Between Hollywood glamour and small-town secrets, what is the truth? The show American Superstars is the hottest thing on television, but its associate producer, Mandalay Florentino, is worried. She's just arrived in the tiny town of Daily, Texas, to arrange a surprise "reunion concert" for hometown finalist Amber Amberson. Only it turns out everyone in town seems to know the secret. And paparazzi are arriving. And word from Hollywood is that Amber has disappeared with a "bad boy" actor. Can anything go right in this tumbleweed town?
Imagene Doll loves her town of Daily, Texas, but things are lonelier without her beloved husband. Life seems dull. At least until that fancy-dressed woman pulls into town, looking terrified and glamorous all at once. Soon life's not the least bit boring as Imagene--and the rest of Daily--find themselves at the center of a media maelstrom...with a young girl's future on the line.
Lisa Wingate is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Before We Were Yours, which remained on the bestseller list for over two years. Her award-winning works have been selected for state and community One Book reads, have been published in over forty languages, and have appeared on bestseller lists worldwide. The group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa and six others as recipients of the National Civics Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. She lives in Texas and Colorado with her family and her deceptively cute little teddy bear of a dog, Huckleberry. Find her at www.lisawingate.com, on Facebook at LisaWingateAuthorPage, or on Instagram @author_lisa_wingate
EDIT: I honestly had forgotten I'd read this previously; then again, that was four years ago, and I've completed copious books since then. Still, this was a sweet story of overcoming adversity and finding love that also serves as a window into "reality" television. I had no idea there were sequels; guess I need to seek them out.
If 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 the production of a reality TV show that features unknown talent with the winner awarded a recording contract. Amber Anderson, one of the contestants, is a 19 year old Texas Christian who has come from hard scrabble roots. Raised by a drunken grandfather along with her 3 brothers, she's never had much to her name other than a gifted singing voice. The producer of the show doesn't want her to win due to her faith and faith-filled music. But Mandalay is impressed by Amber with her honesty, work ethic and faith.
This book was filled with a delightful cast of characters who all changed in various ways. Imagene had been stuck in a rut since her husband had passed away became more aware of life and the importance of living each moment. Verl, Amber's drunken grandfather, discovered that there was more to life than the bottle. Amber's brothers found someone who cared about them and thought they were special. Donetta found the spunk to bring her run-down, closed hotel back to life. And best of all, the town of Daily found a reason to be proud of their town. Mandalay and Carter were a great pairing. The provided moments of laughter, anger and joy. Even bad boy, Justin Shay, turned out to be someone different than the townspeople thought.
The small town, cozy feel permeated this entire book; and when the story was finished, I felt like I had become a part of Daily, Texas. I can't wait to read the next in the series to see if Donetta, Imagene, and Lucy do head off on the high seas, what happens to Mandalay and Carter, and what is in store for Amber and the Anderson family.
FAVORITE QUOTES; "The blues is an ailment that don't allow no sunshine in the room."
"In the era of self-help, self-esteem, and self-fulfillment, there was one common thread. Self."
"You frown on the outside long enough, eventually you'll grow a frown on the inside too."
Normally I enjoy 1800's westerns, or older British storylines, so this was sort of a recess. Not a bad recess...just different. The story has two voices: Mandalay Florentino, a music executive of sorts, who works for an American Idol sort of singing competition.... and Imagene 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 visit, video-taped with a concert. The executive is setting the stage for this visit and getting the lay of the town, including its inhabitants, and getting to know her family. Her boss, a shark of a woman, is making it all so hard for Mandalay with her demands, all the while there's a plot going on in the background we don't know about until near the end. This is a funny book, although it's not meant to be a comedy. But the humor mixed into it is smart and fun. A few times I laughed right out loud, turning heads, as I was at a park. :) I can't give much more than that away, but suffice it to say, it's pretty good. I've enjoyed other Lisa Wingate books, so I wasn't surprised that I would enjoy this one.
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 childhood.
Anyway, Mandalay is very likable, and she befriends an older woman in town named Imagene, who is also really likable. The POV shifts between the two of them in alternating chapters as we meet a bunch of other really charming characters, one of whom becomes Mandalay's love interest.
The antagonist is Mandalay's boss, who has threatened an end to Mandalay's career should Mandalay fail, and the conflict comes from various sources -- the paparazzi hounding the female contestant, the notorious celebrity who is always seen with her, and even the contestant herself, who through ignorance can be damaging to her own career. Also, Mandalay's boss has made it extremely clear that no one in the town should know about Mandalay's purpose there, so that itself becomes a source of conflict.
Having established all that, the story then unfolds quite beautifully. Even the religious references seemed to fit without being obtrusive, that I nearly forgot that this is faith fiction.
Cute read. I ended up staying awake all night just to read it.
I have read several Lisa Wingate novels. Loved Before We were Yours as well as The Book of Lost Names. However, I also am enjoying the Dailey, Texas series this is #1 in the series but I also read another. Certainly different, However, a true sign of a GREAT Author!😘
In this story ~ Dailey's own Amber Amberson is a contestant on ‘American’s Megastar’ and believes to be a finalist. Thei townsfolk are super excited speculating about the fame and glory about to occur. The townsfolk are all great characters and will keep you with a smile on your face.
America loves Amber and her hometown stories. However, when the film crew comes to town, they discover that Amber’s vision of her quaint hometown is more in her imagination than for real. Loved this story reminded me of Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton ~ I am not a big county nor gospel song fan but I love those two amazing ladies. Tis story was far more enjoyable that I thought~ love these characters!
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 perfect-- in fact some of the townspeople had real problems and these problems we dealt with sympathetically...warmheartedly. I love how Lisa Wingate can take a challenging person (or situation) and bring in a perspective that makes one think--all without sounding preachy.
