Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: This book was nothing that I thought it would be. It could have been a very interesting story, but instead was too long and a struggle to complete. Storylines were skipped over too quickly in some chapters, and years passed uneventfully. Did not make for a very entertaining read.
Rating: 
Summary: charming and kindhearted, yet more meringue than filling
Review: Fannie Flagg holds an important place in our national heart. Blessed with a down-home ability to tell stories and possessing a warmhearted view of the human condition, Flagg, at her best, combines humor and pathos to construct novels which educate us through laughter and tears. Her most recent effort, "Standing in the Rainbow," is a likable, kind and compassionate work, but it lacks both the power and integrity of her best work, "Fried Green Tomoatoes." Ultimately, reading "Rainbow" is much like trying to eat a five-pound box of chocolates. What begins as a treat ends as a sugar-saturated burden. "Rainbow" is actually contains three distinct narratives, any one of which would have been subject material enough to carry the novel. By chopping her novel into these distinct segments, Flagg diminishes the impact of the whole. The best of the three is the fist two hundred pages; in it, we are transported back in time to the post World War II era. Young Bobby Smith, whose mother Dorothy serves as the modest voice of midwestern maternal sensibility on her morning radio show, explores life with a zest and innocence. His beautifully drawn character shines, and Flagg expertly creates a mid-century everychild whose hopes, frustrations and energy mirror the ebullient optimism of the period. Unforunately, when Bobby disappears from the novel, he is replaced by Hamm Sparks, an aspiring politican who is part Huey Long and Bill Clinton. The middle section of "Rainbow" sadly reads as a dumbed-down "All the King's Men." Since the scope of "Rainbow" is a half-century, Flagg spends the final hundred pages whirling the reader through the last three decades of the twentieth century. Although historical compression tidily moves the plot to its conclusion, the author unintentionally flattens the characters to whom she has so diligently given dimension the first two-thirds of her work. Fannie Flagg can create memorable characters, and "Rainbow" has its store of them. Yet, unlike "Fried Green Tomatoes," where her characters stood for something and faced challenges with humor, grace and strength, the men, women and children who populate Elmwood Springs, Missouri are never permitted the luxury to grow. Instead, their appearances are episodic (just as is the novel), and lacking the time to develop, they eventually become predictable, even bordering on stereotypical. This is not to say that "Standing in the Rainbow" should not be read. Fannie Flagg is a national treasure, and some of her msot recent vignettes are absolute gems. My disappointment stems from admiration; she is capable of far more emotional depth and character development than her most recent effort. "Rainbow" reminds us of that the author is capable of much, much more.
Rating:
Summary: If you loved Flagg before, do not read this
Review: Fried Green Tomatoes was a great book with interesting people and a real plot. This newest book from Flagg doesn't come close--it's flat, flat, flat. The main character is bland, like a Donna Reed character in the 1950's. Little happens and what does happen is glossed over. You will read for pages wondering, "when does the story start?" It's like reading "Joe went down to the fishing hole yesterday and Aunt Amy made an applie pie" for page after page. Not worth the time nor the money.
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful tribute to midwesterners past and present
Review: Just as John Irving excels at portraits of quirky New Englanders, Fannie Flagg has cornered the market on zany midwestern folks. Resurrecting the lovable, laughable characters from her previous novel WELCOME TO THE WORLD, BABY GIRL, Flagg's latest effort STANDING IN THE RAINBOW is combination comic genius and tribute to the past. The town itself --- Elmwood Springs, Missouri --- is the leading character here, but it's the supporting roles that drive the story. From 1946 to 2000, the town is the quaint setting for the everyday life of radio personality Neighbor Dorothy Smith and her family. There's Mother Smith, whose organ music accompanies all of Dorothy's shows; her husband Doc, the town pharmacist, who knows all about what ails the residents of Elmwood Springs; teenager Anna, hormones-a-raging and embarrassment prone; and delightful Bobby, whose antics are fodder for his mother's show. The Smith family IS heartland America ---- they are Ozzie and Harriet, Leave it to Beaver, and Father Knows Best all rolled up into one. Beautician Tot Whooten, whose dubious skills are legendary, introduces the book and recommends "it without any qualms whatsoever." She's not heard from much as the story evolves, but her moments on the page are memorable for both their humor and their universal elements of tragedy. Betty Raye is the singer who could not sing. Hamm Sparks, loved by two women, is a charmer and a born politician. Norma and Mackey Warren, town staples, care for their 98-year-old aunt. Flagg's characters are all-too-human: rich, warm, funny, everyday folk. Often the characters appear too briefly, and we want to hear more about them, but I'm grateful for the brief introduction we did get. But back to the leading character --- the town. It's evolution is something to watch. Post World War II, it is a spot on the map full of optimism and hope, a town reminiscent of all the small towns in America that boasted a rocking chair by a fireplace in every home. Everyday drama --- like who won the pie contest at the local fair or who got a new dog --- was the big news in the beauty salons and pharmacies across the country. People were settling back into the comfort they'd known before the war, despite the horrific losses suffered by many a family, and they were focusing on the good at hand, the small things to be grateful for, the matters of personal (not national) import. In Rainbow, the town changes, at pace with sister hamlets, and yet something of its charm always remains. As an example, in the '70s, Neighbor Dorothy's show is still on the air featuring bits such as "The Superior Way to Crack Hickory Nuts," while other stations are "blaring rock and roll." Strip malls and uber-stores impose upon the town, but never truly overtake it. As Flagg shows us a changing (and often threatening) America, she reminds us that those elements of an earlier life that were the backbone of existence remain so --- love and family. The friendly beautician whose letter of introduction endorses Rainbow at the outset of the book writes, "I like a book with a beginning, a middle and an end, and hopefully a plot and a few laughs in between." Simple demands for a simple town. And Flagg delivers on all counts, and then some. --- Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara
Rating:
Summary: Pot of Gold!
