SUV, and also ultimately generates the “mystery”. (Don't hold your breath.) The best that can be said is that there is a highly entertaining, if not hilarious discourse on TV ads, and that characterization, at least in terms of clusters of who is who, is unmistakable. You know who upper social echelon are and who are not: you might even mistake the dialogue for being straight out of the South of the 1960s, complete with reference to Motel Six leaving the light on, and the septuagenarian protag puzzled, until much later in the book, as to just what a SUV is, and flummoxed by cell phones.