Good news! Fannie’s back in town—and the town is among the leading characters in her new novel. Along with Neighbor Dorothy, the lady with the smile in her voice, whose daily radio broadcasts keep us delightfully informed on all the local news, we also meet Bobby, her ten-year-old son, destined to live a thousand lives, most of them in his imagination; Norma and Macky Warren and their … and their ninety-eight-year-old Aunt Elner; the oddly sexy and charismatic Hamm Sparks, who starts off in life as a tractor salesman and ends up selling himself to the whole state and almost the entire country; and the two women who love him as differently as night and day. Then there is Tot Whooten, the beautician whose luck is as bad as her hairdressing skills; Beatrice Woods, the Little Blind Songbird; Cecil Figgs, the Funeral King; and the fabulous Minnie Oatman, lead vocalist of the Oatman Family Gospel Singers.
The time is 1946 until the present. The town is Elmwood Springs, Missouri, right in the middle of the country, in the midst of the mostly joyous transition from war to peace, aiming toward a dizzyingly bright future.
Once again, Fannie Flagg gives us a story of richly human characters, the saving graces of the once-maligned middle classes and small-town life, and the daily contest between laughter and tears. Fannie truly writes from the heartland, and her storytelling is, to quote Time, “utterly irresistible.”
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This was one of my favorite Elmwood Springs books by Fannie Flagg! I was laughing and crying as I drove down the road and listened the audiobook version.
Fannie Flagg is such a wonderful author and she has you loving the characters who live in Elmwood Springs. The story spans several decades and you will learn a lot about several families. You …
Fannie Flagg, one of my all-time favorite master storytellers, has hit another one out of the park. In STANDING IN THE RAINBOW, Flagg braids humor with seriousness and makes a clear call to action for women—not just women in politics, but women in the home, and women in business. All Women. Add it to your “must-read” list today.
This book made me wish I could go visit this crazy, often hilarious, small town! The characters made me wish someone would turn this into a movie!
I love all Fannie Flagg’s books–this was the first of her books I read and my favorite!
What a joy to read!
I grew up in small towns in the 50’s on. I knew some of the characters or I knew some characters that Fanny truly nailed. Thanks
I didn’t find this book riveting. It was a little dull.
Really good sweet story.
I’ve read all she has written, and loved them all. They remind me so much of my midwestern upbringing.
Down home feeling. Fanny Flagg never disappoints – she finds the humor in everyday life.
I loved this book. I have loved everything Fannie Flagg has written. I would recommend this book and her others to everyone. Great quirky characters and a lot of heart and home town feel.
Love Fanny Flagg books. Quick read and enjoyable.
Amazing full blooded characters who grow on you more and more and whom you won’t be able to forget.
You know what you are going to get with this author and this book is no exception. Not was engaging as some of her others it is still a pleasant read and ably captures a slice of America life not known to most of us.
It’s a Fannie Flagg book. I generally like them, and I like this one. Fun read.
Love her books
Very nice family saga with entertaining characters.
So enjoy this author’s books!
I have this one in book form, signed by the author many years ago.
I love all of Fannie Flagg’s books. This one was no disappointment. Wonderful read.
The characters in this book really spoke to me. The forties, fifties and sixties really brought back memories of my childhood and young adulthood. Loved every minute of it!