Etta
Mae Wiggins has had a hard life. She was born into a poor
family, has had two failed marriages; men love to ogle and
proposition her, and women generally don't like her. She works
as a home care nurse, and has genuinely become fond of one
of her patients, a Mr. Howard Connard, Senior. Mr. Connard
is recovering from a stroke, and is many years older than
Etta Mae, but he sure has the hots for her and they want to
be married.
Trouble
comes to Abbotsville in many forms, most of them aimed at
Etta Mae. Etta Mae's employer and friend, Lurline, is bossy
and doesn't want Etta Mae to marry the old man. She calls
Mr. Connard's son, who arrives in town with his wife and a
plan to move his father to a nursing home in Raleigh. Etta
Mae is beside herself, but decides to act fast and be married
within a day. Then, her ex-husband (one of them) Skip, shows
up with thugs on his trail, bringing problems to her life
as usual. Things go from bad worse, but Etta Mae has a good
heart and good intentions and it seems like she may just improve
her life after all. Or will she?
This
was a delightful book, full of hilarious situations and likable
characters. It was fun to read about Abbotsville from a different
perspective than the genteel Miss Julia's. I adore the Miss
Julia series, and think it was absolutely brilliant of Ann
B. Ross to write about Etta Mae's life in town.
The Southern
charm Etta Mae displays, and the small-town values also make
this a great read. I highly recommend it on its own or as
a companion to the Miss Julia books. You don't need to read
one to understand the other, but the books compliment each
other well.
Reviews
for Ann B Ross' Miss Julia Series
Miss
Julia Throws a Wedding #3 [audio]
Miss
Julia Meets Her Match #5 [audio]
|
