Helpful Score: 4
I cannot believe how disappointed I was in this book! I love the Miss Julia book and the Mitford books. (I'm a small town girl, so naturally,I'm a sucker for small town books.) And Ann Ross did give the book a good review, so I was eager.
And I was let down. The title sounded so promising, but the actual waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly was only a minor note in the story. It was filled with the requisite quirky characters, but they were too quirky, too over the top. And the romances that were woven into the story were so pitiful, I wanted to cry. There was no subtlety and very little falling in love, only a lot of (disturbing) discriptions of intercourse. *shudder*
Worst of all, I just didn't care about the book. I didn't care who fell in love, got married, or how Mr. Choppy lost his finger. I just wanted the book to end.
So, I had to ask myself: how do you rate a book that you didn't even care enough about to give an F? (For me to give a book an F, I have to have hated it with a passion.)
I give it a D- Very Dull
And I was let down. The title sounded so promising, but the actual waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly was only a minor note in the story. It was filled with the requisite quirky characters, but they were too quirky, too over the top. And the romances that were woven into the story were so pitiful, I wanted to cry. There was no subtlety and very little falling in love, only a lot of (disturbing) discriptions of intercourse. *shudder*
Worst of all, I just didn't care about the book. I didn't care who fell in love, got married, or how Mr. Choppy lost his finger. I just wanted the book to end.
So, I had to ask myself: how do you rate a book that you didn't even care enough about to give an F? (For me to give a book an F, I have to have hated it with a passion.)
I give it a D- Very Dull
Helpful Score: 3
For generations, the Piggly Wiggly has been the hub of Second Creeks community. Now, thanks to the new MegaMart, the Piggly Wigglys owner may be forced to shut down this small-town landmark. Determined to keep her favorite market open, Laurie Lepanto crafts a schemewith some wonderfully unexpected consequences.
Laurie enlists her fellow Nitwitts, a formidable array of the towns most influential ladies. The Nitwitts are widows of a certain ageand they love to gossip, down Bloody Marys, and remain true to their Piggly Wiggly. Enlisting the help of handsome widower and former ballroom dancer Powell Hampton, they have the ladies of Second Creek fox-trotting and tangoing back into its aisles in no timewhile the salesclerks take care of their shopping. What was meant to be a desperate call to action has become the towns most festive event. But its Laurie whos thrown for a whirl when this civic renewal project sparks an unpredictable romance, giving her what may be the best deal shes ever gotten at the Piggly Wiggly
I have to admit that Im a sucker for good southern fictionbut this was awful. This is obviously the authors first piece of work. It came across as very amateurish. The other stand out was his inability to write from a womans perspective. When your leading character is a woman you should be able to do that.
Laurie enlists her fellow Nitwitts, a formidable array of the towns most influential ladies. The Nitwitts are widows of a certain ageand they love to gossip, down Bloody Marys, and remain true to their Piggly Wiggly. Enlisting the help of handsome widower and former ballroom dancer Powell Hampton, they have the ladies of Second Creek fox-trotting and tangoing back into its aisles in no timewhile the salesclerks take care of their shopping. What was meant to be a desperate call to action has become the towns most festive event. But its Laurie whos thrown for a whirl when this civic renewal project sparks an unpredictable romance, giving her what may be the best deal shes ever gotten at the Piggly Wiggly
I have to admit that Im a sucker for good southern fictionbut this was awful. This is obviously the authors first piece of work. It came across as very amateurish. The other stand out was his inability to write from a womans perspective. When your leading character is a woman you should be able to do that.
Helpful Score: 1
Cute. Reminded me of Fannie Flagg's books.
Enjoyed it. Probably of more interest to older readers . . . fans of the Miss Julia series or Haywood Smith novels.
Helpful Score: 1
I bought the book at a book signing a couple of years ago because he is a MS writer and I wanted to support MS talent. I just got around to reading it this week and really enjoyed it. It is light reading but has a cute plot and does give a glance into life in a small southern town where the people are trying to compete with the mega stores (no name mentioned) trying to keep a simple life. Loved it!
