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cdjdhj's review against another edition
5.0
Typical Fannie Flagg - a lovely, positive, uplifting book with characters the reader really comes to care about. An enjoyable read.
mbenzz's review against another edition
5.0
Having read all of Ms. Flagg's novels, she is without a doubt, my favorite author. I only wish she had more books out there for me to read. So when I saw this book had been released, I was ecstatic! This is a touching Christmas tale about a man (Oswald T. Campbell) and the wonderful little town of Lost River Alabama (a place I wish existed, cause I'd move there in a heartbeat!).
Oswald is told by his doctor that he must leave the Chicago cold for the warmer temperatures of the south for serious health reasons. Lost River has been recommended to him as an ideal place to go, so he packs up, and heads down there, thinking he'll just be there for the winter. But as time goes on, Oswald falls in love with the little town, and all its residence, including one very special redbird, Jack, and one precious little girl, Patsy.
Of course, I absolutely recommend this book for people of all ages, it's such a sweet Christmas story that I can't give enough praise to. Hopefully, I won't have to wait so long for Ms. Flaggs next novel, but I'm confident it'll be just as wonderful as this one and all the others she has given us.
Oswald is told by his doctor that he must leave the Chicago cold for the warmer temperatures of the south for serious health reasons. Lost River has been recommended to him as an ideal place to go, so he packs up, and heads down there, thinking he'll just be there for the winter. But as time goes on, Oswald falls in love with the little town, and all its residence, including one very special redbird, Jack, and one precious little girl, Patsy.
Of course, I absolutely recommend this book for people of all ages, it's such a sweet Christmas story that I can't give enough praise to. Hopefully, I won't have to wait so long for Ms. Flaggs next novel, but I'm confident it'll be just as wonderful as this one and all the others she has given us.
terrym10's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book! It wasn’t a typical Christmas story as it takes place in Alabama and isn’t set just in the winter. But it’s extremely heartwarming and the characters are so likable, I didn’t want this little story to end. Two thumbs up!
rereader33's review against another edition
2.0
Reading Reindeer December Challenge
Prompt: Dancer--a book by a favorite author
I would say that I'm disappointed by this book, but the truth is I'm not. While I do love Fannie Flagg, I also don't read her as frequently because her characters can be VERY hit or miss for me. And obviously, this novel's characters and frankly the whole story were a miss for me.
The biggest issue I have is that this book DID NOT age well. It was written in 2004 and some of the things characters said or did just don't gel with today. Frances's theory that her sister Mildred's constantly changing hair color and decision to wear pant suits before they became acceptable possibly being the reason why her fiance ditched her rubbed me the wrong way, as well as there being a token "redneck" family that just so happens to have terribly behaved children and neglectful parents. On top of that, there's this dumb Romeo and Juliet subplot that doesn't develop throughout the story and yet is wrapped in a nice, pretty bow towards the end, and two of the women also get married despite there being no build up and thus is unsatisfying and honestly super cliched. Of course, this being a fluffy story, everything is wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end, which was kind of annoying.
I hate ragging on this because I know this is supposed to be a feel-good, fluffy novel, but it's too short to build anything up properly and all of the characters are so one-dimensional they may as well be cardboard cutouts with names and backstories. Read this if you want, its short and simple, but I think I'll stick to Fannie Flagg's longer novels in the future.
Prompt: Dancer--a book by a favorite author
I would say that I'm disappointed by this book, but the truth is I'm not. While I do love Fannie Flagg, I also don't read her as frequently because her characters can be VERY hit or miss for me. And obviously, this novel's characters and frankly the whole story were a miss for me.
The biggest issue I have is that this book DID NOT age well. It was written in 2004 and some of the things characters said or did just don't gel with today. Frances's theory that her sister Mildred's constantly changing hair color and decision to wear pant suits before they became acceptable possibly being the reason why her fiance ditched her rubbed me the wrong way, as well as there being a token "redneck" family that just so happens to have terribly behaved children and neglectful parents. On top of that, there's this dumb Romeo and Juliet subplot that doesn't develop throughout the story and yet is wrapped in a nice, pretty bow towards the end, and two of the women also get married despite there being no build up and thus is unsatisfying and honestly super cliched. Of course, this being a fluffy story, everything is wrapped up in a nice little bow at the end, which was kind of annoying.
I hate ragging on this because I know this is supposed to be a feel-good, fluffy novel, but it's too short to build anything up properly and all of the characters are so one-dimensional they may as well be cardboard cutouts with names and backstories. Read this if you want, its short and simple, but I think I'll stick to Fannie Flagg's longer novels in the future.
alicebme's review against another edition
1.0
Audiobook in car with ACMK read by author. Book Club book. Gonna go with nope on this one. The benevolent white southerners will always love the Fannie Flagg thinly veiled racist, classist tropes. Reinforcement like this is dangerous.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Book on CD read by the author
This is a charming story set in a small town of Lost River, Alabama. On the advice of his doctor, Oswald Campbell leaves snowy Chicago to rest his lungs in the milder climate of Southern Alabama. He’s not sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t a tiny town of just over 100 residents, all of whom seem to already know him before he even arrives. Slowly he becomes friends with the residents of the community, and especially with one little girl – an orphan like himself. The story is filled with colorful characters, small-town charm, and possibly a miracle. A nice, light read for this time of year.
Flagg is a talented actress and she does a credible job of reading the novel, though I find her pace just a tad slow. Also, she doesn’t have enough range to sufficiently differentiate all the female characters. But those are really small quibbles.
This is a charming story set in a small town of Lost River, Alabama. On the advice of his doctor, Oswald Campbell leaves snowy Chicago to rest his lungs in the milder climate of Southern Alabama. He’s not sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t a tiny town of just over 100 residents, all of whom seem to already know him before he even arrives. Slowly he becomes friends with the residents of the community, and especially with one little girl – an orphan like himself. The story is filled with colorful characters, small-town charm, and possibly a miracle. A nice, light read for this time of year.
Flagg is a talented actress and she does a credible job of reading the novel, though I find her pace just a tad slow. Also, she doesn’t have enough range to sufficiently differentiate all the female characters. But those are really small quibbles.
plastron's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
coruscations's review against another edition
5.0
the most sugary of fluff but whatever it's Christmas