Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!: A Novel (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
by Fannie Flagg
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This novel meanders back and forth through history in Flagg's familiar style to tell the story of rising TV star Dena Nordstrom. Dena leads the glamorous life of the celebrity in New York City, but she is completely miserable. She drinks too much, takes too many uppers, downers, and painkillers, and does her best to ignore her stomach ulcers as well as most of the human race. But when Dena's health takes a turn for the worst, Dena must puzzle together the secret surrounding her mother's past in ...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
Almost anyone
My expectations for this book were high enough to read it, but not a lot higher than that. In reading a synopsis of the book I found out it was about a woman from samll town Missouri who becomes a star as a television personality in the big apple. She has some demons, is emotionally shut off, and with the help of her psychiatrist works through those demons. That novel, in one form or another, has been written several times. If it wasn't for the fact that I enjoyed Fried Green Tomatoes, I don't t...more
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Read in March, 2007
Yet another book I was forced to read in my Alabama lit class in college. This author also wrote Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistestop Cafe, and I have to say that I prefer Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!. (However, I do love the FGT movie so, so much.) This book takes a look at a girl who was never able to spend much time in one place and lost her mother at a young age. She lives in the big city and never really thinks about her southern roots or the old friends she h...more
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Read in October, 2007
Picked this book up at a Library book sale.
A book of discovery and transformation. Dena is an up and coming news woman. She is driven, ruthless and her ulcers are getting worse. Her doctor sends her to a psychologist to help her deal with her high level of stress. Dena, in denial of her troubles, fights the idea of going to a psychologist, but consents in order to keep her doctor from forcing her to stop working so much. Before long, Dena's troubles loom so large they are no longer avo...more
A book of discovery and transformation. Dena is an up and coming news woman. She is driven, ruthless and her ulcers are getting worse. Her doctor sends her to a psychologist to help her deal with her high level of stress. Dena, in denial of her troubles, fights the idea of going to a psychologist, but consents in order to keep her doctor from forcing her to stop working so much. Before long, Dena's troubles loom so large they are no longer avo...more
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Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
people that like to read about the south
I saw this book @ the wake county library sale and snatched it up b/c I really like the author (and hadn't read anything by her in easily 5+ yrs).
This book was ok, not stellar just ok. I will say the LAST 100 pages or so were great and I wish that Fannie had introduced the climax of the story a lot earlier.
The parts of the story that take place in Missouri were hard to stay interested in, I Would usually just flip the pages back to NYC and read about the main character, Dena.
I als...more
This book was ok, not stellar just ok. I will say the LAST 100 pages or so were great and I wish that Fannie had introduced the climax of the story a lot earlier.
The parts of the story that take place in Missouri were hard to stay interested in, I Would usually just flip the pages back to NYC and read about the main character, Dena.
I als...more
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Fannie Flagg has a delightful, folksy conversational style, and I fell right in step with some quirky characters and just love 'em.
Dena Nordstrom is a news/TV interviewer on her way to the top. But in her haste to climb, she has lost her personal definition and now has an ulser that drivers her to look at where she is -- and emotionally, where she isn't. Her mother left her abruptly at 15 without a trace and now she tries to unravel her Mom's secret. She has the support of her down-home d...more
Dena Nordstrom is a news/TV interviewer on her way to the top. But in her haste to climb, she has lost her personal definition and now has an ulser that drivers her to look at where she is -- and emotionally, where she isn't. Her mother left her abruptly at 15 without a trace and now she tries to unravel her Mom's secret. She has the support of her down-home d...more
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Read in September, 2007
Loved this book. Deena Nordstrom is a successful, young news anchor trapped in the downward spiral that success can often bring. When her health forces her to take a step back and slow down, she finds herself back in the Small Town, USA in which she grew up. She is embraced by the community who is starstruck, but have maintained their traditional, down-to-earth values. In returning to her roots she rediscovers a life lived more slowly and thoughtfully than she had in years. The story ends s...more
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Read in June, 1998
Another great book by Fannie Flagg. My dad actually suggested I read this since he had enjoyed it and one of the main characters is involved in the broadcasting industry...but really, that's only a small part of what it's all about! A good read for those who like fiction about small town America set earlier in the 20th century. If you enjoy this book, don't miss Fannie Flagg's Standing in the Rainbow, which is set in the same town and gives a lot of background on some of the characters.
