What do you think?
Rate this book
Valentine #8
Little Town, Great Big Life
So what if Winston Valentine is ninety-two years old? He isn't dead yet! And he's out to prove it. His exuberant show of life—coming to you live from radio dial 1550—revitalizes Valentine, Oklahoma, for its centennial celebration. The townsfolk are determined to make this an anniversary to remember.
Except Belinda Blaine, who, at thirty-eight, doesn't feel like celebrating. Suddenly she's carrying a child—and the guilt of an earlier pregnancy nearly twenty years ago. No one in her close-knit community knows of either, including her sweet-mannered husband, Lyle. But disclosing this pregnancy will mean revealing her past and opening her heart. And Belinda's not quite ready for that.
As Belinda struggles over what to do, she finds comfort in unexpected places. After all, in Valentine, neighbors are family and strangers are friends. And this small town holds secrets and mysteries, and takes care of its own.
Except Belinda Blaine, who, at thirty-eight, doesn't feel like celebrating. Suddenly she's carrying a child—and the guilt of an earlier pregnancy nearly twenty years ago. No one in her close-knit community knows of either, including her sweet-mannered husband, Lyle. But disclosing this pregnancy will mean revealing her past and opening her heart. And Belinda's not quite ready for that.
As Belinda struggles over what to do, she finds comfort in unexpected places. After all, in Valentine, neighbors are family and strangers are friends. And this small town holds secrets and mysteries, and takes care of its own.
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2010
3 people are currently reading
135 people want to read
About the author
Curtiss Ann Matlock
62 books122 followersCurtiss Ann Matlock is the author of 40 novels. With over 7 million copies in print worldwide, her books have earned rave reviews, spots on the USA TODAY bestseller list and numerous awards.
Born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, into a family of avid readers, Curtiss Ann began reading before entering first grade and was writing vignettes while still in elementary school. Her writing career began in her early thirties, with publication of two small, warm-hearted articles about her life, for which she received a total of $100. She was so enthused at this success that she immediately started writing her first novel. She also enrolled in the professional writing program at the University of Oklahoma, studying under the distinguished writer and teacher Jack Bickham and bestselling mystery novelist, Carolyn Hart. In her second year of study, Curtiss Ann experienced the dream of selling the first novel she ever wrote, a romance, to Harlequin Books.
Told with a strong Southern voice, her insightful stories portray the uncommon valor of everyday people and the humor, heartbreak, and shining graces of small-town life. In 1999,Lost Highways was published by Mira Books. The book was nominated for a RITA Award in women’s fiction and began the warm-hearted and funny series about the lives of the beloved characters in fictional Valentine, Oklahoma. The sixth book of the Valentine series, Sweet Dreams at the Goodnight Motel, was a 2005 Oklahoma Book Award Finalist.
Chin Up, Honey, number seven in the series, was released May 2009.
Curtiss Ann currently lives with her family and assorted pets in rural south Alabama.
Born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, into a family of avid readers, Curtiss Ann began reading before entering first grade and was writing vignettes while still in elementary school. Her writing career began in her early thirties, with publication of two small, warm-hearted articles about her life, for which she received a total of $100. She was so enthused at this success that she immediately started writing her first novel. She also enrolled in the professional writing program at the University of Oklahoma, studying under the distinguished writer and teacher Jack Bickham and bestselling mystery novelist, Carolyn Hart. In her second year of study, Curtiss Ann experienced the dream of selling the first novel she ever wrote, a romance, to Harlequin Books.
Told with a strong Southern voice, her insightful stories portray the uncommon valor of everyday people and the humor, heartbreak, and shining graces of small-town life. In 1999,Lost Highways was published by Mira Books. The book was nominated for a RITA Award in women’s fiction and began the warm-hearted and funny series about the lives of the beloved characters in fictional Valentine, Oklahoma. The sixth book of the Valentine series, Sweet Dreams at the Goodnight Motel, was a 2005 Oklahoma Book Award Finalist.
Chin Up, Honey, number seven in the series, was released May 2009.
Curtiss Ann currently lives with her family and assorted pets in rural south Alabama.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
September 1, 2014
http://www.newandusedbooks.com/index....
