One of the best news I could receive: Random House via NetGalley asked me if I wanted to reviewing the latest book by Fannie Flagg: The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop. This book will be published on October 27th in the USA.
I absolutely returned with joy, enthusiasm at
Her characters, Idgie Threadgood, Ruth Jamison, Sipsey, Big George, Buddy Threadgood, Ninny Threadgood, Evelyn Couch, are unforgettable.
In Fried green Tomatoes we breath the most profound essence of the South of the USA: religion, rebel spirit, violence perpetrated to a lady, a murder, racism, great food, friendship, love, departures, shocking events in grade to change the existence of people; it is a book plenty of humanity and real life in motion.
So, what is about The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop, you'll ask?
I imagined at first only the isolated story of Stump, Buddy Threadgood's Jr. the son of Ruth Jamison and her disgraceful husband Frank Bennett: there is much more.
The community of Whistle Stop, Alabama, with its hairdresser, the café and other activities was in fact, very united; when the town slowly slowly died, no one lost definitively connections with the rest of the community.
Life continued in other parts of the States for all the protagonists, but persisted the curiosity because roots are something that no one can remove or delete. Plus, the adventures experienced in the little town of Whistle Stop by all these characters were too unforgettable and fascinating.
The town had had also a potential journalist, Dot, who kept connected the entire community with a newsletter when she lived in Whistle Stop and later when she abandoned the area for another State thanks to a frenetic exchange of letters with the rest of the Whistle Stop community here and there, reporting the most relevant news and year spent by everyone with a long letter sent during the Christmas Time.
This book, more modern and "mundane" under many aspects, is a reflection of our times; the various protagonists of these new stories are pretty old, some of them gone; who is alive is coping with ageing; this book is also a dream; the possibility of new beginnings for everyone.
The story of Buddy Threadgood is relevant in this sense; with the time he became a vet, he married a lady and has had Ruthie. Ruthie, once grown up, and, beautiful as her grand-mother Ruth was, married a boy, Brooks absolutely in love with her, although persisted the skepticism of Brooks's mother, a pretty snob lady, desidering for her son someone else, much more rich, and more close to their social status.
Anyway, the marriage of Brooks and Ruthie was absolutely happy with the arrival of two children. Brooks had many dreams but unfortunately he won't realize most of them.
Buddy Threadgood Jr, old now, and with a sort of little dementia going on, before to fall too sick and not remembering anything, decides to run away from the Home where he is living in, searching for Whistle Stop and hoping to see another time his old native village.
Unfortunately his trip is deludent; the old places he knew so well, are, simply, unrecognizables.
Ruthie falls desperate when she understands that her dad escaped away, and at first she thinks that he can be dead. But he isn't; thanks to this disappearance Evelyn Couch read the message published in a newsmagazine regarding the disappearance of Buddy Jr.
She immediately recognizes Buddy Threadgood Jr.
Oh; Ninny had told her wagons of facts of Buddy. He lost his left arm at the age of 7; he was called Stump by Idgie.
Evelyn was grateful to Ninny for what she did for her.
Ninny was the best guidance she could have had; a help arrived directly from God.
Evelyn, met Ninny in a home where stayed also her husband's mother, another disgusting lady; the one of Evelyn was a sad, absolutely depressing existence, with a man uninterested to let her show manifestations of any sort of affection. Thanks to Ninny, Evelyn, the unsecure creature who cried most of the time eating chocolate for forgetting the ugliest part of the world became a successful seller of Mary Kay Cosmetics and much much more, becoming a multi-millionaire lady.
Evelyn calls so Ruthie, asking to see her. Evelyn has a box of pictures and other items presented her by Ninny; a big gift containing the memories of her existence; many pictures of Buddy, Idgie, Buddy's mother.
Evelyn would want to give this material to Buddy Jr.
Gratitude is so big in Evelyn, that she decides with Ruthie of restoring the old town of Whistle Stop! presenting to Buddy the old house where he lived in when little, modernized, restored, re-built.
As you will see there will be problems at first...
The book returns continuously in the remote past, and then in more recent years in a fluidity of space and time, in grade to motivate choices made by the various protagonists, reporting stories of people, anecdots of a little community who made the difference.
The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop is a pleasant return home; in a home, Whistle Stop, that crossed the destinies of many people forever connected thanks to solidariety, love, friendship, help, preserved memories, good tales, great recipes, solidity.
It's a beautiful portrait of the South of the USA, its generosity, amiability and hospitality, the ingredients for a great reading, with the positive, optimistic touch of Fannie Flagg that is one of the best distinctive part of her writing.
Highly recommended.
I thank NetGalley and Random House for this ebook.
Anna Maria Polidori
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