Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly [Paperback]

Robert Dalby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 5, 2007

Two-Step right up to "a delightful story of new loves, old loves and reclaimed love."*

The Piggly Wiggly has been the hub of the community of Second Creek, Mississippi, but now it may be forced to shut down. Determined to keep her favorite market open, Laurie Lepanto enlists the help of her fellow "Nitwitts." They are influential widows who love to socialize-and remain true to their beloved store. With the help of handsome widower and former ballroom dancer Powell Hampton, they have the ladies of Second Creek foxtrotting back into the market. It's become the town's most festive event: waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly (while someone else takes care of the shopping). But it's Laurie who's thrown for a whirl when the dancing sparks an unpredictable romance. It may be the best deal she's ever gotten at the Piggly Wiggly.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dalby's darling debut is a light jaunt around the fairy tale-like town of Second Creek, Miss., where the weather is "God's messenger service," people waltz in the aisles of a grocery store and the Annual Delta Floozie Contest packs the town square. Laurie Lepanto puts together, with the help of the Bloody Mary-swilling Nitwitts (the civic association she belongs to, comprised of wealthy widows), "another mildly amusing Second Creek solution to life" to save the local Piggly Wiggly from closing after a MegaMart opens nearby. Laurie arranges a "Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly" promotion that allows ladies to cut a rug with dashing local ballroom dancer Powell Hampton, while the store's bag boys shop for the ladies' groceries. As big-band music swings in the canned goods aisle, a romance between Laurie and Powell percolates. Second Creek is populated by the charming types one would expect: Mr. Choppy, owner of the Piggly Wiggly, is a sweet Southerner with a deep drawl and a mysterious missing finger; each of the Nitwitts are tart-sweet busybodies; and Mr. Floyce, the songwriting and joke-telling mayor, has a hidden past. Those who appreciate genteel charm should enjoy this fluffy confection.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The Nitwitts of Second Creek, Mississippi, are all widows, and they're feisty and opinionated, with all the eccentricities that come with age and life in a quirky Southern town. Mr. Choppy confides that his family's store, the local Piggly Wiggly, is about to go under thanks to the MegaMart on the outskirts of town. Laurie Lepanto, leader of these (sometimes) merry widows, has a plan to save the beloved market. She arranges for the store employees to do the shopping while shoppers waltz (or fox-trot or cha-cha) to their favorite oldies through the aisles of the Piggly Wiggly. Customers are lured in, but the effort fails to save the store. All is not lost, however, when a distinctly ominous change in the weather (which always seems to act up in times of portent) brings an old acquaintance to town. This gently told tale is filled with delightfully peculiar characters, and readers will greatly enjoy their antics and the superbly conceived universe of Second Creek. Maria Hatton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade (June 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425215563
• ISBN-13: 978-0425215562
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #996,052 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Y'all Are Going to Love This, October 7, 2006

By 

JoFaye Walker "the book pusher" (Union City, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly (Hardcover)

A lovable book about the eccentric south. Come to Second Creek with me and party with the Nittwits (a group of women resembling the ya yas and the Red Hat Society)You'll love them all. It is all about respecting the past and learning to love people in the package they come in. After all, these people are just like you and me......well, me anyway, being from the small town south myself. You'll especially love the Floozie Beauty Queen Pageant, and I have to say if it could happen anywhere, it would happen here. You'll be sad to leave Second Creek when you finish this book and wish you could go there on vacation. But it has a happy ending because I know there must be more of these to follow.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For Mitford and Gulley fans, August 21, 2006

By 

Lesa Holstine (Glendale, AZ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly (Hardcover)

No, it doesn't have the religious aspects of Jan Karon's Mitford series or Philip Gulley's books, but it has the wonderful small-town life with eccentric, lovable characters. This is a story filled with love - love of a group of people for their town and its history, love for each other, and yearning for a secret, lost love. It's all wrapped up in a fun story of a group of widows coming together to save their local grocery store by offering ballroom dancing. I'm looking forward to more stories of the quirky people of Second Creek, Mississippi.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Story For Women but Written By A Man, February 18, 2007

By 

Whitney Matthews (Etowah, North Carolina United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Waltzing at the Piggly Wiggly (Hardcover)

From the first page it is evident that the dialogue in this book is written by a man. Dalby weaves an interesting story but does not have an ear for the way women talk. Nevertheless I have given it 5 stars because it meets my criteria for fun reads. Southern Influence. Interesting/Fun Characters. Fairly High Moral Standards. Limited Graphic Sex or Violence. I wouldn't be ashamed for my mother-in-law to catch me reading it.