Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!

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Summary: A riveting novel on many different levels
Review: Historically entertaining, suspenseful and humorous. Baby Girl is such a 90's sort of creature: all too tied up in her own little world and at the same time clawing to find a better life, ironically, by seeking her past. Excess leads to minimalism and love... Read it. You'll be glad you did.

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Summary: Loose threads of color woven into a beautiful tapastry!
Review: Fannie Flagg has once again taken "characters" of both humor and mystery, blending together a story that keeps your interest till the end. This story makes you think about your own heritage and requires you to focus on what is important..family and good friends. As Dena tries to forget the people that matter the most, she is drawn back to them. I especially loved Sukie and how protective she was of her friend. The line about "coming across the Mason-Dixon line" was priceless. Norma and Aunt Elner were straight from small town families. Aunt Elner's prayer was exactly the kind of love that women feel for each other in strong families. Hey Fannie, don't wait so long next time.

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Summary: refreshing in an era of scandal tv
Review: Although the jumping back and forth through time between chapters can get confusing early on, once the reader gets a grasp on the basic series of events, that's no longer troublesome. I found "baby girl" to be suprisingly deep in the respect that it delves into the difficult identity struggle of the mixed race individuals during WWII.

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Summary: Good Readin'
Review: Loved the characters and Fannie Flagg does such a great job in letting us get to know these people throughout the book. I wanted to read more about them after the book was over!

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Summary: Nowhere Near as Good as Fried Green Tomatoes...
Review: I bought this book sight unseen because I loved Fried Green Tomatoes so much. But let me tell you, was I disappointed! Flagg is a great author, but this book makes so sense. I spent almost the entire time trying to figure out how all the characters in the book fit together, and did not find out till the last few chapters. The last few chapters were the best part of the book, and if the rest of the novel had been done with the same idea, then this would have been an awesome book to compare with Fried Green Tomatoes. I think maybe Flagg spent too much time between novels and forgot that magic stuff that she used when she wrote Fried Green Tomatoes. I know she has it in her, so let's hope she does not wait as long till the next novel!

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Summary: would've been, could've been, should've been.......
Review: Fannie Flagg laid the groundwork for a wonderful story then (it seems) let someone else write the ending. I love her style of writing, weaving back and forth in time, but the "big secret" was nothing but a disappointment. There were also a few discrepancies (did anyone else notice that on page xxiii Norma's mother is named Ida but on page 233 she says her mother's name was Zela?), and whoever told Ms. Flagg that Missouri is in the South???? This story should have been set in Mississippi or Alabama, the true, deep South!

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Summary: Dear Ms. Flagg, Please don't stop writing!
Review: Very enjoyable. From the silly, but genuine small-town characters, to the unscrupulous, big-city, big-business bosses, this story shows that we can slow down and discover ourselves, and what is really important.

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Summary: A beautifully written book.........could NOT put it down!!!
Review: Fannie Flagg is one of my favorite authors........and this book is a perfect example of her gift of telling a story......I laughed aloud, was intrigued, and cried...a rollercoaster of emotions...it is one of most beautifully written books I have ever read!!! MARVELOUS!!!

Rating:
Summary: Started with a bang and ended with a whimper
Review: Flagg's story-telling style, much like Garrison Keillor's rich tales of adventures in Lake Woebegone, capture the charm and humor of ordinary people and events. One of the warm memories of my baby boomer childhood was being allowed to sit up late, listening to the murmur of "elder generation" voices carrying on discussions much like those of Dena's charming Missouri relations. As in Fried Green Tomatoes, Flagg's moving back and forth in time was sometimes fun, sometimes poignant and overall a creative method for moving the story line along. The reading was enjoyable until Dena's "BIG (unbelievable) REVELATION." From that point on a story that opened with spirit fizzled into a disappointing melodrama with saccharine caricatures. Try again, Fannie, and stay with it to the end!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent reading! Please tell me there will be a movie.
Review: Even though I'm from the south, when I read one of Fannie Flagg's books I wish I had been born a few years earlier and a few states further south.

This book made me laugh out loud several times and kept me in just enough suspense that I read it all at once.

Please tell Ms. Flagg to keep on writing. The world needs more books like this.