• Standing in the Rainbow

  • A Novel
  • By: Fannie Flagg
  • Narrated by: Fannie Flagg
  • Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (529 ratings)

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Standing in the Rainbow  By  cover art

Standing in the Rainbow

By: Fannie Flagg
Narrated by: Fannie Flagg
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Publisher's summary

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 10-year-old son, destined to live a thousand lives, most of them in his imagination; Norma and Macky Warren and their 98-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."

©2002 Willina Lane Productions Inc. (P)2002 Random House Inc., Random House Audio, a Division of Random House Inc.

What listeners say about Standing in the Rainbow

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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I love all her books

Fannie Flagg has a way of taking readers back to Smalltown, USA of yesteryear. I love all her books.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I love it!

This is a wonderful book! I love Fannie Flagg! She takes me to a simpler time, where it's peaceful, and the greatest disaster is not having enough greens for supper. A place in time that I want to go to, and stay forever. But, since I can't, I escape to the small town called Elmwood Springs as much as I can. It is a precious piece of a long lost time that we ca n never get back, and will be forever regretful. I will read and re-read her books whenever this world gets too much to bear. Sometimes we all need to go back to a better, slower, sweeter time! Thank you Fannie!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Real homespun fun!

Over ten years ago I read all of Fannie Flagg's books. Now I am in the process of rereading them. When bored with everyday novels, do something fun, read a book by Fannie Flagg. And they're even better, if she is the narrator!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story telling

I have really enjoyed this entire series. I am from Southwest Missouri and live not far from all the towns she has included in the books. The characters she has created are so realistic and I love her story telling.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Charming, touching and funny

Fannie Flagg is a modern-day "Mark Twain"...

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Heartwarming

This is one of my favorite books. I just wished Fannie Flagg had read the unabridged version.

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Wonderful

Ms Fannie always has a way of putting a smile on your face and a tear in your eye and a memory in your heart

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Loved it

Loved it!! Can't wait to read Ms. Flagg's next one. Highly recommend this great book.

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Love her rhythm!

Fannie Flagg, geniune soul, my GoTo for laughter.
Her ability to have nuance and cadence with her words is delightful and charming. her unique voice makes it all a perfect package.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Thank You Fannie

If you could sum up Standing in the Rainbow in three words, what would they be?

A sweet uplifting storyteller, Fannie Flagg always writes with humor and hope. Thank you for taking my mind out of present day troubles. Your gentle writing & soothing voice are just what I needed to escape for a short visit to a different time and place.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Standing in the Rainbow?

A shy woman realizing her own power.

Have you listened to any of Fannie Flagg’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Just as good as all. Keep going!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Jimmy's advice to Bobby.

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