It's Alabama 1938. It was a November morning at a train station. There is talk of a little blonde boy with one arm. Then it's Alabama 1991. Grady has been the sherriff of Whistle stop until 1958. I liked the characters and down home feel.

Reading a Fannie Flagg book is like a huge hug. In The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop she revisits the characters from Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe and sees what their descendants are up to. The narrative jumps back and forth through time and from character to character. It sounds like it should be disjointed but it works beautifully. The characters are so wonderful and entertaining, I was so glad to get to spend more time with them. It was impossible to read this book without a big smile on my face.

I caught up with some old friends in this heartwarming sequel to "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe," including everyone I remember plus future generations. Flagg does have some new stories interspersed within the book about the old days with Idgie and Ruth and little Buddy Threadgoode, but the vignettes here are taken from Buddy's entire life. Much of the story revolves around "Little Ruthie," Buddy's daughter who is named after Ruth. Ruthie is a great character who happily marries into old Atlanta money, and her mother-in-law is a sore trial. The plot turns on funny, delightful, and just plain weird newsletters from Dot Weems, recalled memories, and new stories about the Whistle Stop folks and their children and grandchildren, all through the decades, until one more surprise character from the original novel appears to create a beautiful ending and set everything right in the present day.

As usual, a certain Whistle Stop native, a bee charmer and devoted lover of Ruth, a southern fictional female character right up there in the pantheon with Scout and Scarlett (but more stubborn and wild than either) turns out to be the miracle mover and shaker behind everything good that happens. As it was in the original novel, it's all down to Idgie. Discovering what Idgie was like later in life, after Ruth died and Idgie made a new life for herself, was like a delightful gift.

If you loved the original, this novel will be like snuggling into an old quilt on the front porch.

I received a DRC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley and was encouraged to submit an honest review.

I was so happy to visit the residents of Whistle Stop again! This book was wonderful and it was like going home again for me. I was captivated from page one.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

4+ Stars
With all the nasty stuff that is going on right now, sure glad author, Fannie Flagg came to our rescue!
This story starts in November 1938, when a young one-arm boy with this dog are running and waving at the passengers on the train as it leaves the Train Station in Birmingham, Alabama.
Yep that boy is Buddy one of the characters from Ms. Flagg's 1989 novel "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café".. Additionally, the story is an update on many of the characters as well as a trip down memory lane or as my grandson would say at a family gatherings “Aww a stroll down Nostalgia Avenue”!
Short chapters jump around time periods which connect characters past to present; Buddy Threadgoode, Jr. is the main character that we follow from boyhood through age 89.

Fannie Flagg is a great story teller. She had me laughing and crying, especially the letters Dot Weems wrote.
I am not sure many Millennials can relate to this “Stroll down Nostalgia Avenue’"
I do believe fans of "A man Called Ove” as well readers in my generation will enjoy it.

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group ~ Random House for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 27, 2020

The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop is Bud Threadgoode, the son of Ruth Jamison in Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg. Bud is tagged as the wonder boy because he was always wondering about things, a kid of many questions. If Flagg was expecting readers to remember much about the 1987 book, this reader has failed her. I just have that feel-good feeling about that earlier book but most of the details escape me.

In this return visit with many of the characters from Fried Green Tomatoes, Bud is all grown up, married, a practicing veterinarian, with a child and grandchild of his own. One day, he decides to make a visit to Whistle Stop having heard over the years from Dot Weems, the former postmaster and weekly newspaper editor, that the little town is all but nonexistent. What he “discovers” in Whistle Stop makes up the bulk of the plot.

For Fannie Flaggs fans, this is a welcome trip to Whistle Stop, and it is delightful to hear again about these remarkable characters. A kind book set in a kinder time is just what readers could use right now.

Fannie Flagg has written another novel about the folks of Whistle Stop that provides that warm, feel-good feeling for the reader. This reader is probably going to reread Fried Green Tomatoes next. Flagg, now 75, still maintains a home in her beloved Alabama as well as another in California.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting August 31, 2020.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

So much fun catching up with old friends, reminiscing and feeling the warmth that only Fannie Flagg can create. One heck of a good read!

Fannie Flagg is an American treasure! Love this story this town and am so happy to revisit it. Honestly Flagg could rewrite the dictionary and it would be award winning

Fanny Flagg keeps me coming back to her small town heartwarming stories. She does it again in The Wonder Boy Of Whistle Stop. As usual each character is like someone you know, but just a little bit over the top. I found myself laughing out loud in parts and some pieces brought tears. But that is what I expect from Fanny Flagg.

If you loved Fried Green Tomatoes, you will love this "sequel". I got to spend more time with most of my favorite characters, find out what happened to all of them, and once again fall in love with their stories. Fannie Flagg's voice continues to be magical.

Thanks to the publisher for letting me read this book as a NetGalley release. I loved this book. The original Fried Green Tomatoes is one of my Top Ten Books of All Time (and I'm a librarian and I read a lot!) because of the characters. They had such authentic voices. The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop does not disappoint. All your favorite characters are here, right down to Dot Weems, still writing her gossipy newsletter, but now it's on email! I loved how the past and the present intertwined. So satisfying.

DNF. I found the chapters to be overly short so the writing seemed very choppy. Perhaps it has been too long since I read anything from Fannie Flagg? Not sure if this is the norm.

Sit back in your comfy chair, grab a sweet tea or a glass of bourbon and enjoy this book. When you want just forget about everything in the real world for a while this is the perfect book.
This was the first time I have read anything by Fannie Flagg and I will now go back and read earlier books by her because I enjoyed this so much.Thanks for the opportunity of the advance copy.

