Famous in a Small Town is another Viola Shipman awe inspiring story where empowered women learn that self-discovery can happen at any age. It tells the story of generations in one family which is made up of mostly women and how they cope with the men in their lives who want to disrespect them. It follows another young woman’s journey on her own road to finding out where she belongs and shows the intersection of these people and the joy, they all bring to each other when they find themselves and each other.
Mary Johnson is now 80 years old. She owns the Very Cherry General Store in a small town in Michigan which does much more than sell cherries. She is quite famous in her own right for winning the cherry spitting contest years ago, a feat no one has yet to break. The store has been run by the women in her family for years and she is the only woman left as she had a son and now has a grown grandson. Mary worries what will happen to the store and her legacy.
Mary’s life was not easy. She had an abusive, alcoholic husband who she feared. She had two best friends, one who let her down years ago and she no longer speaks to. But Mary has a good heart and years ago had a vision that someone would come along and take care of the store to keep the legacy going. And at Mary’s age she feels perhaps this really is the end of the line.
But Mary has not yet met school administrator, Becky Thatcher, yes that is her name, who at the beginning of the summer broke up with her long-time boyfriend who really never treated her as an equal and usually lived off Becky’s money, who seems to have decided he likes this arrangement and doesn’t want to get married. Her parents seem to like him more than her and insists he stay part of the family.
She also has realized she perhaps chose the wrong profession. Her parents, who have never, ever thought outside the box always told her women worked as a teacher, got married and had children. Well, Becky realizes that shipped has sailed and decides she needs to come up with a new plan. Of course, her parents are horrified. She wishes she could be more like her grandparents who lived for adventures and lived life to the fullest! So, Becky and her best friend Q decide to go on a road trip to be with just each other, no men, no family and everything spontaneous.
But when Becky accidentally meets Mary, some kind of magic happens to each of them. They seem like old souls who were always meant to know each other. Becky not only is drawn to the town and the store, but she seems to have the same knack as Mary for spitting those cherry pits pretty far.
With the help of Mary’s grandson who has come for a visit, they all work together to not only help Mary at the store but prepare for a very special anniversary faire for the annual cherry pit spitters. As they all begin to understand each other and help each other find out what they are really missing in life, the bond they all have grows stronger and Becky realizes THIS is the life she has always wanted. But can this woman who has never done anything uncalculated in her life just up and move and work harder than she ever has for herself and nobody else?
She feels this is where she belongs, but just doesn’t know why just yet. But with the help of these strangers, now family she discovers the vision of who she wants to be lies in this small town in this store and with these people.
Famous in a Small Town is a delightful story with lovable characters, beautifully strong women inside and out with their grace and stubbornness which only makes them able to endure all that is thrown their way.
“[A] charming coastal tale.”—KATIE COURIC MEDIA
“Fans of nostalgic small-town charm and quirky characters will love Viola Shipman’s latest book for summer.”
—READER’S DIGEST, Best Summer Books 2023
“Famous in a Small Town is a beautiful reminder to…fully embrace the magic that lives inside you.”
—Heather Webber, USA Today bestselling author of Midnight at the Blackbird Café
VIOLA SHIPMAN is the pen name for internationally bestselling LGBTQIA author Wade Rouse. Wade is the author of fifteen books, which have been translated into 21 languages and sold over a million copies around the world. Wade chose his grandmother’s name, Viola Shipman, as a pen name to honor the working poor Ozarks seamstress whose sacrifices changed his family’s life and whose memory inspires his fiction.
Wade’s books have been selected multiple times as Must-Reads by NBC’s Today Show, Michigan Notable Books of the Year and Indie Next Picks. He lives in Michigan and California, and hosts Wine & Words with Wade, A Literary Happy Hour, every Thursday.
Twitter: @Viola_Shipman
Facebook: Author Viola Shipman
Instagram: @Viola_Shipman
Thank you #NetGalley #GraydonHouse #FamousinaSmallTown #ViolaShipman for the advanced copy. You can pick up a copy now at the cites below:
HarperCollins: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/famous-in-a-small-town-viola-shipman?variant=40980279459874
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/famous-in-a-small-town-viola-shipman/1142722523
BookShop: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-champion-of-good-hart-viola-shipman/18794129?ean=9781525804854
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1525804855/keywords=fiction?tag=harpercollinsus-20
Lisa's Cubby 