Little Town, Great Big Life
By Curtiss Ann Matlock
MIRA
June 2010
Pack up all your troubles and return to Valentine, Oklahoma, population “5,510 Friendly People and One Old Grump,” for a visit with dear friends, especially ninety-one-year-old Winston Valentine who is still coming to you live on radio every morning along with his young friend, Willie Lee, and Willie Lee’s dog Munro. Winston’s driver’s license has been revoked, but he is up early and drives his lawn mower from his house to the radio station an hour early to blast out a reveille – “GET UP, GET UP, YOU SLEE-PY HEADS. GET UP AND GET YOUR BOD-Y FED!” Many an irate caller, most of who fell out of bed at the loud announcement, let the station manager know what they thought of Winston’s proclamation at six in the morning. But within a few days, everyone is repeating these words like a mantra.
Many exciting things are happening in this little town, and each story line about a character, or family, brings us up to date and supplies us with several surprises. Belinda Blaine is married and realizing daily what a wonderful man she found in Lyle. Her mother, Vella, is on an extended vacation to Italy and calls home daily for the news. One such call cuts short her trip, plus she really has missed Jaydee, a younger man who wants to marry her.
Marilee’s niece, Corinne, is now sixteen and has found the man she wants to spend her life with – he is twenty-four. Willie Lee also has someone that wants to spend her life with him and of course Munro also. The Cole family is doing great after a health scare. And all the other residents we readers have come to love and appreciate make appearances, plus a few new ones.
Sadly, Curtiss Ann Matlock is wrapping up this brilliant series that has brought such joy and humor to us for so many years. Life goes on for many and ceases for some, but we will never, ever forget our visits to this small Oklahoma community. LITTLE TOWN, GREAT BIG LIFE is truly magnificent and a beautiful gift from Ms. Matlock to her faithful fans and new readers alike.
Betty Cox, ReaderToReader.com
Little Town, Great Big Life
By Curtiss Ann Matlock
MIRA
June 2010
Pack up all your troubles and return to Valentine, Oklahoma, population “5,510 Friendly People and One Old Grump,” for a visit with dear friends, especially ninety-one-year-old Winston Valentine who is still coming to you live on radio every morning along with his young friend, Willie Lee, and Willie Lee’s dog Munro. Winston’s driver’s license has been revoked, but he is up early and drives his lawn mower from his house to the radio station an hour early to blast out a reveille – “GET UP, GET UP, YOU SLEE-PY HEADS. GET UP AND GET YOUR BOD-Y FED!” Many an irate caller, most of who fell out of bed at the loud announcement, let the station manager know what they thought of Winston’s proclamation at six in the morning. But within a few days, everyone is repeating these words like a mantra.
Many exciting things are happening in this little town, and each story line about a character, or family, brings us up to date and supplies us with several surprises. Belinda Blaine is married and realizing daily what a wonderful man she found in Lyle. Her mother, Vella, is on an extended vacation to Italy and calls home daily for the news. One such call cuts short her trip, plus she really has missed Jaydee, a younger man who wants to marry her.
Marilee’s niece, Corinne, is now sixteen and has found the man she wants to spend her life with – he is twenty-four. Willie Lee also has someone that wants to spend her life with him and of course Munro also. The Cole family is doing great after a health scare. And all the other residents we readers have come to love and appreciate make appearances, plus a few new ones.
Sadly, Curtiss Ann Matlock is wrapping up this brilliant series that has brought such joy and humor to us for so many years. Life goes on for many and ceases for some, but we will never, ever forget our visits to this small Oklahoma community. LITTLE TOWN, GREAT BIG LIFE is truly magnificent and a beautiful gift from Ms. Matlock to her faithful fans and new readers alike.
Betty Cox, ReaderToReader.com
June 30, 2010
I love Valentine,Oklahoma!!! Curtiss Ann Matlock has written another gem of a story about small town life and the ups and downs of human life!!
May 18, 2018
With a title like “Little Town, Great Big Life”, I was expecting something much more compelling, cozy, unforgettable and heartwarming. I usually adore small town stories with a vast and quirky cast, but this one was a bit of a let-down, to be honest. There wasn’t one character that I could empathize with, or actually get to know better, because they all appeared too light and frivolous for my taste.
Generally speaking, the male characters - old and younger - were more likable than the female ones. I don’t know what that says about the author, though. Overall, I thought that the book dragged on for a long while, except for the last chapter, and the epilogue, where we look to the future and hear of what becomes of the many characters. That's when and where I finally felt that sense of community, and got that heartwarming feeling that I was waiting for.
Generally speaking, the male characters - old and younger - were more likable than the female ones. I don’t know what that says about the author, though. Overall, I thought that the book dragged on for a long while, except for the last chapter, and the epilogue, where we look to the future and hear of what becomes of the many characters. That's when and where I finally felt that sense of community, and got that heartwarming feeling that I was waiting for.
