The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop is the continuation of all of our favorite characters from Fried Green Tomatoes! I absolutely loved reading every tidbit of what happens to all of the characters! The book focuses on Buddy Junior and his daughter. The story jumps around from 1905 all the way up to present day!! There are so many pearls of wisdom and I don't want to give any spoilers. Fannie Flagg truly poured her heart and soul into this wonderfully funny, witty tale!

We also get to find out what happens to Ninny, Evelyn, Idgie, Big George, Sheriff Grady, Dot Weems, and all of our other favorite characters! This is a MUST READ for all fans of Fried Green Tomatoes! So much has happened to Whistle Stop since we last heard from Ninny and Evelyn. It truly makes one long for a return to the days when a community really was home.

This is probably going to be the best book I've read this decade!! Readers are going to want to dive in the minute the book is released! It took me a total of two nights to read through the entire book. I know, I'm already looking forward to re-reading, The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop!!

Three-and-a-half stars if you are an avid fan of "Fried Green Tomatoes" and want an update on the lives of your favorite characters and their children/grandchildren. Many of these characters are beloved, and I enjoyed checking in with them through this book, like I was hearing news about distant friends. There are moments of genuine tenderness in the writing, and it is a feel-good read.

Unfortunately, this book has little of the complexity, nuance, or ambiguity of the original. It is light on plot, heavy on coincidence, and most of the attention is on the white characters. Even though Ruth and Idgie's relationship is clarified, it is not in any way explored. The book felt like less like a story and more like a long epilogue.

If you are not already an avid fan of "Fried Green Tomatoes," and/or if you prefer plot-driven novels, this may not be the book for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved Fried Green Tomatoes and all of the characters. I was so excited to see that Fannie Flagg wrote a sequel book. I have to say, this book really felt like a continuation of FGT even though the original was written in 1987. A lot of the loose ends were definitely tied up after reading this book.

Buddy Threadgoode is now all grown up with grandchildren of his own and he feels like he needs to go back to Whistle Stop, Alabama to be. However, we know after the original FGT that the town is no longer there. This book intertwines Buddy, his daughter Ruthie and Evelyn Couch into a new story in the present day. It also jumps back into several different past decades. Thus we get to read more about our favorite characters.

This book is so heartfelt just like the original, but it is definitely not the original. However, I'm not too sad about that. I still was able to devour this book. It was great to see what happened to Idgie, Evelyn, Ninny and Buddy.

I did find that the beginning of the book bounced around a lot and was just kind of telling you what happened, but after that, the story really took off.

If you enjoyed FGT I recommend reading this sequel.

I'm very happy to have been given an eARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thoroughly enjoyed “The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop”. Frankly sad when the book ended, truly heartwarming story. The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop is a perfect escape from challenging times. Bud Threadgoode is the kind of man whom we need more of, optimistic willing to stand up for what is right, his daughter Ruthie who‘s loyalty comes at a cost to her own happiness to keep family together. The book reads from days past, character’s past to current day with memories that shaped current day characters. Personalities of Idgie, Evelyn , I could only hope would encounter friends with their spunk. Reading the The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop is like sitting down with your favorite comfort food, it will leave you feeling good.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to review this book! Oh how I have waited years for this book and to finally have a chance to read it! It was a joy to read and catch up on old characters and new ones as well while revisiting Whistle Stop! If you loved Fried Green Tomatoes then this book is a must read for you!

Just so you know, I don't do spoilers. This review is because I am terribly biased in that I just love Fannie Flagg and anything she writes. That bias notwithstanding, this book explains many of the small vignettes from her earlier book, Fried Green Tomatoes. It is like Ms. Flagg became so famous that now she was finally able to write whatever she wanted to and give her devoted fans behind the scene kind of information that I wondered about since 1990. OMG, I waited twenty years to know what happened after the cafe closed, where did everyone go, and how did they do without Whistle Stop.
I highly recommend this book, either as a stand-alone without Fried Green Tomatoes or as a wonderful treat after you have read the first one. Thank you, Fannie, for a joyous read.

Fannie Flagg is always dependable and sweet. The characters you know, or can know quickly, and always a good story. Even if you’ve only seen the film Fried Green Tomatoes and haven’t read any of the books, you’ll enjoy this. This was the perfect heartwarming and easy read I needed between some more intense books.

This mainly focuses on Buddy Threadgoode, Ruthie’s son, who had lost his arm in the train accident in Fried Green Tomatoes. We see him grow up, start a family, and the family grows from there. It goes back and forth between the 1930s to present. The beginning was a lot of back and forth, and some parts seem rushed or glossed over, but it is a lot of time to cover and fill in with what we already know of the characters.

Thanks to Random House via NetGalley for letting me read this in advance of the release date.

I received an ARC from the publisher thru NetGalley - thank you both very much.
If you saw the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" or read Fannie Flagg's first book "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe", then this book is for you. It is years later, and Bud Threadgoode has decided to take a trip to see what has happened to Whistle Stop and to see if you can go back home again. As you read through the book, you get answers on what happened to all our favorite characters from Fried Green Tomatoes, connecting the past and the present.
I do have to say that it was a little hard to get into in the beginning - there is a lot of bouncing back and forth in time, which i usually don't mind....but this was a lot and was at times confusing. Its not a 5 star for me and not the best writing there ever was - - HOWEVER, I love Fannie Flagg's books. They are cute, quirky, and feel good. And that's what this book is - a light hearted feel good read, especially if you like Fried Green Tomatoes. Well worth the read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the e-ARC of the Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop. What a delightful read. Once again FannieFlagg remains a consummate storyteller. She seamlessly blends characters and time periods into a warm, funny reading adventure. Now it makes me want to go back and re-read Fried Green Tomatoes and the Whistle Stop Cafe!

