Heartwarming

I’ve always loved crows. Waking up to the raucous sound of crows organizing their day and the entire rest of the neighborhood doesn’t bother me. I’m pretty organized and chatty myself.

So I was delighted to find this wonderful short introduction in Fannie Flagg’s newest book, The Whole Town’s Talking.

They rise early in the country and in cities, eager to start their serious crow business. They gather in large groups or sometimes just one or two. All day long they soar high or low, calling out to the busy people below. They shout from the trees, rooftops and telephone wires….

“NOW! NOW! LIVE NOW!”

Poor old crows. They think they are talking, but the only thing people hear is…

“CAW! CAW! CAW!”

The actual plot of this amazing novel revolves not around crows, but the birth, life and death of a fictitious rural town and its residents. Only a die hard curmudgeon (and  there is one among the townspeople) will not be captivated by this American story about Elmwood Springs, Missouri, a most real, unreal place.

Newspaper book critics have heaped praise on the novel. The Newport Plain News states, “If there’s one thing Fannie Flagg can do better than anybody else, it’s tell a story, and she outdoes herself in The Whole Town’s Talking”. The Richmond Times-Dispatch calls it “a ringing affirmation of love, community and life itself “.

I won’t spoil the book by giving away any of the surprises in the plot. I simply will say that I have never read a book that has had a more satisfying and well knit together ending. It’s the perfect antidote for our current dark American age.

Thank you,Fannie Flagg, and please keep writing.

0

2 thoughts on “Heartwarming”

Leave a Comment