I love every single book this author writes! I found her in Fried Green Tomatoes and this story is no exception to her excellent descriptions of people and relationships. I highly recommend this book especially young people learning about life.

Fannie Flagg is quite the storyteller! I live in a small town and love the charm of her characters. I feel like some of them are just like the people I encounter here everyday!

This was a wonderful journey through the decades with the folks of Elmwood Springs, Missouri. Readers will quickly recognize family, friends, and neighbors between the covers of this book. Very enjoyable read! I would recommend this for book club readers and, of course, Fannie Flagg fans!

I had to read this book by Fannie Flagg, author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe!
It creates its own unique flavor covering multiple generations. The characters are like any small town with their gossip, family relations, and the occasional misconduct found in burgs across the country. Life after death and living life here on earth become the themes. I liked this novel and it kept my interest. It isn't my usual read but there are many good authors to choose from and it's good to step away from time to time.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for my honest opinion which I have written here.

Fannie Flagg tells the story of a small town in Missouri from its founding to its demise. The founding fathers' characters were well developed, but just as you got to know them they passed away, and the book moved on to the next generation. Then the book got confusing. There were so many characters, they were hard to keep track of and none of them were well enough developed for the reader to really get to know and love them before they also passed on to be replaced by the next generation. Gave it 3 stars only because she is a good story teller. I love the author but not this book, it was only OK.

This was a trip back to Elmwood Springs, where Fannie Flagg has really been concentrating her more recent work around as of late. That series has been hit or miss with me; I loved the earlier titles but haven't been quite as interested in the later ones, which tend to feature formerly supporting characters much more prominently. This (last?) book actually focuses more on the town itself from its founding and the characters involved there through the years and into the new centuries with new characters coming in, old ones aging and passing away, marrying, leaving, etc. What begins as a somewhat interesting evolution of a town just became a confusing mess for me. There are so many characters to keep track of with their families, marriages, children, and trying to remember the events of the other books--once we start pulling in all of the characters from the cemetary to add to the ones currently alive in Elmwood Springs, it's a herculean task to keep everything straight and nonsensical.
Honestly, I wish Flagg would have had this keen interest on blowing out the Fried Green Tomatoes location and characters, by now I'm quite ready to leave Elmwood Springs and its residents alone.
This isn't a bad book, but I really don't feel like she had much more to say with it. Again, the theme seems to be the evolution of life and "what it all means" but former titles in this SAME series also touch upon that. Maybe this is just her loving farewell to the characters, but even so in my opinion this is the weakest of the series.

The great joy of this book is that you will laugh and smile throughout. I am always thrilled to sit down and read her books cover to cover. Fannie Flagg has a gift for writing with heart, compassion and humor . I have not laughed this much since Fried Green Tomatoes. I was so entertained I was unable to put it down until the end.
In this book the author covers over a century of life in the small Missouri town of Elmwood Springs, beginning with its founding. The characters' stories are fascinating and fun even the dead ones! . . Flagg' intertwines the characters, both living and dead to the readers delight with small town culture and community to look up to. Its masterful writing, brilliant and great entertainment.. Thank you for the advance reading copy to the publisher and author. Bravo ! A book I highly recommend. as a very uplifting book that is the perfect escape.

Wonderful! This is the story of a small town in Missouri from 1889 to today and it's described through the lives of people in and around the town. By the end of the book, you've seen the range of human experience and met a lot of good people (and some scoundrels!) who all end up in the town cemetery. It's a very entertaining quick read.

I looked forward to this book, perhaps anticipating another Fried Green Tomatoes. That, it is not. However, it has a clever premise and is easy reading. A comfortable, folksy kind of book. Like reading the local town newspaper. I did keep expecting it to get funnier, or deeper, or something. So while it certainly doesn't offend or bore, I felt it could have had a little more "spice", because I know Ms. Flagg is capable!

Many thanks to the author, the publisher (Random House) and Netgalley.com for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love Fannie Flagg!! Her books never disappoint! I always feel like I've come "home".

This is definitely one for the Fannie Flagg aficionado and not for the newcomer to her work, as it’s not really a novel but more of a history of Elmwood Springs as it follows events from the very first days to the present, featuring all the characters we have met and learnt to love along the way in the novels. An add-on rather than a standalone novel. It’s a bit whimsical, to be sure, but she just about gets away with it, and although I’m not completely convinced this was a necessary book to write (publisher’s initiative maybe?) nevertheless I enjoyed it – it’s a sort of warm blanket of a book but basically of little consequence. Although as a portrait of the evolution of small town America it is also an excellent piece of social history.

A new Fannie Flagg book is always a treat, and I enjoyed this visit with the folks of Elmwood Springs, even if it did take a rather unusual form. I especially loved the “back story” of the town. It’s part of Fannie Flagg’s gift that she can make you feel homesick for a place you never lived.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the publisher in connection with NetGalley in return for my review. Copyright © 2017 Laura Hartman

The Whole Town’s Talking is a condensed saga of generations of families in a tiny town in Missouri. Established by Swedish immigrant Lordor Nordstrom, the story of the town and its inhabitants spans from 1889 to 2016 in just over 400 pages.

