Famous in a Small Town by Viola Shipman: Book Review

Famous in a Small Town is the heartfelt story of two women – one octogenarian who runs a small town general store, and the other a school principal visiting the town on vacation. I loved it!

Acknowledgments:

Thank you to my local library for purchasing this ebook.

From The Publisher:

For most of her eighty years, Mary Jackson has endured the steady invasion of tourists, influencers and real estate developers who have discovered the lakeside charm of Good Hart, Michigan, waiting patiently for the arrival of a stranger she’s believed since childhood would one day carry on her legacy—the Very Cherry General Store. Like generations of Jackson women before her, Cherry Mary, as she’s known locally, runs the community hub—part post office, bakery and sandwich shop—and had almost given up hope that the mysterious prediction she’d been told as a girl would come true and the store would have to pass to…a man.

Becky Thatcher came to Good Hart with her ride-or-die BFF to forget that she’s just turned forty with nothing to show for it. Ending up at the general store with Mary is admittedly not the beach vacation she expected, but the more the feisty octogenarian talks about destiny, the stronger Becky’s memories of her own childhood holidays become, and the strange visions over the lake she was never sure were real. As she works under Mary’s wing for the summer and finds she fits into this quirky community of locals, she starts to believe that destiny could be real, and that it might have something very special in mind for Becky…

My Thoughts:

Viola Shipman once again shows his ability to write a great story in Famous in a Small Town. The story is entertaining and meaningful. The characters are well-developed with interesting backstories and are likeable.

Mary Jackson is an eighty-year-old woman who comes from a line of strong women with abusive husbands who worked hard for the success of their Good Hart Michigan small-town general store. She is well-known and respected in her town and visitors for her baking and a world record she set sixty-five years ago.

Becky Thatcher is a school administrator who was expecting her long-term boyfriend to propose but he has no desire to marry. Needing an escape, Becky and her long-time friend decide to take their summer break and visit Good Hart- the scene of happy vacations of her childhood and her sighting of Fata morgana.

These two women develop a relationship that changes both of them forever. The book highlights the importance of friendship, family, survival and respect. The beauty of this area and the small-town vibe of Good Hart are well-described and the reader is easily transported there. Personal growth, romance and deciding what is important to each of us are prominently featured.

I recommend this book to those readers who enjoy General Fiction set in small towns.

Another Book I’ve Reviewed by Viola Shipman:

A Wish For Winter