What readers think of Standing In The Rainbow, plus links to write your own review.

I loved Welcome to the World, Baby Girl and was so thrilled to get my hands on this one that I tore through it in two days. However, much as I love Fanny Flagg's world and characters, I end up feeling like I have to carefully guard myself against nostalgia for a world I never knew. Okay, I come at this from the perspective of a 29 year old city girl, but I can't help but feel that small town life in the 1940's and 1950's wasn't nearly as precious and perfect as this book seems to make it out to be. In some ways, that lifestyle may have been much better than what most people have now, but in general I would say that the world is a better place than is was forty years ago. Also, as tempted as I am to envy the quite domestic life of Neighbor Dorothy, I am grateful that I have been given options in my life that she never would've had. However, I was grateful for the perspective of people like Macky Warren on the social changes that occurred after the Vietnam War. I also found myself slightly disappointed that there was only a slight mention of Dena Nordstrom. She and Gerry did actually move to Elmwood Springs and I was hoping to get a glimpse of how they fit into the town. Also, did anyone else notice that the time line Fanny Flagg developed in WTTWBG was contradicted in this book? What about Norma's successful campaign to revitalize Elmwood Springs in the 1980's? What about Dena starting her own radio show? I wanted to know more about these things. Maybe I wanted Welcome to the World, Baby Girl II.

I hadn't read a Fannie Flagg book in years (I did read "FRIED GREEN TOMATOES AT THE WHISTLE STOP CAFE" but I started reading the book and I couldn't stop reading to find out what happend to the characters and their families.
I laughed so much My jaw ached and I cried also.
These characters become a whole new family and the reading can imagine the town and all the stores and shops.
The town I grew up in once had a very thriving downtown but as in the book but once the malls open up and the "WALMARTS" start coming to town, the small town businessMan is a thing of the past.
I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to have a trip to a wonderful small town in MISSOURI and grow to love the characters and the town as I did.
Love the book Fannie Flagg and I would love to see another book about these characters again and maybe find out more about Betty Raye or even Beatrice.
Elmwood Springs will also be a wonderful part of the past that many of Us grew up and will fondly always remember "NEIGHBOR DOROTHY" will a smile