Lorder was a kind, gentle, intelligent man. He grew the town with craftsmen and merchants after more settlers arrive. He did the olden day version of online dating to find a wife when no suitable women were available. He communicated via letters and luckily ended up with a wonderful girl that took to life on his dairy farm like she had been born in the Midwest.

Life was not always easy, but it went on. Many years past, babies were born and people died. But strange goings on began after they were laid to rest up on the hill. Maybe it was just this little town, or maybe this happens everywhere and we just don’t know about it until we pass away.

Award winning author Fannie Flagg brings her signature voice and love of small southern towns to this novel. She writes with a deep love of the American south and it is evident in all of her writings. I am very fond of this style; it takes me back to the hot summers I spent down south visiting family. To me reading this novel was like sipping sweet tea on a hot summer afternoon. There might be a gnat or two bugging me, but I was enjoying it far more than I was not.

The gnat that irritated me about this book was the number of characters I had to keep track of. In the beginning there were the core characters and a few supporting. By the end, the years quickly went by and I had to keep back tracking to see who was who. It ruined the flow of the story at times for me.

The main characters were multidimensional, interesting and made me want to go have a slice of pie and a chat with them in their kitchens. A few of them made me want to run the other way – no town is perfect.

This was different that most of Ms. Flagg’s other books as they did not span so much time, nor did they take a ride someplace out of the ordinary. That does not mean I didn’t like it, nor does it mean all of her books need to be cookie cutter copies of the previous ones. The time-span I am not sure about, but the place she took us was a surprising twist that I quite enjoyed.

I would suggest this as a nice summer read, but hate for avid readers to wait that long. It was entertaining and different. Grab a glass of tea and head on out to the porch or your favorite armchair and enjoy.

This book just wasn't for me. It could be b/c of a situation I'm currently going through.

Another fabulous story be author, Fannie Flagg. This is a great story, full of the wonder of yester years and by gone days. It is definitely unique! I’ve never read a book before with quite this concept. I must say, author, Fannie Flagg pulled it off very well.

The story begins in 1889 when Swedish immigrant, Lordor Nordstrom, comes to America. He travels west to Missouri. There he settles a community that was called Swede Town, Missouri. Later, as the town grows, the name is changed to Elmwood Springs. It’s such a peaceful, delightful little town, full of all the innocence of the 1880s.

I found it very funny in the book, a letter of recommendation to his mail order bride written by one of the town ladies described Lordor: “Lordor is a good eater and has all his teeth”.
Also humorous: Mrs. Ida Jenkins appointed herself to write a weekly “Society” column in the towns newspaper, The Elmwood Springs News. She writes in her column each week what she calls helpful tips such as: “The outside appearance of your home and garden tell the state of your inside home life.” This was written in her column after a lady ripped up several flowering bushes from her front yard and threw them at her drunken husband. Mrs. Ida Jenkins society column was aptly named “The Whole Town’s Talking”. The book is full of such humor.

The story ends in year 2021, and a lot has changed. I found the ending almost poetic and most definitely unexpected.

I received the book free from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way effects my review nor my rating of the book.
My review will be posted on amazon, goodreads and moonshineartspot.blogspot.com

Excellent story and very well written. This book was a journey that covers over a century of the life in this small Missouri town. It is full of individual stories of the towns residence and how these folks interact with each other. It deals with life and death and how they work together. I highly recommend this story and look forward to reading more from this author..

The Whole Town's Talking by Fannie Flagg

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I’ve read a few of Fannie Flagg’s other books, and have only been disappointed once. The Whole Town’s Talking will draw you in from the start and keep your interest all the way through.

The town is Elmwood Springs, Missouri, and the town talks for over 100 years, including the citizens currently residing at the cemetery. Flagg’s writing weaves a tapestry of stories that are intertwined, and her cast of characters are entertaining to say the least. There are a lot of characters, and you may recognize some from other books. Flagg has such a delightful way of describing the characters that it is easy to picture them in your mind, hear how they speak, how they move. Truth be told, I want to be like Elner Shimfissle. Elner is a woman who just enjoys being herself. She is confident, friendly and supportive and makes everyone around her feel good about themselves. Whether she is entertaining Bonnie Clyde, befriending Bess Truman, or just singing to her chickens, she is just, well, just Elner. This is a woman at home in her own skin.

At the end of the day, this is a feel-good book. Think of the new buzzword, hygge, which essentially means warmth, enjoyment and happiness. Well, this book delivers!

Fannie Flagg NEVER disappoints. She is a true America classic and should not be missed. Her character development makes you want to know each one personally.

Ms. Flagg does it again. Her latest novel is literally about the whole town talking. Through her carefully drawn characters, she show how a town grows and changes over the course of more than a century. It was so good that I didn't want it to end. It made me feel good about life and the hereafter. Kudos to Ms. Flagg. She's a national treasure.

This one is for the Fannie Flagg fans. It's not my favorite of her books but as always it's well written with fun characters (you can just see/hear some of this in your own life). The bonus to this is as it's positive- most afterlife gatherings are about revenge. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Try this one if you are looking for a relaxing read with some subtle lessons.