Talk of the Town

Rating 4.5If I had only read the first 3 or 4 chapters, I would have missed out on a good book. I was ready to quit after the first few chapters due to Miss Wingate's use of phonetic Texas dialogue that read more like hillbilly talk (think of the Clampets) and the same for the main character's boss who was eastern European (think Zsa Zsa Gabor). It seemed to stop though after about the 4th chapter (thank goodness). Mandalay Florentino (nicknamed Amanda Lee by the towns folk) is a assistant on th [...]

Normally I enjoy 1800's westerns, or older British storylines, so this was sort of a recess. Not a bad recessjust different.The story has two voices: Mandalay Florentino, a music executive of sorts, who works for an American Idol sort of singing competition. andImagene Doll, an Aunt Bea sort of character, who is a sweet older woman who ends up to be quite helpful to Mandalay.The story is all about a small town sweet Christian girl who is making it to the top 5 where she will have her hometown vi [...]

I was unexpectedly charmed. The book is a romance, without it being an obvious romance. In fact, it's more seemingly about friendship, small towns, and the fish out of water -- but it's got kind of a romantic comedy vibe to it. The two POVs are the heroine's and another female character's. The heroine, Mandalay, is from L.A and she's in a small town because as a producer in a reality TV show much like American Idol, she's supposed to do a piece about one of the contestant's hometown and childhoo [...]

It took a while--three tries actually-- but I finally got into this book and enjoyed a great part of it.I have to admit the topic, American Megastar, just wasn't really something that I was intrested in. But I do really enjoy the way that Lisa Wingate puts a story together. In this novel the only problem for me was to read enough to get into the story and appreciate the characters which the author does superbly. She was able to create a town that had people I would love to know. No one was perfe [...]

Talk of the Town ended up being completely different from what I expected. I expected a romance novel, but I got a story of friendship with romance thrown in for good measure. The story takes place in a small town of Daily, Texas, completely run down and very sad. But the town gets its second chance, when one of their own gets into top 5 in American Idol type of program. The story is told from the point of view of two women. One is Mandalay, the producer of the show who is tasked with top secret [...]

Very cute story- I'd give it more of a 3.5 than a flat 3 if there was an option. I got 'Talk of the Town' as a free Kindle book back in Feb. and it finally made it's way to the top of the "To be Read' list- now I'm kicking myself for not reading it earlier. The story is told from 2 viewpoints, one being Mandalay Florentino, associate producer of an American Idol like TV show, who has come to small town Daily, Texas to set up a remote shoot the show will be using to spotlight young Amber Anderson [...]

Really loved the quirky characters and homespun warmth of Daily, a small, Southern town in Texas. Completely drawn in by toe-curling romance. Laughed out loud at sounds-like-me moments. I can't wait to read the rest of Wingate's Texas Hill Country novels. Loved the beautiful picture she painted of God's sovereign hand over all the details and situations of our lives—despite our mistakes, course correcting to come full circle to become the truest self we were always meant to be.

"Talk of the Town" by Lisa Wingate was a different type novel for me by an author that I have never read before, it was a little slow at first but the deeper I got into the story the better it became. There were many different characters that made for one very wild story. You have your big city girl meets small town grandmother, and the Lord begins to take everything into His hands to make a miracle out of a mess. The beginning was kind of a bumpy road, slow but not to the point that I felt the [...]

This author can write so well even in different styles. The first series I read of hers, had more of a suspenseful edge, but this book, which is the first book in another series had me laughing my head off! I loved it, and now am going on to the second book!

Predictable, but humorous and entertaining. I loved the small town characters. Clean enough to recommend to friends and family.

I had read the 2nd book in this series by Lisa Wingate a long time ago (Word Gets Around) and I had enjoyed it. Enough that when I saw this first book I decided to give it a read. They can be read in any order as the plots are separate from one another, so that didn't make any difference to my enjoyment of this one. What did make a difference was the fact that this one was almost excruciating to get through.Mandalay Florentino is a producer from California who has landed in Daily, TX as part of [...]

I hadn't read any of Lisa Wingate's books before, but I'm a sucker for a romantic comedy, so I thought I'd give it a try. Overall, it's a well-written, engaging, and inspirational story. I'd recommend it to anyone who's looking for a positive and lighthearted read.Set in the small town of Daily, Texas, Talk of the Town is filled with memorable and varied characters. Daily's the kind of place that we all secretly wish we could live - a small, rural town where everybody knows and looks out for eve [...]

This was a fun, lively women's fiction read with a nice romance. Heroine works for an American-Idol-esque reality show and has been sent to prep for the "Visit Home" show for one of the contestants who is a small-town Texas gospel singer nobody believes is real. The heroine is trying to keep the purpose of her visit a secret--which, given that she's come to a small Texas town, is pretty much impossible. Why else would a sleek stranger from California come to town? The other main character of the [...]

