Miss Julia Stands Her Ground

Miss Julia #7

by Ann B. Ross

When Hazel Marie's troublemaking uncle makes a scandalous claim about Little Lloyd's paternity, Miss Julia takes on the unpleasant task of conducting DNA testing to see if her late husband and son are truly related. By the author of Miss Julia's School of Beauty. 75,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Humor, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Southern

306 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2006

About the author

Ann B. Ross, who taught literature at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, was 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 lived in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Vanessa S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pleasant, short read but nothing too extraordinary. This is the first of the Miss Julia books by Ann B. Ross that I have read, and it can be read as a standalone, but I feel like it's best to read them as a series. There was a good deal of flashbacks/recaps of prior events, and I got kind of lost in those sections, wanting the story to move more quickly. Nonetheless, this was still enjoyable, and I loved several of the characters because they felt so real. Miss Julia was so entertaining, and Sam, Hazel Marie, Little Lloyd, and Lillian were all very endearing.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Julia can't help but make me smile. She has such a great heart, sometimes it just takes a while to get past her huge ego. I want to warn all readers....read this series in order, otherwise you'll wonder "What was that about?"

[Anne Hawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is entertaining, but a the back flash of Christmas is a little confusing. I was listening using an audiobook and I wasn't sure if it had been recorded wrong. Nevertheless, it was entertaining as are all the books in the series.

When Hazel Marie's dastardly uncle comes back, he wrecks havoc with the household. He is bound and determined to prove that little Lloyd is not Wesley Lloyd's son and not heir to the Springer money. No one can figure what he has up his sleeve, but it causes the usual angst and turmoil. While Miss Julia has the help of Sam, she ends up providing the solution to the problem with the help of Lillian's secret.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read the previous 6 books in the Miss Julia series that preceded this one and did not enjoy this one quite as much---therefore, the reason for 3 stars. In this novel, Julia remembers back to how things were when Little Lloyd and his mother Hazel Marie first moved into her home---especially that first Christmas and how much they have added to her life. Although there is another plot by her scheming uncle Vernon Puckett to keep Hazel Marie from having access to Little Lloyd's inheritance, this plot line lacked the spunky spirit shown by Miss Julia in previous novels. It felt like more of a rehash of the past than some new adventure she was getting into.

[Dawn King · Rating 4 out of 5]

The adventures of Miss Julia is captured by Ann B. Ross in this popular series. While this is not high literature, I thoroughly enjoy the situations that Miss Julia finds herself in. She is like a madcap Angela Lansbury careening through her small southern town trying to please everyone while dealing with her many personal crazy friends and relations. These are hilarious and often you can't put them down. I don't know why they never made this into a comedy series.

[Beth Yeary]

As usual, Miss Julia blows everything out of proportion when Brother Verber returns. I don't see why her and Sam don't file a restraining order against the jerk,

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best of the series so far!

[FangirlNation · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss Julia Stands her Ground is another fun addition to Ann B. Ross’s delightful series. Hazel Marie has settled in as part of the family, with Miss Julia's working hard to get Hazel Marie and Little Lloyd accepted by the members of the church community. Then Sam, Miss Julia's husband, hears from the cousin of Hazel Marie who kidnapped Little Lloyd in the first book. Brother Vernon Puckett, a self-styled preacher, has come up with claims that Little Lloyd is not the son of Miss Julia's late husband but rather another man she was seeing at the same time. Determined not to allow Brother Vernon Puckett from getting his way, Miss Julia and Sam work to find the truth and keep Little Lloyd from losing his inheritance.

Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation

[Snap · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the Miss Julia series. Some really good Southern humor and Miss Julia is an older woman ... someone I can relate to with my advancing age!

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

another good, fun book with some of my favorite characters!!

[Susan Essa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series, but this book stood out because of the endearing flashback that showed how Miss Julia came to love Little Lloyd. Great read!

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could only access an audiobook for this addictive series, as one of the older books, and my local library temporarily closed! 😱. Not used to having to listen, but good study in VO technique. Reader was adept @ numerous voices, a few tiny glitches along the way, but not enough to detract from overall storytelling.
Never a smooth ride for Miss Julia, The adversary in this episode is truly one vindictive man!! Spews vitriolic accusations and about causes the destruction of some of Miss Julia’s loved ones.
Thank goodness for the delightful humorous moments!!
ℹ particularly enjoyed the Christmas flashback, as it revealed the thawing of Miss Julia’s steely self-control of her emotions. Truly a tender moment! 💕 However, since this book was timed for the Christmas season as well, there was some confusion at times about exactly which Christmas was being described!