The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop continues the story of the people from Fried Green Tomatoes, and Carrie's it two generations later. The storyline jumps around in time and among people. I didn't always track what was going on, but it didn't really matter. It's a simple, feel-good story where everything works out.

I was provided an ARC if this book through #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book exchange for my review.

If you, like me, LOVED Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, book and movie, you are in for a treat!! This book is, as Paul Harvey used to say, "the rest of the story" about all those kind and wonderful people in Whistle Stop, Alabama!!

Buddy Threadgoode grew up in Whistle Stop, in the back of the cafe run by his mother, Ruth, and his Aunt Idgie. Although he lost his left arm early on, he had a wonderful childhood, surrounded by his adopted family and a close-knit community of great country people. After his mother died, Bud married his childhood sweetheart, became a veterinarian, had a daughter, Ruthie, and finally retired to Atlanta to be near Ruthie. But one day, Bud decides to revisit his old home town, gets lost in the woods overnight, and makes the local headlines. He meets, or re-meets, Evelyn, the woman to whom his Aunt Ninny told all those stories, and through her, his daughter finds a new lease on life, too.

If you loved the first book, you will love catching up with everyone in this one!!

As an avid fan of Fanny Flagg, I was so exited to see a new book on the horizon. It’s been a long time. I was lucky enough to get an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

It is written in typical Fannie Flagg style, oozing with small town, southern charm. The first half of it was odd....like random thoughts about Whistle Stop residents in no particular order. Sadly, it's been so long since I read Fried Green Tomatoes, I could not really remember a lot about the story or the characters. But, it worked for me. I did not feel at odds with the story. It set the stage for the rest of the book.

Short chapters, easy to read, wonderful characters. But, definitely not fast paced. It's the type of book to read on a rainy day with a cup of tea. I would call it a “comfortable” book. It made me smile.

And then came the storybook ending. Whistlestop will live on in the hearts and memories of many.

Have you ever wondered what happened to Evelyn Couch, along with Idgie, Buddy Jr., and Ninny Threadgoode? If so, The Wonder Boy of Whistlestop will answer those questions for you and other fans of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.

It’s hard to believe that it has been 33 years since Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes was first published in 1987. I remember reading the novel in 1989 and being so excited when it was made into a movie. I can only think of one other story [ To Kill A Mockingbird] where I loved the movie just as much as I loved the novel. I watched the movie again just before reading this sequel. I still cry when Ruth dies.

The Wonder Boy of Whistlestop follows the lives of many of the residents after Whistle Stop became a ghost town. Dot Weems, the former postmistress, sends out an annual Christmas letter that tells of births and deaths, and other points of interest. She often reminisces about the good old days in Whistle Stop. We learn about the lives of Sheriff Kilgore, the preacher and his son, Sipsey and her son, Big George, who were the cooks at the cafe, and Opal Butts who owned the beauty shop.

The primary focus of the novel is on Buddy Threadgoode, Jr, the son of Ruth and her estranged, then later missing husband, Frank Bennett. I didn’t remember the strange legal fact that the Threadgoode family adopted Buddy before he was a year old. Even with his missing arm, Buddy has a successful career and a loving wife and daughter. They end up living up north but still keep in touch with Idgie, who moved to Florida. Later in life, Buddy and his daughter, Ruthie, are befriended by Evelyn Couch. Evelyn’s life certainly took a positive spin after meeting Ninny Threadgoode at the nursing home. Learning about Towanda, along with Idgie and Ruth’s friendship, was a lasting godsend for Evelyn.

The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop is purely for fans of the first novel or the movie. The plotline is much thinner than the original and would not be interesting to someone new to the story. 3.5-Stars rounded up to 4.

This novel will be published on October 27, 2020.

I was given an advance reader copy by the publisher, Random House, in exchange for an honest opinion. Thank you #NetGalley, #RandomHouse, and #FannieFlagg.

In these troubled times, we all need a dose of Fannie Flagg. Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop revisits the small town of Whistle Stop, AL. Dot the postmistress sends out a yearly Christmas letter and brings the former residents up to speed with one another. We become reacquainted with Opal from the beauty shop, Ninnie, Sipsey, and Ruth and Idgie who ran the café with son Buddy. The chapters focus on different years, from the thirties through the present day, tied together with Dot’s annual letter. If the reader will recall, the railroad passed by Whistle Stop and the town dried up, with everyone moving away and getting on with their lives. Bud's family becomes the focus, especially his daughter Ruth, as she makes a new way for herself following the death of her husband. Evelyn Couch becomes an important part of this story.

If you read the book Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, or saw the film, you will enjoy visiting with the characters again. If not, you will still enjoy reading a feel-good novel, You may even want to go back and re-read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.

This novel is a sweet read that transports you back to the wonderful town of Whistle Stop. Bud Threadgoode is now 84 years old and wants to take a trip back home to Whistle Stop. We are transported back and forth in time and recounted with stories of the original characters we love.

I had a hard time for the first third of the book. The changing perspectives and timelines was really confusing, and it was hard to tell what the main plot of this book would actually end up being. However, if you are a fan of Fried Green Tomatoes, you will enjoy this book and all the further stories and details you get of the classic characters.

I love "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" - book movie. After reading this sequel, I cam going to go back and watch the movie again to experience with unique set of characters found in both of these books. I was a wonderful journey back to the original characters and meeting and loving their descendants. I would recommend reading the books in order, though it is not required. There is enough history in this novel to allow you to know enough of the characters and their lives to fully appreciate the interwoven stories. I smile though the entire book and got some good laughs, The characters are well developed, unique and quirky. The ways the separate sub-plots came to together was very entertaining and surprising. I strongly recommend reading and enjoying the book. The only small issue I had with the writing was the going back a forth in time and between stories and character was a time a bit disorienting. In the end it all came together.