What a wonderful book by Lisa Wingate and an excellent narration by Johanna Parker!Things I loved:1) Small town charm of Daily, Texas with extra quirky characters like Imagene Doll and Donetta.2) Johanna Parker's voice repertoire - old voice of Imagene Doll, voice of Amber with a Texas drawl, high pitched voice of Donetta with Texas twang, Swedish voice of Ursula, old drunken voice of Verl.3) Imagene Doll's use of animal/farm metaphors - "happy as pig in poop", "they will be all over you like st [...]

This was a Kindle freebie I thought I'd try out. I gave this book two stars because it was just okay. There really wasn't anything all that special about it as it was extremely predictable from start to finish. If you're looking for a rosy-colored perfect happy ending then this is it. I won't really spoil too much by saying there is one point in the book where two of the main characters get in a tiff, but at no point did I ever doubt they would make right up and "ride off into the sunset." I did [...]

Lisa Wingate is an author whose dialog and knowledge of Texas makes you hear the drawl in your head while you read. Her Texan on-dits are charming and funnier than a black bear being chased by a bunny rabbit! I do not care much for the way she alternates the story between two characters in order to tell the story, as it left me restless, but by about 4 or 6 chapters I was resigned to it and it stopped being so irritating. However, I must exclaim over the younger heroine's opportunity to tell the [...]

I truly enjoyed this book. I listened to it on tape and I found that a delightful way to "hear" the southern accents and get a feel for the characters. I love Lisa's way of intertwining stories of women of differing ages and stages in life. This book told the story of a up and coming producer of a reality TV show and the women in a small southern town in Texas. Several times I didn't see any obvious ending (which is a plus) but there were times, the next turn was obvious. Some characters were us [...]

I really enjoyed this book. I listened to the book on CD. It had me laughing a lot. The characters were so fun and likable. The narrator, Johanna Parker, was wonderful. She brought this book to a ever higher level with her voice talent. I look forward to reading more books by Lisa Wingate. I love her sense of humor and down to earth , real life writing.

This book lacked pace and was at times a tedious read. After a very slow start, it finally became into it's own in the last few chapters. If you're prepared to plod through most of the book, it does have a satisfactory conclusion.

Love the main characters, although the voice of some characters grated on my nerves, I have to admit I have heard some people exactly like them. Lisa Wingate draws me in with her great inspiration, mixed with romance. No preaching. No too holy to be real characters. Honest, good and well written.

Pleasant read, will read next in series & author again. No language, sex, or gore. Christian-based. Recommended.

Lisa Wingate is an excellent author. Easy to read and keeps you interested. Have several of her books I plan to read

A sweet, charming romance.

I loved this novel I fell in love with it with the first sentence referencing Casablanca, which is one of my favorite movies. Then calling the town Mayberry and referencing the characters that live there, and Bonanza? That was cute and charming. I also liked how this book alternated between Mandalay, a producer for an American Idol-ish show, and Imagene (one letter away from imagine), an older widow who realizes that she needs to start living her life again. And romance was THE SIDE PLOT. The ma [...]

After fumbling around the first few chapters, I finally got sucked in, and I'm so glad that I did. Lisa's use of humor and comically awkward circumstances had me giggling through a wonderful story in a town I'd love to visit. Mandalay is a great character who gets caught up in the vapid world she operates in, but falls in love with simple goodness while on assignment. Imagene has lost her passion for life, but finally allows herself to feel joy again. I love the friendship that developed between [...]

I downloaded this book years ago, it was one of the first books I downloaded when I learned that authors are sometimes willing to give free downloads of their books. I never read it though as I often got a bit of shiny object syndrome and never got around to reading it. This was a very cute book that tells the story of Hollywood and reality music competitions especially when one of the stars comes from a small town in Texas. Super cute quick read that is worth downloading and reading. Full revie [...]

This quirky story almost makes you wish you could live in the small town of Daily in Texas.I think the two very different view points works really well here, with one being an outsider from Hollywood and the other being a life-long resident who knows everyone and everything about the small town.I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the book categories though - there were a lot more religious references than I would generally be comfortable with. Although in truth, it really didn't spoil it fo [...]

Maybe 3.5 stars. A little hard to get into at the start, but it ended up being a cute story. It had more depth than I expected while still be a light story if that makes any sense. It was more than just a flaky romance, but Mandalay learning about herself and her life perspective and priorities. I also liked Imagene's perspective later in the book as she recognizes similar ideals from a different vantage point. Fun read.

Loved it!Great story! Fun to read! More real than many. I enjoyed reading about people who care for others. Not afraid to help other's even if it puts them out of their comfort zone a little. I want these kind of people in my life. Trying not to be selfish. Trying to give service to others. Was a real enjoyable book!

It wasn't what I was expecting but a little light reading was a good change. The author threw in some spiritual moments which worked for the southern setting. If you like romance this is a good choice for you.