From the two main characters (from which the story was told in two points of view) I loved Imagene. I could see her and actually hear her, she was brilliantly done. Mandalay was nice but not the snapshot that Imagene was.
I really, eventually, came to love this story even if it took me a while to get into it. I also realized, again, that if I know that I enjoy a certain author and can not get into a story it is best to put the book away for a little while and try again. I would have really missed reading this wonderful novel.
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 mission of coming to Daily and secretly organizing and filming the Homecoming segment of the show. Another is Imagene, a 70 year old lady who lost her husband a year ago and as a result is neglecting herself and giving up on life. Although Mandalay is trying to keep her reason for being in town secret, the news travel fast and everyone 'secretly' knows.
I loved it. In fact, I was more excited to read Imagene's point of view than Mandalay's because Imagene was just so real, I even cried several times at some parts. Loosing her husband was very traumatic for her, after spending many many years with him, she just doesn't know how to live alone anymore. But throughout the book, she is able to move on and helping Mandalay gives her a purpose in life again.
If you're looking for a genuinely feel good book, the one that will leave you smiling at the end, this is the book for you.
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's making it to the top 5 contestants, and the second being elderly Imagene Doll, Daily resident who works at the little diner next door to the hotel where Mandalay ends up stayimg in town. I'll admit at first the dual voices telling the story didn't thrill me and I felt it slowed the pace down a lot, but as things progressed I began to enjoy seeing things from both sides. Imagene's sections were amusing and touching while Mandalay's had the backstory about the goings on of the show (which drove the plot), as well as a little heartbreak and a touch of romance. It ended up being a nice mix and made for a enjoyable read.
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 need to put it down. I am very glad however that I persevered through until the very end because it was worth the ride it took to get there. There has been many times that someone- everyone- thinks that they have their life in order but it takes the mighty hands of our Father to show that He always knows best.
Praise be to Him alone that there are authors like Ms. Wingate who can convey such a wonderful story for believers and unbelievers alike. It takes an amazing person to portray the truth in such a way that everyone can relate in some shape or form. Well done!
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 stink on a skunk", "he was choked down like a hot tractor in a July wheat field", "...went out the door looking like a barnyard rooster puffed up to crow at the sunrise" 4) The exciting roller coaster scenes of both Mandalay and Imagene Doll 5) The night at Daily hotel with Mandalay and Carter - so funny
I may have skimmed through the book if I read it. But listening to it made me enjoy every nuance in Wingate's storytelling.
Oh, this would make the BEST movie! PLEASE make this into a movie! At the time I picked this up, it was an extremely busy day/week, but it was killing me each time I had to put it down. Otherwise, I would have read it in one day, instead of two. if I had to pick one adjective, it would be: Charming. Everything about it. So much humor that I kept seeing in my mind being played out, good old small town warmth, a few lessons to be learned in between.
I picked it up after reading "Before We Were Yours" by Lisa Wingate. It so captivated me that I wanted to see what else this author had written. And now I learn that there are MORE Daily, TX additions. Lead me to them!
PS.. Besides all the good stuff above, there's nothing objectionable in this book that would keep me from loaning it out to friends and happy. Extra stars for that (I wish)!
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.
I really had a hard time finishing this book. The characters are flat and the storyline has no depth. It is like reading 300 pages of nonstop meaningless chatter. I have read some other Lisa Wingate novels that were fantastic but after this one I will be reluctant to pick up another book of hers for a long time.
I didn't hate it. There were some really enjoyable parts of the story, all of them were from Imagene's perspective. The only time I had my heart stirred was when reading Imagene. If it wasn't for Imagene, I would not have been able to finish it. Mandalay was boring, flat and predictable. I feel this book lacked the heavy, weightiness I need from a book. It didn't move me at all.
I rounded up from 3.5 stars. It had a slow start and it took me awhile to get into it but I ended up really enjoying it by the end. It was a sweet, feel good story, which everyone needs once in awhile in this crazy world that we live in. The story is filled with reminders to slow down and enjoy life, don’t give up on dreams even when you think “my time has past,” and that we need to trust the Lord’s plan, “sail on faith for a while.” I loved the characters of Imogene and Donetta and their life long friendship. They provided some comedy in the story.
I read the third in this series first on accident and liked it enough to come back and read the first two.
This first one is a fun and easy read. It has cute romance in it and some great character arcs. It isn't particularly fast paced and is a little predictable, but has a happy feel good ending. And the characters are so fun, that's really what makes these books fun to read!
I truly enjoyed this book with its cast of small town characters! Lisa Wingate does a superb job creating a small Texas town. Living near Graceland currently, I was definitely amused by the Elvis decorated room at the hotel! I really liked how the novel alternated in point of view between Amandalyn and Imogene, sharing the young Mega-Star producer’s story and that of an older woman who lost her spouse and is trying to live again. Having them both ride the roller coaster and showing how it changed their perspective was a treat! This novel offers a strong sense of community and humor- a great combination! Additionally, it’s also a story about reconnecting with your faith and knowing who is ultimately in control, someone lacking from many books today. A good friend of mine just listened to all of Wingate’s books during a difficult time in her life , and I have been following in her footsteps while I’m in limbo land since my husband lost his job and is now working in Texas. I began listening to the TX ones to aid my transition! Thanks, Lisa!
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!
I enjoy books by Lisa Wingate. She crafts an interesting set of characters and tells an engaging story. I had a teeny bit of trouble getting into this book, but am glad I kept at it. I liked the ending she chose. Good clean writing.
The first few chapters did not engage me, mostly because the characters and dialogue was so back woods. I am glad I stayed with the story though because I did enjoy the plot and the ending. I was also amazed that this accomplished author could so aptly portray a totally different culture.