Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Is As Pretty Does and It's Pretty Worthwhile!!!
Review: In this book, the author stresses repeatedly the art of treating people with kindness, graciousness and good manners. How refreshing! True beauty, she writes, comes from within and radiates toward others and most battles, she points out, are won with a smile rather than harsh words. I'm all for it. I'm tired of a world where many people are quick to criticize and slow to recognize the importance of being polite and civil. Frankly, I like everything about this book because it reflects a return to a period in time when women who were feminine, ladylike creatures were the norm and not the exception. In this gentle approach to life and love, much is won and women triumph repeatedly. Southern women, without a doubt, know much about the art of charm. I have always been in awe of these women --- and I admit more than a little jealous --- but thanks to What Southern Women Know, I now know what they know and I have already begun practicing it with full enthusiasm. Chapters like "Pretty Is As Pretty Does," "Charm That Disarms" and "It's More Than The Drawl, Y'all" are well worth the price of the book. The other chapters are absolute bonuses.
Rating: 
Summary: As shallow as a swimmin' hole in a drought
Review: What a shallow book about shallow people. The "Southern" women described here are actually found all over this country. Any woman, from Minneapolis to San Diego to Providence, who plasters her face, curls her hair, and wears frilly clothes to appease men so that she can achieve "more with honey than with vinegar" is wasting her time and setting a bad example for her fellow women. This Scarlett O'Hara act works on some men, but guess what, most men aren't that stupid. They'll end up respecting her for: her makeup, her hair, her clothes, and the off-chance that she'll be their lover. How about being respected for doing the job correctly and on time? How about being respected for what's in your noggin, and not how silky your legs are? How about Melanie Wilkes rather than Scarlett? If you want to read about true Southern women, read about them in works by Maya Angelou or Alice Walker...those slaves and daughters of slaves are the women who made it possible for the Scarletts and Melanies to exist.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet little gem
Review: I recently read this book and savored every bit of it!!! I love it! Ronda has some really wonderful tips I am looking forward to using. This book made me feel right at home and brings back so many memories I'm ready to go back! She gives you step by step tips that I love. Use a highlighter, mark the pages and come back to them for inspiration! I couldn't since I borrowed it from the library but when I have my very own copy I will! You have to read this book. It's impossible to describe just how sweet and special it is. It's for all us sweet and sexy girls in the world that just want to be happy and have fun! You have to read it for yourself. She shares so many secrets you'll want to keep them all to yourself! Ronda made me share! ;)
Rating:
Summary: LEARNING WHILE LAUGHING!!!
Review: I saw Ronda Rich on the television show, The Other Half, and I was so taken with her wit and common sense advice that I went straight to my laptop and ordered a copy of this book. I was not disappointed! What a wonderful treat. What Southern Women Know had me rolling in the floor with laughter when I read some passages then thinking seriously when I read other passages. I always think that if you walk away from a book with one thing that sticks with you, then your time has been well served. With this book, I walked away with several but the one thing that struck me hard was when she said that we should learn everything we can from our mothers because when they die, that knowledge dies with them and it's lost forever. I finished the book, called my mother and asked, "Why don't I come over tonight and you teach me how to make your secret cheesecake recipe?"
Do yourself a favor --- treat yourself to this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Survival Guide For Yankees Living In The South!
Review: This book saved me from going crazy! I am a woman proudly born and raised in New Jersey but found myself in Atlanta after my husband's company tranferred him South. From the beginning, it was obvious that I didn't have a clue to understanding Southern women. I was sinking fast and, honestly, was quite miserable. Then someone kindly recommended this book. I read it and the door to understanding was cast wide open. It didn't change me into a southern woman but it helped me to understand that their friendliness and hospitality is genuine and a way of life for them. I now know that make-up is also a way of life for them. I wish I had had this book a year sooner but, nonetheless, I'm glad I found it and the mysteries of Southern life were solved for me. My husband is even happier and has offered to write a thank you note to the author for making his life easier since I'm happier and more content now!While I won't ever be a true Southern woman, I found that this book has a lot of good advice for women of any region. "Choose Your Battles Carefully" is a well written, thoughtful chapter on the importance of fighting only when it's critical. Otherwise, don't waste your time. "Pretty Is As Pretty Does" was one of my favorites. The author is so right when she says that beauty comes from the inside and the courtesy with which we treat others is the truest sign of beauty as well as the most important. True southern women, the book says, treats people with kindness and refrains from rudeness and unfair attacks. That is an universal message that we can all benefit from practicing. I laughed, I learned and, most importantly for me, many times I said, "Aha! Now I understand!" For the many non-southern women who have found themselves living among this unique breed of women, this book is a must. For southern women, it must surely be a celebration of who they are and one they would enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: This Is What I Love About The South!!!