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Julia is in her 70s; formerly married to Wesley Lloyd Springer, now married to Sam, a former ('cause he's old) lawyer. It seems Little Lloyd isn't Wesley Lloyd's child according to Hellfire Preacher Brother Vernon Prickett. so Julia has to tell Hazel Marie that because of her brother they might have to disinter Wesley to get DNA evidence. 30 chapters later she's still trying to do that (!). Meanwhile, Little Lloyd has endeared himself to her and to us, and so has Hazel Marie Prickett. Hazel has her ways, as does Miss Julia, with different personalities, with an undercurrent of Southern Presbyterian [or Baptist?] in this small town life. Why Sam wound up with Julia makes no sense, but oh well.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book #7 in the series. It starts out with the delightful humor of the first one, but about midway the author decides to take a lengthy flashback that breaks the rhythm and tension of the plot. It almost felt like Ross decided to fill in some holes that she wished had been included in the first few books. The resolution was a bit too neat and the idea that Hazel Marie would stand up to a man lying about her character but NOT stand up to the man trying to take her son away from her was preposterous. Still has some good laughs in it, despite these weaknesses.

[Debra · Rating 1 out of 5]

The narration and time frame of this cozy was incongruous. The voice and vocabulary read like it is set in the Victorian age so imagine my surprise when pop culture references about George Clooney and Tupperware appeared. It has its moments but if it had not been a selection in one of my book clubs I probably wouldn't have finished it.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Miss Julia novels are certainly not great literature but they are lighthearted and they make me laugh. This one turned out to be the perfect holiday read because in it Miss Julia reminisces about her first Christmas with Little Lloyd and Hazel Marie; it was heartwarming and sweet and a lovely reminder that Christmas is truly what you make of it.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The is my favorite of the Miss Julia books. There is a flashback to the first Christmas that Hazel Marie and Little Lloyd spend with Miss Julia. Miss Julia's heart had hardened over the years, but it is Little Lloyd who melts her heart and gives her the ability to be compassionate again.

So enjoyable to listen to the audiobook version!

Also a pleasurable reread.

[Kami · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was hilarious! I pictured this as a mix between Steel Magnolias and The Help. Miss Julia is a sassy, hard-headed, independent woman who can change her own heart for those who need her. I loved it!

[Bobbie Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read by Cynthia Darlow. Pleasant, simple. Brother Vernon Puckett challenges paternity of young Lloyd.

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, but the Christmas flashbacks were confusing.

I chose this book from a St. Patrick's Day promotion at the library, it does have a pretty cover with lots of green.

[Melissa Petroski · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story line for this book is about 50 years out of date.

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did like the flashback to Christmas, I did not find this particular book riveting. I did skip over a few pages when I realized the type of party Miss Julia was hosting.

[Dyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a light-hearted read with no sex, violence, or profanity. It was also written in first person, so the reader gets in on Miss Julia's thoughts, her opinions on everything, worries, and major jumps to conclusions that usually aren't true. Sixtyish Miss Julia is finally settling down with her new husband Sam. He is her rock, calm influencer, and keeps her on an even keel or at least tries to. Besides being opinionated, Miss Julia is determined, self-righteous, a traditional proper southern lady, usually warm-hearted, and sharp-tongued. Situations usually have her full of anxiety and turmoil. I am not a southerner so have trouble finding a lot of the situations she gets into as funny as some of the reviewers do. But each book does have its moments of side-splitting humor. Check out the mishap with a big bag of pennies when Emma Sue, in a rage, connects with Brother Vern's chest spewing pennies everywhere...and the Passion party scene... oh my!

The main plot involves the return of devious, crooked, and verbose self-proclaimed preacher, Brother Vernon Puckett trying, once again, to get at Little Lloyd's inheritance. He is now claiming to have convincing proof that Wesley Lloyd Springer, Miss Julia's deceased 1st husband, is not Little Lloyd's legitimate father. He knows who the real father is, and also claims that Hazel Marie has evil intentions by trying to deceive Miss Julia for monetary gains. What's he up to this time? Miss Julia is incensed and struggles throughout the book thinking about the ramifications of this malicious accusation if the townspeople find out about what he has to say. After all the effort Miss Julia took to get Hazel Marie accepted into society, she doesn't even tell her. Does she have doubts about Hazel Marie? What she knows is that she doesn't want to lose her precious Little Lloyd.

