She declares, “If each of those women is an instrument, that scene is a symphony!”Ģ. Those few minutes manage to showcase the beauty of Southern female friendships and how important beauty shop politics are - and the scene even advances the plot,” Witherspoon says. You realize that scene must have taken three days to shoot - and was worth every second. Even if I could, I’d miss all of the photos.“So much happens in that 11-minute scene (yes, I’ve timed it) that I am always in awe. (Note: The recipes were supposed to be in a pdf attached to the audio book but I couldn’t figure it out. There are just sooo many photos, tutorials and recipes integrated into the book that I think you lose something without them. But that being said, I wouldn’t recommend it if you have a choice. It was light, engaging and easy to follow along. I enjoyed hearing the story read by its author, an actress that I adore for always seeming so sweet and genuine. As woman who was raised in New England and married a man from the south, I feel like I got a glimpse into some of the culture and traditions of my husband’s family.įormat: I first listened to this book on audiobook – as the format was available via instant download from my library when an ebook wasn’t – before reading it in hard copy a month or so later.

I enjoyed the insight into the actress’s life. Most of those vignettes are pretty light, but they really show Witherspoon’s roots. The memoir is told through a variety of vignettes about music and cooking, gardening and decorating, entertaining and family. It’s a fairly short book – just under 300 pages but with tons of photos and recipes that you could easily finish the book in a day or two.

The shaped the woman she has become and the way Witherspoon lives her life today. She, along with other strong women in Witherspoon’s childhood, instilled that southern culture in her, right down to her core. Witherspoon’s grandmother Dorothea was the epitome of southern womanhood. The whiskey represents the more boisterous aspects of southern culture – the music and the fight for fairness. It’s the way southern women follow the Golden Rule – they treat others with grace and respect, just as they would want to be treated. The teacup represents the manners and hospitality that southern are known for. That feisty metaphor describes the Reese Witherspoon in her memoir to a T. “Dorothea always said that it was a combination of beauty and strength that made southern women ‘whiskey in a teacup.’ We may be delicate and ornamental on the outside, she said, but inside we’re strong and fiery.” (page 10)

What Growing Up in the South Taught Me About Life, Love, and Baking Biscuits

Whiskey in the teacup