• The Whole Town's Talking

  • A Novel
  • By: Fannie Flagg
  • Narrated by: Kimberly Farr
  • Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (1,124 ratings)

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The Whole Town's Talking  By  cover art

The Whole Town's Talking

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

New York Times best seller

The best-selling author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is at her superb best in this fun-loving, moving novel about what it means to be truly alive.

Winner of the Southern Book Prize

Elmwood Springs, Missouri, is a small town like any other, but something strange is happening at the cemetery. Still Meadows, as it’s called, is anything but still. Original, profound, The Whole Town’s Talking, a novel in the tradition of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and Flagg’s own Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, tells the story of Lordor Nordstrom, his Swedish mail-order bride, Katrina, and their neighbors and descendants as they live, love, die, and carry on in mysterious and surprising ways. Lordor Nordstrom created, in his wisdom, not only a lively town and a prosperous legacy for himself but also a beautiful final resting place for his family, friends, and neighbors yet to come. “Resting place” turns out to be a bit of a misnomer, however. Odd things begin to happen, and it starts the whole town talking. With her wild imagination, great storytelling, and deep understanding of folly and the human heart, the beloved Fannie Flagg tells an unforgettable story of life, afterlife, and the remarkable goings-on of ordinary people. In The Whole Town’s Talking, she reminds us that community is vital, life is a gift, and love never dies.

Praise for The Whole Town’s Talking:

“A witty multigenerational saga.... [Fannie] Flagg’s down-home wisdom, her affable humor and her long view of life offer a pleasant respite in nerve-jangling times.” (People)

“Fannie Flagg at her best.” (The Florida Times-Union)

“If there’s one thing Fannie Flagg can do better than anybody else, it’s tell a story, and she outdoes herself in The Whole Town’s Talking.... Brilliant...equally on the level as her famous Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.” (The Newport Plain Talk)

“Delightful.” (The Washington Post)

“A ringing affirmation of love, community and life itself.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch)

©2016 Fannie Flagg (P)2016 Random House Audio

What listeners say about The Whole Town's Talking

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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    267
  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Skipping stones

I was in the mood for a bright witty slice of life that I usually find in Fannie’s writing, but this did not quite fit the bill. I loved the concept of the spirits of passed-on villagers reuniting in the cemetery on the hill, but nothing much was made of it. Because of the long time line and massive cast that was covered, there was no depth to any of them. It was like looking at small snapshots of a large family tree and not really getting to know who the members were at heart. The original Swedish settlers were the best formed and I was drawn in early on. But as the generations passed, less and less care was given to character development so that by the time we get to the late 20th century and beyond, mere minutes are given to whole decades. Like skipping stones on a pond, only small areas are actually touched and the ripples only go so far – and no depth is achieved with the contact. Reducing the cast and focusing on key characters would have been more satisfying. I liked it well enough – maybe close to a 3.5, but can’t quite round up to 4.

The narration nearly had me quitting and returning the book within the first hour. At less than 1 minute the sample didn’t give me enough of an idea of the style, but the ponderously slow delivery with dramatic pauses made it a “reading”, not a story telling if you get the difference. Fortunately when I increased the IPod speed there was a much more normal flow to the words and I was able to finish.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Epic Novel

I have always enjoyed a Fannie Flagg story. She has such interesting and wholesome characters.

This story takes place in Elmwood Springs, Missouri from 1889 to 2021. Our protagonist is Swede Loudor Nordstrom. He has a mail order bride and eventually becomes the Mayor of Elmwood Springs. Then he dies and Lordor wakes up in the cemetery. Turns out after people die they remain for a while as spirits in the cemetery. The story winds its way through generations of Elmwood citizens. Flagg goes back and forth between the living community and the dead one.

The book is well written and has a different approach to telling a story with the intertwining of characters living and dead. There is little action and the pace is slow. There is a bit of suspense late in the book with a murder. Mainly the story is about fascinating characters. As usual Flagg displays a wide range of emotions throughout the story. The book makes for a different old fashion type of story. I discovered after the fact that this is book four in a series called Elmwood.

Kimberly Farr does a good job narrating the book. Farr is a theatre actor and audiobook narrator.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

And All They Do Is Talk...

If you're into plot, character development, and depth, you won't be damaged by giving "The Whole Town's Talking" a miss. The characters, all gazillion of them as it covers over a hundred years, are likable enough, but they don't do much, alive OR dead.
Fannie Flagg had a real opportunity to touch on profound life experiences, on thoughts of death and dying, on milestones in history, but instead, she just has said characters chat a bit, die, realize they're missing their human foibles, and go back to chatting. Very disappointing.
Farr does a jolly decent job given what she has to work with, and her initial two Swedish characters are enjoyable, but what more can you do?
Still, it's a pleasant enough listen, but I'd wait for a Daily Deal or half-credit sale. That I used a whole credit for it has me bummed...

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it😊

I enjoy all of Fannies books. I'm such a fan of her remarkable gift of storytelling. This one took me by surprise...a delightful surprise. What a storyline. I'm a Bible believing Christian so I don't agree with the storyline but I would gladly tell others...Christian or not to take it at fiction value. I laughed and cried. I know all the characters. Fannie has a way of drawing you into her stories. Thank you so much and like her other books I'll re-read it several times. Blessings

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Such a disappointment

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I love Fannie Flagg books and bought this one without even reading the description because I knew what ever she wrote I would love. Despite my initial disappointment that she wasn't narrating as per usual, I settled in and was entertained by the sweet wholesome story. But after a while I realized that there really wasn't a plot or an arc or anything that kept my interest. I kept looking at how many hours were left which is never a good sign. At about the 5 hour mark I gave up. There really wasn't any point to it all. Just a nice story about a small midwestern town. Not her best work to be sure.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fannie Flagg, you did it again!!!

I recommend everybody who needs a boost for her to need some comfort for a good laugh for all three read this and all of her books! I was so sorry to see it finish.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Great performance, no story line

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

This book is pieces of stories that same how are related but not really. There is little to no depth in the plot or characters.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good Story. A little long.

We always enjoy Fanny Flagg's stories. Depiction of male characters was strained and monotonous.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

A Major Disappointment

I enjoyed the beginning of this book, until it went off into the bizarre. It became very dull and I couldn't finish it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Terrible

This was so boring and should be advertised as over 100 short stories. I want 6 hours of my life back. I skipped to the end after 6 hours and didn’t miss anything.

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1 person found this helpful