A light hearted and entertaining read offering advice from a Southern womans perspective on how to handle yourself in any situation. ( )

Funny sharp and oh so southern! A no-nonsense approach to relationships with a genteel spin. ( )

Writing as a Southern woman I would say this book does have some good truths and a lot of one liners as inspiration.
Example:
"Mistakes and the lessons they teach are the stepping stones to dreams come true." ( )

I'm going to let you in on a big Southern girl secret.....it's all in the water! Hah! Just kidding, actually according to Ronda Rich, if you are gracious, flirt with everyone, charm the socks off of every man from the youngest to the oldest and make a killer pecan pie, then you know the secret to being a Southern woman......Now, myself, being born in Beaufort, South Carolina which is about as southern as they come, do know that it is about being gracious and kind to everyone and yes somewhat charming. I prefer peach cobbler to pecan pie! There are some gems in Ms. Rich's book such as "Pretty is as pretty does" or "character and spirit are the true beauty of a woman" and my favorite -

" In this life, we have two choices when adversity clouds our skies - to be bitter or to be better. Being bitter will choke the joy from our lives and darken our days spent on earth. Choosing to be better after our troubling experiences, however, will enrich our days and add peace and contentment to our lives."

Southern women know to accept that life is neither a fairy tale nor fair and get on with the task at hand."

Now see that last line is just where I started to have a bit of a problem. Because I do have women family and friends who live all over the country who have met adversity and faced it with a grace unlike any I have ever seen. It is not only women in the South who know how to be graceful under pressure or to be a "steel magnolia" I truly believe it is women all over who have an inner core of strength that defies all logic. Yes, women in the South may flirt a little more, be somewhat more charming, cook with a lot more sugar and turn our tea into syrup but I believe women all over should stick together and not point fingers at each other or say one region is better than another because it can flirt more....that just seems somewhat pompous. I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. There's some good points about being a woman, if you can get past the arrogance.....and I don't even think it is an intended arrogance, but still it comes across to me as being there, and I'm a fellow southerner. ( )

lgpb