Review: I was daunted, at first, by the sheer size of this novel, but was pleasantly surprised at how easily it reads. I was captivated by the characters and really enjoyed following them throughout 4 decades. One begins to care about the mundane aspects of the character's lives because one can relate. It doesn't take huge, dramatic events to make a life interesting. What makes it interesting is the people in it and the everyday things. This could be any town in the U.S. and I'm sure everyone can relate to this book and will recognize people you know in it's characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Standing in the Rainbow
Review: Standing in the Rainbow covers the lives of a few families in a small town in Missouri. The book covers the span of time from the 1940's through the 1990's and is set in a series of small chapters. Neighbor Dorothy is the center of the early part of the story. Neighbor Dorothy is the title of a radio program originating from Dorothy Smith's home in small town Missouri. She dispenses neighborly tips and information about a range of topics and uses her family (Doc, the local pharmacist; Anna Lee, her teenaged daughter; and Bobby, her 10-year old son) as a resource for some radio banter. The book follows the lives of Dorthoy's family and those who interact with them through the decades. I was very disappointed in this book. Unlike the characters in Fried Green Tomatoes, the characters in Standing in the Rainbow are cardboard cutouts; merely pawns in the development of plot. True complexity of character is rare. Betty Raye was a plot device to work in politics. Betty Raye herself never rings true, never truly comes to life after she marries. If you are interested in character development then this is not the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Is this the same person who wrote Fried Green Tomatoes?
Review: I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book, as I've enjoyed everything else Fannie Flagg has written. Now I can't wait to be done with it... I can't believe all of these 5 Star reviews - am I reading the same book as everyone else here? I keep waiting for something or someone in the book to capture my interest, but nothing has in over 300 pages and I'm beginning to think it won't. The characters are flat and undeveloped - I can't picture any of them in my mind. The dialog is deadly dull, and nothing of interest ever really happens. There are some historical inaccuracies here, as others have pointed out - it really does bug me when she refers to the Gateway Arch in scenes from the 40s & 50s. I sure hope she doesn't do a sequel to this...
Rating:
Summary: An excellant surprise
Review: This book was a surprise to me because I was not so sure it was going to be the kind of book which would really hold my attention. I thought perhaps it would be too folksy and not draw me back but I was very wrong. I am just about to finish this book and I am sorry to see it coming to an end. I came to love the characters of this book. They are vivid and homespun; not fancy or unrealistic. You get so see their everyday lives evolve through several decades; it is a taste of pure Americana. Fannie Flagg has crafted a gem.
Rating: 
Summary: Like schmoozing with a neighbor across the back fence
Review: Readers familiar with Fannie Flagg's novel WELCOME TO THE WORLD, BABY GIRL! will recognize the central character in this one, Neighbor Dorothy Smith, who broadcasts a daily radio show from her home in Elmwood Springs, Missouri.
Along with recipes, blind songbirds and commercials for Golden Flake Flour, Dorothy offers letters from her listeners, one of whom tells of a time she and her family wound up standing in the rainbow, a metaphor for the wholesome lifestyle of smalltown, America.
The first half of the book will charm the pants off you. It offers vignettes about Dorothy's children Bobby and Anna Lee, her ninety-eight-year-old Aunt Elner, and Macky and Norma Warren, characters in the previous novel. In one Bobby climbs to the top of the water tower only to find how insignificant Elmwood Springs and its people looked from this vantage point. He realizes how small he is in relation to the vast scheme of things. In another one of these "blackouts," Aunt Elner tries to poison the son of the town bully for hitting her cat with a rock.
The book moves along at a brisk pace, extending from 1946 to the 90's. Flagg is a great storyteller, emphasis on the "teller".
About halfway through she must've realized there was no real plot because that's when she introduced Hamm Sparks who runs for governor. This was probably a mistake, because it takes us away from Elmwood Springs, the real focus of the story. Flagg has an habit of tweaking the plotline in the narrative, killing off a Hamm Sparks here, Dorothy Smith there without developing these twists in dramatic scenes. Her engaging southern voice saves the day, however; it's like schmoozing with a neighbor across the back fence.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I grew up in a small Southern town and believe me this book nails it. Everyone knows everyone - there are no secrets - and people are eager to help out in any way in any crisis or joyful occasion (whether you want it or not). I could have read about Neighbor Dorothy, her family and friends, forever.
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