July 8, 2018
As much as I enjoyed this book—and I DID enjoy it—my favorite is still Cold Tea on a Hot Day. I am sad that this is the last of her Valentine, Oklahoma series. Her characters feel like friends, and Valentine reminds me of my own small hometown. Thank you, Curtiss Ann Matlock, for writing books that portray real life. I hope you write more soon!
July 15, 2018
Perfect ending
Winston lived a big life, giving wisdom to all and sundry in his little town. He lived a big life, not a perfect one, thus we have the tales.
Winston lived a big life, giving wisdom to all and sundry in his little town. He lived a big life, not a perfect one, thus we have the tales.
August 11, 2019
Little Town, Great Big Life is not a romance per se, but it is a love story for the town and people of Valentine. It was a lovely and wonderful way to end the series.
July 4, 2012
This book was so dull through most of it and that parts that were less dull were simply infuriating. It followed a wide range of characters, but the most prominent was Belinda.
Belinda spends the entire book dodging telling her husband that she's pregnant. She's going to tell him! No, just kidding, now's not a good time. But now she will...no. Now? No. Now? No. And that's pretty much her entire plot line. Except for Infuriating Thing Number One .
Infuriating Thing Number One : Belinda doesn't deserve to have this baby because she had an abortion when she was younger. Such a shameful, awful thing. That shameful, awful thing means she should never be happy and that God will probably take this one from her as punishment for that shameful, awful thing she did. I wanted to rip my hair out reading this.
Infuriating Thing Number Two : One of the teenage girls didn't fit in in her small conservative town, so she eventually went off to college, learned the error of her ways and comes back "an ultra-conservative" with less icky piercings. She then smacks a kid which is casually mentioned as though it's an acceptable thing and goes on to teach him the error of his ways (part of which is taught my removing his icky piercings).
The ending of the book was quite annoying as it gives a brief summary of each characters life after the plot ends. I don't care that this one character went on to have 4 kids, 39 grandkids, and 299 great-grandkids. I really don't. Just wrap up the plot and let the rest of their lives be up to the reader's imagination. This style is my least favorite way to end a book.
Mostly I need to stop accidentally grabbing Christian lit when I go to the library. It never ends well. There was no indication on the book though and it wasn't labeled as Christian lit on Goodreads so I was unfortunately wooed in to reading it by it's pretty cover and high rating. It wasn't until I started reading it and the description of the town was that it was perfect and wonderful because everyone had God that I started narrowing my eyes suspiciously at the book. And the preachiness just got worse from there. Ok I'm going to stop ranting now.
The whole point of this rant is that, in general, Christian lit and I do not mix well. Especially when it throws in anti-women messages. I have enjoyed a few Christian books but they are few and far between.
Belinda spends the entire book dodging telling her husband that she's pregnant. She's going to tell him! No, just kidding, now's not a good time. But now she will...no. Now? No. Now? No. And that's pretty much her entire plot line. Except for Infuriating Thing Number One .
Infuriating Thing Number One : Belinda doesn't deserve to have this baby because she had an abortion when she was younger. Such a shameful, awful thing. That shameful, awful thing means she should never be happy and that God will probably take this one from her as punishment for that shameful, awful thing she did. I wanted to rip my hair out reading this.
Infuriating Thing Number Two : One of the teenage girls didn't fit in in her small conservative town, so she eventually went off to college, learned the error of her ways and comes back "an ultra-conservative" with less icky piercings. She then smacks a kid which is casually mentioned as though it's an acceptable thing and goes on to teach him the error of his ways (part of which is taught my removing his icky piercings).
The ending of the book was quite annoying as it gives a brief summary of each characters life after the plot ends. I don't care that this one character went on to have 4 kids, 39 grandkids, and 299 great-grandkids. I really don't. Just wrap up the plot and let the rest of their lives be up to the reader's imagination. This style is my least favorite way to end a book.
Mostly I need to stop accidentally grabbing Christian lit when I go to the library. It never ends well. There was no indication on the book though and it wasn't labeled as Christian lit on Goodreads so I was unfortunately wooed in to reading it by it's pretty cover and high rating. It wasn't until I started reading it and the description of the town was that it was perfect and wonderful because everyone had God that I started narrowing my eyes suspiciously at the book. And the preachiness just got worse from there. Ok I'm going to stop ranting now.
