Fannie flagg biography book 2015

Review

“A beautifully told tale, world-class humor, and characters who live forever in a grateful reader’s world. Fannie Flagg keeps getting better and better. The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion proves it.”—Pat Conroy

“Flagg spins another charming tale of the peaks and valleys of everyday life. . . . If all the self-help books that promote ways to ‘find yourself’ were stacked in an enormous pile . . . none would approach the sweet wisdom with which Flagg infuses The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion. And neither could they match the author’s essential kindness, nor her unwavering tenderness toward and belief in humanity, despite all its foibles and foolishness. She understands, but she does so with love.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch

“It’s Flagg’s pleasure to hit her characters with several happy endings, but the real happiness is that she’s given us another lovable—and quirky—novel.”—The Washington Post

“Flagg is at her South-skewering best. . . . A chuckle-while-reading book.”—The Mobile Press-Register

“The kind of story that keeps readers turning pages in a fever . . . There are plot twists, adventure, heartbreak, and familial love in spades.”—Publishers Weekly

“Fannie flies high, and her fans will enjoy the ride. . . . A charming story written with wit and empathy . . . just the right blend of history and fiction.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Flagg’s storytelling talent is on full display. Her trademark quirky characters are warm and realistic, and the narrative switches easily between the present and the past. Flagg’s fans won’t be disappointed in this one, and there’s a lot to be said for giving tribute to the real-life WASPs. . . . Great possibilities for nonfiction pairings abound for book clubs.”—Booklist

“Yet again, Flagg delivers a book full of heartwarming charm that is sure to provoke lighthearted laughter. A complex story told simply and honestly . . . another treat for Flagg fans.”—Library Journal

“Fannie Flagg is a fantastic storyteller. Sh

“You never know what’s in a person’s heart until they’re tested, do you?”

I’ve been a fan of the movie adaptation Fried Green Tomatoes for a great many years. I also enjoyed Fannie Flagg on countless episodes of The Match Game thanks to reruns on The Game Show Network, so it was with great joy and even greater anticipation that I picked up the original novel.

I needn’t have been nervous. Picking up Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is like getting lost in a fascinating conversation with an old friend who excels at telling stories. The pages fly by effortlessly until you realize with a pang of disappointment that you’re nearing the end and the story is going to have to stop soon. I can think of no greater compliment than that.

There are two primary stories being told here. First we have Evelyn Couch, a woman stunned to find herself middle-aged and deeply unhappy with the life she has lived–or rather, the way she has avoided living life up to this point. Visiting her mother-in-law at a nursing home, Evelyn comes across Ninny Threadgoode, whose verve and life force make Evelyn come alive as Ninny tells her stories of her home town of Whistle Stop–and mostly about the other primary characters, Ruth and Idgie. Ruth and Idgie owned the Whistle Stop Cafe, which was the heart of the town and a frequent source of controversy. Not to mention possibly a murder. There are, of course, many other character and stories balancing things out, but theirs are told within the framework of these four women: Idgie and Ruth, Evelyn and Ninny.

Flagg’s affection for her characters is palpable, and the way both they and the town of Whistle Stop come to vibrant life is breathtaking. As the story progresses and time ravages on, Flagg gets in poignant truths about life, friendship, and family, but also about how the present all too quickly becomes the past. That she m

I have been meaning to read this book ever since I watched the lovely film, years and years ago. I have a romantic notion of a life spent sitting on a porch, drinking sweet tea and eating peach pie somewhere in the Deep South, and this story really captured my imagination when I saw it realised on screen. The book proved to be just as enchanting, transporting me to the world of the tiny clapboard railroad town of Whistle Stop, peopled by generations and generations of the same happily intertwined families, supporting each other through the triumphs and disappointments of their lives.While it is not the most beautifully, impressively written novel in the world, the story it contains is heartwarming, touching and uplifting, with characters so powerfully realised that I felt like I knew them. It is the perfect comfort read.

Evelyn Couch is a 1980’s housewife in Birmingham, Alabama. She is deeply unhappy; she is heavily overweight, has never had a job, has children she has no real relationship with and a marriage lacking in any passion. However, when she goes to visit her mother-in-law at her nursing home, Evelyn finds her life changing when she meets Ninny Threadgoode, a temporary fellow resident. Ninny is a talker, and Evelyn initially finds her chatty companion a nuisance, but soon she is drawn into the stories Ninny tells her about her life in the small town of Whistle Stop in the early 1900s, and the fascinating family and friends she lived alongside. Ninny grew up in the home of her foster parents, Alice and Poppa Threadgoode, who lived in a big white clapboard house filled with children, warmth and laughter. Most loved were Buddy, the cheeky, much adored teenage son and Idgie, the incorrigable tomboy. Both were always getting into scrapes and causing much hilarity for the whole family, but Idgie changed, withdrawing from life, when Buddy died in a tragic accident on the railroad tracks. A few years later, a young girl, Ruth Jamison, arrived in Whistle