Book Description
Combining southern warmth with unabashed emotion and side-splitting hilarity, Fannie Flagg takes readers back to Elmwood Springs, Missouri, where the most unlikely and surprising experiences of a high-spirited octogenarian inspire a town to ponder the age-old question: Why are we here?
Life is the strangest thing. One minute, Mrs. Elner Shimfissle is up in her tree, picking figs, and the next thing she knows, she is off on an adventure she never dreamed of, running into people she never in a million years expected to meet. Meanwhile, back home, Elner’s nervous, high-strung niece Norma faints and winds up in bed with a cold rag on her head; Elner’s neighbor Verbena rushes immediately to the Bible; her truck driver friend, Luther Griggs, runs his eighteen-wheeler into a ditch–and the entire town is thrown for a loop and left wondering, “What is life all about, anyway?” Except for Tot Whooten, who owns Tot’s Tell It Like It Is Beauty Shop. Her main concern is that the end of the world might come before she can collect her social security.
In this comedy-mystery, those near and dear to Elner discover something wonderful: Heaven is actually right here, right now, with people you love, neighbors you help, friendships you keep. Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven is proof once more that Fannie Flagg “was put on this earth to write” (Southern Living), spinning tales as sweet and refreshing as iced tea on a summer day, with a little extra kick thrown in.
Customer Reviews:
A Truly Enjoyable Story.......2007-10-08
I read this book in a day and a half. Fannie Flagg is an excellent author who has the reader smiling from beginning to end. I was sorry when the book ended as I wanted to keep on reading! The characters and their quirks are delightful. I would highly recommend this book. It was my book club selection.
The Gift of Laughter.......2007-09-16
What a great read! Fannie Flagg understands people. Better yet, she loves people, and she gets them exactly right.
One of the things she understands is that people are often unintentionally funny. "Heaven" has a generous helping of laugh-out-loud moments, lots of chuckles and an overall feeling of goodwill. All without being syrupy.
Now, truth to tell, this is an over-the-top story. The characters are larger--and sometimes stranger--than life, but you'll recognize people you know. The events are not your everyday stuff, either, but you happily go along because the people are so true to the situations.
People talk about Fannie Flagg being a southern writer, and you get the idea us Yankees won't get it. Well, I've never lived in the South, but it felt like home to me.
The gift of laughter is a great gift, and my thanks go to Ms. Flagg for presenting me with so much of it.
Fannie Flagg.......2007-08-24
This is a great book. It is very funny, and I enjoyed it a lot.
Mireille McKell
Delightful Author, delightful book!.......2007-08-22
I have read all of Fannie Flaggs books. ALL are delightful and you feel good when you finish. They are clean, wonderful books and one can read any of them in any order and still enjoy them immensely.
before you read this.......2007-08-10
.......
I wish that I had read Standing in the Rainbow 1st. They are chronological and would have enjoyed it much more if I had read it from the beginning.
So Standing in Rainbow 1st ,then read Cant Wait to Get to Heaven.
Absolutely funny, sad, reflective.......
They were SO worth the read......
