Small Town Girl

by LaVyrle Spencer

Hardcover, 1997

Status

Available

Call number

F spe

Call number

F spe

Barcode

3760

Publication

Putnam Adult (1997), Edition: 1st, 364 pages

Description

Fiction. Literature. Romance. HTML:New York Times bestselling author LaVyrle Spencer, �??famous for her heartrending slices of Americana,�?�* is at her best in this sweet, small-town romance about a country music star discovering the true meaning of love...   Eighteen years ago, Tess McPhail left her tiny hometown of Wintergreen, Missouri for the bright lights of Nashville and never looked back. Now, one of country music�??s biggest stars, �??Mac�?� is a hardworking woman with little time for a personal life�??until her sister insists she come home to help care for their widowed mother.   The welcome Mac receives is less than warm, especially from her former next-door neighbor Kenny Kronek. With a teenage daughter to raise, the handsome divorcé refuses to give Mac the time of day. But when Mac discovers that Kenny�??s daughter is a promising country talent, she begins mentoring the girl in the music of love�??and opening her own hardened heart to a man… (more)

Original publication date

1997-01

User reviews

LibraryThing member sonshine1296
I love this book! It's not something I can pinpoint but I just love it! The characters are full of life and fun! I enjoy reading about musicians too.
LibraryThing member simplywriting
This was my first book I read by Lavyrl. It was at the library and had just been returned. For some reason I was drawn to the title and cover art and so I checked it out.Since then I've read it twice and I have loved it both times. It's a GREAT summer beach read, or pool read. A sweet story, with
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of course, a typical happy ending - but don't worry - there are plenty of twists and turns though.
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LibraryThing member FerneMysteryReader
Coming from a 'small town' (at least it was when I was younger), it was easy to imagine the portrayal of the country star returning home. I would imagine it was a special delight for the author to have Reba McEntire as consultant for this title and it is easy to imagine her being the author's
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inspiration for this story as well. Seems like this novel would be the perfect novel for any aspiring singer regardless of genre but particularly for the aspiring to be country music stars.
As a reader, it was sad to read the author's letter dated 02-Jul-1977, at the end of the novel to learn of her retirement from writing. I did not realize this novel was her 'swan song'. However, also as a reader, I can only hope that LaVyrle Spencer has fulfilled some of the best of her retirement dreams and enjoys many unexpected delights and treasures of life yet to come.
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LibraryThing member moonshineandrosefire
Eighteen years ago, a young but hopeful Tess McPhail left her tiny hometown of Wintergreen, Missouri, for the bright lights of Nashville and she never once looked back. Now considered to be one of country music's brightest stars, "Mac" McPhail is a millionairess many times over, whose career is her
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life. At thirty-five years old, Mac has no time for marriage, children, or kinfolk - until her sisters insist that she finally come home to help care for their widowed mother, Mary.

Assuming that staying in Wintergreen for the next month will be merely dreary, Mac is totally unprepared for what awaits her. After almost two decades spent basking in the public's adoration of her, she is suddenly an inconspicuous, almost inconsequential person - insulted by her jealous older sister, enraged by her intractable mother, and ignored by Kenny Kronek, the next-door neighbor she mercilessly taunted all through high school. Now a handsome divorcé who dotes upon his teenage daughter, Casey, Kenny is widely respected in the community. And he seems downright indifferent towards Mac, refusing to even give her the time of day.

Once she discovers Casey is a promising country music talent, Mac assumes the role of singing mentor for the girl. She gradually becomes an integral part of life in Wintergreen, and the feigned indifference between Mac and Kenny soon turns from playful bickering to sudden passion. By month's end, Mac McPhail is a completely changed woman; she has not only grown to treasure the priceless solidarity of family and community, but also opened up her heart to love.

Yet what was possible in the small town of Wintergreen, appears to be nothing more than a naive fantasy back in Nashville. Under Nashville's bright and harsh stage lights - in the realm of super stardom - is there room for caring and commitment; or is a woman who is worshipped by millions destined to always be alone?

While I certainly enjoyed reading this book, the story was somewhat predictable to me in places. I appreciated that it was an easy read, and it was definitely well-written. However, I must admit that this wasn't my absolute favorite book by LaVyrle Spencer. I give this book a B+!
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LibraryThing member Olivermagnus
Country-western star Tess McPhail has been strong armed by her sisters to return to her home town to take care of her mother for a few weeks. The next door neighbor is old schoolmate, now accountant, Kenny Kronek, formally ""a dork of the highest magnitude". She falls for his daughter Casey, a
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teenage tomboy with a gravelly singing voice who helps Tess write a song about the difficulties of returning home. It's a fairly predictable storyline, but there's just something about a LaVyrle Spencer romance that I can't resist.
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Rating

½ (92 ratings; 3.7)

Pages

364
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