Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly

When the Nitwitts (a club for wealthy widows in Second Creek MS) learns that the local Piggly Wiggly will be closing its doors they spring into action to save the local business. Club President Laurie Lepanto asks a charming widower who used to run a dance studio to help. Powell Hampton agrees and a promotional campaign is begun: for two hours each day, the “eligible silver fox” will dance with the ladies while store employees do their shopping for them.

I’ve had this on my tbr for a while. It sounded fun and charming, and it satisfied a challenge. But the reality is that it is poorly written, staid and a chore to get through. I didn’t care about any of the characters. The town is only a cardboard cutout. The women were show more downright ridiculous. The plot goes nowhere fast and then sits there. The big “secret” isn’t much of one and is tied up far too neatly. In what I can only assume is an effort to make this a romantic story, every once in a while the author throws in a little sex scene. His attempts at humor – the Miss Dixie Floozy contest? Really? – are anything but. Oh, well, at least it was a fast read.

Dalby apparently has fans, however, because there are multiple books in this series. I won’t be wasting time on any of them. show less

There's not much to recommend this pale imitation of a Fannie Flagg take on quirky small Southern towns, but nothing really objectionable, either.

When the grocery store in a small southern town is threatened by a big-box newcomer, a group of feisty widows decides to come to the rescue. It's pretty predictable stuff, and even the mild "twist" towards the end has been repeatedly telegraphed.

The one thing that confuses this reviewer is why a small town in the middle of the Bible Belt would host a "Delta Floozy" contest, with participants vying for the title of tackiest streetwalker.

“For all its quirkiness and sleepy southern pace, The Square of Second Creek had an almost Mediterranean look and feel to it—two- and three-story brick and lacework-balconied shops on all four sides, and a massive white-columned courthouse with a terra-cotta roof. The four short streets comprising The Square had been closed to traffic more than forty years ago, creating one of Mississippi’s earliest and most popular pedestrian malls, and the only blight on the ensemble was the empty storefronts caused by the infamous MegaMart.”

This is the premise of Robert Dalby’s new book Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly. In the fictional fun town of Second Creek , Mississippi, big, bad MegaMart is providing lower prices and ruining small mom show more and pop establishments. The next victim, in this long line of heartaches, is the local Piggly Wiggly.

Mr. Choppy, fifth generation owner of the Second Creek, Piggly Wiggly, is in pain. With the way business has tapered off, he may not be able to keep the electric doors swinging. In his estimation, he may have three, possibly four, more months of operation. These are his thoughts as Laurie Lepanto enters the store.

Laurie Lepanto is a member of the Second Creek Nitwitts, an unofficial club, along the lines of a garden/civic club, which donate time and money to causes in the little town. Nothing like the uneasy fear a group of widowed ladies may evoke to promote change.

The madcap women involved in the Nitwitts are delightful. Laurie, president three years and running, doesn’t see an end to her reign. Being the youngest member, at fifty-five, she seems to be stuck with the most work. Other members include Denver Lee, an artist who draws outside, inside, and around the box; Novie, a perpetual traveler who annoys others with her fuzzy slideshows; and Renza, a woman who insist on wearing her foxes (heads and tails) to every occasion.

How will Mr. Choppy’s Piggly Wiggly survive? How will the Nitwitts save the day? What’s with the waltzing? Oops, I forgot to mention the recently widowed ballroom dancer, Powell Hampton.

Author Robert Dalby has written a fun fiction with laugh-out-loud potential. When speaking to him, he revealed his fictional town is a little Natchez, Port Gibson, and Oxford rolled into one, and the characters come straight from his childhood. Number two in the series, Kissing Babies at the Piggly Wiggly, will be available to readers in the fall. show less

I listened to this short book on CD. It was humorous and full of real characters. Cute story. Very well read by the reader using various voices. A charming little book. Not on the level of the 5-star books, but still worth a pleasant read. It takes place in a small southern town and is about a group of wealthy widows and old time values in a modern age.

This book was "OK." I would still recommend it as a light, easy read for those who are looking for something like this. It was a first novel written by a man, which was surprising since it read like chick lit. I expected some twists and turns in the plot, but it turned out to be predictable. What I liked about it: takes place in a small southern town, has a catchy title and an appealing premise, quirky characters and humor. Yes it's corny and a bit trite, but I'm not sorry I read it. Now I'm ready for something completely different!

I just finally had to put it down after 165 pages. I wanted to like it..Robert Dalby is sooooo nice but I need more action. If you liked the Jan Karon books please go get this one ASAP.

Campy and light. If you liked this you will like 'Bet Your Bottom Dollar'. Thought the recipes at the end were a good addition.