Of course, the only solution she and Sam come up with is DNA testing. But after philandering Wesley Lloyd died, she wanted to get rid of every trace of him, so she threw everything of his away. That means the only way to get DNA is to exhume the body. That is unthinkable for Miss Julia. She definitely doesn't want him above ground again! But her housekeeper Lillian may have saved the day by doing something sneaky behind Miss Julia's back. Hazel Marie does find out when her Uncle Vern brings around the Wesley Lloyd look-alike to prove his point. She runs out the door and disappears causing Miss Julia to send out Mr. Picken's and Sam to look for her. When they can't find her, Miss Julia and Lillian take off and finally find her. Hazel Marie is in a rage and out to confront Lonnie Whitmire, the Wesley Lloyd look-alike.

Subplots include:
- In the middle of the book is a flashback to the Christmas that Hazel Marie and Little Lloyd showed up on Miss Julia's doorstep. She is in a bitter mood commiserating about her lonely life living with stingy and spiteful Wesley Lloyd who never let her celebrate a proper Christmas when she opens the door to find his mistress and his bastard standing there. This little look at the past shows her evolution from a bitter woman to accepting Hazel Marie and Little Lloyd into her home and becoming fond of both of them. This decision totally changed her life. And, oh the joy of celebrating Christmas with loved ones!

- Unbeknownst to Miss Julia, the women in Miss Julia's church have signed a petition to get her nominated for the session at church. She would be the first woman on the elder board if she ran and won. Pastor Ledbetter is waiting with bated breath and arguments to see if she will run. He totally disapproves of a woman being a leader in the church.

- Hazel Marie asks Miss Julia if she would host a Passion party at her house with her friend Tina selling her wares. Of course, Miss Julia has no clue what Tina's selling and is totally mortified when the items are brought out for display.

The reader gets a glimpse of some favorite characters such as Latisha who is Lillians's granddaughter and says what she thinks, Binkie the lawyer and her husband Deputy Coleman Bates, Miss Julia's friend LuAnne, and Emma Sue, etc. It's best to read this series in order for character development. Recommended.

[Jade Lazaro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Passion parties and old ladies beating up egotistical preachers with pocketbooks. Hope you're ready for a wild ride. This book had me rolling at some points. Imagine a small conservative town in North Carolina where everything is very by the book and the slightest bit of scandal to hit the town will be forever talked about. That's Abbottsville, North Carolina for you. In this book Miss Julia finds herself in another battle with good ol' annoying Brother Vern. He has come back to sow mistrust between Miss Julia and Hazel Marie by saying that Little Lloyd's father actually was not Wesley Lloyd Springer. Also, Miss Julia gets into a bit of a power struggle with Pastor Ledbetter when some of her close friends and half the women in her church want her to be elected as a church elder. This deeply upsets Pastor Ledbetter who feels that women do not belong in leadership positions within the church. He also knows that Miss Julia is very opinionated and would cause quite a stir amongst the elders who are typically men. Throughout the book, Miss Julia often reflects on her first Christmas with Hazel Marie and Little Lloyd. She also thinks back to when Wesley Lloyd was alive and how stingy and spiteful he was around Christmas. Before Hazel Marie and Little Lloyd, Miss Julia had to endure and not enjoy her Christmases so it's left her this year with a bit of crankiness. However, slowly Miss Julia warms up to Little Lloyd when he gives her a gift that touches her heart. Also, her first Christmas with Little Lloyd and Hazel Marie is when she first began to see Sam as a bit more than a friend. Also, props to Emma Sue's pocketbook for serving up some much needed justice to Brother Vern. I was looking for a couple of crazy events and I got it.

[Avid Series Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miss Julia Stands Her Ground by Ann B. Ross is the 7th book of the Miss Julia series set in contemporary small-town North Carolina. Julia and Sam are finally, confidently, happily married. It's December, time to plan for holiday celebrations. But life is disrupted by the reappearance of "Brother Vern" Puckett. Vanquished before by Miss Julia when he tried to steal Little Lloyd's inheritance, what does he want now? To besmirch Hazel Marie Puckett's name and shame Little Lloyd. He challenges the boy's paternity. Julia and Sam must stop him. At first Brother Vern's claim seems silly; Little Lloyd is the spitting image of the late Wesley Lloyd, Julia's ex-husband and Hazel Marie's ex-lover. Then Brother Vern confronts Miss Julia with his startling "proof" (a lookalike).

The mystery Miss Julia is desperate to solve: how to prove Wesley Lloyd was Little Lloyd's father, to resolve all doubts forever. She can't bring herself to question Hazel Marie, which might suggest a lack of trust. Likewise, she abhors the scandal of exhumation.

Meanwhile, women in her church want Julia to be a church elder. The pastor is vehemently opposed (which makes it appeal to Julia) and pressures her to decline. She's too distressed about Brother Vern to make a decision.

