Miss Hildreth Wore Brown: Anecdotes of a Southern Belle

By Olivia Byrd

While Olivia deBelle Byrd was repeating one of her many Southern stories for the umpteenth time, her long-suffering husband looked at her with glazed over eyes and said,“Why don’t you write this stuff down?” Thus was born Miss Hildreth Wore Brown—Anecdotes of a Southern Belle. If the genesis for a book is to shut your wife up, I guess that’s as good as any.  On top of that, Olivia’s mother had burdened her with one of those Southern middle names kids love to make fun.  To see “deBelle” printed on the front of a book seemed vindication for all the childhood teasing.  With storytelling written in the finest Southern tradition from the soap operas of Chandler Street in the quaint town of Gainesville, Georgia, to a country store on the Alabama state line, Oliviade Belle Byrd delves with wit and amusement into the world of the Deep South with all its unique idiosyncrasies and colloquialisms.  The characters who dance across the pages range from Great-Aunt LottieMae, who is as “old-fashioned and opinionated as the day is long,” to Mrs. Brewton, who calls everyone “dahling” whether they are darling or not, to Isabella with her penchant for mint juleps and drama.  Humorous anecdotes from a Christmas coffee, where one can converse with a lady who has Christmas trees with blinking lights dangling from her ears, to Sunday church,where a mink coat is mistaken for possum, will delight Southerners and baffle many a non-Southerner. There is the proverbial Southern beauty pageant, where even a six-month-old can win a tiara, to a funeral faux pas of the iron clad Southern rule—one never wears white after Labor Day and, dear gussy, most certainly not to a funeral.  Miss Hildreth Wore Brown—Anecdotes of a Southern Belle is guaranteed to provide an afternoon of laugh-out-loud reading and hilarious enjoyment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
• Release date: May 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781600379147

Reviews for Miss Hildreth Wore Brown

[literarychanteuse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Delightful and entertaining would be the definition of this book if it was in the dictionary. I laughed and often out loud while reading this. It is witty, heartfelt and honest. A short but sweet read that us non southern belles could learn a lesson or two from.

[vickiln · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a collection of short stories and every one of them made me laugh out loud, chuckle or say “yep”. I’ve heard many of the southern phrases and the book had a familiar, comfy feel to it.This is the second time I’ve read this book and it was just as funny as the first time. The author has a way with words and knows the south very well. I wouldn’t even know how to pick a favorite story, the are all my favorites. I plan on keeping this book nearby so that I can pick it up and read a random chapter whenever I need to lighten my mood.Anyone who is looking for a light, feel good read would like this, and I recommend you get a copy.

[elysianfield_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars

I’ve never laughed so hard while reading! This was absolutely hilarious! The book contains 41 short stories about childhood, motherhood and life in general in the South. I loved the writing style which was very down to earth.

My favorite was Directionally Challenged. I can totally relate! I have no idea which way to held a map and can’t for the life of me to tell which way if North and which South.

I truly recommend this if you want to read something light and funny. Quaranteed to give you good laugh!

[cmash_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

MISS HILDRETH WORE BROWN by Olivia deBelle ByrdPublished by Morgan James PublishingISBN 978-1-60037-748-8I originally won this book from My Reader's Block blog and then at the request of the author, was asked to read, review and offer my honest opinion. There was no cost to me and/or no monetary compensation. Synopsis: While Olivia deBelle Byrd was repeating one of her many Southern stories for the umpteenth time, her long-suffering husband looked at her with glazed over eyes and said, “Why don’t you write this stuff down?” Thus was born Miss Hildreth Wore Brown—Anecdotes of a Southern Belle. If the genesis for a book is to shut your wife up, I guess that’s as good as any. On top of that, Olivia’s mother had burdened her with one of those Southern middle names kids love to make fun. To see “deBelle” printed on the front of a book seemed vindication for all the childhood teasing. With storytelling written in the finest Southern tradition from the soap operas of Chandler Street in the quaint town of Gainesville, Georgia, to a country store on the Alabama state line, Olivia deBelle Byrd delves with wit and amusement into the world of the Deep South with all its unique idiosyncrasies and colloquialisms. The characters who dance across the pages range from Great-Aunt Lottie Mae, who is as “old-fashioned and opinionated as the day is long,” to Mrs. Brewton, who calls everyone “dahling” whether they are darling or not, to Isabella with her penchant for mint juleps and drama. Humorous anecdotes from a Christmas coffee, where one can converse with a lady who has Christmas trees with blinking lights dangling from her ears, to Sunday church, where a mink coat is mistaken for possum, will delight Southerners and baffle many a non-Southerner. There is the proverbial Southern beauty pageant, where even a six-month-old can win a tiara, to a funeral faux pas of the iron clad Southern rule—one never wears white after Labor Day and, dear gussy, most certainly not to a funeral. Miss Hildreth Wore Brown—Anecdotes of a Southern Belle is guaranteed to provide an afternoon of laugh-out-loud reading and hilarious enjoyment. My Thoughts and Opinion: A very light hearted, quick, funny, and at times, laugh out loud chapters read. The writing style of the author allows the reader to actually visualize the scene and gives the feeling of the author and reader engaged in a dialogue. Short chapters touching upon topics, in my opinion, everyone can relate to in some way. Her sense of humor and the way she relates events from funerals to family vacations, emergency room visits to Christmas attire is hysterical. A must read and a perfect gift for those "just because occasions"!!!! My Rating: 4Addendum: Olivia deBelle Byrd will be visiting here on April 14th while on tour. So mark your calendars!!! She also has a surprise in store for you!!

