What a gift it was to return to Whistle Stop. I enjoyed revisiting with all the characters from the previous book. It was a heartfelt book that only Fannie Flagg’s writing style can give us. I love her storytelling style that draws you into all her books. It was a real page turner and hard to put down. I recommend this story and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this advanced copy for my honest opinion.

This review contains spoilers. The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop is Fannie Flagg’s return to Whistle Stop, the setting of one of her earlier books, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, which also became a popular movie, Fried Green Tomatoes. The original story is full of humor and intrigue, with a little murder thrown in. It was very popular, possibly due to the mousy, middle-aged female main character whose unexpected friendship with a nursing home resident who tells her stories about The Whistle Stop Cafe from her younger days gives her confidence and a new outlook on life. Upon reading Fannie Flagg’s companion novel, it seems that the author took what had been a winning formula for the first Whistle Stop story and recreated it for this one. Unfortunately, without the murderous twist of the original, it falls a little flat. The twists in this companion novel are predictable, and the relationships are, too. Everything ends up working out better than expected, which should have made me content, but instead left me disappointed because it felt too neat and tidy. There is a lot of humor here, and there is some sadness as some beloved characters die of old age. There is even a violent character with a grudge that added a little more suspense. Despite all of these additions, the plot didn’t go deep enough for me. I have always enjoyed Fannie Flagg’s novels (The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion even prompted me to take a field trip to Avenger Field and the WASP museum there), but I felt like this book was not up to her usual quality. For anyone wanting to relive their Whistle Stop memories and get more details about their beloved characters, though, it is a quick and light read. If someone is wanting a novel that has the same complexity of plot as the original, though, they might find themselves wishing for more. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Opening a Fannie Flagg book is like sitting down to visit with an old friend. I have been a fan of Ms. Flagg since Coming Attractions and of course knew and loved the characters from Fried Green Tomatoes. This book catches us up with the future progeny of the original Whistle Stop and does not disappoint. I hope we get another book about these folks. I’d love to read more about Alberta and Big George and Sipsey. Bravo!

I've been reading a lot of books by Fannie Flagg this year with a group of friends and of those I've read so far, this one is my favorite. I loved getting back with those characters we met in Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and this book brings us both forward and backward in time, as well as introduces us to new characters related those those we met and loved in FGT. I really liked that the little town of Whistle Stop plays a role in this story as well! That part was fun to watch unfold. The only issue I had with this book is that we kept jumping all over time, backwards and forwards, with no real patterns (at least that I could see) and it would take me a minute to get my bearings but overall, I really enjoyed this one.

When I saw that there was another book set in Whistle Stop, I wanted to read it, of course, I also love Fannie Flagg's wonderful story telling, so that was also a pull. This is a story that is set many years later. Bud Threadgoode is a senior living in an assisted living village. Bud decides to take one last trip to Birmingham, but once there, decides to venture off to see where his beloved Whistle Stop used to be. This sets off a series of events that tell a wonderful story about what Whistle Stop can be once again. When I first started to read this one, I was a bit disappointed. It seemed to be a series of vignettes from both the past and the present and I couldn't quite see the connection. Loving other books by this delightful author, I persevered and I am glad I did. We learn more about Idgie, Ruth and Buddy that we didn't know from Fried Green Tomatoes. We also find out what happened to them in the interim and what is happening in their lives and those of their descendents in the present. It was a heartwarming story about friendship, small towns, caring about others and not giving up on life. I am glad I finished this one. I recommend it to those who enjoy southern fiction, dual timelines and just a nice enjoyable story about human decency and caring

Oh my goodness, reading this book was like a big hug! This book follows the stories from the Whistle Stop but could be read as a stand alone. The grit and character of the people in the Whistle Stop are so endearing and inspiring. I think reading this book would be great any time of year but I read it at Christmas and it was especially charming. There are surprises in the storyline and the author jumps around between characters and timelines but in a way that weaves a seamless storyline. I thought it was absolutely lovely!

Talented actress, comedian, and author Fannie Flagg has written a sequel to her enormously successful 1987 novel (and 1991 movie) Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop: A Novel was published 27 October 2020. And its publication brought a bright spot to 2020! Flagg is an enormously talented entertainer whose acting/comedic/storytelling skills translate into delightful books full of wit, humor, and excellent characterization.

When Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe was published in 1987, it brought to life the denizens of Whistle Stop, Alabama by weaving together the past and the present. The friendship between Evelyn Couch, a middle-aged housewife, and Ninny Threadgoode, an elderly woman who lives in a nursing home was a vehicle through one got to know the inhabitants of that small town. The Threadgoode family features prominently in the novel—especially Idgie Threadgoode who opens up the Whistle Stop Cafe with friend Ruth Jamison and cook extraordinaire Sipsey, and the cafe becomes a gathering place which serves delicious food to the town residents who become an extended family, and the train passengers who stop there for a meal in the 1920s and 30s.

The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop uses the same device of weaving together the past and the present to let the reader know what happened to the beloved residents of that little town. In this novel one of the narrators is Dot, who once wrote a weekly newsletter in Whistle Stop. Once the town empties out and dies when the railroad yard closes, it becomes a yearly Christmas letter that keeps the former town occupants in touch. Here is her description of Whistle Stop and its demise written 25 years later:

“FAIRHOPE, ALABAMA
December 21, 1964
AT ONE TIME Whistle Stop had been a bustling little railroad town, ten miles from Birmingham, employing over two hundred railroad workers. But as passenger train travel slowly declined, and the big railroad switching yard shut down and moved, people started to find jobs elsewhere, and the town’s population declined too. With so many people leaving, Dot’s weekly newsletters became smaller as the weeks and months went by. People in Whistle Stop tried to hang on as long as they could, but the real beginning of the end was when Idgie Threadgoode suddenly closed down the cafe and moved to Florida. For weeks afterward, old men and little boys kept peeking through the wooden slats on the cafe window, hoping it wasn’t true. But it was. And with the beauty shop and the cafe gone, and then later, when the U.S. Post Office disbanded their Whistle Stop office, what had once been a busy street and the hub of the community was now just one long, empty block. With no real town left, the ones who stayed found themselves stranded out in the country, in the middle of nowhere, with no jobs or places to shop. Eventually, even some of the old diehards like Dot and Wilbur Weems were finally forced to accept the inevitable and leave.”

At some points in the novel, the reader becomes acquainted again with Flagg’s famous characters from the first book. This is why I think the book would be enjoyed more by someone who had read the first novel or seen the movie. But, new characters are introduced and/or characters who were minor in novel one become quite important in this sequel. One example of this is Idgie Threadgoode’s adopted son Buddy, son of Ruth, who becomes a key figure in this novel through flashbacks to his childhood as well as an exploration of his adult life even into his old age. Buddy’s daughter, Ruthie, also plays an enormous part in the story, because she realizes how important Whistle Stop—a place she has never lived or visited—truly was.

Flagg has written with enormous charm and wit about the Alabama of her childhood, and given us yet another book that promotes happiness despite a world with problems. It was a joy to explore Whistle Stop and its denizens again! I recommend that you purchase and read both books in order to brighten your world!

I would be amiss if I did not share some of the witty writing from the book.

A passage featuring a grown Bud circa 1989, and his wife Peggy, as they are growing older:

“Peggy hated getting older. But Bud didn’t care. He loved the way she looked, even her freckles that she hated. She’d look at herself and say, “I look just like Howdy Doody.”
As Bud said later, “Women look in the mirror and think they look terrible. Men never look and think they look great. And most times both are wrong.”

This is Flagg at her best—saying something true, witty, and humorous at the same time!

Here is a passage reminiscing about Idgie:

“Idgie had always been a tomboy, always tall for her age, with short, curly blond hair. From the time she could walk, she’d loved to play sports with the boys and climb trees. Most of the time, she was up in the big chinaberry tree in the front yard of the Threadgoode house or else sitting up on the roof. Her mother said she must be related to a monkey, because Idgie would and could climb anything.

When she was around six, she had been playing over at the rail yard, and that afternoon, when her mother was out sweeping the front porch, she happened to look up as the five o’clock to Atlanta was passing the Threadgoode house, and there sat Idgie on the top of the train waving at her mother as she rode by.
Of course, her mother was hysterical, thinking Idgie was going to fall off and be killed any minute. But luckily they were able to telegraph ahead to the next station, and got her down over at Pell City, safe and sound. Growing up, both Idgie and her younger brother, Julian, had idolized their older brother Buddy. He was the one who had taught Idgie to shoot and fish and play football and baseball. And if anyone dared Idgie to do something, she usually did it. Everyone always said she was very brave for a girl.

One time at school, when a boy had thrown a snake into the girls’ bathroom, girls were running everywhere, screaming at the top of their lungs. Everybody but Idgie. She had grabbed the snake and chased that boy across the field, caught him, and stuffed it down his shirt. Reverend Scroggins, the Baptist preacher, heard about the skirmish, and his sermon that Sunday had been Psalm 133:1: “How Very Good and Pleasant It Is When Kindred Live Together in Unity.”

