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34th out of 93 books
—
270 voters
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man
by
Fannie Flagg
Here is Fannie Flagg's high-spirited and unabashedly sentimental first novel, the precursor to the bestselling Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.
Taken from the pages of Daisy Fay Harper's journal, this is a coming of age story set in rural Mississippi that is by turns hilarious and touching. It begins in 1952 when Daisy Fay is a sassy, truth-tellin' but lonely...more
Taken from the pages of Daisy Fay Harper's journal, this is a coming of age story set in rural Mississippi that is by turns hilarious and touching. It begins in 1952 when Daisy Fay is a sassy, truth-tellin' but lonely...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
September 1st 1981
by Warner Books
(first published 1981)
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Fannie Flagg is a brilliantly funny, authentic writer. If you ever read "Fried Green Tomatoes At the Whistle Stop Cafe" or saw the movie, you will surely like this one too.
It is a highly entertaining account of the formative years of a very down to eart girl growing up in Coastal Mississippi in the 50's. Great characterization! The writing style is unique and is as though Daisy were simply have a conversation with you. Most enjoyable. Give it a try!
It is a highly entertaining account of the formative years of a very down to eart girl growing up in Coastal Mississippi in the 50's. Great characterization! The writing style is unique and is as though Daisy were simply have a conversation with you. Most enjoyable. Give it a try!
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Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg is a riot. Daisy Fay at age eleven runs off at the mouth. She runs a non-stop commentary on the people in her family, life and community like none other. She hits on every scam, old wives tale and rumor of the day. Set in the 1950's, Daisy's innocence is a great backdrop for exposing all these truths and myths. Even though the tone of the book turned a bit at the second half, Daisy Fay never loses her innocence as life continues to hammer at her. She...more
Haaaaaated it! I don't understand the inspiration behind this book (or, shall I say, the lack thereof?) For starters, what would possess a person to write a book about "white trash" in the first place? Secondly, why do her critics call it "side-splittingly funny" and "sheer, unbeatable entertainment"? I didn't miss the attempted humor...I just found this book to be morally degrading and not all that funny. Some parts caused me to wonder why on earth someone would send this book to print and not...more
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It does have its funny moments, but I didn't find it "side-splittingly funny" as the Cleveland Plain Dealer did. There is an awful lot of alcohol drinking going on in this book. It seems almost anachronistic to me, what with the attention to natural, organic, good health and coffee that I experience every day in Seattle. Isn't it amazing how long ago the 1950's actually were? I get the feeling that every year I slip a little further behind in keeping up with the age I live in now. The 1950's in...more
This story was told in first person by the title character, a different POV than Ms. Flagg's other novels of life in the Old South. When I quickly discovered that Daisy Fay is only 11 years old at the beginning of the book and that it is essentially a journal, I prepared myself to be disappointed. Once again, I was wrong.
No one writes Southerners like Fannie Flagg. Her characters are far from perfect, unsophisticated (even those who believe they are the upper echelon of their society) and about...more
No one writes Southerners like Fannie Flagg. Her characters are far from perfect, unsophisticated (even those who believe they are the upper echelon of their society) and about...more
Ciao a tutti. Non so che tipo di recensione verrà fuori da un libro del genere, ma sappiate che tutto quello che sto per dirvi è accaduto sul serio. O no, non lo so. Comunque, è vero. Stavo vagando in biblioteca alla ricerca dell'ispirazione e non volevo un classico, né un libro troppo serioso. Volevo qualcosa di frizzante, qualcosa che si lasciasse leggere in modo scorrevole, qualcosa insomma che mi avrebbe catturata sin dalle prime righe. Ecco, allora vai su Fannie Flagg. Certo, avendo già let...more
This is a coming of age tale of a young girl who dares to look at life with great optimism and sense of fun despite the fact that she is lives the unfortunate circumstance of a child with an alcoholic parent. Her father and mother's troubled marriage and her father's scheming and drinking do not dampen her zest for life, her creativity, or her spunk. Her story is shared in a diary style, yet tells far more than a diary. Daisy Fay is a maturing female who likes to write and she treasures her pape...more
It’s narrative voice is that of an eleven-year old girl from Jackson, Mississippi who is watching her parents struggle through a nasty break up and separation, her father addiction to alcohol, her mother’s inevitable abandonment of the family, and the mistakes of a myriad of other adults who should be stabilizing influences in her young life. She sees all with clarity, (perhaps only children are able to have because they are at the stage in their human development where they have no conception...more
Fanni Flagg ormai mi ha fregata: se trovo un titolo che mi assicura che l'autrice è lei, io lo prendo a a scatola chiusa, anche se non è che sia uscita pazza per i suoi libri che ho già letto. Però è una speci di droga: li devo leggere tutti... forse c'è qualcosa nelle ricette dei suoi titoli, nella torta al caramello, nei pomodori verdi fritti, nella zuppa cambpell e ora negli hamburger che provoca assuefazione!
