Book Review: ‘Famous In A Small Town: A Novel’ By Viola Shipman

Mary Jackson is 80 years old and runs the Very Cherry General store and post office, in the small town of Good Hart, Michigan, on Lake Michigan. She’s a local celebrity for winning a cherry spitting contest when she was a kid. She has a son, and grandson, who don’t seem interested in keeping the family store going. Mary has been told one day a woman will appear here, and she will take over the business. Becky Thatcher lives in St. Louis, is 40, a teacher, and it’s her birthday, and last day of school. Her longtime boyfriend shows up, and she hopes he will ask her to marry him. No such luck, he even tells her he doesn’t want to get married. Becky finally figures out it’s not worth being with him, dumps him, and takes off with her best friend, for a month’s vacation in Good Hart. She meets Mary, and their lives will never be the same, as Mary thinks she’s the one that has been destined to come to her. This is a perfect, character-driven novel, that shows how you can change your life at anytime, put the past and fears behind you. It’s a story you want to keep reading. Author Viola Shipman never disappoints.

You can pick up Famous In A Small Town in stores on Tuesday, June 13th from Graydon House.