Amazon.com
With home-cooked, Southern literary flair, Fannie Flagg (Fried Green Tomatoes) returns with Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! "Baby Girl," as she is lovingly referred to by her sweet, country cousins, is Dena Nordstrom, a tall, blonde, corn-fed girl who makes it big in Manhattan. Ms. Nordstrom is now the top TV anchorwoman in the city, beating out veteran journalists and making ungodly amounts of money. Although her life seems charmed, Dena is frazzled and miserable. She drinks uncontrollably, is a borderline compulsive liar, and is forced to undergo therapy because of her stress-induced ulcer. Her psychiatrist, Dr. O'Malley, falls madly in love with her, of course, and sends the blonde bombshell to a close colleague, Dr. Diggers. Living up to her name, Diggers shovels up a mountain of dysfunction and forces Dena to face her mysterious past; all the while the good doctor reports back to brokenhearted O'Malley about her patient's progress. Meanwhile, back at the station, Ms. Nordstrom has made friends and enemies in very high places. Her greatest ally is Howard Kingsley, the Cronkitesque reporter who wields power with more ease than most seasoned politicos: "He closed the door and handed the driver a ten-dollar bill. 'Take this young lady where she wants to go for me, will you? And be careful, she's valuable property.'" It's a good thing she has friends like that, because her boss, Ira Wallace, makes George Costanza from Seinfeld look like a scrupulous saint. When Wallace hires a nasty but effective mole by the name of Sidney Capello to dig up garbage on celebrities, Nordstrom has a head-on collision with his sense of ethics (or lack thereof) and gets Capello canned. Or so she thinks. Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! is very much like its star, Dena Nordstrom: pretty, scattered, confused, and sometimes interesting. It's a long ride from the Whistle Stop Cafe, and readers who enjoy Jan Karon's Mitford Fall series will most likely be the biggest fans of Flagg's third novel.
Amazon.com Audiobook Review
Fans of Fannie Flagg's Southern-fried yarns will enjoy her folksy reading of her third novel--the story of New York TV anchorwoman Dena Nordstrom, who must take her fast-paced life down a few notches, face her mysterious past, and shake hands with her small-town heritage in order to find happiness. Listening to Flagg's storytelling on this abridged rendition, one might as well be sitting across a kitchen table from her as she pours two cups of coffee and serves up slices of apple pie along with the latest neighborhood gossip. Flagg, author of the bestselling book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, received a Grammy Award nomination for her narration on the audio version of that book. (Running time: five hours, four cassettes) --Kimberly Heinrichs
Book Description
Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! is the funny, serious, and compelling new novel by Fannie Flagg, author of the beloved
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (and prize-winning co-writer of the classic movie).
Once again, Flagg's humor and respect and affection for her characters shine forth. Many inhabit small-town or suburban America. But this time, her heroine is urban: a brainy, beautiful, and ambitious rising star of 1970s television. Dena Nordstrom, pride of the network, is a woman whose future is full of promise, her present rich with complications, and her past marked by mystery.
Among the colorful cast of characters are:
Sookie, of Selma, Alabama, Dena's exuberant college roommate, who is everything that Dena is not; she is thrilled by Dena's success and will do everything short of signing autographs for her; Sookie's a mom, a wife, and a Kappa forever
Dena's cousins, the Warrens, and her aunt Elner, of Elmwood Springs, Missouri, endearing, loyal, talkative, ditsy, and, in their way, wise
Neighbor Dorothy, whose spirit hovers over them all through the radio show that she broadcast from her home in the 1940s
Sidney Capello, pioneer of modern sleaze journalism and privateer of privacy, and Ira Wallace, his partner in tabloid television
Several doctors, all of them taken with--and almost taken in by-Dena
There are others, captivated by a woman who tries to go home again, not knowing where home or love lie.
Customer Reviews:
On Par with "Fried Green Tomatoes" .......2007-09-26
Undoubtedly, Fannie Flagg's most famous work will be Fried Green Tomatoes, not to put Ms. Flagg in her grave yet, but I doubt she will write another novel that will capitivate the hearts and minds of her readers quite like Fried Green Tomatoes did. That being said, "Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!" comes dangerously close to doing so. It has mystery, romance, and of course, it is full of the dynamic and hysterical characters Flagg is known for.
Dena finds herself.......2007-09-14
What can I say ---it is a book by Fannie Flagg. It is southern hospitality served in a warm and witty way. I did not like the way it switched from present years to the past as it made it hard to follow at times. Not my most favorite of Flaggs but definately worth your time.
Welcome to the world, indeed!.......2007-07-09
I was very surprised at just how well written this novel is mainly because I had looked upon Fanny Flagg as "merely" a comedienne. Not only did I enjoy her humor but now I was enjoying her writing.
The characters in this book are interesting in their own right and the summation of their interaction makes for a wonderful story!