Review: I am a southern woman to the core and I love this book! ... Suddenly, our region is filled with as many non-Southerners as it is with Southeners. As a result it is increasingly hard to keep our traditions and cultures completely intact. ... I am thankful that Ronda Rich took the time to sit down and write a book that reflects the beauty of the South and our women. A land of women who write thank you notes, bake casseroles for those who are ailing and who know that charm and hospitality are the essence of kindness. If you are a true southern woman in your heart and your mama raised you to be lovely, charming and thoughtful, this book is for you. If you're looking to celebrate the greatness of a culture that is interesting and intriguing, this book is for you. If you need a good laugh, you'll get it when you read about the author's Cousin Wilma and an array of other characters who are eccentric, funny but heart warming. This book beginning with the chapter called "It's More Than The Drawl, Y'all" delights, entertains and inspires. The author reminds us of a southern woman's persistence and never-give-up attitude coated with sugar and a bit of spice. I'm proud to be one of these women and I, for one, hope that a sequel is soon to come. For those who have been a bit envious of southern women and their allure and never understood it, read this book! But especially for southern women who want to celebrate their inheritance of graciousness and femininity, you cannot miss out on this sparkling gem.
Rating:
Summary: What Southern Women....... ad nauseum= 1 star minus
Review: I have never thrown a new book away without passing it
or donating it, but this book, honestly, was so thick w/
sticky, goopy syrup that I did not want anyone else to
muss their hands. Ms. Rich is an insult to the southern
woman and I do hope that no one thinks the average
southern woman could possibly be that phony. She needs
to pour that syrup into a jar and sell it and not try and pour
it between pages. As a true southern belle, I am absolutely
appalled and insulted w/ Ms. Rich's interpretation of a southern woman?!!
Rating:
Summary: New England women grateful to Ronda
Review: My sister and I have bridged the generation gap, we now know how to talk to our grandmothers, mothers and daughters, so we are heard. This isn't hurting at work, either, since I work for a Texas owned company, and feminine ways are working wonders.
Rating:
Summary: What Southern Women Know
Review: Wonderfully written, charming, and witty. I loved it. Being stuck up here in the north and being a "daughter of the south" it was so wonderful to read this book. I also purchased the tapes and listen to them every morning on my way to work. It reaffirms the way I was brought up. I had started to forget that I was brought up to be a "lady". Ms. Rich's book snapped me back to attention. It's okay to be feminine! It's like having a little piece of the south with me all the time. Thank you for writing this book. It's one I know I will read over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: Charming and Fun!!!
Review: I have fallen completely in love with this book! And to think I only discovered it after finding it on a couple of lists by Amazon customers! How in the world did I miss this book before? Happily, though, I have now found it and have pledged complete allegiance to its words of wisdom. Having been raised by a southern mother in a land north of the Deep South, I always thought I was just odd because I didn't completely fit in. Then, I read What Southern Women Know and it was like holding a mirror up to my face. This is me!!! Ronda Rich is a talented storyteller who doesn't hesitate to poke fun at herself or to tease the reader with tongue-in-cheek remarks about the power of short skirts. The message that resonates throughout this book is one of charm, graciousness, kindness and femininity. My favorite chapter --- although it's so hard to pick --- is Pretty Is As Pretty Does. She writes that true beauty comes from within, from a heart willing to love others and shower them with thoughtfulness. She stresses the importance of thank you notes which brings me to say this, "Thank you, Ms. Rich, for writing a delightful book that reminds all of us that southern or not, femininity is still a woman's greatest asset." I enjoyed this book so much that I am getting ready to order her new one, My Life In The Pits. Is it possible that she can equal the greatness of What Southern Women Know? I certainly hope so. I want to enjoy another book as much as I enjoyed her first.
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