[carolee888 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a light and humorous read. Olivia deBelle Byrd tells story seen through the eyes of a Southern Belle. Each story is very short so it would be an ideal book to keep in your purse when you need to wait. That would keep your spirits up and make you feel like a friend was chatting away along side you.Some things that I noticed that she says are Southern customs were the same ones that I grew up with in the Midwest. Writing thank you notes is the courteous thing to do and should not be forgotten. I laughed when she said that her daughter was writting thank notes for the gifts in advance. That was, before she even had a boyfriend. That reminded me of when I wrote thank you notes for the wedding gifts for about an hour of each day of our honeymoon.When in New York, she hung her purse on the back of the chair. A waiter came up to her and told her that she might as well be putting a sign on it that says "steal me". I remember long ago, when our family went to the New York World's Fair, my father laid his money down to buy something. A man scolded him and told him never to do that in New York. So this book will also spark memories for you if you are from the South or the Midwest.I recommend this slim volume of humor to anyone who is from the South or Midwest or just wants a laugh.

[susanheim · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a treat of a book! I feel like I just sat on the porch with a friend laughing our way through stories. I really like Southern humor in this style, just gentle stories that find the humor in every day events. It reminds me a little bit of one of my favorite comediennes, Jeanne Robertson, another Southern humorist, and takes me back to the columns in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution of Lewis Grizzard and Celestine Sibley. In this collection of essays, Olivia deBelle Byrd takes us through every stage of life. Her opening lines give a taste of what the book is like, "I got exactly two spankings growing up. That's one more than my daughter and 3,254 less than my son." Olivia tells tales of child-rearing and church going and shopping and hair - themes that every women will relate to, not just those raised in the South. All of the stories were great but I think she's at her best telling stories about her family. It's obvious that she loves them but everyone feels this way sometimes..."The only reason I've refrained from killing my husband is I really don't want to wear orange for the rest of my life." For anyone who's mother ever watched As The World Turns or nudged (nagged!) them about writing thank you notes, this book will have you laughing.

[kraaivrouw · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've been blogging about books long enough that I get approached by lots of different sources for reviews. I accept self-published and small press books, but I am very picky about them. I had too many experiences when I first started blogging of people sending me their self-published masterpiece and it turning out to be completely unreadable. I've had the opportunity to review other self-published and small press books since and have found many of them to be absolutely worth my time.Ms. Olivia deBelle Byrd sent me a lovely email about her book. Since I am also a Southern belle, although a different kind than Olivia, I said I'd read her book. Even though I live in Berkeley, I miss many things about home including meat and three, and my Uncle Jim's stories and hog jokes. I've never met anyone who grew up in the South who couldn't tell a great story. It's the rhythm of speech, the turn of phrase, and the ability to revel in the sheer silliness of it all that makes Southern stories so fun.Ms. Byrd sent me a copy of her book and we agreed on a review date. My new place doesn't have on-site laundry, but in all other ways is just about perfect. This lack of on-site laundry requires a trip to the laundromat, in my case the Central Laundrette (chosen due to proximity, but also because it made think immediately of My Beautiful Laundrette a great little movie with Daniel Day Lewis at his very beginnings). The Central Laundrette is pretty old-fashioned (no wi-fi or other fancy trappings), but it's clean, they chase out the crazies, and they have two 1940's era washing machines filled with geraniums out front.The good thing about laundromats is that you can do oodles of laundry in about an hour, you get to people watch, and it allows a space for relatively uninterrupted reading. This was the perfect book for that adventure.Miss Hildreth (I feel I can be familiar with her given all I know) is a slim book of anecdotes and funny stories about what it's like to be a Southern belle. Lest you think we're all prissy and stuck-up let me assure you that most of us have a lot more Scarlett O'Hara and Maggie the Cat in us than Melanie Wilkes. Ms. Byrd's book amply demonstrates that with tales of funerals, neighbors, and all the things that make up Southern life. Kind of like a Southern Erma Bombeck, Ms. Byrd will make you laugh out loud. A sweet, funny, enjoyable read. Perfect for the laundromat.

[chaoticeclipse · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’ve never laughed so hard while reading! This was absolutely hilarious! The book contains 41 short stories about childhood, motherhood and life in general in the South. I loved the writing style which was very down to earth.My favorite was Directionally Challenged. I can totally relate! I have no idea which way to held a map and can’t for the life of me to tell which way if North and which South.I truly recommend this if you want to read something light and funny. Quaranteed to give you good laugh!