Questo in ogni caso è tra tutti quello che mi è piaciuto meno. Il suo ritmo di diari...more
Questo in ogni caso è tra tutti quello che mi è piaciuto meno. Il suo ritmo di diari...more
I was loaned this book by someone who wouldn't brook me not reading it. She would ask me over and over every time I saw her, so as soon as I got it, I started right away. UGH! It was a very hard start. I read the first 50 pages or so and then put it down for a couple of months. The knowledge that I would be seeing the book's owner soon got me back on board. The first part of the story, all of which is written in diary form, is a slog to get through. The middle/late middle to the end of the book...more
I love this book. I think Fannie Flagg might just be my favorite author.
Daisy Fay starts out as a spunky young girl with a big imagination and an uncanny ability to see the best in people. She doesn't exactly come from an All-American family, but she loves her Momma and Daddy, despite their shortcomings. Which is not to say she doesn't occasionally get into trouble, because she also has quite a knack for being mischievous too.
What I like about this novel is that we get to see little Daisy Fay gr...more
Daisy Fay starts out as a spunky young girl with a big imagination and an uncanny ability to see the best in people. She doesn't exactly come from an All-American family, but she loves her Momma and Daddy, despite their shortcomings. Which is not to say she doesn't occasionally get into trouble, because she also has quite a knack for being mischievous too.
What I like about this novel is that we get to see little Daisy Fay gr...more
Feb 24, 2011
MissSusie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed,
southern-fiction
Daisy Fay Harper is now one of my favorite characters! She is spunky and independent and surrounded by a great cast of characters. This book spans Daisy Fay’s life from 1952-1959 at the beginning of the book she is 11 years old. Daisy Fay’s daddy is a drunk but she stands by him through thick and thin, he isn’t a mean drunk so that’s ok LOL.
It is so fun to read about her discovering life especially since this book is set in the 50’s.One of my favorite scenes is when they are living in Shell Beac...more
It is so fun to read about her discovering life especially since this book is set in the 50’s.One of my favorite scenes is when they are living in Shell Beac...more
Fannie Flagg is such a storyteller! Her books are so different, and I think it's her talent for storytelling as opposed to writing a novel, if that makes any sense. This book is filled, as all her books are, with characters and each one has a distinct story that's shared. I mean, a character can sit next to someone on a bus and Fannie will tell you the story behind that random person on the bus, and then you'll never hear about them again. This is a coming of age story about an eleven-year-old g...more
This is one of my favorite books. It is so fun to read and fun to review. It is fun to see the adult world in this way through the eyes of an optimistic child. The story takes place during the 1950s in the South. The antics of Daisy Fay are heart-warming, crazy and at times side-splitting hilarious. I would recommend this book for everyone to enjoy.
A very entertainng read - I do like this author's books.
Back Cover Blurb:
Fannie Flagg takes us on a journey to a South that only Southerners know, to a time when 'Blue Velvet' was played at the Senior Prom, and into the life of Daisy Fay Harper, a sassy, truth-telling heroine who just can't stay out of trouble. What's more she tells us everything - from what (or who) made her Daddy and Momma split up to what is really stashed in the freezer of the family's malt shop.
