The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop

THE WONDER BOY OF WHISTLE STOP by Fannie Flagg is a LibraryReads choice for October.  If you love Flagg’s homespun writing, especially Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, pick up this new equally folksy novel. It charmingly reprises many of the characters and events from that 1987 classic while offering comfort in these uncertain times. For example, title character Bud Threadgoode (now retired and looking to visit his Alabama hometown) observes, “Life can be hard sometimes. And I sort of think animals are little gifts the good Lord sends to help us get through it.” Or when Flagg writes, “that’s what you get when you love something that much. Joy and heartbreak.” My difficulty with this novel was the way it jumped around in time over several decades and across state lines, often making reference or assuming some knowledge the reader did not necessarily have. My advice is to treat yourself: (re)read Fried Green Tomatoes first and then settle in to enjoy more feel good wisdom in THE WONDER BOY OF WHISTLE STOP.