But Idgie hadn’t heard the sermon. As usual on Sunday mornings, she was down at the Warrior River with her brother Buddy, fishing for catfish.”

And one last passage from the beginning of the book where we are introduced to Flagg’s inspiration for the title of the book:

“Buddy Jr.
WHISTLE STOP, ALABAMA
July 8th, 1939
THE YEAR RUTH’S little boy was born, he was legally adopted by the Threadgoode family. Ruth had named him Buddy Jr. after the son the Threadgoodes had lost. Momma and Poppa Threadgoode and Idgie’s brothers Cleo and Julian had all stepped in and helped raise him.

Ninny Threadgoode, a sweet lady who was married to Idgie’s brother Cleo, lived just up the street from the cafe. At present, she had a cat who had just given birth to eight kittens. Every day, ten-year-old Buddy would go over to Ninny’s house and play with them for hours. Buddy loved spending time with his Aunt Ninny, and she loved having his company.

One afternoon, when Ninny was over at the cafe visiting with Ruth, she said, “That boy of yours is a real wonder boy.”
Ruth smiled. “Why do you say that?”
Ninny laughed. “Because he’s always a wonderin’ about somethin’ or another. Why do kittens purr, or why do rabbits have long ears? This morning, when he was over at my house, he says to me, “Aunt Ninny, I wonder why chickens have feathers and wings, but they don’t fly off anywhere?” So I said, “That’s a good question, honey. If I was a chicken and I saw Sipsey headed toward me with her five-pound skillet, I’d sure fly away if I could.” Ninny was right about Buddy. Every train that would pass by, he would wonder who was on it. Where were they going? And what were they going to do when they got there?

Of course, Idgie took all his wondering as a sign that Buddy was a genius and was going to do great things one day. And she never quit believing it.

Even after Buddy lost his arm playing over by the railroad tracks, Idgie was determined to keep him doing all the things he had done before.”

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this delightful book, and for allowing me to review it.

Oh please, take me back to Whistle Stop.

Being from Alabama, the Fried Green tomatoes movie is up there with knowing the perfect ratio of water to sugar ratio for sweet tea. I have watched it countless times growing up and it's nothing for my sister to scream "DAWANDA" at the drop of a hat. So it is with shame that I admit, I have never read these books- or anything by the incredible Fannie Flagg. It was as magical as I thought it would be.

I started out with the first in this series and was giddy when Netgalley graciously sent me a free copy of "The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop" to review. I flew through both books in a matter of days!

There are no better written characters than these. Evelyn, Idgie, Ruth, Big George, Bud... I could go on. Flagg is an absolute master when it comes to the written word and crafting a story start to finish that feels effortless. There aren't hard transitions and I never feel like the author is trying too hard. As a southerner myself, it is so encouraging to see stories like these out in the world in today's time.

BONUS POINTS! If you love short chapters, these books have them in spades. The pages literally fly by not only because the chapters are short, but because its such relaxing reading. Before you realize it, you are completely sucked into the lives of these characters. I'll admit it. I had major anxiety about reading this sequel because like a lot of others have said, it's hard to beat the original. Somehow, Fannie does it again!

I was completely invested into what happened to these characters. I was rooting for Bud (now an old man) and his daughter, Ruth as they venture back to Whistle Stop and make friends a long the way. It felt like a love letter to the fans of Whistle Stop. A good bye to all the friends you made all those years ago when the book was released.

Thank you Idgie for being so strong and stubborn. Thank you Ruth for being so kind and beautiful. Thank you Old George for making the best BBQ the South has ever seen- Secrets in the sauce! Thank you lil Ruth for showing us its never too late to create miracles for those we love. Thank you Evelyn for overcoming and showing us it really isn't ever too late to start over again. And thank you Bud, for holding true to your roots and making us all wish we weren't so far away from home.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for this advanced reader copy for my honest review. #netgalley #Thewonderboyofwhistlestop

Fannie Flag's writing is so smooth, so readable, so enjoyable that she could write about almost anything and make it a fun time. This book was not any different in that way-it was a good read.