Julia's housekeeper (and beloved friend) Lillian chides Julia to prepare for the holidays. One evening by the fire, in a heart-warming flashback, Julia relives her first Christmas with Hazel Marie and Little Lloyd, and how it changed her forever.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ann B. Ross's most recent novel, Miss Julia's School of Beauty, was a New York Times extended bestseller, with more fans drawn to Miss Julia's adventures every outing. Miss Julia Stands Her Ground finds our steel magnolia looking forward to many peaceful and happy years with her new husband, Sam. But she still has plenty to worry about. When Hazel Marie's troublemaking uncle, Brother Vernon Puckett, comes back to town, he claims to have conclusive proof that Little Lloyd is not the son of Miss Julia's late, philandering husband Wesley Lloyd Springer-a fact to which Miss Julia would have gladly subscribed a few years back. But that was then, before Miss Julia's life revolved around Little Lloyd, before that magical holiday when he became the apple of her eye.
With DNA testing the only possible way to settle the dispute, Miss Julia shudders at the thought of exhuming her dead husband's body. But her housekeeper Lillian has a few souvenirs of Wesley Lloyd's life tucked away that, though a little creepy, might just be the key to ending the whole ugly mess. Another hilarious adventure, Miss Julia Stands Her Ground confirms what we know in our hearts-family is always thicker than blood.

[Stephanie Fosnight Regester · Rating 3 out of 5]

I discovered the Miss Julia books at Christmastime, and they’re always a pleasant little read. By Book 7, though, I was wondering what there was left for Miss Julia to DO, as the books always start off with some ho-hum difficulty that, about halfway in, turn into a farce of epic proportions. I’ve learned that if I stick with it through slow beginnings, before long I’ll be dying to know what happens to Julia, Hazel Marie, Sam and the gang. When Uncle Vern showed up in the first pages of this one, I rolled my eyes. I’m pretty bored of him. But then we got the extended flashback scene, and that was what really made this book special. It was very moving. Although Ross has a gift for farce, I think her subtle development of Miss Julia’s character and emancipation is what really draws me to these books. I do find the stereotypical racist trope of Lillian to be troubling, and almost stopped reading towards the beginning of the series because of it, but Julia’s own gradual dawning of her racist, privileged attitudes, and her work to dismantle them, all in a believable way for a white Southern lady of a certain age, reassured me. I hope the series continues to explore these character arcs, even in the midst of silly, entertaining plots.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up at a used bookstore and thought I’d give it a try.

There is a lot of backstory, but the author does a good job of getting the reader up to speed. There is quite a bit of repetition.

Miss Julia is just an okay character for me. She’s been through some rough things, and her heart is in the right place, but I found it hard at times to immerse myself into her story.

For my liking, there was way too much religion thrown in. I felt that the storyline of whether Miss Julia would run for session wasn’t necessary and just took up space.

There were some truly tender moments between Miss Julia and Little Lloyd that were great. Also, when the preacher’s wife lost her temper. But, the passion party wasn’t needed.

This book is also problematic. I noticed that Tina (of passion party fame) was from a different church, sending a subtle message pitting one religion against another in propriety. And, speech manipulated to manufacture race.

3 stars. I don’t think I’m likely to pick up more from this series.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars. This is one of my favorite books in the Miss Julia series. The plot features Cousin Verne’s obsession to gain control of Little Lloyd’s fortune again, but this isn’t the part I liked so much.

Due to Verne’s devious plans to hurt Hazel Marie, Miss Julia spends a rather large portion of this book reflecting on the first Christmas she spent with Hazel Marie and Little Lloyd. It was during that Christmas that she realized she is truly free to let go of the rigid control her husband had over her life when he was alive, and she also realizes how much she loves her newly found family. The story of that Christmas season sounded a little bit like a retelling of A Christmas Carol and I loved how it was told. It was a perfect story to read right now since it’s almost December.

Back to the storyline about Cousin Verne, I can truly do without hearing anything more about that nasty jerk again. Why he keeps getting brought back into this series I’ll never know.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My library has this listed for the next book club, so I grabbed the title. It reminds me of another series of books I enjoyed from Jan Karon, The Mitford series. It was a pleasant, quick read. I was a bit confused as this is the first book I have read from the series and there were flashbacks. Perhaps if I would have read in the series order, I would have enjoyed it more. I almost quit reading tbh. It was okay, not a book club choice, in my opinion. I did find Julia, the main character, endearing and she made me smile. Her late husband had a child, Little Lloyd, with another woman. He and the mom are now living with Julia. A crazy preacher is trying to claim that a paternity test is needed because he is after the money that has been left for the child. It was hilarious at times. I will try the first book in the series and see if I would enjoy reading the others.