Sue Ellen’s Girl Ain’t Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy: The Belle of All Things Southern Dishes on Men, Money, and Not Losing Your Midlife Mind
By Shellie Rushing Tomlinson
Available: May 3, 2011, (Berkley Trade)
Reviewed by: Rhett DeVane
Author Shellie Rushing Tomlinson understands everything there is to know about Southern Belles, from how they communicate with men and their thoughts on politics, to their intricate skills of social networking and their battle with midlife female angst. Most importantly, she knows the southern secret – that everything tastes better with a healthy dollop of down-home humor – and that’s just what she’s delivered in her latest work, Sue Ellen’s Girl Ain’t Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy.
In this book, Tomlinson explores the time-weathered Belle Doctrine, a knee-slapping set of rules that cover just about every situation, including pesky weight issues, clueless men, and a condition Tomlinson dubs “Raging Inferno Syndrome.” No subject is taboo when the Dixie-bred wit comes out to play. Tucked between the hilarious commentary, the “Official Guide to All Things Southern” explains the intricacies of regional speech and sayings.
Add to the mix quotes from other southern women and a host of scrumptious recipes, and the result is a delightful collection sure to send readers scrambling for tissue to dry the joy tears, then to the kitchen to check for ingredients.
Sue Ellen’s Girl Ain’t Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy provides a respite from a world gone “straight running crazy”: a heavenly glass of cold minted sweet tea sipped on a shady porch with a trusted friend who is sure to deliver smiles.
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