I was so excited to see another book by fanny Flagg, I loved fried green tomatoes and I loved this just as much, a long waited for sequel. 5 well earned stars

The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg is the sequel of the popular Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. The problem with sequels is that they rarely live up to the original and unfortunately this is the case here. I am going against the grain on this one because it looks like most reviewers are extremely fond of the new novel. But to me it seems that the author wanted to squeeze one last drop from a well-loved cozy story. This book is an update of the lives of the characters in Fried Green Tomatoes, mainly Bud Threadgoode and his quirky relatives. While it was fun to catch up, it quickly became uninteresting. Cozy fiction is usually Fannie Flagg’s forte but this was too much charm and not enough style. The first story was original and entertaining, this one lacks substance. Please remember that this is only my opinion. Thank you to Random House Publishing, NetGalley, and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book - for me it was like comfort food for the soul. I've always liked Fannie Flagg's "slice of life" books, so I was pretty certain I'd enjoy this one too.

The book centers on Bud, who is the son of Ruth. He lost his arm in a railway accident when young, but due to his awesome upbringing with Ruth and Idgie, it didn't slow him down much. But really, we see lots of characters - many of the original residents of Whistle Stop make appearances, and we see a lot of Bud's daughter Ruthie. We also see Evelyn Crouch.

The time jumps around, the people jump around, and it all works beautifully. And Bud really is a "wonder boy" with his personality and attitude!

My thanks to the publisher and netgalley for giving me a review copy of this book. I highly recommend it.

I love love love Fannie Flagg’s books and have read them all. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is probably my favorite, so I was thrilled to see this new title come up on Net Galley, telling more of Buddy’s story and the story of the people of Whistle Stop. Ms. Flagg’s books are like wrapping yourself in a cozy comforter and are reminiscent of Jan Karon’s Mitford series. You love the place, you love the people, you don’t want it to end.

Thank you for the gift of another story about these characters, Ms. Flagg!

(And yes, this is the same Fannie Flagg as from Match Game in the 70’s!).

Flagg spins another good yarn! We are taken back to Whistlestop AL but this time the story is about Buddy Thread Goode, Ruth's son who lost his arm in a train accident. We meet his wife, Peggy and daughter, Ruthie. This book bounces from past to present buts it's easy to keep track, especially with the one page chapters. I can see a movie sequel in the future!

I've been reading Fannie Flagg for over 25 years. So, it saddens me to say that I didn't particularly care for her latest novel, The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop. Flagg is known for her charming, funny, character-rich depictions of the South. However, time has passed. This nostalgia now feels hackneyed if not outright poisonous. I don't know if Fried Green Tomatoes would hold up today, but this book does not. Lately, Flagg has failing to create cohesive narratives. Instead, she provides groups of vignettes that fail to hang together properly. She ages, but her stories do not. I am sure there are some readers who will enjoy this book very much. But, where Fannie Flaggs were once essential new acquisitions, I question whether they still are.

This Whistle Stop novel carries on to the next generation of people to come from Whistle Stop. The town is gone, everyone has left. Using people of the 1930's and people from 60's+ we find out what has happened to all of them, and what Whistle Stops fate will be. It was fun to find out about the characters from earlier books and also what their offspring have done. Loved this book, I felt so good after reading, maybe more should read this as we are still in the pandemic.

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.

Fannie Flagg has written another wonderful novel - if you love small town life or have ever wondered what it might be like just pick up "The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop". The characters will jump of the pages at you. You will laugh and you will cry. You will feel as if you have lived in Whistle Stop or that you want to. I had a hard time deciding which character I liked the most. A perfect book for 2020. Highlighting family, friends, memories and loving those that are around you in the most genuine way! I flew through this book not wanting to put it down and then I was sad that it was over!

This is a sweet story about what happened to the characters in Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. It is told from several POVs, some in the present time and some in the past. Since I was familiar with the characters, I did not find it confusing or hard to follow. It is a light, endearing read about small town living and the relationships that form and last a lifetime,

Thank you NetGalley, Fannie Flagg and Random House Publishing Group.

What a comforting return trip to Whistle Stop, Alabama!

I am a huge fan of Southern fiction....by those who know and love the South, while understanding its problematic history. Fannie Flagg gets it and expresses it beautifully with colorful, humorous, nuanced story telling.

I enjoyed this continuation of the story through the eyes of Buddy Threadgoode, son of Ruth, nephew of Idgie and adopted by the Threadgoode clan. Through flashbacks, reminiscence and annual newsletters from Dot Weems, Whistle Stop's unofficial historian, we learn more of the story that began with Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.

For fans of the movie, one of the most surprising and delightful aspects was learning what became of Evelyn Crouch, played by Kathy Bates. Evelyn's transformation is remarkable and sweet.

For those who miss Whistle Stop, Alabama, this is a wonderful story of 'whatever happened to?' and a love letter to anyone who grew up in a small tightnit community.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House and author Fannie Flagg for the complimentary e-book in exchange for my honest opinion.