The protagonist, Dena Nordstrom, gorgeous, talented, successful television interviewer comes
home eventually with the help of two psychiatrists - her therapist and the man who loved her and pursued her - and eventually married her. Sometimes what we think we want in life proves to be that which is wrong for us and if we're lucky we realize, not too late, that we can start over. Dena realized and came home.
Aunt Elnar - dear that she is, Norma - nervous nelly that she is, and Macky - patience
personified are all entertaining characters and important to Baby Girl's (Dena's) life.
Elmwood Springs, Mo. is charming and therapeutic and embraces the returning, recovered Baby Girl.
I'm returning to Elmwood Springs myself - I'm now reading CAN'T WAIT TO GET TO HEAVEN.
As Real As It Gets.......2007-06-02
Baby Girl is one of the few novels I've read that I can look back at and think that something like this could actually have happened. I admit, I couldn't get through Fried Green Tomatoes (though I'm going to try rereading it now), but Baby Girl is a classic.
Dena is a perfect mix of sarcastic, narcissistic, troubled and Inherently Good. The conflict with her mother is heart-wrenching (I cried twice the third time I read it), but I suppose it might be a little hard to understand for someone who's never had their heart broken or been abandoned by someone they loved. The message against racism is wonderfully potent, but it doesn't get in the reader's face. Gerry is the man most women want (as a non-scoundrel counterpart to Han Solo). Elmwood Springs has a wonderful history that adds a new dimension to Baby Girl. I read Standing In the Rainbow first and I swear I nearly cried when Baby Girl mentions the Smith house being for sale because Neighbor Dorothy and her family were gone.
Overall, Baby Girl is a masterpiece. I don't understand how anyone could dislike it.
Only her fourth best novel.......2007-04-06
This story isn't as entertaining as "Fried Green Tomatoes", or even "Redbird Christmas", but it is still worth reading. Fannie's characters are always simple--but loveable--and this one is no exception.
Book Description
A folksy, funny and endearing story of life in a small town in Alabama in the Depression and in the 1980s. However, the novel's laughter and tears are interrupted by a strange murder and a still stranger trial.
Customer Reviews:
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.......2007-09-13
I love the movie version. Watch it about once a year. The book fleshes out the beloved characters very well. The book is a keepsake to be re-read often.
A Treasure.......2007-07-26
First off, the title is one of the best ever; and everything about this book lives up to it. Not a story that is reeled out in a straight cast but payed out slowly- under and over stories artfully woven. The character's names, the place, the times, the sounds of the train, the smells of all that fabulous pre-health conscious stuff frying on the grill. Boy oh boy!
The hope of life against the odds. This is one classic book.
I quite liked it!.......2007-07-18
Whenever I see a movie that was originally a book, I always want to read the book. Then i got on amazon and saw how many people were just lovin the book! So i got. And here I am, to make my own rave review.
Although the book jumps around alot, somehow I never got confused or annoyed. It just still fit seamlessly together, ninny telling her story and the rest being filled in. And then it tells the story of Evelyn, who's struggling with depression and her want to die. And then it goes through with her as she suddenly becomes angry, calling herself Towanda.
I'd say that it's definately worth the money.
Better than the movie!.......2007-07-09
Read the book, it's better than the movie and you will be glad you did.
Book.......2007-07-03
I loved it. I watched the movie first and now am reading the book and it's just fantastic!
Book Description
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 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."
Download Description
FANNIE FLAGG¿s writing career began behind the scenes of television¿s Candid Camera and progressed to out-in-front as performer-writer. Her acting achievements led to roles in motion pictures including Five Easy Pieces, with Jack Nicholson; Stay Hungry, with Jeff Bridges and Sally Field; and, most recently, Crazy in Alabama, with Melanie Griffith. For the theater in New York she did Patio Porch and Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean, and played the lead role in the Broadway musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.