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Read in June, 2008
I go back and forth on this book. It was well-written, and from several different angles and times. It has some good social-consciousness raising topics. Its essentially a mystery about the main character's (Dena's) mother. The thing is, at times, Dena is over-the-top clueless/naive/stupid and that bothers me a lot. I also tend to get antsy when people use psychology so heavily in their books so directly. It tends to get awkward and weird, at least from my perspective.
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Read in October, 1998
This is my favorite book of all times. I re-read it almost every year, usually in the fall. There's something about the trip the character takes from a busy-busy lifestyle to a quieter, simpler life that appeals to me (and probably appeals to many). Fannie Flagg has a way of bringing a character to life like no one else I've read. I like the surprise of this book, and where it goes. It's more complex than some of her others, though I love those too.
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7 comments
Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
saps. oh and people who feel women should only stay at home and make babies.
What started out as an amusing contrast of small town folksiness and big city coldness quickly turned into a finger wagging morality tale about the pitfalls of women who strike out on their own and try to make a career for themselves instead of wanting to live in a big house with a husband and children and the Junior League. Blah.
Even the mildly interesting mystery turns out lame due to a poorly devised red herring.
Even the mildly interesting mystery turns out lame due to a poorly devised red herring.
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Read in September, 2007
This book was a little odd. It felt like three entirely different stories, even though it was about the History and family of one character. The last fifty pages of the book changed drastically in tone and took a surprise turn that I never saw coming. The first half of the book felt a little Jacqueline Susann meets Garrison Keeler...hard to explain. Overall the book was good, but nothing exceptional.
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Read in February, 2006
I love Fannie Flagg. I have read several of her books. Her stories of main street USA are so lovely that they are hard to resist. In this story a hard nosed NY anchor woman finds her true home. Her journey is heart warming. The story draws you in and makes life seem so happy.
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Read in July, 2008
This was a hard book to rate. Parts and aspects of it I really liked, but other parts were slow. The characters are very real and I liked that a lot. I enjoyed the themes of the book as well. The setting and conflict of the mother were really interesting; that came as a surprise to me as the discoveries were made. The Southern traits intertwined in the book are fun.
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Read in January, 2008
As a random library pick I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. It held onto its main mystery quite well and for a large portion of the book. I found it an interesting topic to think about, but didn't feel the book addressed the biggest emotional issues after it revealed the answers.
Otherwise it moved along quite well and I found it a fairly quick read.
Otherwise it moved along quite well and I found it a fairly quick read.
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Frankly, I enjoy the heck out of reading the books by this author. I recognize myself and many of my family members. It is rare that a book can make me laugh out loud while reading, but I do it at least once in every book. It's straightforward honest writing with a nod to the absurd. I'm currently reading through the catalog of books. Definitely recommend.
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Read in April, 2008
I loved this book! It was a nice companion to Standing in the Rainbow. I don't think I could choose which one I liked more. I am still in love with Elmwood Springs and wish we could move there. The characters are so familiar. (Macky reminds me of my Uncle Terry in many ways). Thanks to my friends who recommended them to me.
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2 comments
Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
Most people
I just finished this one over vacation (chosen more for portability than anything else - it's a pretty small, light book). The plot isn't really all that demanding, and the descriptions of smalltown, anywhere, USA (here Elmwood Springs, MO) are comforting. It's a little predictable (yes, boy gets girl), but not entirely.
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Read in January, 2007
I really liked this book, and I liked the author's descriptive style ... it had kind of an unexpected twist at the end that came out of the blue -- there wasn't the tiniest bit of foreshadowing, which makes the beginning and the end seem like two different books ... but, still, I really enjoyed it.
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I can't imagine reading the print version of a Fannie Flagg book, but I ADORE listening to the audio tapes of them. Flagg reads them herself, and she has hilarious voices for each character. I'd say this is the best Fannie Flagg book. It has a twist in it that I never figured out until it was revealed.
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