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jumbotruck 's review for:
The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop
by Fannie Flagg
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'll start this by saying I loved the original Fried Green Tomatoes, which is the only reason why I finished this book and didn't give up on it. While it was nice to revisit some old characters, it felt like a sterilized version of the Whistle Stop world.
Flagg managed to explore some pretty big themes in the original, and the sequel lacks it all. We go from a town's worth of people in Jim Crow era Alabama with a lesbian couple to their son, Bud Threadgoode, in current day living in a retirement home with other rich, white people and his daughter living out her suburban life. Also, Evelyn Couch is implausibly the richest woman in Alabama and magically comes to the rescue in a way that just made me scoff. Does that make me jaded? Maybe. It took the "everything was beautiful and nothing hurt" idea too far for me, and felt one dimensional and schlocky as a result.
I think some people would still enjoy this book. Like someone said before, it felt a bit like a goofy fan fiction -- nothing wrong with that but different from the original.
Flagg managed to explore some pretty big themes in the original, and the sequel lacks it all. We go from a town's worth of people in Jim Crow era Alabama with a lesbian couple to their son, Bud Threadgoode, in current day living in a retirement home with other rich, white people and his daughter living out her suburban life.
I think some people would still enjoy this book. Like someone said before, it felt a bit like a goofy fan fiction -- nothing wrong with that but different from the original.