The whole point of this rant is that, in general, Christian lit and I do not mix well. Especially when it throws in anti-women messages. I have enjoyed a few Christian books but they are few and far between.
June 28, 2010
Valentine is my kind of place! Everyone knows everyone, and they all seem to come back, never being able to stay away long. Sure they all have their troubles but in the end, they all are one big family and stick together.
The major part of the story is Belinda, who is married; has found out she is pregnant. Although excited she doesn't tell anyone. One, she is 35 and afraid of miscarrying. Two, she feels like she doesn't deserve the baby because she had an abortion many years ago. What she doesn't think about is God's grace, and Psalm 30:5....a major theme of this book. Which Winston repeats quite a bit.
It has many other things going on, like Andy, who is he really? What will happen with Paris? All in all, a really good story, loved the ending.
The major part of the story is Belinda, who is married; has found out she is pregnant. Although excited she doesn't tell anyone. One, she is 35 and afraid of miscarrying. Two, she feels like she doesn't deserve the baby because she had an abortion many years ago. What she doesn't think about is God's grace, and Psalm 30:5....a major theme of this book. Which Winston repeats quite a bit.
It has many other things going on, like Andy, who is he really? What will happen with Paris? All in all, a really good story, loved the ending.
April 17, 2016
What a wonderful ending to the Valentine series. Belinda Blaine is in the spotlight. She discovers that at age 38 she is pregnant. This is the year Valentine, Oklahoma will celebrate it's centennial. Winston has been a resident for 92 of those years. He comes up with an idea for honoring the occasion. So many things happen in this book. I'm glad I waited to read this last. The final chapter talks about the futures of characters we have grown to know and love from previous books. If you are looking for a series worth reading I would highly recommend this one. You laugh, you cry, you learn about love and life in a small town. I did not read them in order. It isn't necessary since the stories focus on different characters with some reappearing in various books.
June 30, 2013
A lovely, feel-good book set in Valentine OK, perhaps an Oklahoma version of Lake Woebegone. The characterization is rich, full of the idiosyncracies of small town life, and one of the town fathers, Winston Valentine, is particularly unique. Then there's Belinda Blaine, a strong personality left to run the town drugstore while her mother travels in Europe. Add to that, the inclusion of a mentally handicapped boy in love with a brilliant young girl, who has special gifts of his own, and the book is complete.
August 22, 2016
I have to give this book 5 stars, not because it's great literature, but because it left me with such warm and happy feelings that I couldn't help it. I've read the whole series over the years, and I like the characters and the stories. They are often flawed, but they keep on trying. Their mistakes don't ruin the over all picture. Is life like that? Probably not. They leave you thinking it could be better and as the epilogue say "From the beginning, we're all looking for a happy ending." This one did.
November 3, 2010
This was a quick easy bit of fluff. Perfect since I'm not in the mood to concentrate. It was the last book in her series about Valentine, Oklahoma but I don't think it matters. I haven't read any of the others and I enjoyed this just fine (nor do I feel like I was missing back stories).
March 28, 2015
You can always count on Matlock to give her readers a feel-good story! Loved the small-town setting and quirky characters. And yes, the ending will make you cry--but that a good thing. Matlock always manages to make you care deeply for her characters.
February 13, 2016
I enjoyed this book and will have to look for more from this series. Life is beautiful and this book reminds of that fact! With growing old, dying, giving birth and all the other stages of life in between. A simply written feel good story.
June 6, 2016
A quick, light read. Valentine, Oklahoma sounds like a lovely place to live, and the people are mostly a little quirky. Any of us from small towns knows there truly are people just like the characters in this book. Sometimes it's okay to see our communities through rose-colored glasses.
Read
May 31, 2010This isn't my favorite book in the series, but it was satisfying to find out how the stories of my favorite characters ended.
July 21, 2010
this was a good book. I felt the whole story as I read it. It was a good book. Took three days to read it.
December 23, 2010
I loved this book so much, and the fact that I finished it the day my Grandpa died made it even more heart touching.
December 26, 2011
This was a very contrived and silly story. I guess I just expect more from an author. Don't waste your time.
Read
July 29, 2012Awesome !!
October 28, 2012
This is the grand finale to Ms. Matlock series set in Valentine, Oklahoma...and it doesn't disappoint. Wonderful characters, and an ending that needs a kleenex or two.
April 13, 2013
I liked this one, but was disappointed at the ending. As usual great characters.
December 31, 2013
I very easily fell in love with many characters from this book. I will need to go back and read some of the other parts of the series.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews