Review: Southern Lady Code by Helen Ellis

This audiobook was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Helen Ellis has a mantra: "If you don't have something nice to say, say something not-so-nice in a nice way." Say "weathered" instead of "she looks like a cake left out in the rain." Say "early-developed" instead of "brace face and B cups." And for the love of Coke Salad, always say "Sorry you saw something that offended you" instead of "Get that stick out of your butt, Miss Prissy Pants." In these twenty-three raucous essays Ellis transforms herself into a dominatrix Donna Reed to save her marriage, inadvertently steals a $795 Burberry trench coat, witnesses a man fake his own death at a party, avoids a neck lift, and finds a black-tie gown that gives her the confidence of a drag queen. While she may have left her home in Alabama, married a New Yorker, forgotten how to drive, and abandoned the puffy headbands of her youth, Helen Ellis is clinging to her Southern accent like mayonnaise to white bread, and offering readers a hilarious, completely singular view on womanhood for both sides of the Mason-Dixon.

Review: I read and enjoyed Helen Ellis's American Housewife last year and so I was excited when I heard that she had a new collection of essays coming out. If you enjoyed her last collection then you will be pleased to hear that this one is slightly less dark than its predecessor, but not less funny. 

I chose to do this one on audiobook having enjoyed the paperback of American Housewife and it was read by the author-what a treat! I love that Helen read this herself because she could really put the emphasis in the right places where she meant to be humorous and where she meant to be serious. Her anecdotes and personal stories sounded so great when actually read out by her so I can definitely recommend the audio in this case!

The stories are varied, this writer really does cover everything in a relatively short space of time and so there is something for everyone here. I could relate to some but not all of the essays and some were real eye openers for me, someone who hasn't travelled to the south or encountered too many ladies from that neck of the woods. I loved the story about the trench coat and definitely appreciated hearing about the etiquette of thank you notes. 

I laughed my way through this one on a flight between London and Denver and so where ever you are in the world I am sure that you will find Helen Ellis's Southern Lady Code just as amusing as me!

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