Daisy Fay is coming of age in...more
Back Cover Blurb:
Fannie Flagg takes us on a journey to a South that only Southerners know, to a time when 'Blue Velvet' was played at the Senior Prom, and into the life of Daisy Fay Harper, a sassy, truth-telling heroine who just can't stay out of trouble. What's more she tells us everything - from what (or who) made her Daddy and Momma split up to what is really stashed in the freezer of the family's malt shop.
Daisy Fay is coming of age in...more
If you've read any of Fannie's other books or watched Fried Green Tomatoes I think you'll enjoy this one. This book is written as the diary of a young girl named Daisy Fay. It tells about her family's life in Mississippi from when she is a young girl to a young adult in the 50's. It will remind you of just how naive we all were as children. I'm in my late 20's and I did not know many of the references to famous people of this time but I feel like if you lived then and knew the names the book wou...more
So I am actually not sure about this book. I think I'd give it 3 1/2 stars. I'm tempted to do 4 because I read nonstop on the book for several hours. When a book hooks me in it usually gets a high star value. But I have mixed emotions about the protagonist. I liked her A LOT, but at the same time.... she was lacking some moral compass points. However, that was due almost entirely to her father. The story sucked me in and I was extremely interested in Daisy's life. I am not sure how to describe t...more
What a quirky tale! I must say, I wasn’t quite sure of what to make of Daisy May and the Miracle Man. In fact, I wasn’t even sure that I liked it until I found I couldn’t put it down. I love Fannie Flagg’s way of writing; she comes from left field in way, totally unpredictable and refreshingly different to most writers. She has a definite talent for capturing the eccentricities in her characters and must be a very astute observer of human nature. On the surface, Daisy May and the Miracle Man tel...more
I did not at all expect to like this book, and I ended up loving it. I did not think I would like it because 1 - Fannie Flagg wrote it, and if I recall, her books tend to be incredibly dumb and poorly written attempts at being Flannery O'Connor that fail miserably 2 - there is a naked baby on the cover and 3 - it is self titled 'a wonderful book.'
Well I'm glad I went with it - this read like Huck Finn gone female - dumb alcoholic dad always looking for idiot schemes to get money, stupid southern...more
Well I'm glad I went with it - this read like Huck Finn gone female - dumb alcoholic dad always looking for idiot schemes to get money, stupid southern...more
A young girl's diary and the story of her life. Odd and unconventional, with some really laugh out loud funny moments. This author writes of small town (usually southern) America in a little earlier time. Her characters are very funny and original. It's mostly a telling of life as it flows in the lives of the characters, there are little mysteries and dramas and love stories mixed in the ongoing flow and interaction of the people and their daily happenings. They tend to be clean and swear word f...more
A very fine read, compulsive as every page contains an interesting story. The colourful characters are brought to life by Fannie Flaggs wonderful story telling style. Hilarious in places, much sadness too but thank goodness we get a lovely ending! Equally as good as Fried green Tomatoes.
Daisy Fay is coming of age in the Gulf Coast's Shell Beach, which is The End of the Road of the South, but a dandy place to meet the locals like hard-drinking Jimmy Snow, former debutante Mrs Dot and Daisy's own...more
Daisy Fay is coming of age in the Gulf Coast's Shell Beach, which is The End of the Road of the South, but a dandy place to meet the locals like hard-drinking Jimmy Snow, former debutante Mrs Dot and Daisy's own...more
This was about 4.5 stars for the first half in my eyes, then it started to get boring. I laughed so hard when Daisy said her dad thought that, like small animals, all small children could swim if they got scared enough. I enjoyed seeing the 1950's south through her childlike perspective. The older she got, though, the less I felt that there was a direction or purpose (I apparently struggle with postmodernism, because I always hate when books don't feel like they are going somewhere specific). Th...more
This book was definitely not as good as the previous books I’ve read by Flagg. This is not to say it wasn’t good. Daisy is an irreverent version of Scout, seeing everything through skewed childhood eyes. She loves her Daddy and Momma without reserve, although they throw her life into turmoil every other day. Flagg is able to keep the humor in the story while introducing serious issues like abuse, alcohol addiction, adultery, murder, insanity, death. As usual her characters drive the story, with...more
I believe this is one of Fannie Flagg's first books (if not THE first). She is a master storyteller! I also believe this is a memoir of sorts. Perhaps not an actual biography, but certainly fashioned after her own life. She had me laughing out loud, feeling sorry for her, cheering her on, and of course teary-eyed in places.