Her first novel, Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, was on the New York Times bestseller list for ten weeks. Her second, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, praised by Harper Lee and Eudora Welty, was on the Times list for thirty-six weeks. It was made into the memorable hit movie Fried Green Tomatoes, starring Jessica Tandy and Kathy Bates. The screenplay, also written by Flagg, earned her the coveted Scripters Award and was nominated for an Academy Award and the Writers Guild of America Screen Award. Her reading of the Random House audiobook received a Grammy nomination.
That book gave way to an even bigger hardcover success for Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, which The Christian Science Monitor called ¿captivating . . . a comic novel to open with open arms.¿ Flagg lives in California and in Alabama.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Heartwarming and funny.......2007-10-10
I really enjoyed this book, it's the second book of a three part series, Fannie Flagg knows how to write humor and is so easy to read.
Awesome read.......2007-09-14
I wonderful book, hard to put down. I did not want the stories to end.
I highly recommend the uplifting pages to anyone and everyone.
A wonderful tale of southern life.......2007-07-31
This is an engaging book by Ms. Flagg. It gives thoughtful and deep insight into the lives of persons in the South and how they change and develop over the different decades. The characters are multidimensional and their thoughts and feelings are expressed quite clearly. I found myself being able to understand and identify with what was going on with each of them and what they were going through. The plot of the story is also clear and it is easy to follow. I gave this novel five stars because not only was it entertaining, but it was educational as well.
A Wonderful Summer Read.......2007-06-27
This is really a good book. Perfect for light reading that makes you feel good when you finish the story.
You will not be disappointed.
I loved this book.......2007-02-09
It is wonderfully written. The characters come to life while you're reading and it's hard to put the book down. I was sad to finish the book, it was almost like saying goodbye to a friend.
Book Description
Actress and author of the the beloved novel FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AT THE WHISTLE STOP CAFE, Fannie Flagg has long collected recipes from that famed cafe on which the movie was based. Now, due to popular demand, she joyfully shares those recipes along with some wonderful (and hilarious) observations about food and life.
Customer Reviews:
old recipes.......2002-10-16
I recently checkout the cookbook at my public library and upon my surprise were some recipes that my mother used to make. This is a plus for me since my mother is no longer living and we didn't write down some of them. For someone who likes the old time cooking this is a wonderful book.
Luscious,wonderful recipies!.......1997-02-02
I love this cookbook! Here's a sampling of some of the recipes you will find within: Down Home Crab Cakes,Southern Barbecue,Turnip Greens,Cheese Grits,Lane Cake,---this book the is the absolute essence of Southern Cafe food! There is an abundance of recipes-some you wouldn't expect-and three Fried Green Tomato recipes.The Buttermilk Biscuit recipe is the best I have ever used.Lots of wonderful antecdotes on Alabama,Hollywood,the Piggly Wiggly,the movie- plenty of old time photos.A class act.Two words of caution: #1.)Ignore Fannie's Ode to Grapico-DON'T try the stuff! It's grape soda that will make your teeth ache for an hour it's so damned sweet! and #2.)These recipe's are NOT for the "calorically challenged"-but buy it anyway! What a great read
Customer Reviews:
I laughed so hard!.......2001-04-27
I definitely recommend this book to both young and old. It will take you back to a time when life seemed innocent and interesting. I found myself laughing out loud in public and couldn't imagine someone not being touched by such a work of brilliance and humor. CHECK IT OUT! Women...especially encouraged. (Guys would like it too though)
Review of Coming Attractions.......2000-01-11
"Coming Attractions" by Fannie Flagg is one of the most brilliant pieces of work I have ever read. It is absolutely hilarious, and very touching. It is about growing up with a young girl, named Daisy Fay. From day one she is getting into trouble. Her mother is busy trying to cover up her and her husband's bad relationship, while all 'daddy' does is sit around and drink Pabst Blue Ribbon all day, so Daisy has plenty of time to sneak in strip bars, be a Jr. Debutaunte and find an albino. The novel is in the format of a diary from Daisy at the age of six until in her twenties. This is a book that I feel every woman should read, you'll see a little bit of yourself in Daisy Fay! I believe the book is still in print, unfortunately, I don't know the name of the new novel.
