Meet Bud Threadgoode, Jr., the connecting thread (!) in Fannie Flagg's latest novel, The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop (#960). He doesn't have any super powers, unless you count the powers to engage and entertain amongst them.
I have to admit, I've never read her original best-selling Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, nor seen the movie based on that book, but you don't need to in order to thoroughly enjoy Wonder Boy. We first encounter Bud as a young boy running alongside the railroad tracks in Whistle Stop, Alabama. A passenger on the train wonders why he's missing part of his arm. It doesn't stop Bud from getting on with his life, joining the Army, becoming a successful veterinarian or marrying the love of his life. But his story isn't told in a straight line; it jumps back and forth in time, and meanders from narrator to narrator, each one contributing to the story of why Whistle Stop is key to all their lives.
It pulls you in emotionally and doesn't let go. It's warm and funny, tragic and sorrowful all rolled up. It's why Fannie Flagg's books are so popular, I think. They feel authentic in a way most books don't. Keep them coming, Ms. Flagg!
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