Talk of the Town by Lisa Wingate begins slow and sleepy just like the town in which the story is set. Then somewhere along the way the quirky town and its people begin to take on new importance and interest. By the time the narrative has concluded the reader has a renewed faith in humanity and feels almost part of the town of Daily, Texas.
The tale is written from the perspective of two very different people, a young trendy woman named Mandalay Florentino and an older widow named Imagene Doll. Initially it was a bit irritating to have to switch back and forth between perspectives, but once the story really got going, it fit quite well. The author, Lisa Wingate, really has a way of getting readers interested in her characters and helping the reader to understand the characters.
Readers will find themselves wanting certain characters to be different then it seems they are and cheering for them when they either make changes or prove to be the people one hopes. There is a bit of a mysterious element and a lot of small-town idiosyncrasies. Some of these unique situations just create humor and bonding between the readers and the story.
This story is about characters and their journeys in life. Some are much further along on the path than others, but in the end they all join together for a cause greater than themselves.
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Bethany House Publishers
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: Report of a person attempting suicide with pills and alcohol; a person indicates she is close to contemplating murder.
Sex/Nudity: A character mentions that someone visits prostitutes; report that people were skinny dipping; a woman is indicated to be braless and she has a large chest; a woman refers to her boobs; non-married characters embrace and kiss; a man is running around dressed only in boxers; a person is reported to be sleeping with the president of a company.
Mature Subject Matter:
Death of a spouse; relationship infidelity.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Report of a person taken to a bar to drink alcohol; report that a person uses drugs; report that a man was drunk and an alcoholic and his beverage of choice was whiskey; a character wonders if another person is on drugs or smoking something.
