Rating: 
Summary: Not her best, but not bad
Review: I love Fannie Flagg as an author and personality. This book wasn't bad - not great, but not bad either. She stereotyped a bit and most of the characters were very one dimensional. I thought the story revolving around her mother and uncle could have been been intriguing but the thread wasn't expanded enough - too much emphasis on the cardboard character Dena. This may have been a better book had the story primarily taken place in retrospect like 'Fried Green Tomatoes' did. I also thought the end was very interesting: the small little town that she had escaped to had started to become exactly what she had left behind! The story came full circle and I would like to have seen how the local yocals took to the changes. Many reviewers said that the 'shocking' secret was boring. If you think about it, this is a wonderful thing that people found it not so shocking after all. I think this is what Fannie was striving for but it just didn't come across with much of an impact. I started to listen to this as an audio and had to switch to hardcopy after becoming so confused. The transitions from chapter to chapter are very confusing as audio and I listened to the wrong sequence of sides twice - without noticing. And, finally, I have to get my dig in about language. Not a single swear word in the book - always refreshing to me.
Rating:
Summary: Not so impressed
Review: This was the first book I have read for fun in a long time. As a flat read, the book is alright. I read it for a book club, and the more I thought about it, the less I liked it. The book has a surprise toward the end. I mean it is a surprise...no foreshadowing and only one "kind of" clue to even hint at it. Whenever a surprise is revealed to me, I like to ponder it and say "oh, that's what she meant by such-and-such earlier" but there was none of that - it came completely out of left field. I had to wonder if Flagg herself even knew what the surprise was going to be. I also felt that Flagg was trying to make too many social commentaries and didn't lend enough time to each one. So as not to give the surprise away, I can't tell you what they are... My book club thinks she was just writing a story for story's sake, but I still don't think it really works. The "interview" between Tenessee Williams and the main character was distracting, and unless you are a fan, or know what he went through in the last years of his life, the impact of the whole thing is severely lacking. All-in-all, if you read this book, expect it to be primarily about integrity in journalism and standing up for your ideals...kind of. Don't, however, try to dig deeper, because you won't find much.
Rating: 
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: I've enjoyed every Fannie Flagg novel I've ever read. This is no exception. Ms. Flagg weaves tales together so well, and proves her great understanding of human nature by perfectly balancing humor with compassion. The characters in this novel are strong, and yet at the same time vulnerable and troubled. I found myself feeling so a part of their world that I didn't want to leave it.
Rating: 
Summary: Fannie Flagg Develops REAL Characters with Emotion!
Review: This is the second Fannie Flagg book that I have read, and I must say that she is a real writer. The character Dena Nordstrom, is America's most popular newscaster who is in love with her job and very ambitious. On the other hand, she has issues to deal with in her personal life, loves the bottle too much, and one day she has a serious breakdown.Her psychiatrist, Gerry O'Malley falls in love with Dena, and therefore turns her case over to Dr. Diggers, who forces Dena to take a look at her mysterious past. Dena lost her mother many years ago, without ever really knowing what happened to her. Dena returns home to Elmwood Springs Missouri, and learns to love the town there. She begins to find out about her past with the help of Gerry O'Malley's friend, who's an investigator. As she uncovers answers about her mother, she learns a shocking secret. A great engrossing read. I couldn't put it down.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book about life in the slow lane
Review: I read "Standing in the Rainbow" last week and wanted to know more about the people in Elmwood Springs, MO. After reading the excerpts and reviews on this book I checked it from the library yesterday. I haven't read it completely through, but did read the ending so that I knew the secret about Dena's mother. It wasn't what I thought it might be, but is
entirely believable to me. I grew up in the Midwest in the 40's and 50's and that's the way it was. Younger folks may not understand that. It was a different time. I, too, have noticed some editing errors, but those are not the author's fault. Editor/publisher should have caught those. Fannie writes with a great sense of humor. Small town people are really like that.
Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: Reading others' reviews, I can see how the book was simplistic and inaccurate at times. However, I loved it nonetheless! I read it in 1 1/2 days, simply because I couldn't put it down. I fell in love with the characters, and the ending was a surprise. I did wonder HOW Dena was so blind to her mother's secret, but the book made you believe that such ignorance was possible. It made me think about how times have changed so much over the past century. The problem Dena's mother faced would have never been an issue today, so the book made me thankful for the world I inhabit. It also made me think about the important things in life, such as family and friends. I reflected on the value of slowing down, and I realized that success can have too high a price to pay at times. This is a book that is good for your soul.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant Read
Review: This is a good book and it is well told. Average in length it is just long enough to be read in one night but not so short as to leave you unsatisfied. Fannie Flagg does a good job to weave a story that will make you laugh but at the same time still be a strong story. Not being one who usually likes the mystery type, I liked this book. It wove together the lives of the characters well with the humor and seemed very natural in it's delivery. Though the story was good and believable for the most part I'm giving this book 4 stars simply because it seemed odd that it took her as long as it did in the end to realize what distinguished her mother's friend(I won't tell in case you haven't read it though:)). The characters are well thought out and draw you in but though the book is somewhat predictable (other than the surprise) it is well crafted and engaging. I would recommend this book to anyone as it relates to almost anyone I think as it is a good story that told very well and leaves you feeling satisfied.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute, Sweet, Historically Inaccurate
Review: First, I have to say that I genuinely liked most of the characters that Fannie Flagg developed in "Welcome to the World, Baby Girl". Especially well liked were Norma and Macky and Aunt Elner. There was a sweet charm to these characters that made me smile and wish that I actually knew people like these. The layout of the book was a little frustrating for me. Ms. Flagg jumps back and forth between time periods, which makes following the story more than a bit confusing. Also, because the shifts can be dramatic - going from 1974 to 1952 - means the reader must make some real mental shifts to follow along. I realize that Ms. Flagg is trying to build suspense, but this was overly much. I'm not certain if it is because it took Ms. Flagg 12 years to write this book, or because of the back and forth nature of the way she tells the story, but historical inaccuracies abound and are very, very apparent. For me, they drew away from the story being told, and I am quite frankly amazed that no other reviewer has mentioned this. Ms. Flagg has the 911 emergency number fully operational as of 1968 (when in fact it was 1973), and an 87 year old woman giving birth. (A woman born in 1808 giving birth in 1895 - a little far-fetched) There are scores of other historical inaccuracies until the book simply becomes comical for a reader to find all of the errors. If one is able to get beyond these inaccuracies and this book as pure "fluff", it might be quite enjoyable. Otherwise, it might be interesting just to pick out the inaccuracies.
Rating:
Summary: A lively and entertaining with powerful social commentary!
Review: For years my mother has been suggesting that I read Fannie Flagg's writing and I just never got around to it. Then one day I was watching some old episodes of "Match Game" on the Game Show Network and I realized there she was - Fannie Flagg herself. I remembered watching her on that show as a child in the 1970s but I never connected her with the renowned author of today. So this is when I decided to pick up the copy of "Welcome to the World, Baby Girl" that my mom had lent me several years ago. ...And Mom was right, I LOVED IT! This is the story of Dena Nordstrom ("Baby Girl"), a young and upcoming 1970s TV interviewer whose failing health leads her to seek answers about her mysterious family history. In her search for the past, Dena learned many important life lessons. ...the value of loyalty, privacy, family and love...the importance of slowing down to enjoy life. Fannie Flagg certainly does create entertainingly real characters and paints a charming portrait of life in small-town USA (in this case Elmwood Springs, Missouri) ...as well as in other parts of the world (San Francisco, Vienna, New York, etc.). But in the context of light-hearted prose, Ms. Flagg also makes important and powerful social commentary about subjects such as racism, media and fame as a whole. I am looking forward to reading Ms. Flagg's other novels.
Rating:
Summary: Too Realistic!
Review: When reading about Norma, Mackey and Aunt Elner I could actually see them. There are people in this world just like these characters (and I've met them) and Flagg brought them to print. I loved every moment of this book and laughed out loud during the marital tiffs. This is a wonderful book - I would recommend it to anyone!
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