She grew up in southern Mississippi, was very poor. Her parents split up when she was 11 yrs. old. She stayed with her daddy because although her momma wanted to bring her alo...more
She grew up in southern Mississippi, was very poor. Her parents split up when she was 11 yrs. old. She stayed with her daddy because although her momma wanted to bring her alo...more
A coming of age story set in the South. Very funny.
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Secondo libro di Fannie Flagg.
Spezzato di vita di una famiglia medio borghese degli anni 50 in Alabama.
Daisy Fay scrive sul suo diario e ci rende partecipi e ci coinvolge nella sua vita di ragazzina, che piano piano diventa donna, dove dovrà affrontare grandi e piccole avventure vissute sempre con ingenuità e leggerezza a volte, ma anche vita fatta di hamburger e di miracoli!
Fannie Flagg è fenomenale!!Mi trascina in questo posti colorati e pieni di profumi, di familiarità, di calore e di amore...more
Spezzato di vita di una famiglia medio borghese degli anni 50 in Alabama.
Daisy Fay scrive sul suo diario e ci rende partecipi e ci coinvolge nella sua vita di ragazzina, che piano piano diventa donna, dove dovrà affrontare grandi e piccole avventure vissute sempre con ingenuità e leggerezza a volte, ma anche vita fatta di hamburger e di miracoli!
Fannie Flagg è fenomenale!!Mi trascina in questo posti colorati e pieni di profumi, di familiarità, di calore e di amore...more
This is one of the most hysterically funny books I have ever read and one of the few books I have to stop in the middle of reading to laugh uncontrollably. I read it for the first time around twenty years ago. To this day, remebering certain scenes brings a smile to my face and causes me to shake my head in awe of Flagg's sense of humor. She is a brilliant writer who can handle both comedic and tragic stories lines to their poignant conclusions. I cannot, to this day, look at a screen door or a...more
The novel is divided into two sections. In the first, Daisy Fay lives with her Momma and Daddy in the largely deserted coastal town of Shell Beach, running a failing malt shop with with mysterious contents hidden in the freezer. In the second, seven years after the book begins, Daisy leaves Shell Beach to compete in the Miss America Pageant.
The book is written in diary form and the distinctive and engaging voice of the narrator is apparent from the very first words of Daisy Fay and the Miracle M...more
The book is written in diary form and the distinctive and engaging voice of the narrator is apparent from the very first words of Daisy Fay and the Miracle M...more
This is the last of Fannie Flagg's novels that I yet to read, but was the first that she wrote. While I found it hard to put down as I wanted to see how the life of poor Daisy Fay turned out, I cannot say that I enjoyed this book nor can I tell you why.
This is Daisy Fay's diary as she wrote it from the time she was ten until she goes off into the world seeking adventure at the age of 20. Along the way, she encounters an unlikely cast of predictable characters that pass into and out of her life i...more
This is Daisy Fay's diary as she wrote it from the time she was ten until she goes off into the world seeking adventure at the age of 20. Along the way, she encounters an unlikely cast of predictable characters that pass into and out of her life i...more
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| Miracle Man | 3 | 41 | Dec 18, 2012 09:21am |
Fannie Flagg began writing and producing television specials at age nineteen and went on to distinguish herself as an actress and writer in television, films, and the theater.
She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (which was produced by Universal Pictures as Fried Green Tomatoes), Welcome to the World, Baby...more
More about Fannie Flagg...
She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (which was produced by Universal Pictures as Fried Green Tomatoes), Welcome to the World, Baby...more
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“Daddy gave me real useful information to protect me in the real world. If anyone hits me, I'm not to hit them back. I wait until their back is turned, then hit them in the head with a brick.”
—
8 people liked it
“I just know there's an albino living in the colored quarters. I can feel it in my bones.”
—
7 people liked it
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