Still in search of good contemporaries. This is an older book and very hard to find, but people still love it. It’s unfortunate that the author only published three books! Maybe she was ahead of her time.
Billy Bob Walker Got Married by Lisa G. Brown
(1993, Contemporary)
Grade: 4
Shiloh Pennington is the daughter of the richest man in Sweetwater, Mississippi, and she’s engaged to marry the son of the most powerful judge. But she’s more interested in Billy Bob, the illegitimate son of the judge and the town bad boy. But bad boys have their soft sides,don’t they? Especially when a girl needs a husband to get out of a bad engagement?
This book had a very appealing “down home” feeling. The characters were interesting and realistic, and the writing was excellent. I felt like I was hearing a great storyteller telling me a tale. The characters were well written and the emotions felt real. However, the book lacked a bit when it came to plot. It meandered all over the place, spending too much time on some sections and not enough on others. The middle section dragged and the end was too abrupt. The book also felt a bit dated – it was published in 1993but some of the situations and attitudes felt 20-30 years out of date. Even for a small town, it seemed a bit much. However, these were fairly small problems compared to the likeability of the characters and the book as a whole. Overall,an enjoyable read.
I had to laugh at one section in the beginning of the book, which describes Billy Bob’s hair. Short in the front, long in the back- oh no! Billy Bob had a mullet! (The cover does not reflect this, thankfully – unless that’s a ponytail hiding in the shadows?) I’ll try not to think of Billy Ray Cyrus when I read this book.
Karen Wheless
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