Standing in the Rainbow    by Fannie Flagg Order:  USA  Can Ballantine, 2003 (2002) Hardcover, Paperback, Audio, CD, e-Book Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Fannie Flagg, author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, is a storyteller unparalleled. With Standing in the Rainbow, she has again stepped into the life of a small fictional town - Elmwood Springs, Missouri - and brought the characters she created to life. Sweeping through the years 1946 to 2000, Flagg captures the feel of the times perfectly. I was fourteen years old in 1946 and can remember the foods, the radio stations, the clothing, and the mores of the times. Just after World War II, women were fighting to come into their own. They did it with the help of people like Neighbor Dorothy, an extremely popular radio personality who broadcast from her home and incorporated both her family and listeners into her daily program. Gospel singing was rising in popularity and the Oatman Family Gospel Singers figure prominently in this wonderful tale of a town and its inhabitants. Through the fifties, the restless sixties, the seventies, right up through the year 2000, we are privileged to participate in the everyday lives of the citizens of Elmwood Springs. People just like your family and friends of today - but living in a slightly different time. As in her novel Welcome to the World, Baby Girl, Flagg swims in human emotion and a desire for her characters to look after each other. Not for any ulterior motive but simply because it's the right thing to do. As a result, wonderful stories emerge that captivate from beginning to end. Thank you, Fannie Flagg, for hours of splendid reading. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Contemporary books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews