Bet Your Bottom Dollar : A Bottom Dollar Girls Novel

Rating:
Summary: Small-town Southern fun!
Review: This book introduces Cayboo Creek, South Carolina, and its entertaining residents. It centers around Elizabeth who works at the Bottom Dollar Emporium along with owner Mavis and the elderly but spunky Attalee. The introduction of the new Super Saver Dollar Store chain to Cayboo Creek is a real threat to the survival of Bottom Dollar. The town is just not big enough to support two similar stores. Another plot thread involves the love-life of Elizabeth, who has almost given up hope of meeting her Prince Charming. The author's tongue-in-cheek wit and the charm of her characters are a winning combination. The "mystery" of Elizabeth's parentage is pretty transparent, but nevertheless the book has a heart-warming ending. I look forward to the second book in the series.

Rating:
Summary: A short, fun read
Review: To all those indignant about the over-done Southern characterizations in this book, you need to relax. This is not Faulkner or Flannery O'Connor. It's a fun, light beach read, and i knew that going into it, so i enjoyed reading it. Don't have high expectations of this book and you'll enjoy the humor and the plot.

Elizabeth is a fine character, and I look forward to seeing her develop more in the next book (this is the first in a series, apparently). The banter and dialogue is written well, and if there are some generalizations about poor Southerners, at least the author doesn't resort to dialect. I did get tired of Elizabeth's father and stepmother, they seemed way too one-dimensional and just annoying.

This is not a deep, involving novel. Instead it's a light, fluffy, "lower class girl makes good" tale, so take it as such. I'm looking forward to the next one for some light reading.

Rating:
Summary: Great Southern Fiction
Review: Welcome to Cayboo Creek, South Carolina. I would like you to take a little bit of time and meet the woman that run The Bottom Dollar Emporium because I am sure you are going to love them. Elizabeth, the beauty school drop out with a head for business, Attalee, a women well into her 80's yet shows no signs of slowing down, and Mavis, who after being its clerk for 15 years is now the new owner. These three woman, along with the town, just found out that the Super Saver Dollar Store is about to open in the vacant lot on the outskirts of Cayboo Creek. That could only mean trouble for the Emporium and the towns other small businesses so they all come together to brain storm about how they can save The Bottom Dollar and the town.

This is one of the cutest southern fiction books I have read in a long time and am extremely surprised it is not getting more attention than it is. The writing flowed and was very simple to read with short chapters that had great little titles such as "If your not the lead dog, your scenery never changes". It also had a wonderful cast of town folks who were endearing and lovable. My favorite though had to be Attalee. She was a real spit fire with a mouth and attitude to back it up.

Bet Your Bottom Dollar is the first book by Karin Gillispie, and I sure hope it is not her last. I would love the opportunity to revisit Cayboo Creek someday to find out what the town has been up to since I last left them.




Rating:
Summary: Too Funny
Review: When I was reading this book my husband kept asking me, "What's so funny?" After I finished reading it, he snatched it from me, and then he was the one who was howling. Very few books make me laugh out loud, but this was one of them.

If you like fun characters, crazy situations and hysterical dialogue, this is the read for you.