Hilarious!.......1999-08-28
Funniest Fannie Flagg yet. Did you know this book is in print under the title: "Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man"?! Find it right here at Amazon!
:7).......1999-06-03
I love this book. I haven't laughed so hard from a novel since I read Cold Sassy Tree in high school. I recommend this to anyone who feels nothing will ever get better, it might not, but is can get funnier!
I love this book.......1998-01-02
This may be the funniest book I have ever read. I recommend it to everyone. I actually ordered from an out-of-print dealer a first edition signed of this. Paid through the nose, but it was worth it.
Average customer rating:
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Alice Flagg: The Ghost of the Hermitage : A Novel
Nancy Rhyne
Manufacturer: Pelican Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Ghosts
| Horror
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
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Historical
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
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United States
| World Literature
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| 18th Century
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ASIN: 0882897608 |
Customer Reviews:
Classic Chaykin .......2006-07-05
I read comics for both art and story. Chaykin is among the very few authors who consistently deliver the best of both. American Flagg is a great series from Chaykin at the peak of his powers.
The story wanders a bit, as you'd expect from a long-lived comic series. The general theme is the world in general and the US in particular sunk into a world that Nero or Caligula might have envied. Violence is rampant; a few enclaves keep it barely in check with private militias. Morality is what you can afford: drugs, prostitution, team sports to the death, and whatever else a bent mind can buy. Of course, the protectors are as venal as anyone else - and more. This landscape of neon-lit mine fields is the stage on which our hero (Flagg) acts.
The artwork is what makes people keep coming back to Chaykin's work. Characters are posed, erect, and strong, without coming across as stiff. Styles tend towards 1940s style with wedge-shouldered men, hour-glass women, and fashions from the noir genre. Page layouts vary in was that support the narrative well, but never get in the way of the story's flow. Once you've seen a few of Chaykin's comics, you'll start to recognize his visual style. Then you'll start to see its effect younger artists. I am not criticizing the new artists in any way - quite the opposite, I'm praising them for learning from the best.
Despite the light visual style, it's a noir story, full of decadent people in a decaying world. And it's really good.
//wiredweird
Average customer rating:
- "Hard Times" is one of the best books in the cyberpunk style
- Brilliant Sci-fi Graphic Novel
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American Flagg, No. 10: Hard Times
Howard Chaykin
Manufacturer: Graphitti Designs
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Contemporary
| General
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
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ASIN: 0936211083 |
Customer Reviews:
"Hard Times" is one of the best books in the cyberpunk style.......1999-03-03
Howard Chaykin's "Hard Times" is an excellent book in the cyberpunk style. The future world, the technology and the international policy are realy well concepted and worked. All the characters are very well developed, with no exception. I guess what impressed me most is the concept of a world so used to sex and violence that no one cares anymore.
Brilliant Sci-fi Graphic Novel.......1997-05-19
Howard Chaykin is an excellent comic book artist, but his real talents lie in his story telling capabilities. In "American Flagg- Hard Times," Chakin is at his best in both areas. I should point out that this is not a "kiddie" graphic novel. American Flagg is for adults--it contains sex, foul language, and plenty of violence. That being said, I heartily reccomend this book to anyone who likes gritty sci-fi. Chaykin's futuristic sleezy world is very true to life. It is easy to get emersed in the detail of this well written story. This series is also very funny. Most of the jokes in the graphic novel are based on parodies of current events. I can safely say that this reviewer will be the first in line to snap up any new Flagg novels, if Chaykin decides to do any more! A MUST BU
Average customer rating:
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THE AMERICAN FLAGGS
KATHLEEN NORRIS
Manufacturer: The Sun Dial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Norris, Kathleen
| ( N )
| Authors, A-Z
| Religion & Spirituality
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Hardcover
| Norris, Kathleen
| ( N )
| Authors, A-Z
| Religion & Spirituality
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B000J588IM |
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