Loved this book felt like Inwas visiting family. So wonderful to visit these characters again see what their up to.Fannie Flag writes wRm wonderful novels that are a delight to read.#netgalley#randomhouse

This is a cute, fast, sweet novel. It was difficult to get into the story because for the first third of the novel, there is no actual story. It just bounces around from different times in history from the points of view of different people, many of whom we’ve met in Flagg’s earlier books. Then, when it finally resembles an actual narrative, basically nothing happens.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, which RELEASES OCTOBER 27, 2020.

I just love Fannie Flagg's books. Readers who loved Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe are going to enjoy her upcoming The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop releasing October 27th. It's been a while since I read FGT, but I remembered all the characters and liked how the author picked up on showing us how some of their lives unfolded. Bud and his daughter Ruthie have such a sweet relationship. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC - fans are in for a big treat this fall!

I loved this book and remembering the characters from "Fried Green Tomatoes." This is light fun read with some remarkable characters. It's also an homage to old hometowns and wonderful memories. I read this in an afternoon and found it delightful.

Bud Threadgoode, you remember Ruth's son from "Fried Green Tomatoes", is all grown up now. Now that he has lived his life, married & had a daughter, been in the military & then owned his own veterinary practice, he has been reminiscing about his life back in Whistle Stop. So he sets off on an adventure, doing a runner from the assisted living facility he has been living at, and makes the journey back there only to discover the town no longer exists. What he does find is a new friend, someone who knew some of his family. They swap stories and memories from the good old days and Bud learns that home isn't necessariiy just a place.
I loved this book. In between the story about Bud and his daughter in the current day, there were stories, emails, newsletters, & all sorts of things from when Bud was growing up. So we get to relive some of the magic of Whistle Stop, of Idgie & Ruth, of Ms. Evelyn & Ninny. This is a fun, light read that will leave you with a smile on your face. I highly recommend it.

I love everything Frankie Flagg writes and this is no exception. I waited to read this book until I was in the right frame of mind to savor it, and it was well worth the wait. Revisiting the family is a calming balm and Flagg’s writing is superb. Thank you Fannie Flagg, please never stop writing.

LOVED IT! I have always loved Fried Green Tomatoes, both the book and the movie, and this book took me right back there. I felt like I was returning to old friends, old home, and old times. Everyone was familiar, and the new characters that were introduced were perfectly fleshed out and made sense for the story line.

I was honestly a little afraid that after so many decades, it would be difficult for Flagg to recapture that magic, but she nailed it! I think this is the best book I've read this year. Perhaps the best book I've read in a long time.

If you're a fan of FGT, then this is definitely a book to pick up!

Loved it! The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop is a warm quilted blanket on a cool fall day. Fannie Flagg did not disappoint with this beautiful story that gets us all caught up with Ruth, Idgie, Bud, and introduces us to Ruthie. This tale shows us how life moves on, but somehow remains the same. It's full of love and memories, joy and achievements. Wonder Boy weaves back and forth through decades, and ends up with a beautiful and satisfying ending. Highly Highly Recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this book.

This book is like catching up with an old friend you have not seen in years. Sharing memories, catching up with the family, crying a bit and laughing a lot. A perfect book!

Fannie Flag is a reliable author and this book is no exception. She once again drew me into the story and made me care about the inhabitants of this world. If you want something light and fun to read, grab this book and dig in!

I imagine Fannie Flagg sitting on her lanai with a tall glass of sweet tea, conducting a bit of a character exercise with herself, running through her favorites from Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and mapping out what happened to them at the end of the story, who they married, children, and where they finally moved away to live. After this fun little writing workshop, she said what the hell, and sent her notes to her publisher. That's my theory at least.
I can always count on Flagg to give me a great story with memorable characters living in a time and place much more friendly and tight knit than our own. And what better a time than now to not only have a new Flagg novel, but one bringing us back to Whistle Stop!
However, in the current climate, there's just something missing that I was desperately hoping for--every character is white, straight, gets married to an opposite-sex partner, and proceeds to have at least one child. At the very least characters like Sipsey and Big George should have received more fleshing out and further stories but they appear basically in name only. Big George has a daughter, who could have easily headlined chapters (as she's also a chef and using her grandmother's famous recipes to boot!) but only appears as a quick mention and only in the capacity of the kitchen. Instead, we're subjected to point of view chapters featuring the over-bearing, controlling, and all together unpleasant mother in law of Buddy's daughter. Even having Idgie and Ruth back for a bit felt like a wasted opportunity. Their story didn't get an expansion--nor was there much interaction between the two of them in any of the 1930s-set scenes. We do finally (FINALLY) have a somewhat admission that their relationship was beyond that of friendship alone, but nothing more. I do hope one day to finally read that chapter of the Whistle Stop story.
Wonder Boy is just missing heart. Flagg always shines brightest with her female characters. A running theme through all her books is the community women are able to quietly run, foster, and support as well as encourage within each other. What a perfect opportunity to branch out to include non-white/non-straight stories! An opportunity both missed and sorely missed. This ends up being an okay book instead of a great and memorable one. I look forward to the day we can return to Whistle Stop and hear more of those incredible minority stories.