Standing in the Rainbow

A Novel

By: Fannie Flagg

Narrated by: Fannie Flagg

Length: 5 hrs and 10 mins

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.

Life is funn, Especially through Fannie's eyes!

What made the experience of listening to Standing in the Rainbow the most enjoyable?

Excellent narration...interesting characters.

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

No

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me laugh outloud!

Any additional comments?

Interesting twists and turns! Very entertaining.

Like Finding a Pot of Gold

Standing in the Rainbow is a wonderful book. Especially for someone who just got her Medicare card, it is wonderfully nostalgic and heart warming. Fanny Flagg's characters are drawn lovingly, frequently showing a realistic mixture of likeable and unlikeable traits. I actually first got this as an audio CD set from the library but enjoyed it so much I want my own copy.

Delightful

Fannie Flagg at her best. You won’t be disappointed. My favorite is Red Bird Christmas

Fannie Flagg-Always a Treat

Fannie's books are always a treat and this one is no exception. Although it is a little more far reaching than others I have read, it is no less fascinating. She captures the life of average America and punches a little humor into it. She also captures the era in which she has staged her story. This book follows the lives of several people. It was a treat to read (hear)!

Loads of fun

Fanny Flagg’s performance is superb and the story is full of warm humor and believable characters. I loved this story and was sad it had to end.

Fannie Flagg is fabulous in her books

I loved this book after reading other books by Fannie Flagg. They are humorous and credible. The characters are well developed and stories about their lives great.
I am eager to order the third book in this group.

Love the book! Fanny Flagg is the best.

What did you love best about Standing in the Rainbow?

This book reminded me so much of my childhood. My home town was so similar to the one described in the book. My grandmother (we lived with Grabdpa and Grandma while my Dad was overseas in the Marines) listened to a radio station program in Shenadoah, IA that was so similar to Neighbor Dorothy. It took me back to bein 4 yeats old.

What did you like best about this story?

Such an engaging story line. Just loved it.

Which character – as performed by Fannie Flagg – was your favorite?

Neighbor Dorothy and her son Bobby were my favorites.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Return to those days of yesteryear.

Any additional comments?

Only wish the book had not been abridged. I read the origianl book, and so much was left out of the audio version.

a very quaint book

I truly loved the narration of this book. Fannie makes you feel like her neighbor in this book!

Another hit from the amazing Fanny Flagg!

Thank you Ms. Flagg for helping me remember the small town I grew up in and the colorful and wonderful people who are no longer with us.
I am 64 yrs young, but remember the stories told by my parents about our small town and what it was like to grow up in a town like Elwood Springs.
I feel like I am making new friends every time I listen to you read your wonderful books to us.
Because of your books, our children and grandchildren will learn and understand about that earlier time in our great country.

Loved it.

Made me long for my childhood again and the town I grew up in. Thank you Fannie Flagg!!!